Toyota MR2 Roadster 2ZZ-GE Engine Swap
Discussion
I'm not a fanboi to any particular manufacturer, i've had lots of interesting cars over the years but I seem to get drawn towards Toyota's more than I do to the others (although i've had quite a few BMW's and Alfa Romeo's also)
Highlights from my previous Toyota are...
Altezza 3SGE Beams. Jap import version of the IS200 but with a 200bhp naturally aspirated 4 pot.
Starlet GT Turbo. Handled like crap but was good fun.
Corolla Levin AE101. Had a silvertop 4AGE 20v engine with individual throttle bodies as standard.
Corolla Levin BZ-R AE111. Had the blacktop version of the 20v engine. This was one of my favourite cars i've owned.
Corolla Levin AE86. Mine had a CA18DET engine from a S13 200SX, it was 270bhp which was plenty fast.
As you can probably tell from these cars, I grew up in the Max Power era and while I like to think they are tasteful, non car people think i'm a chav. The Mk3 MR2 was something that was never on my radar during my 20's. They looked a bit limp, they have a bit of an image problem, especially compared to the Mk2. The engine was a disappointment also (in terms of power and reliability). A housemate had one when they were new and I drove it and thought it was crap.
A few years back my brother was looking at one for sale with a 2ZZ engine fitted. This got me thinking, I like an engine swap. So I built one. I used the engine from that Corolla T-Sport in it. I liked the green but I got a lot of stick for it, guess it's a bit marmite. I loved the result, an MR2 with a 2ZZ ticks a lot of boxes in my opinion. They are lightweight, come in at around 1000kg, 170-190bhp (depending on the exhaust used), come with an LSD as standard, rev to 8200rpm, RWD, fantastic handling, cheap to build/buy, Toyota reliability. Being lightweight they are cheap on fuel. I think they should be the default choice for a low budget track car. The rear 1/4 panels are bolt on which could be useful on a track car. I consider it 80% of a Lotus Elise for 20% of the money.
I sold it a few years back and had a few cars since. I ended up in another MR2, this was an 06 plate and had about 50k on it, I bought it from a salvage auction, I didn't intend to keep it that long but I started the Boxster engine swap soon after and it became my daily driver. I've had it over 2 years, it's needed nothing in that time. The original engine is a disappointment after owning a 2ZZ car but it's still a great steer. I found it hard to find a photo, I don't care for it much, think i've washed it 3 times in 2 years.
While browsing the classifieds I noticed a Celica 190 locally at a price too cheap to pass up on. I decided i'll do myself another MR2 2ZZ (i'll probably have to sell it in Spring to fund the Boxster engine swap). I didn't want to use my black car as it's a Cat D and has a rip in the roof (i'm too tight to replace it!) so I bought another MR2 and i'll sell my black one to cover the cost of doing the swap.
The Celica is ropey but it's got some decent parts like coilovers. I'll break it, be quids in and have the engine to go in the MR2. It has only done 78k miles. From what I can tell, the lad who owned it was Polish, he looked after it, went back to Poland and sold it to his mate on the cheap who ragged it around (probably on his mates tax and insurance) and then wanted rid of it once the MOT was due.
I picked up an MR2 a week later. It's not to my taste really but the price was right. I wanted one with a hardtop for the winter and they cost £500 on their own so I focused on finding a car with a hardtop. It's got a TTE style bar which looks like a roll over hoop but would actually cave your head in if you did roll over, i'll sell that along with the alloys and the backbox. The photo of the rear was one I took to show by brother the state of the rear bumper which is why it's a poor photo but it's the only one i've got and I took it straight to a body shop after buying it to get it painted (mainly to get it out of the way, i've now got too many cars). I can get paint work done for £50 a panel which is handy.
