MR2 TDI

Author
Discussion

maxdb

1,533 posts

156 months

Monday 1st June 2015
quotequote all
Such a great read up - the oil in the exhaust could be the turbo seals leaking. Hopefully it's not though smile

mrtwisty

3,057 posts

164 months

Sunday 5th July 2015
quotequote all
Any news Lozzz?

bearman68

4,642 posts

131 months

Tuesday 7th July 2015
quotequote all
How did the MOT go?

All looks very good, but a hell of a lot of work.

Warm words of encouragement.

lozzzzzz

Original Poster:

339 posts

156 months

Thursday 9th July 2015
quotequote all
Thanks Folks, I've been very busy at work in the last months, hopefully this update will bring you up to speed smile


Right then, a very busy month at work is over, I have booked the MOT for Saturday, then off into Whales camping smilesmile

if it fails then we're in the pug 106 frown no pressure then!

After literally months of considering the options (from time to time), the wheels are now shod in 205 50 16, and 225 50 16 at the rear. All four are on Honda accord 16" 7J wheels.


The PCD is the same as the Toyota but the offset and center bore are different. I needed a 10mm spacer to put the wheels in the right place. I went with 20mm ish on the rear though as the wheels did used to look very "inboard". I went with hubcentric on the rear as 20mm is a little long to be relying on the studs for location. This meant I needed new longer wheel studs. 63mm was the longest I could get. I shortened one set by 6mm for the front and left the rears are 63mm long.


I used a hammer to knock out the old-uns, and a Toyota wheel nut in a socket top pull the new studs in.


Unfortunately I snapped one of the studs frown so I'm hoping a replacement arrives before Saturday.

Then the brakes were put back on and the spacer fitted.


Fronts done, just the rears to go (the front had just been jacked up at this point so is a little high).


All done! and once again the dog features in the photo smile The reason for changing the wheels was to get the right overall diameter, to give the diesel engine the long gears it had in the Toledo, this means the speedo will read correctly and engine won't be revving to much on the motorway, it is a diesel after all. I didn't want the car to look too bling, slammed on 24" wheels smile but I admit I wanted it to look a little smarter than it does on those 14" Toyota wheels. So I think 16" OEM Honda was a good compromise.


I've still got to replace that busted stud on Saturday morning, try and adjust the rear tracking slightly and give it a quick wash then its fingers crossed that a good thrashing and a tank of real diesel cleans up the exhaust fumes smile oh and hopefully nothing else is wrong smile

More to come smile

lozzzzzz

Original Poster:

339 posts

156 months

Sunday 12th July 2015
quotequote all
There are a number of things still to do (things that I knew about) and a number of new minor issues to solve, so I’ll keep checking in here. I’d like to take it to the drag strip just once and put it against a standard MR2 petrol (NA) I’d like to see how far off it is. And of course, I’ll be doing some lorry chasing, normal driving, and crazy driving, and will report on the MPG figures.

I’ll write a little about the weekend for anyone interested.

I got up early and changed the last wheel stud, no dramas there really, got the rear tracking in spec, (front is already good) and gave it a clean. Then off to the MOT station. By the time I had got to the petrol station it was smoking pretty badly, I was in two minds about turning back, there was no way it would pass! I stuck with it, just in case it was the bio diesel.
It only took about 20L of fuel before it was full? Then I remembered I put load of bio in to see if the fuel gauge worked. I set off up the long hill through Bromyard and it was smoking like mad. Everyone was looking at me for all the wrong reasons it was thick blue smoke! I’d lost hope by this point, I was thinking of new injectors and turbo etc. My thinking was, I’m on the road and legal for now, lets just enjoy it for a few mins. I thrashed the hell out of it for a few more miles and as I approached the MOT station the smoke began to the reduce, so I went on a mile or two. By the time I got back to the garage, there was no visible smoke at all, even under full throttle.
I’m pretty sure now that this was as a result of the “MR2 turbo” exhaust I had bought off ebay, I imagine the previous owner had failed a turbo and put lots of engine oil into the exhaust. I had now finished burning it all off.

