Monkeymax's White 1987 MR2 SC

[monkeymax]

Originally Posted by Labcoatguy

http://www.woodsport.org/

Talked/heard of/worshiped these guys yet?

Actually, this is the place to look:
http://forums.twobrutal.com/


I visit TwoBrutal a few times a day, and I know what I'll need for the V6 swap by heart thanks to that place.
As for Woodsport, yup, I know the company. I've met Paul Woods on three occasions, once at Woodsport, and once he'd had a little too much alcohol and was... in a slightly inebriated state...

So yes... all of the above...

Though if I do go V6 on one of them, I'd do it myself, just because it'd be more fun & satisfying that way... (and cheaper!)

[monkeymax]

Definitely time for an update!!!
Work has been keeping me absurdly busy, but of course I hadn't forgotten about the car (even if I couldn't get to work on it!). I struggled with bits trying to remove them from the engine - in particular the Supercharger. But it just wasn't playing ball and I was getting frustrated with both of my MR2s and losing the will to continue with either.

I resolved myself that Sunday would be a productive day. So I was at the workshop at 10 (hey, it's a Sunday on a Bank Holiday weekend, I'm allowed a little lie-in aren't I? ) and got cracking...


I'll apologise now (again) for the poor quality of the photos. I think my camera may be getting upset at getting smeared in oil all the time!

A crow-bar didn't help with the removal of the supercharger. So, I removed the starter and squeezed my hand to the size of a pin:



And managed (with a lot of force & pain (when my hand hit other bolts and metal) ) to remove the bolts holding the SC mounting bracket in place. So the SC and mount came off together:



You can see where the rust penetration spray has done it's bit (removing much of the old gunk) as well as the amount I managed to move the SC off the mount with the use of the crowbar (i.e. not much!).
Even off the engine, the two are still not separating.

An SC-less block.



Some sealant in one of the water lines:



This was quite well stuck in, but if you haven't seen this in the other photos - well this has been used in many places. I suspect this is the cause of the HG failure - and to be honest, seeing this has made me glad that I removed the engine. This all needs to be cleared out and I guess that had the HG just been changed then it'd have had a repeat performance not far down the line...

Inlet ports: ( ? )



1 & 2:



3 & 4:



Yup, that's yet more coolant in port 4.

Exhaust manifold:



I couldn't get this off with the engine in the car as a wierd bolt had been used for the centre one with just an allen key style recess in the middle, and the bolt itself was round. I'd forgotten we had the right tooling for it in the workshop (this led to a serious d'oh moment yesterday when I realised I probably could've removed the thing in-situ).



The bits removed yesterday - up to this point:



I've started cleaning off the bits... Still don't know how I'll get the SC off the mount!

Coolant outlet on the side of the head:



Whatever it is, with it removed, yet more signs of gunk:





Time for mounting on the engine stand:



(Okay - should've happened weeks ago!)
Clutch and flywheel:



Guess what? I think the clutch is worn. I don't know what the tolerance is, but this seems to have 0.1mm of material left at most!

[monkeymax]

Spent a while wresting to get the engine on the stand, then had another d'oh moment when I realised a much easier way to do it!





I've been itching to get the cam covers off for ages. So...










Some serious cleaning required...!



So, Sunday was a good day - the first one I've had in a very very very long time.

It was probably helped by the fact it was the first time I'd drive a car (granted it was the Peugeot) in 2 weeks - and so this helped put a mahooooosive smile on my face.

I need more days like that!

[Redliner]

It's always interesting to see threads like these. Thanks for the pictures!

[monkeymax]

Originally Posted by Redliner

It's always interesting to see threads like these. Thanks for the pictures!

Thanks for the reply!
It's nice to know that people actually read them (and so it's worth continuing to write them!).

I must admit that for me reading similar threads (on other forums mostly, though) in the past has inspired me a lot to do these, and taught me a lot about what an engine looks like inside...

Must say though, this is great fun. I've never done anything like this before (this was even the first time I've ever held a clutch!) and doing all this by myself is quite an experience...!
Let's just hope I don't destroy it all!!!

[Posmo]

Good to see you're actually taking care of the car!

[Redliner]

Originally Posted by monkeymax

Thanks for the reply!
It's nice to know that people actually read them (and so it's worth continuing to write them!).

I must admit that for me reading similar threads (on other forums mostly, though) in the past has inspired me a lot to do these, and taught me a lot about what an engine looks like inside...

Must say though, this is great fun. I've never done anything like this before (this was even the first time I've ever held a clutch!) and doing all this by myself is quite an experience...!
Let's just hope I don't destroy it all!!!

My car, for a reason I have yet to find out, has lost power. If I had another car to take me around, I would have already taken it apart myself.

[Greatgraddage]

Cheers for the updates. Great to see all the bits and pieces. Can't wait till I have the car and the space (and money of course!) to try some of it myself.

[fbc]

(I'd hate to think of the problems my 4AGE has - I'd prefer not to know...)