The guy I bought it off was moving from a house to a caravan, he gave me the original set of wheels for it, he also randomly gave me 3 brand new alloys the same as what's on the car. This is a head scratcher for me, why 3 and they are 5 stud rather than 4 stud like the MR2, it makes no sense but being a bit of a Dell Boy I had them anyway. If someone has a single matching alloy (Asuka Racing KE10 17x7 et42 5x100 / 5x108) or has a Robin Reliant and wants 3, let me know!
Highlights from my previous Toyota are...
Altezza 3SGE Beams. Jap import version of the IS200 but with a 200bhp naturally aspirated 4 pot.
Starlet GT Turbo. Handled like crap but was good fun.
Corolla Levin AE101. Had a silvertop 4AGE 20v engine with individual throttle bodies as standard.
Corolla Levin BZ-R AE111. Had the blacktop version of the 20v engine. This was one of my favourite cars i've owned.
Corolla Levin AE86. Mine had a CA18DET engine from a S13 200SX, it was 270bhp which was plenty fast.
As you can probably tell from these cars, I grew up in the Max Power era and while I like to think they are tasteful, non car people think i'm a chav. The Mk3 MR2 was something that was never on my radar during my 20's. They looked a bit limp, they have a bit of an image problem, especially compared to the Mk2. The engine was a disappointment also (in terms of power and reliability). A housemate had one when they were new and I drove it and thought it was crap.
A few years back my brother was looking at one for sale with a 2ZZ engine fitted. This got me thinking, I like an engine swap. So I built one. I used the engine from that Corolla T-Sport in it. I liked the green but I got a lot of stick for it, guess it's a bit marmite. I loved the result, an MR2 with a 2ZZ ticks a lot of boxes in my opinion. They are lightweight, come in at around 1000kg, 170-190bhp (depending on the exhaust used), come with an LSD as standard, rev to 8200rpm, RWD, fantastic handling, cheap to build/buy, Toyota reliability. Being lightweight they are cheap on fuel. I think they should be the default choice for a low budget track car. The rear 1/4 panels are bolt on which could be useful on a track car. I consider it 80% of a Lotus Elise for 20% of the money.
I sold it a few years back and had a few cars since. I ended up in another MR2, this was an 06 plate and had about 50k on it, I bought it from a salvage auction, I didn't intend to keep it that long but I started the Boxster engine swap soon after and it became my daily driver. I've had it over 2 years, it's needed nothing in that time. The original engine is a disappointment after owning a 2ZZ car but it's still a great steer. I found it hard to find a photo, I don't care for it much, think i've washed it 3 times in 2 years.
While browsing the classifieds I noticed a Celica 190 locally at a price too cheap to pass up on. I decided i'll do myself another MR2 2ZZ (i'll probably have to sell it in Spring to fund the Boxster engine swap). I didn't want to use my black car as it's a Cat D and has a rip in the roof (i'm too tight to replace it!) so I bought another MR2 and i'll sell my black one to cover the cost of doing the swap.
The Celica is ropey but it's got some decent parts like coilovers. I'll break it, be quids in and have the engine to go in the MR2. It has only done 78k miles. From what I can tell, the lad who owned it was Polish, he looked after it, went back to Poland and sold it to his mate on the cheap who ragged it around (probably on his mates tax and insurance) and then wanted rid of it once the MOT was due.
I picked up an MR2 a week later. It's not to my taste really but the price was right. I wanted one with a hardtop for the winter and they cost £500 on their own so I focused on finding a car with a hardtop. It's got a TTE style bar which looks like a roll over hoop but would actually cave your head in if you did roll over, i'll sell that along with the alloys and the backbox. The photo of the rear was one I took to show by brother the state of the rear bumper which is why it's a poor photo but it's the only one i've got and I took it straight to a body shop after buying it to get it painted (mainly to get it out of the way, i've now got too many cars). I can get paint work done for £50 a panel which is handy.