Anyway 40 mins later and a few comments from the MOT man, I was good to go. Went back for the missus and the tent and headed for Wales.

We went to the dams at Rhayader, then on to Aberystwyth via the really rather excellent “mountain road” or Elan Valley. Camped in Devils bridge and faffed around in Aber today, then home on the faster road, here are a few pics followed by my thoughts on the car.






This is an MR2 with a diesel engine! I can only take credit for engine transplant, everything else is standard. The handling can only be put down to the genius engineers from Japan. I knew this was the case and this is why I went with this car. I really love the way this thing drives, I would say that it doesn’t have the feedback and truly instant steering feel of the MX5, but it is very close. The most important thing here is the lack of weight at the front. It changes direction so dam quickly.

It “quite nice” at normal traffic speeds and there are no nasty traits what-so-ever, but when you press on a bit and push it through the corners that’s when it really shows its true colours and gives a feeling of confidence as if to say “is that all you’ve got!”. It is very precise and gives the feeling that there is plenty more grip on tap. It’s really very good fun. Having the roof off is fantastic, and once again really good fun, the noise can perhaps get a little tiring after a couple of hours.

Back to the engine. With the windows closed and the roof on, there is more noise than the petrol engine gives but not by a huge amount, its quietest between 1400 and 2500rpm which is spot on for everyday driving. There is plenty of power and torque for overtaking. It remains to be seem how fast it is against the standard car. However for normal everyday driving, the kind that you do on your way to work, I would argue that this is quicker. (unless you are someone who actually red-line’s it all the time).

I have given the “power booster” ebay special a go now and it seems to make a difference although the “35hp” claim might be a little generous. Watch this space for more info on that.

I did manage to hold back and see what MPG it would do this evening. I did 13miles and the destination was at a slightly lower altitude than the start point so its by no means gospel. But the figure of 78 mpg was on the dash when I arrived. The wheels are the correct diameter for the speedo to read correctly so it looks promising. I’ll be doing lots of actual measurements soon to get some real numbers.

You have my respect if you have managed to read this far, I think I would have put most people to sleep by now. I’ll be back, there is at least another couple of months of work to get it just right, but its been a good weekend for Mr Two TDI.

More to come

Edited by lozzzzzz on Sunday 12th July 22:03

simoid

19,772 posts

157 months

Sunday 12th July 2015
quotequote all
thumbup

I (we!?) are reading! I don't have motor mechanical expertise, but if I were in a different skill set this is exactly the sort of thing I'd do smile What kind of MPG are you expecting? I think the VAG hatchbacks get around 50 or so... if you're exceeding that it makes you wonder why Toyota didn't just stick a diesel in 20 years ago!

mrtwisty

3,057 posts

164 months

Sunday 12th July 2015
quotequote all
clap Well done Lozzzz clap

Some said you were mad (I may have been one of them....) but you proved us wrong. Well done that man!

I've got a friend who may be taking on a 150 mile a day commute in the near future - do you take on commissions?

A mid engined, high efficency, sweet handling, cool looking, modern classic commuter. What's not to like?

crossy67

1,570 posts

178 months

Monday 13th July 2015
quotequote all
Well done, glad it's all working as it should. Your Mrs could do with some make up putting on though wink

lozzzzzz

Original Poster:

339 posts

156 months

Monday 13th July 2015
quotequote all
Thanks Simoid, MrTwisrty and Crossy67. All these kind comments leave me struggling to fit my head through the door smile

The misses is rather bland looking, hard to pick out in a crowd smilesmile


I still haven't brimmed it for a proper calculated MPG yet, but this was the figure on the dash when I arrived home from work today. A 45 mile journey, the majority of which is motorway, but 1/3 of it is A roads, with some ques! (there was a bit of lorry chasing on the motorway mind smile )


More to come.