[Labcoatguy]

Originally Posted by fbc

(I'd hate to think of the problems my 4AGE has - I'd prefer not to know...)

Is there anything that can really hurt a 4AGE, apart from abuse or old age? They're pretty close to bulletproof, from what I've heard.

[fbc]

^ Mine gets the oil changed... and that's about it. For the five years / 120,000kms I've owned it it's always had flat spots in it's power delivery below 4,000rpm - 4,500rpm before the TVIS kicks in (yo!). I could get it looked at it... or I could just keep driving it above 4,500rpm...

Given the limited maintenance it gets, and how it's driven, I'd say the bulletproof rating applies.

[Labcoatguy]

^Sigh...now that I've sold my Mk2 I can come out and openly say that I really want a Mk1 or 3 at some point. Chuckable light MR2s with high-revvers are just too much fun.

[monkeymax]

Originally Posted by Posmo

Good to see you're actually taking care of the car!

It's a good thing there's no photographic evidence of me about to hit the engine with a hammer to get the supercharger off then!!!
Luckily a friend was in the workshop at the time and stopped me before I could start... and sent me home. I was really getting that frustrated with both my MR2s!!!

Originally Posted by Redliner

My car, for a reason I have yet to find out, has lost power. If I had another car to take me around, I would have already taken it apart myself.

I know the feeling. In spite of having 3 cars, none of them are working at the moment and it's a real pain. The Peugeot works sometimes, but I'm currently debating what to do with it.
Thankfully I can cycle between University and home, and the workshop where the MR2 shown in this thread is is only 15 miles away - so also cycling distance (but it's hard work with tools in my backpack!). However, shopping, and going to the train station both require asking for lifts from housemates at the moment - which is slightly embarrasing!

Originally Posted by fbc

(I'd hate to think of the problems my 4AGE has - I'd prefer not to know...)

Yup, it can be a bit worrying! I've been of the frame of mind that "If it ain't broke...". Hence I've not touched the engines of either of the other two cars yet. They both have their own problems but those bits are still working so I'd rather not know what's not right in them!!!

Originally Posted by Labcoatguy

Is there anything that can really hurt a 4AGE, apart from abuse or old age? They're pretty close to bulletproof, from what I've heard.

Yup, the 4AGEs can really take a lot of abuse as well. However, if allowed to overheat, a lot of damage can be done. It's very important to keep an eye on all the important fluids - oil and coolant. Do this and you'll be fine.
However, sometimes real numpties have a go at the engines and the result of this is what you see in this engine - with sealant everywhere it shouldn't be!!!

Originally Posted by Labcoatguy

^Sigh...now that I've sold my Mk2 I can come out and openly say that I really want a Mk1 or 3 at some point. Chuckable light MR2s with high-revvers are just too much fun.

You should. (Didn't know you'd sold the Mk2!)
The Mk2s are good cars, but on cornering ability the Mk1s and 3s are on a whole different level. Unfortunately, though, both cars also feel underpowered, like they could do with the power of engine the Mk2 got.
But a Mk3 is on my shopping list and I'm hoping to get one in the next couple of years - to sit alongside a Mk1 of course...
I've only driven a couple of Mk2s, both of which I enjoyed. But the only Mk3 I've driven left me with a huge grin on my face afterwards - something my Mk1 also does every single time I drive it... Just so rewarding...



Thanks very much for all the posts guys - it's really nice knowing people read these threads! Helps motivate me to go work on the car too so that I update the threads at least once in a while!
(Especially fbc - don't know why, but I feel really chuffed whenever I see you've seen the thread. I guess it's partly your fault I'm now into '2s... hence nice to know you're still interested yourself!)

[Labcoatguy]

Originally Posted by monkeymax

You should. (Didn't know you'd sold the Mk2!)
The Mk2s are good cars, but on cornering ability the Mk1s and 3s are on a whole different level. Unfortunately, though, both cars also feel underpowered, like they could do with the power of engine the Mk2 got.
But a Mk3 is on my shopping list and I'm hoping to get one in the next couple of years - to sit alongside a Mk1 of course...
I've only driven a couple of Mk2s, both of which I enjoyed. But the only Mk3 I've driven left me with a huge grin on my face afterwards - something my Mk1 also does every single time I drive it... Just so rewarding...

Yeah, the Mk2 was a great GT car (~20k miles a year and most of it on the highway, quite comfortably), but it did feel a bit heavy in the corners if I flicked it hard. I had the (US-only) 2.2L 5S-FE engine, so it was nowhere near the levels of power that the 3S-GE or GTE engines were putting out. The one major thing holding me back from a Mk3 is the minuscule cargo space it has, seeing as it'd be my only car. That, and it'd be a convertible in New England, but I can convince myself of that not being a problem.