The guy I bought it off was moving from a house to a caravan, he gave me the original set of wheels for it, he also randomly gave me 3 brand new alloys the same as what's on the car. This is a head scratcher for me, why 3 and they are 5 stud rather than 4 stud like the MR2, it makes no sense but being a bit of a Dell Boy I had them anyway. If someone has a single matching alloy (Asuka Racing KE10 17x7 et42 5x100 / 5x108) or has a Robin Reliant and wants 3, let me know!
I always compression test an engine before taking it out. The Celica sprang a surprise on me.
Cylinder 1 - 190psi
Cylinder 2 - 40psi
Cylinder 3 - 210psi
Cylinder 4 - 210psi
I put some oil down the bore on cylinder 2 and it made no difference to the compression so that means it'll be the valves not seating. I wasn't expecting this, the car drives fine and idles well. Sorting that out has landed me with a load of extra work, nothing is ever straight forward.
Getting the engine out is pretty easy on these, especially as i'm angle grinder happy. I'm running out space, the engine is sat on a pallet which is on my engine hoist. That's my makeshift work bench.
Stripping down the engine. All pretty straight forward thankfully. No nasty surprises, looks like it's had regular oil changes which is nice.
Once the cylinder head was off I filled up the combustion chambers up with water and waited. The exhaust valves on cylinder 1 and 2 were leaking.
Once I had confirmed the issue I stripped the cylinder head, it's all in the boot of the Boxster as that's the only safe place i've got left.
Borrowed a valve spring compressor from a mate and started taking them out.
Jackpot, Big fat carbon deposit on the valve. I noticed in the car's history it had a Terraclean done, I bet that caused this. At least there is no damage, I just need to re-lap the valves in and it can go back together.
I got the MR2 back from paint and gave it a wash. It looks like a rollerskate on 17's with standard suspension.
Cylinder 1 - 190psi
Cylinder 2 - 40psi
Cylinder 3 - 210psi
Cylinder 4 - 210psi
I put some oil down the bore on cylinder 2 and it made no difference to the compression so that means it'll be the valves not seating. I wasn't expecting this, the car drives fine and idles well. Sorting that out has landed me with a load of extra work, nothing is ever straight forward.
Getting the engine out is pretty easy on these, especially as i'm angle grinder happy. I'm running out space, the engine is sat on a pallet which is on my engine hoist. That's my makeshift work bench.
Stripping down the engine. All pretty straight forward thankfully. No nasty surprises, looks like it's had regular oil changes which is nice.
Once the cylinder head was off I filled up the combustion chambers up with water and waited. The exhaust valves on cylinder 1 and 2 were leaking.
Once I had confirmed the issue I stripped the cylinder head, it's all in the boot of the Boxster as that's the only safe place i've got left.
Borrowed a valve spring compressor from a mate and started taking them out.
Jackpot, Big fat carbon deposit on the valve. I noticed in the car's history it had a Terraclean done, I bet that caused this. At least there is no damage, I just need to re-lap the valves in and it can go back together.
I got the MR2 back from paint and gave it a wash. It looks like a rollerskate on 17's with standard suspension.
I watched your videos on it, you seemed to be having fun. I love the idea of the K20 swap but I can't see the value for money in it compared to a 2ZZ. A 2ZZ is probably about 20bhp down on power but around 3k cheaper to build.
If you fancy having a crack at a 2ZZ car let me know. (probably not now you've driven a K20 one)
AW111, I always planned to put the 20v 4AGE into a Mk1 if anything had happened to either of my Levin's.
If you fancy having a crack at a 2ZZ car let me know. (probably not now you've driven a K20 one)
AW111, I always planned to put the 20v 4AGE into a Mk1 if anything had happened to either of my Levin's.
I got rid of the Celica.
Getting the engine out of the MR2. My technique is a bit sketchy. I lower the engine down on some jacks onto a skate and then use my engine hoist to lift the shell up over the engine and then I roll it out in between the legs of the hoist.
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Getting the engine out of the MR2. My technique is a bit sketchy. I lower the engine down on some jacks onto a skate and then use my engine hoist to lift the shell up over the engine and then I roll it out in between the legs of the hoist.