Edited by lozzzzzz on Monday 13th July 17:56

furrywoolyhatuk

682 posts

153 months

Monday 13th July 2015
quotequote all
Well done mate, been following your efforts with great interest smile

lozzzzzz

Original Poster:

339 posts

156 months

Wednesday 15th July 2015
quotequote all
Thanks Buddy smile

mrtwisty

3,057 posts

164 months

Friday 17th July 2015
quotequote all
Hi Lozzz, saw a very shiny white MR2 southbound on the M5 just south of Worcester, about half an hour ago. Did I just spot the beast in the wild, or false alarm?



lozzzzzz

Original Poster:

339 posts

156 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
MrTwisty, That was us smile Could you smell the Bio? Were you southbound too? what were you driving?




Well I've done well over 500 miles in Mr Two now and I'm falling in love with it. It really is exactly right! Fast, economical, loads of fun, and really quite tolerable on a long run. I love it (did I mention that).

I can now confidently say that I have accurately measured the MPG and compared it to the read out on the dial. Unfortunately the dials are a little optimistic, by 10% in fact. I was a little disappointed, however a 10% error means it was still able to do 80mpg on a long run behind a lorry. Still impressive I feel. The average for that tank of fuel was 70mpg, that's mostly motorway driving (slowly) but perhaps 1/3 of it was A roads. I've since tried driving it like a tool to see if the 10% error still stands in the region of 50mpg. I'll fill the car up again soon to test this.

The gauge suggests that the car can do 63mpg at a steady 70mph and this drops to 54mpg at 80mph (as I said I'll confirm these figures soon), this really makes me want to fit the 6 speed box. I don't know for sure if it'll bolt up to this engine and whether or not I would need new driveshafts again.

I think I can fairly safely confirm that its not as good as I previously suggested on MPG, but is certainly no worse a golf TDI.

Anyway, thats enough about MPG, at 30 to 35p/l fuel is cheap therefore motoring is very cheap! smile

In other news, I've now fitted a very lame stereo, soon to fit some speakers, nothing fancy, just normal stuff. I've messed about with and shortened the little gear lever on top of the gearbox (this has made a very small difference, it still needs a little adjustment) and I've cleaned up and "stone chipped" the rear arches and underside of the car. I feel happy that its weatherproof now smile



I can't get my head round how solid this car is underneath smile

To sum up, its friggin brilliant!! and I love it! smilesmile oh and the front brake is binding a bit frown

More to come

Shnev91

179 posts

113 months

Tuesday 21st July 2015
quotequote all
lozzzzzz said:
There are a number of things still to do (things that I knew about) and a number of new minor issues to solve, so I’ll keep checking in here. I’d like to take it to the drag strip just once and put it against a standard MR2 petrol (NA) I’d like to see how far off it is. And of course, I’ll be doing some lorry chasing, normal driving, and crazy driving, and will report on the MPG figures.

I’ll write a little about the weekend for anyone interested.

I got up early and changed the last wheel stud, no dramas there really, got the rear tracking in spec, (front is already good) and gave it a clean. Then off to the MOT station. By the time I had got to the petrol station it was smoking pretty badly, I was in two minds about turning back, there was no way it would pass! I stuck with it, just in case it was the bio diesel.
It only took about 20L of fuel before it was full? Then I remembered I put load of bio in to see if the fuel gauge worked. I set off up the long hill through Bromyard and it was smoking like mad. Everyone was looking at me for all the wrong reasons it was thick blue smoke! I’d lost hope by this point, I was thinking of new injectors and turbo etc. My thinking was, I’m on the road and legal for now, lets just enjoy it for a few mins. I thrashed the hell out of it for a few more miles and as I approached the MOT station the smoke began to the reduce, so I went on a mile or two. By the time I got back to the garage, there was no visible smoke at all, even under full throttle.
I’m pretty sure now that this was as a result of the “MR2 turbo” exhaust I had bought off ebay, I imagine the previous owner had failed a turbo and put lots of engine oil into the exhaust. I had now finished burning it all off.

