MR2 Roadster - A Tale Of Woe, Maybe...
Discussion
HughG said:
I recently sold mine to a friend, and the engine immediately let go 
He is prepping it for track use and I pretty sure he will remove the soft top and just run with the hardtop. Do you want me to ask if he'd part with the soft top? He's in Bromley.
That's a very kind and thoughtful offer. He is prepping it for track use and I pretty sure he will remove the soft top and just run with the hardtop. Do you want me to ask if he'd part with the soft top? He's in Bromley.And yes, if you would ask, and how much he'd want for it, it is something I'd consider.
Thank you!
Little update.
I've been enjoying the MR2 in the fine weather we've been having lately, partly because it's currently my only road worthy or legal car.
The exhaust has been rattling for some time so I renewed a few broken heat shield bolts and fitted an anti-rattle jubilee clip, nice and quiet now.
Aaaaannnd.......
Just for you, mrtwisty
I've been enjoying the MR2 in the fine weather we've been having lately, partly because it's currently my only road worthy or legal car.
The exhaust has been rattling for some time so I renewed a few broken heat shield bolts and fitted an anti-rattle jubilee clip, nice and quiet now.
Aaaaannnd.......
Just for you, mrtwisty
mrtwisty said:
You ordered those new tyres yet 
?
A full set of Toyo Proxes TR1s went on today! ? In my experience, brand new tyres can be slightly iffy at first, and I've only driven about fifteen miles on them.
But already they are at least as good in the dry as the old Sonars, if not better, although the car does feel different.
It feels a little more back endy pushing it into tight corners, but that might just be because there is now less understeer, but I don't mind that.
The car seems to feel a bit smoother too, maybe one or two or more of the old tyres were slightly out of shape.
I'm most curious as to how they perform on a wet road, the old tyres were utterly hopeless with regards to understeer, but hilarious with the oversteer!
But already they are at least as good in the dry as the old Sonars, if not better, although the car does feel different.
It feels a little more back endy pushing it into tight corners, but that might just be because there is now less understeer, but I don't mind that.
The car seems to feel a bit smoother too, maybe one or two or more of the old tyres were slightly out of shape.
I'm most curious as to how they perform on a wet road, the old tyres were utterly hopeless with regards to understeer, but hilarious with the oversteer!
mrtwisty said:
Martin350 said:
In my experience, brand new tyres can be slightly iffy at first, and I've only driven about fifteen miles on them.
But already they are at least as good in the dry as the old Sonars, if not better, although the car does feel different.
It feels a little more back endy pushing it into tight corners, but that might just be because there is now less understeer, but I don't mind that.
The car seems to feel a bit smoother too, maybe one or two or more of the old tyres were slightly out of shape.
I'm most curious as to how they perform on a wet road, the old tyres were utterly hopeless with regards to understeer, but hilarious with the oversteer!
Oh yes you definitely need to run in new tyres for a little while until they will perform as they should. It will always understeer to some degree in the wet I'm afraid, just the nature of a very light front end. But already they are at least as good in the dry as the old Sonars, if not better, although the car does feel different.
It feels a little more back endy pushing it into tight corners, but that might just be because there is now less understeer, but I don't mind that.
The car seems to feel a bit smoother too, maybe one or two or more of the old tyres were slightly out of shape.
I'm most curious as to how they perform on a wet road, the old tyres were utterly hopeless with regards to understeer, but hilarious with the oversteer!
I've run T1Rs on a few cars - they're not brilliant in the wet tbh, but they will be better than your previous tyres I'm sure.
Did you ever get hold of the replacement hood that was offered?
In fact the last time I put fuel in the MR2, or any car, was on 23rd March, and I've still got nearly half a tank!
Ha, nothing could be worse in the wet than my old tyres, severe understeer on a roundabaout at about 15mph in first gear on light throttle was a recent and unpleasant memory!
And the fronts still had a few mm of tread, it was the rears that were about on the legal limit.
No news on the hood, but it was made clear it wouldn't be very soon, and I might or might not go for it anyway, I don't know yet.
Edited by Martin350 on Thursday 28th May 00:08
Furlough has brought me to do things I never would have considered bothering with before on this car, ha!
On the last couple of afternoons I decided to tidy up the MR2's wheels.
They have clearly been quite badly refurbished in the past, and I wasn't prepared to spend half the value of the car on a proper wheel refurbishment, but for about £15 worth of paint, lacquer, wet & dry, and for something to do, I thought I'd give them a bit of a tidy up myself.
The rear wheels had some quite bad brake dust staining that no alloy wheel cleaner I tried could shift. So I rubbed them down and gave them a couple of coats of Simoniz 5 Wheel Silver and then a couple of coats of Simoniz clear lacquer.
They are narrow spoke wheels, and the inner rims are quite visible, so they needed a good clean up too.
|https://thumbsnap.com/KPsYXzBY[/url]
The front wheels paint was actually in very good condition on the outside but were quite dirty on the inside rims.
They responded well with just a good clean up and no repainting.
I also polished the wheel centre caps and refreshed the brake caliper paint.
