£256 MR2 Roadster 'gamble'
Discussion
To answer a few questions!
I've ordered the new TR-1, DT had a good offer on them so thought i'd try them out.
Roof is looking very sorry for itself - struggling to get it down actually which defeats the purpose somewhat. Appreciate the heads up for Jack R. Smith, I was surprised at how much aftermarket roofs were, i replaced my MX-5 roof after it was slashed years ago and that only cost £200 from memory! Will certainly give him a look!
I won't be taking much - 2 vans are going up with motorbikes so plenty of space for my bag in them!!
I'm looking forward to getting on the road with it, although the more I read about them the more they appear to want to throw anyone driving them off the road!!
I've ordered the new TR-1, DT had a good offer on them so thought i'd try them out.
Roof is looking very sorry for itself - struggling to get it down actually which defeats the purpose somewhat. Appreciate the heads up for Jack R. Smith, I was surprised at how much aftermarket roofs were, i replaced my MX-5 roof after it was slashed years ago and that only cost £200 from memory! Will certainly give him a look!
I won't be taking much - 2 vans are going up with motorbikes so plenty of space for my bag in them!!
I'm looking forward to getting on the road with it, although the more I read about them the more they appear to want to throw anyone driving them off the road!!
interstellar said:
I had a 1275GT in that colour. It’s not 822S at the end of the reg by chance?
No its not! Amazingly I was parked at the Goodwood members meeting a few years back and got back to the car with a picture of it from the '90's under the wipers and a note saying if I wanted to sell to give them a call as they missed it..Still never worked out why someone had a picture of their old car with them!! I did text them thanking them for the pic and info but never heard back from them!!
Here it is... Love it to bits!
Dirknights said:
No its not! Amazingly I was parked at the Goodwood members meeting a few years back and got back to the car with a picture of it from the '90's under the wipers and a note saying if I wanted to sell to give them a call as they missed it..
Still never worked out why someone had a picture of their old car with them!! I did text them thanking them for the pic and info but never heard back from them!!
Here it is... Love it to bits!
Thank you. That is cool. Reminds me of mine which was my first car at 17. £500 and the front wing was a different colour rust/brown to the rest of the car. I then spent £300 on a straight through Peco Big Bore exhaust which essentially was rubbish. It didnt fit well and was constantly blowing from different sections. Fond memories, thanks for the pic though. I loved driving mine and got it to 98mph once (private road obviously)Still never worked out why someone had a picture of their old car with them!! I did text them thanking them for the pic and info but never heard back from them!!
Here it is... Love it to bits!
As your car is a 52 plate the engine was no doubt manufactured after Nov 2001. That is the date the piston and ring designed changed. Then in January 2002 the oil control rings were nitrided as an extra precaution. Early than this date and the engine has various issues, the most important being high oil consumption which allows oil to be burned and which degrades the catalytic converters (at first the manifold ones then the main).
Some people think it is the actual manifold cats that are the issue but they are just collateral damage of the oil burning.
Either way, even if you have a revised engine, high mileage can cause oil burning anyway and damage the cats. Recirculation of exhaust gases allows debris to be 'consumed' thus further damaging the engine.
Getting rid of the pre cat manifold (if the cats inside are ok, you can get 45-65 on eBay for it) and fitting an aftermarket manifold is a precautionary measure. Better designed ones also boost low end torque and get rid of the need to rev the car so much. Peak bhp is allegedly rated at anywhere from a 5-10 gain depending on who you believe. Dyno plots on Spyderchat and MR2oc corroborate this.
Changing the oil regularly is a very good strategy. The oil drain plug is not magnetic but you can get one on eBay for a few quid . It is M12 X 1.25.
Some people think it is the actual manifold cats that are the issue but they are just collateral damage of the oil burning.
Either way, even if you have a revised engine, high mileage can cause oil burning anyway and damage the cats. Recirculation of exhaust gases allows debris to be 'consumed' thus further damaging the engine.
Getting rid of the pre cat manifold (if the cats inside are ok, you can get 45-65 on eBay for it) and fitting an aftermarket manifold is a precautionary measure. Better designed ones also boost low end torque and get rid of the need to rev the car so much. Peak bhp is allegedly rated at anywhere from a 5-10 gain depending on who you believe. Dyno plots on Spyderchat and MR2oc corroborate this.
Changing the oil regularly is a very good strategy. The oil drain plug is not magnetic but you can get one on eBay for a few quid . It is M12 X 1.25.
MinotaurBarbellClub said:
Getting rid of the pre cat manifold and fitting an aftermarket manifold is a precautionary measure. Better designed ones also boost low end torque and get rid of the need to rev the car so much. Peak bhp is allegedly rated at anywhere from a 5-10 gain depending on who you believe. Dyno plots on Spyderchat and MR2oc corroborate this.
Changing the oil regularly is a very good strategy. The oil drain plug is not magnetic but you can get one on eBay for a few quid . It is M12 X 1.25.