06/20171118_130008.jpg' target='_blank'/>I always do it this way but it felt sketchy this time as the engine slipped off the skate so I had to get under it while the hoist is holding the car up on the 250kg setting (needs to be fully extended so I can fit the engine between the legs). Getting the engine back on took some doing.
I don't know what you mean about the body computer. I've done 3 2ZZ swaps previously, you only need the ECU and matching keys.
The subframe has a few issues, i'll get some photos tomorrow and update the thread.
I don't know what you mean about the body computer. I've done 3 2ZZ swaps previously, you only need the ECU and matching keys.
The subframe has a few issues, i'll get some photos tomorrow and update the thread.
One of the alignment bolts for the rear toe arm was seized. This is the second MR2 i've had this with and it's a total paint. I gave it some serious Timmy Mallet and managed to push rubber bush the out of the arm while it's inside the subframe, obviously bending the subframe mounting point in the process. There is also a small rust hole you can see just behind the rubber grommet. The plan is to get a hacksaw blade in there, cut the bolt and then straighten up the mount and weld up the hole.
Both gearboxes side by side. MR2 one is the oily one on the left. You can see the shifters are on the opposite side but they just swap over. You need to use the Celica gearbox in the MR2 as it has shorter ratios, the MR2 gearbox wouldn't be able to keep the engine in lift when changing gears. You can just swap the shifter over and be done with it but the MR2 has a torque biasing differential and the Celica has an open differential so I want to swap that over, also the MR2 has a taller 6th gear which i'll swap. This makes it much more bearable on the motorway.
The casing split open, the ATB diff.
6th gear is easy to get to.
Removing it with my hydraulic puller. I think this is my favourite garage toy.
And a shot of the absolute carnage. I'm far from OCD but the mess everywhere is getting me frustrated. There is another engine (the 2ZZ) right next to where i'm standing. There are 5 gearboxes and 4 engines.
Both gearboxes side by side. MR2 one is the oily one on the left. You can see the shifters are on the opposite side but they just swap over. You need to use the Celica gearbox in the MR2 as it has shorter ratios, the MR2 gearbox wouldn't be able to keep the engine in lift when changing gears. You can just swap the shifter over and be done with it but the MR2 has a torque biasing differential and the Celica has an open differential so I want to swap that over, also the MR2 has a taller 6th gear which i'll swap. This makes it much more bearable on the motorway.
The casing split open, the ATB diff.
6th gear is easy to get to.
Removing it with my hydraulic puller. I think this is my favourite garage toy.
And a shot of the absolute carnage. I'm far from OCD but the mess everywhere is getting me frustrated. There is another engine (the 2ZZ) right next to where i'm standing. There are 5 gearboxes and 4 engines.
My brother has a 2ZZ MR2 and has just put some BC Racing coilovers on it so i've got his old Tein lowering springs to go on mine.
The gearbox all finished and ready to be bolted back onto the engine.
Three of the four engine mounts bolt up but one needs to be made. It's simple, just a flat piece of steel with a few holes.
The gearbox all finished and ready to be bolted back onto the engine.
Three of the four engine mounts bolt up but one needs to be made. It's simple, just a flat piece of steel with a few holes.
shalmaneser said:
Looking at those pictures bought me back to my 205 GTI engine swap - I think I can smell the gear box oil though the monitor!
Good luck with everything, a mk3 MR2 with the 190 bhp engine is going to be a real hoot! Should have been available from the factory with this lump really.
You're not wrong about the smell, my clothes stink of it even though I didn't get any oil on them. Good luck with everything, a mk3 MR2 with the 190 bhp engine is going to be a real hoot! Should have been available from the factory with this lump really.
Jonny_gti said:
great build and had some nice Toyota's there. I've also had a fair few ep82,ep91, Levin bzR ae111, celica gts that was supercharged. Love a good Toyota keep up the good work.
Levin is also my Fav that ive owned, kept my eyes open for another but they are so hard to find here in the UK.