The photos do them more justice than they deserve, it's nothing like a proper wheel refurbishment, but it is an improvement for very little cost, and I'm quite happy with that.
On the last couple of afternoons I decided to tidy up the MR2's wheels.
They have clearly been quite badly refurbished in the past, and I wasn't prepared to spend half the value of the car on a proper wheel refurbishment, but for about £15 worth of paint, lacquer, wet & dry, and for something to do, I thought I'd give them a bit of a tidy up myself.
The rear wheels had some quite bad brake dust staining that no alloy wheel cleaner I tried could shift. So I rubbed them down and gave them a couple of coats of Simoniz 5 Wheel Silver and then a couple of coats of Simoniz clear lacquer.
They are narrow spoke wheels, and the inner rims are quite visible, so they needed a good clean up too.
|https://thumbsnap.com/KPsYXzBY[/url]The front wheels paint was actually in very good condition on the outside but were quite dirty on the inside rims.
They responded well with just a good clean up and no repainting.
I also polished the wheel centre caps and refreshed the brake caliper paint.
The photos do them more justice than they deserve, it's nothing like a proper wheel refurbishment, but it is an improvement for very little cost, and I'm quite happy with that.
Edited by Martin350 on Wednesday 3rd June 02:09
Things got a bit more serious today!
I might have mentioned before that the clutch release bearing, or so I suspected, has been making quite a horrendous noise for a couple of years/several thousand miles.
As I'm still on furlough and got some free time I decided to fit a new clutch.
The underside of my MR2 is really not in good shape with a lot of very rusty fittings, nuts & bolts, I'm sure it must have lived near the coast at some point!.
It was a complete nightmare getting it apart today, some suspension parts I simply couldn't get undone so had to take a longer way round with a few things, but I ended the day having replaced the clutch and getting the gearbox back on, so the worst of it is done.
From the noise that was coming from it, which went away with even just a light push on the clutch pedal I was expecting the release bearing to be very loose and noisy to turn by hand, but it's not, it's quite tight and quiet, so maybe it's the gearbox input shaft bearing..?
However, the friction plate is quite badly worn, so it was only a matter of time anyway.
I guess I'll only know for sure when it's all back together and given a test drive...
I might have mentioned before that the clutch release bearing, or so I suspected, has been making quite a horrendous noise for a couple of years/several thousand miles.
As I'm still on furlough and got some free time I decided to fit a new clutch.
The underside of my MR2 is really not in good shape with a lot of very rusty fittings, nuts & bolts, I'm sure it must have lived near the coast at some point!.
It was a complete nightmare getting it apart today, some suspension parts I simply couldn't get undone so had to take a longer way round with a few things, but I ended the day having replaced the clutch and getting the gearbox back on, so the worst of it is done.
From the noise that was coming from it, which went away with even just a light push on the clutch pedal I was expecting the release bearing to be very loose and noisy to turn by hand, but it's not, it's quite tight and quiet, so maybe it's the gearbox input shaft bearing..?
However, the friction plate is quite badly worn, so it was only a matter of time anyway.
I guess I'll only know for sure when it's all back together and given a test drive...
Edited by Martin350 on Monday 15th June 22:40
Mine squeaks when you don't press the clutch pedal!
I can't remember if I've mentioned it before but my ABS has been randomly kicking in occasionally, and has been getting more frequent.
During reassembly today I may have found the culprit.
I've got a new cv joint coming to my local factors tomorrow.
I can't remember if I've mentioned it before but my ABS has been randomly kicking in occasionally, and has been getting more frequent.
During reassembly today I may have found the culprit.
I've got a new cv joint coming to my local factors tomorrow.
I'm happy to report that the MR2 is back on the road, the squealing noise is gone, and the ABS is behaving itself again.
The clutch pedal is much lighter than it was before, and it wasn't exactly heavy to start with.
The car is better to drive than it ever has been in my ownership, a real pleasure!
And I should hope so too after spending over £500 on parts in the last couple of months, which is probably over half of its current value, ha!
But if it gives me another couple of years motoring in it I'll be a happy chap!
The clutch pedal is much lighter than it was before, and it wasn't exactly heavy to start with.
The car is better to drive than it ever has been in my ownership, a real pleasure!
And I should hope so too after spending over £500 on parts in the last couple of months, which is probably over half of its current value, ha!
But if it gives me another couple of years motoring in it I'll be a happy chap!
Edited by Martin350 on Thursday 18th June 00:09
mrtwisty said:
I've run T1Rs on a few cars - they're not brilliant in the wet tbh, but they will be better than your previous tyres I'm sure.
Oh, they most definitely are, it was getting on for being undriveable before, it's now much more confidence inspiring, night and day difference.In fact, I'm not sure if I'm disappointed that they are a bit too good, it's not a torquey engine and mine is quite tired, so I'm now struggling to get the back end out!
From about a couple of months ago the coolant has started needing increasingly regular top-ups.
I thought it might be an engine issue as there was never a puddle under the car so expected it to be nearing the end of its life.
However, it eventually did start leaving a puddle near the front of the car, and a bit of investigation revealed the cause.