What are your thoughts on this..Changing the oil regularly is a very good strategy. The oil drain plug is not magnetic but you can get one on eBay for a few quid . It is M12 X 1.25.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STAINLESS-STEEL-SPORT-D...
Seems cheap!!!?
I've just done an oil change, was surprised that the drain plug wasn't magnetic, oil colour was a pleasant surprise though!
Dirknights said:
MinotaurBarbellClub said:
Getting rid of the pre cat manifold and fitting an aftermarket manifold is a precautionary measure. Better designed ones also boost low end torque and get rid of the need to rev the car so much. Peak bhp is allegedly rated at anywhere from a 5-10 gain depending on who you believe. Dyno plots on Spyderchat and MR2oc corroborate this.
Changing the oil regularly is a very good strategy. The oil drain plug is not magnetic but you can get one on eBay for a few quid . It is M12 X 1.25.
What are your thoughts on this..Changing the oil regularly is a very good strategy. The oil drain plug is not magnetic but you can get one on eBay for a few quid . It is M12 X 1.25.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STAINLESS-STEEL-SPORT-D...
Seems cheap!!!?
I've just done an oil change, was surprised that the drain plug wasn't magnetic, oil colour was a pleasant surprise though!
I read some saying the manifolds crack etc but the people who originally cloned them (a guy called Che) and others keep revising the design.
If you can find someone who has had success with a particular variety etc etc.
Fitting is quite easy, but studs and bolts may be seized and or snap off.
It should mate up to the cat downpipe ok too. You have the option of adding an aftermarket pipe and then the 'back box' at a later date.
That is a manifold I did for a friend. Note the intake pipe is also different. With a panel filter this made a very noticeable difference. He even stated it pulled from 40mph on fifth like it used to in fourth. Then we cleaned the MAF and a small flat spot at 3500rpm disappeared.
Don't remove the plastic cover on the engine like this pic though..rain gets in and causes misfires .
Edited by MinotaurBarbellClub on Wednesday 22 January 12:24
Edited by MinotaurBarbellClub on Wednesday 22 January 12:29
Dirknights said:
What are your thoughts on this..
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STAINLESS-STEEL-SPORT-D...
Seems cheap!!!?
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They're right enough, plenty of people use them, though you might have to extend the 02 sensor wires.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STAINLESS-STEEL-SPORT-D...
Seems cheap!!!?
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Reuse the original Toyota head to manifold gasket as the supplied one is rubbish. The manifold to mid section gasket is different on that to whats on the original, see pic.
Toyota use two crush rings, the three bolt in the pic are whats called the 3 Amigos and are usually a pain to get off.
Dirknights said:
Roof is looking very sorry for itself - struggling to get it down actually which defeats the purpose somewhat.
The roof on mine is an absolute bugger to get down when it's cold - in summer it folds away very easily. Not sure if this is always the case?If I let the interior warm up cold days it makes life a little easier. Anyhow - good luck with your purchase!
Bit of an update- been tricky to keep progress up to date..:
In preparation for getting it on the road I have been going over the car and getting some of the basic maintenance done..
Aux belt was replaced as it was looking well past it's best - less than a tenner and less than 10mins to swap so well worth it!
I did this with an oil and filter change and air filter:
Rear Discs and pads swapped out, I also gave the rear disc heat shields a bit of a spruce as well whilst I was in there:
Front struts have been removed to replace the dust covers and bump stops, on removal the springs and top mounts are also past their best so will replace these as well.
I have been giving the wheels a little bit of a freshen up too...
Should hopefully get the Tyres, Front Pads, brake lines and other suspension bits by the weekend to get it back down on the floor so it can be tracked and taxed!!
In preparation for getting it on the road I have been going over the car and getting some of the basic maintenance done..
Aux belt was replaced as it was looking well past it's best - less than a tenner and less than 10mins to swap so well worth it!
I did this with an oil and filter change and air filter:
Rear Discs and pads swapped out, I also gave the rear disc heat shields a bit of a spruce as well whilst I was in there:
Front struts have been removed to replace the dust covers and bump stops, on removal the springs and top mounts are also past their best so will replace these as well.
I have been giving the wheels a little bit of a freshen up too...
Should hopefully get the Tyres, Front Pads, brake lines and other suspension bits by the weekend to get it back down on the floor so it can be tracked and taxed!!
Dirknights said:
I think i'll take a punt on one..
I and quite a few other mk3 owners I know have the Toyosport. It's tried and tested and decent quality. Worth looking at wrapping it though, two reasonsa) There is no mount for the manifold headshield with the Toyosport, so you'll lose that - this pushes engine bay (and potentially air intake) temps up in and of itself. Wrapping will mitigate this to a degree.
b) Hotter air in the pipes will flow faster and heat the cat up sooner allowing better flow and cleaner emissions from a cold start, more quickly.
Most on mr2roc who use the Toyo have it wrapped. You'll want about 10m of 2" wrap and some stainless steel ties or jubilee clips. I used the DEI Titanium wrap myself but there is cheaper stuff. Make sure to wet the stuff first and definitely wear gloves, it's nasty stuff and will have you itching for days otherwise!
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