Those Levin's really are fantastic, i'd love another. A few years back there were plenty advertised in Ireland on DoneDeal for under £1500. I'm not sure if that's still the case now. Levin is also my Fav that ive owned, kept my eyes open for another but they are so hard to find here in the UK.
200Plus Club said:
Its a shame the cars are worth so little and are undervalued. It won't be long before decent repairs write them off. Already loads being broken for spares with blown engines or rusty subs.
The MR2 is strange car for values, they seem largely unloved by enthusiasts. The values of the MK1's are still pretty low, especially when you compare them to the Corolla AE86 which was available at a similar time and used the same 4AGE engine. Even today you can pick up a Mk2 Turbo for under £2000. Perhaps they just sold too many of them? I think the low values are a good thing as it keeps them good honest fun.
TroubledSoul said:
Keep up the good work and keep posting the pics. I've had the engine out of a MK3 before but not yet done a 2ZZ swap. The swapping of the diff etc. in the gearbox is really the only part that worries me as I have no clue about that.
That probably is the hardest part but there are some decent write ups to help guide you. Swapping over the ATB isn't essential, Lotus don't use one in their 2ZZ cars. This engine swap is taking me way longer than i'd planned on. I've been ill lately but the biggest setback was the fact I had to take the cylinder head off the 2ZZ. When I was lapping in the valves, I found one of the exhaust valves had worn a groove into it's face. This was not on the cylinder that was low on compression and it was sealing fine but was a potential issue further down the line, also there was no clearance on the camshaft on that valve so the cam would have ended up scored. I ended up buying a scrap cylinder head to get a valve from as motor factors were supplying me with the 1ZZ valve which is different and I didn't have time to go to Toyota.
I then put the cylinder head on and the gearbox. As I was building it up I had a problem. I dropped a valve shim while checking the clearances.
I was sure it had dropped inside the engine. I took the cylinder head back off and the sump looking for it, shook everything upside down and couldn't find it anywhere. It's like it just vanished. I had some spares on the scrap cylinder head. This was a big setback.
Finally got the engine back together and started building it up. You use the MR2 wiring loom on the 2ZZ and have to add the 3 extra wires to control the lift solenoid which is what i'm doing in this picture. I opened up the loom sheath and ran them inside that to keep it all looking decent.
Finally got the engine in the car. Hopefully won't be too long now.
The subframe was a pain in the arse. Had to hacksaw the seized alignment bolt off then get the angle grinder on the other side. Then I had to lever out what was left of the arm/bushing. The subframe was all out of shape afterwards so I had to beat it back with a hammer and use a nut and bolt to close up the opening. I also welded up the small rust hole on the subframe.
I then put the cylinder head on and the gearbox. As I was building it up I had a problem. I dropped a valve shim while checking the clearances.
I was sure it had dropped inside the engine. I took the cylinder head back off and the sump looking for it, shook everything upside down and couldn't find it anywhere. It's like it just vanished. I had some spares on the scrap cylinder head. This was a big setback.
Finally got the engine back together and started building it up. You use the MR2 wiring loom on the 2ZZ and have to add the 3 extra wires to control the lift solenoid which is what i'm doing in this picture. I opened up the loom sheath and ran them inside that to keep it all looking decent.
Finally got the engine in the car. Hopefully won't be too long now.
The subframe was a pain in the arse. Had to hacksaw the seized alignment bolt off then get the angle grinder on the other side. Then I had to lever out what was left of the arm/bushing. The subframe was all out of shape afterwards so I had to beat it back with a hammer and use a nut and bolt to close up the opening. I also welded up the small rust hole on the subframe.
I had a day off work so started on the exhaust. My plan is to reuse as much of the Celica system as I can. This will keep costs down and also it shouldn't be restrictive. I've used cheap Chinese swap manifolds in the past which are basically like the 1ZZ manifold but with a 2ZZ flange. These kill the power, it feels like they rob you of 15-20bhp. I did a 2ZZ swap on my brothers MR2 and we went from the cheap manifold to using the Celica manifold along with 2.5" bore pipework and it felt like a different car afterwards so definately work the extra effort.