I sourced a replacement for just £40 on ebay, and after a couple of hours, many snapped undertray bolts and cable ties later it was in, and fitted perfectly.
It lives on!
I thought it might be an engine issue as there was never a puddle under the car so expected it to be nearing the end of its life.
However, it eventually did start leaving a puddle near the front of the car, and a bit of investigation revealed the cause.
I sourced a replacement for just £40 on ebay, and after a couple of hours, many snapped undertray bolts and cable ties later it was in, and fitted perfectly.
It lives on!
Ha, they certainly do!
I'll keep it going until it's either too expensive or too much hassle to carry on.
It's due an M.O.T. a few days into January, that could be its downfall but we'll see...
My subframe and anti roll bar are looking pretty ropey, as they often do on these.
I replaced the steering UJ in May.
I'll keep it going until it's either too expensive or too much hassle to carry on.
It's due an M.O.T. a few days into January, that could be its downfall but we'll see...
My subframe and anti roll bar are looking pretty ropey, as they often do on these.
I replaced the steering UJ in May.
Yeah, it would, but remember this car car effectively cost me £572 four and a half years ago, and despite the inevitable running repairs on a 16-20 year old car, it's done ok!
And you never know, it may get through another M.O.T. yet.
Ha, when I bought this one I only wanted one this colour, I love it!
There used to be another one this colour in the Maidstone area. One evening I was directly behind it driving through the town centre.
Whilst stopped in traffic a pedestrian asked me if we were travelling together on some kind of run out. I don't think he believed me when I said that I'd never met the other owner and it was just by chance we were together!
I'm sure the subframe could be welded but I don't doubt it's a very tricky job to do well.
My undertray was destroyed after hitting a huge puddle last year, haha!
Thanks for the offer, I'll see how things go with the car in the meantime, but I'll keep it in mind!
And you never know, it may get through another M.O.T. yet.
Ha, when I bought this one I only wanted one this colour, I love it!
There used to be another one this colour in the Maidstone area. One evening I was directly behind it driving through the town centre.
Whilst stopped in traffic a pedestrian asked me if we were travelling together on some kind of run out. I don't think he believed me when I said that I'd never met the other owner and it was just by chance we were together!
I'm sure the subframe could be welded but I don't doubt it's a very tricky job to do well.
My undertray was destroyed after hitting a huge puddle last year, haha!
Thanks for the offer, I'll see how things go with the car in the meantime, but I'll keep it in mind!
Edited by Martin350 on Saturday 14th November 23:49
Thought I'd update from its MOT last month, which wasn't great but not that much of a surprise...
I've patched up the inner sills and got it through and when I get a bit of time I might address the other areas of corrosion with some rubbing down and under body schutz, or something.
But this really might be its last year, we'll see...
I've patched up the inner sills and got it through and when I get a bit of time I might address the other areas of corrosion with some rubbing down and under body schutz, or something.
But this really might be its last year, we'll see...
Well, it's all come to a (big) end... (There's a clue there).
Last month I enjoyed a trip from Kent to Wiltshire, to see family, and back. Apart from using nearly a litre of oil in 300 or so miles it was great, a really enjoyable drive.
On thursday, I had an evening out with a local friend and we went to the coast, another nice drive.
After I'd dropped her off and nearly back at home, I heard a faint rattle, and again when I pulled up at home.
On my short commute the next day it got a little worse.
By sunday it was some more worse , I hoped it was something auxiliary drive belt train related so I removed the belt and ran the engine, no different.
This evening, on my way home from work, the noise got much badder, and my worst fears were confirmed when the oil pressure light came on...
Goodbye, dear friend, goodbye.
But hello 2004 E46 BMW 330ci M Sport.
I've fancied one of these for ages and I picked one up from Woking tonight!
And it made the journey home without any issues!
Last month I enjoyed a trip from Kent to Wiltshire, to see family, and back. Apart from using nearly a litre of oil in 300 or so miles it was great, a really enjoyable drive.
On thursday, I had an evening out with a local friend and we went to the coast, another nice drive.
After I'd dropped her off and nearly back at home, I heard a faint rattle, and again when I pulled up at home.
On my short commute the next day it got a little worse.
By sunday it was some more worse , I hoped it was something auxiliary drive belt train related so I removed the belt and ran the engine, no different.
This evening, on my way home from work, the noise got much badder, and my worst fears were confirmed when the oil pressure light came on...
Goodbye, dear friend, goodbye.
But hello 2004 E46 BMW 330ci M Sport.
I've fancied one of these for ages and I picked one up from Woking tonight!
And it made the journey home without any issues!
Yes, five years and three months for a purchase price of, effectively, under £600. I can't complain!
Haha, I didn't get the BMW home until about 10pm.
Once I get round to cleaning it and taking some photos I might start a thread. Hopefully there won't be as much to report on this one!
Thank you.
Here's a taster.
Haha, I didn't get the BMW home until about 10pm.
Once I get round to cleaning it and taking some photos I might start a thread. Hopefully there won't be as much to report on this one!
Thank you.
Here's a taster.
Edited by Martin350 on Wednesday 18th August 10:33
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