Anyway 40 mins later and a few comments from the MOT man, I was good to go. Went back for the missus and the tent and headed for Wales.

We went to the dams at Rhayader, then on to Aberystwyth via the really rather excellent “mountain road” or Elan Valley. Camped in Devils bridge and faffed around in Aber today, then home on the faster road, here are a few pics followed by my thoughts on the car.






This is an MR2 with a diesel engine! I can only take credit for engine transplant, everything else is standard. The handling can only be put down to the genius engineers from Japan. I knew this was the case and this is why I went with this car. I really love the way this thing drives, I would say that it doesn’t have the feedback and truly instant steering feel of the MX5, but it is very close. The most important thing here is the lack of weight at the front. It changes direction so dam quickly.

It “quite nice” at normal traffic speeds and there are no nasty traits what-so-ever, but when you press on a bit and push it through the corners that’s when it really shows its true colours and gives a feeling of confidence as if to say “is that all you’ve got!”. It is very precise and gives the feeling that there is plenty more grip on tap. It’s really very good fun. Having the roof off is fantastic, and once again really good fun, the noise can perhaps get a little tiring after a couple of hours.

Back to the engine. With the windows closed and the roof on, there is more noise than the petrol engine gives but not by a huge amount, its quietest between 1400 and 2500rpm which is spot on for everyday driving. There is plenty of power and torque for overtaking. It remains to be seem how fast it is against the standard car. However for normal everyday driving, the kind that you do on your way to work, I would argue that this is quicker. (unless you are someone who actually red-line’s it all the time).

I have given the “power booster” ebay special a go now and it seems to make a difference although the “35hp” claim might be a little generous. Watch this space for more info on that.

I did manage to hold back and see what MPG it would do this evening. I did 13miles and the destination was at a slightly lower altitude than the start point so its by no means gospel. But the figure of 78 mpg was on the dash when I arrived. The wheels are the correct diameter for the speedo to read correctly so it looks promising. I’ll be doing lots of actual measurements soon to get some real numbers.

You have my respect if you have managed to read this far, I think I would have put most people to sleep by now. I’ll be back, there is at least another couple of months of work to get it just right, but its been a good weekend for Mr Two TDI.

More to come

Edited by lozzzzzz on Sunday 12th July 22:03
Had I realised you were coming to aber I would have popped down to have a look. frown

BrettMRC

4,037 posts

159 months

Tuesday 21st July 2015
quotequote all
Top work - no smoke, no poke! biggrin

mrtwisty

3,057 posts

164 months

Wednesday 22nd July 2015
quotequote all
MrTwisty, That was us  Could you smell the Bio? Were you southbound too? what were you driving?

Haha, that was a lucky spot then! Yes we were southbound too, my OH driving her red Yaris, en route to the south coast.

Couldn't smell the bio, but we were in lane 1, you were in lane 3.

Hard to believe it's 25 years old, it has polished up a treat.


chuntington101

5,733 posts

235 months

Wednesday 22nd July 2015
quotequote all
So now the car is complete'ish are you going to get a kit designed to make it easier for others? smile

lozzzzzz

Original Poster:

339 posts

156 months

Monday 3rd August 2015
quotequote all
Are you in the Worcester area MrTwisty or were you passing through? I think the Mk2 has aged really well, its a shape that still looks at home among much younger cars.


I had thought about making extras, but its such a niche thing I'm not sure that any would be wanted. Plus the engine mounts were made with a tape measure rather than calipers smile It was a case of cut, tack weld, offer it up and see. smile I would need to take it to bits to copy it.

bearman68

4,642 posts

131 months

Tuesday 4th August 2015
quotequote all
Fantastic, well done.
You deserve to have that big head - at least for a while.

Nice job.

dufunk

182 posts

122 months

Thursday 6th August 2015
quotequote all
All that low down extra torque could be fun in the wet on them? Without getting into to much trouble as with the turbo they were sometimes to fast to tame if sideways like most mid engine cars but if you could you had the talent.