ST165 Buyers Guide

Before you get there

• Get the number for a mileage/insurance/finance investigation agency e.g. AA think about a HPI check
• Think about an independent inspection e.g. AA
• Take someone with you as you'll be excited, you'll probably miss loads of small points
• Ask the owner for the chassis number, if it doesn't start with "JT1LST165" then it's not a UK car, sourcing Japanese specific items for the car may be a problem
• Have a look at the ST165 GT4 common problems article.
• Take along a paper clip to check for error codes - see here for a "How to"

Before you start it

• Check the engine is cold. If it is warm the car may have a cold starting problem. If the engine is warm this may also mask a cold start knocking from the big ends...
• Check the car over for alignment of body panels. Look from the front of the car, is the gap equal on both sides of the bonnet? Do the gaps around the doors remain the same?
• Check for overspray on the rubber around the doors and especially around the windscreen
• Check for dents, knocks, scratches
• Check for rust:
  • Front arches rust at bottom of panel and generally all over!
  • Rear arches rust all over
  • Lift tailgate and look at boot seal, lift it up, check for rust
  • Check the spare wheel well
  • Top front each side of the windscreen
  • Front edge of the sunroof - a new sunroof is very expensive!

Rusty front wing	Close up of the rust, all hidden by the plastic body kit...	The body kit covering the sills covers all sorts of nasties!	Doh!

• Check that all 4 of the tyres are the same size. If they aren't then this will cause the differential to wear prematurely
• Are the digits on the speedo in a straight line? If not then it might have been clocked - walk away
• Pop the bonnet - check the oil level is the oil milky? Yes - walk away
• Check the underneath of the oil filler cap does it have mayonnaise on the underside? Yes - walk away. Does it stink of fuel - hmmm may have a problem.
• Remove the radiator filler cap check the coolant is clear and red, if not then walk away. If Toyota Long Life red coolant has not been used then the internal waterways in the head/block will probably be full of crap i.e. mineral deposits and corrosion. This coats the engine sensors and impedes the engine cooling system performance. Not worth the possible engine failure - you might want to walk away or get it very cheap.
• While you fiddling around the engine bay, look at the colour of the top of the radiator. A new radiator is black, a radiator requiring replacement in the near future will be a light brown in colour. The radiators tend to weep from around the top plastic section  when they are just about to totally give up, these are around £130 to replace
• Stick your head under the back centre of the car and have a look at the rear diff for signs of an oil leak. Leaks seem to be pretty rare but it's a tricky job to remove the diff and even worse to replace the diff oil seals, and that's providing no damage has been done to the diff internals! Also examine the rubber diff mount bush, it shouldn't be cracked a new bush is ~£70
• Have a look under the car at the CV boots. As the car is four wheel drive it has CV joints at the front AND at the rear of the car. Whilst the boots aren't particularly expensive to replace, the job is a bit of a git to do
• Turn key in ignition and check the orange Engine Check Light illuminates before you start the car.  That way you know it works and if there is anything the ECU can find fault with it'll tell you on the test drive
• Check the engine number and chassis number correspond to the log book numbers.

Engine number location	Chassis number location

Start it up!

• Immediately on start listen for a knock, that rapidly disappears, this is a sign of possible worn big ends...buy at your risk!
• Check the rear view mirror - see any smoke from the exhaust? don't get confused with steam. Blue smoke is bad, black is over fuelling and white is probably just steam
• Let it idle for a considerable time, at least until the fan cuts in, you are watching for blue smoke from the exhaust, this may be a sign that the turbo oil seals are worn ~£300 for a turbo overhaul
• Check in the engine bay for any leaks - oil, water, fuel. Is it knocking? Tapping? Are there any weird noises?
• Whilst letting it warm up check all the electrics work, they are expensive to fix if knackered. Check:
  • Electric mirrors
  • Electric windows, especially drivers windows switch ~£130 from Toyota if it's broken!
  • Wipers - front and rear
  • Air conditioning - let it run for at least 1 min and check that the LEDs don't flash
  • Lights pop up and down
  • Sunroof
  • Drivers seat electric controls

Drive it

• Do a couple of tight turns and listen for knocking/ticking - this may indicate a worn CV joint
• Floor it - the boost gauge should go smoothly to the end of the scale - if not then possible turbo problem
• Once the turbo is making positive pressure look for smoke out of the exhaust and listen out for any weird sounds - moaning, metallic, knocking etc. The car should pull smoothly right up to the red line
• Change gears quickly whilst accelerating hard - if you hear a clunk on gear change the rear diff bush is probably knackered easy to replace ~ £70 to buy
• Are the gear changes notchy or hard to find? Worn gearbox synchros - expensive to fix and a gearbox out job. It'll only get worse and you won't cure it with a gearbox oil change. Replacement gear shift bushes may cure the problem ~£10
• Drive on a dual carriageway or motorway. Make sure the car will accelerate up to 70 mph in a straight line with no twitching - if it twitches probably a worn bush - nightmare to change. Also check when accelerating that revs go up and the car goes forward. Sounds daft but if it doesn't then the clutch is knackered fitting ~£300 minimum...and then you will needs the parts on top, stock clutch and bearing ~£150
• While you're at 70 accelerate and then lift off whilst listening for a whining sound from the rear diff, (the bearings sometimes wear), repeat at 60 and 65 mph
• Listen for droning/moaning from the wheels - worn wheel bearing. GT4's are prone to this, they require a press to change and the bearings are ~£50 each, see here for a how to do the rears article
• Brake hard from about 50mph does the car brake in a straight line? Are the brakes any good? Normally they are pretty poor...
• Find some lumps and bumps in the road and corner hard - you'll probably find that the shocks have long gone. Very doubtful they have ever been replaced. It is difficult to find an aftermarket alternative in the UK and they are approx £80 per shock from Toyota
• Keep an eye on the Engine Check Light, it'll show any faults that the ECU sees
• Check the oil pressure gauge. Reads 1/4ish at idle and 1/2 maybe 2/3ish with lots of revs. Gauge is not accurate and is merely only for indication that there is some sort of pressure. Click here to see what the gauges should read.

Bring it back

• Let it idle for 5 minutes - check the exhaust for smoke. If it smokes it'll probably need a new turbo - haggle hard!
• Check the oil dipstick for milky oil - if milky, walk away - probably a blown head gasket
• Open bonnet and check for any leaks. The rocker box cover bolts tend to back off over time giving rise to a large oil leak. The top of the engine radiator is prone to weeping, check it thoroughly ~£130
• Wipe away the oil on the front left of the block where the alternator sits and check for a crack in the head, the 165 is prone to this - picture
• Have a look at the gearbox oil cooler and the lines feeding it at the front left of the car. Is there any oil? If it is leaking you should be able to smell it...the pipes feeding the cooler tend to corrode and then leak - they are expensive ~£130, but not as much as a new gearbox!
• Using the paper clip you brought with you, check the ECU for any error codes - how to article here. If there aren't any error codes you should be fairly happy!