This is the standard manifold. I don't need to secondary air injection. So cut it off, it was thick and I made my way through a few cutting discs in the process.
The Celica manifold doesn't clear the MR2 subframe so to make it work you need to cut some wedges out of the pipe, close up the gap and re-weld.
Started making up the rest of system, i'm using the Celica catalytic converter. The exhaust is going to be a tight fit but so far so good.
This is the standard manifold. I don't need to secondary air injection. So cut it off, it was thick and I made my way through a few cutting discs in the process.
The Celica manifold doesn't clear the MR2 subframe so to make it work you need to cut some wedges out of the pipe, close up the gap and re-weld.
Started making up the rest of system, i'm using the Celica catalytic converter. The exhaust is going to be a tight fit but so far so good.
My brother recently upgraded his MR2 to coilovers so I had his old Tein lowering springs. Fitted them already.
I bought a Chinese knock off of the BMC CDA air filter. It came with 2 reducers which are the perfect size for the standard MAF housing (which I hacked out of the Celica airbox). The flexible ducting fitted over the original cold air feed perfectly. The aluminium pipe was just something I had lying around in the garage. Total cost was £20, happy with that.
I bought a Chinese knock off of the BMC CDA air filter. It came with 2 reducers which are the perfect size for the standard MAF housing (which I hacked out of the Celica airbox). The flexible ducting fitted over the original cold air feed perfectly. The aluminium pipe was just something I had lying around in the garage. Total cost was £20, happy with that.
I finally had a chance to finish up the exhaust, it's a bit gnarly looking but only cost me about £100 so I can live with that. I've got a feeling it's going to be too loud and annoy me as the rear silencer is small. Haven't started it up yet as i've got to swap the transponders over and reprogram the keys.
I mainly use mine for commuting so the lack of space isn't such an issue.
I finished the exhaust and got the bumper back on. I took it out for a drive and it's all good, the exhaust isn't as loud as i'd feared, much quieter than the celica was, especially at idle.
I need to get the A/C re-gassed and an alignment done but it's pretty much finished now. I'm planning on removing the soft top and fitting it to my black MR2 as the roof on that is ripped and a car with a hole in the roof is a tough sell in the winter. I'll then just keep the silver car with the hard top only, I prefer the look.
I finished the exhaust and got the bumper back on. I took it out for a drive and it's all good, the exhaust isn't as loud as i'd feared, much quieter than the celica was, especially at idle.
I need to get the A/C re-gassed and an alignment done but it's pretty much finished now. I'm planning on removing the soft top and fitting it to my black MR2 as the roof on that is ripped and a car with a hole in the roof is a tough sell in the winter. I'll then just keep the silver car with the hard top only, I prefer the look.
Thank you Nick. Send me an email with your plans, if I can't help i'll be able to suggest someone who can.
I was waiting to get some decent photos of the car for the next update but the weather has been horrible, I took these pictures the first day I drove it to work.
While the 17's wouldn't be my choice I think it looks alright in the flesh and i've not really noticed much difference in ride or handling compared to my standard MR2 (which i've just sold).
While I was selling my black MR2 I didn't have space for both so my mate had this one on his drive. He's been blasting around in it and has fallen for it. Everyone that has a drive seems to. Best bang for buck sports car out there in my opinion.
I was waiting to get some decent photos of the car for the next update but the weather has been horrible, I took these pictures the first day I drove it to work.
While the 17's wouldn't be my choice I think it looks alright in the flesh and i've not really noticed much difference in ride or handling compared to my standard MR2 (which i've just sold).
While I was selling my black MR2 I didn't have space for both so my mate had this one on his drive. He's been blasting around in it and has fallen for it. Everyone that has a drive seems to. Best bang for buck sports car out there in my opinion.
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