[monkeymax]

Originally Posted by Labcoatguy

Yeah, the Mk2 was a great GT car (~20k miles a year and most of it on the highway, quite comfortably), but it did feel a bit heavy in the corners if I flicked it hard. I had the (US-only) 2.2L 5S-FE engine, so it was nowhere near the levels of power that the 3S-GE or GTE engines were putting out. The one major thing holding me back from a Mk3 is the minuscule cargo space it has, seeing as it'd be my only car. That, and it'd be a convertible in New England, but I can convince myself of that not being a problem.

Yup, definitely GT cars - but very very good at that!

I don't know a thing about the 2.2L 5S-FE, but the standard 3S-GE we got in the UK was a 2L non-turbo. The 3S-GTE is definitely the one to have. It's fantastic in a straight line.

But I'd still take a Mk1 or Mk3 over a turboed Mk2, personally.

I agree with the space constraints in the Mk3 - it's a big concern for me too. If I get one, it'd replace the Peugeot - which is meant to be my 'sensible' car...

[Labcoatguy]

Originally Posted by monkeymax

I don't know a thing about the 2.2L 5S-FE, but the standard 3S-GE we got in the UK was a 2L non-turbo. The 3S-GTE is definitely the one to have. It's fantastic in a straight line.

But I'd still take a Mk1 or Mk3 over a turboed Mk2, personally.

I agree with the space constraints in the Mk3 - it's a big concern for me too. If I get one, it'd replace the Peugeot - which is meant to be my 'sensible' car...

The 5SFE is "normal Toyota", reliable, gets you places, but otherwise not worth mentioning. If I get another Mk2, it'll be far in the future and with a V6 swapped in; aluminum-block 1MZ-FE if possible, 3VZ (the one Woodsport swears by) if necessary.

But enough about me. What do you plan on doing to this car, after the cleaning and, er, reviving? Or is it too early to be worrying about that?

[monkeymax]

Originally Posted by Labcoatguy

The 5SFE is "normal Toyota", reliable, gets you places, but otherwise not worth mentioning. If I get another Mk2, it'll be far in the future and with a V6 swapped in; aluminum-block 1MZ-FE if possible, 3VZ (the one Woodsport swears by) if necessary.

When I was in Scotland last September, I had a two hour ride in a V6'ed Mk2 - with the 1MZ-FE. Awesome. Seriously, seriously awesome. Again, the engine the car should've had to have been a proper tourer.
And the sound... makes you do a sex wee every time the loud pedal is pressed... even if you're only a passenger!

Originally Posted by Labcoatguy

But enough about me. What do you plan on doing to this car, after the cleaning and, er, reviving? Or is it too early to be worrying about that?

Haha... Ummm, it's kind of too early to be worrying about it as it still depends on a number of factors, but I may as well sum up the options on here as they currently stand.

I'm still a student, so I can't justify running three cars, particularly as I don't need to drive that much. However, I live on a farm at the moment, with a mud track that becomes a bog in heavy rain. The Peugeot has proven to be awesome for driving on the farm in winter, and I'd be worried about mud sticking to the underside of a low MR2, so really I'd like to keep a 'winter car' if at all possible.

Therefore, thinking with my mind for a minute, the plan was & is to fix and sell. After all, the point of buying this car was to possibly fix it and make a bit of money and learn a lot about engines... or to break it into bits if unfixable and recoup my costs.

Unfortunately I don't normally stick to plans like that. I'm already considering spending more money on the engine rebuild than originally planned so that this engine should prove to be a reliable engine once I'm finished with it.
But that could mean I'd then lose money if I sold it...!

The problem with making decisions just yet is that the engine is still an unknown factor... I still don't know if the engine in there is okay - I really need to check it before making up my mind one way or the other. Make sure it's not warped.

If it's warped, then it's scrap. If it's not, then I rebuild it and put it back in the car... and decide where to go from there.

If the engine is scrap, I'm toying with the idea of putting a V6 in the car (I really love the V6'd Mk1 I've been in and really want one!!! LOL). But this depends on the state of the rest of the car.

Unfortunately I recently discovered more rust at the rear of the car when some paint & filler fell out. I've been wanting to practice my welding for a while, but it's not great so I'm not sure how pretty it'll be.


Really, I can't make a decision until I inspect the engine properly which will happen soon hopefully.

From there, I have to decide what condition the rest of the car is in - if poor, then do I rebuild the engine and keep/sell the car as a track car, or do I fix it to make it decent.

Or, do I just part out the good bits on the car (including the rebuilt engine) and send the sell to the scrap man. I'd really really rather not do this as there's already enough of these cars going to scrap and I've been working hard to save this car already, but unfortunately it really is suffering from neglect.


So, yeah, it's all up in the air at the moment. This was bought as a project car with the intention of learning more about cars and how to repair them than I could've done with the others. But time and money constraints are forcing things to change slightly... meaning things like learning how to use the paint spraying equipment may have to go out the window for now.
Plus, I've still gotta sort out the other Mk1 as well...


So, in short... Gotta determine whether the engine is salvageable or not and go from there. Watch this space!