Where? When I upload an image it inserts using the attach code [as below without the misspelling]. There's nothing to double click on in the Manage Attachments field below, either.
[ATACH=CONFIG]2725[/ATACH]
Attachment 2725
Printable View
Where? When I upload an image it inserts using the attach code [as below without the misspelling]. There's nothing to double click on in the Manage Attachments field below, either.
[ATACH=CONFIG]2725[/ATACH]
Attachment 2725
Meh... Maybe? Less than desirable sure, but not inherently a problem. Old turbos and 20th century PCV systems make for adventure!Quote:
Originally Posted by CudaMan
I would not sweat that oil cap for even a second. It's two decades old. Totally normal.
That's looking down inside the valve cover, presumably at a cam cap bolt. That's more sludge than I've ever seen personally, by a margin.
Oooooooh. Well, still nothing I'd be all that concerned about - carbon deposits on stationary parts is not uncommon. Might be worth pulling the valve cover for an inspection, but OTOH what are you going to do? If there is wear on the cams or tappets or whatever are you going to pre-emptively replace them, or just wait until there's a failure? If it was a new car there'd be reason for concern, but on a 20 year old car with a likely totally unknown maintenance history there's gonna be some imperfections. ;)
After you've attached & uploaded an Image from your Computer, you should see the thumbnail pop up in your post.
Then double-click it, an Image Settings control panel should pop up:
http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?...tid=2733&stc=1
Select "Full Size".
http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?...tid=2732&stc=1
Or are you trying to do this to linked images? 'Cause that won't work.
I've just been uploading the image, previewing the page, copying the URL of the image and putting it in its own set of tags then deleting the original thumbnail tag.
http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?...4&d=1510600165
That... sounds like work.
Yeah, probably.
At least I'm not ruining Christmas.
http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?...tid=2735&stc=1
Ok now I see the trick. I had to switch the reply box to WYSIWYG mode for the picture to come up as a thumbnail in the first place. Got it!
[That's the neighborhood Civic Type R doing a fly-by ;)]
Back to some autox content. Yesterday I ran with the local SCCA chapter at the small fairgrounds lot 12 minutes from home. I haven't done this in years. I get spoiled with big grippy lots a couple hours away, with plenty of competition, and I haven't done the local more casual thing in too long. So anyway this local lot is pretty slippery smooth asphalt with need for a lot of slow corners, and my car's set up for grippy concrete and faster stuff. I made a couple pre-emptive minor adjustments yesterday to try to anticipate the right setup, and I either nailed it or these Nexen tires like old asphalt more than I knew.
It may not look like it in the video but the car felt really hooked up. I could rotate on the throttle at will, yet still get forward acceleration. Win-win.
This event was the season finale and with this group that's always a unique format where you enter the course and do a number of consecutive laps before exiting the course and stopping the timer. They call it Enduro. It's something that is (to my knowledge) unique to the central valley here, and I really like it. In past years when I used to do it it was 5 laps per run. Due to increased turnout yesterday it was shortened to 3 laps per run. It was a cold morning so my first of two cracks at the course was entertaining as I worked to put heat into the tires on the low grip surface.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3UZ6RiI0lU
My second run was about 2.5 seconds faster than my first run, and it was top time of day by 8.5 seconds. :eek: I don't think I've ever had a margin quite like that even when I used to run with this club regularly. Just reinforces in my mind how good the 350Z is at everything. As we generally concluded in the Unofficial But Scientific STU Test in Nebraska last September, the 350Z in STU is the jack of all trades.
The last time I did an Enduro was 2010 in the S2000, which kept me pretty busy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHc6ODh7oRI
Here's a very cool story from yesterday, too: A nice 1st-gen Celica was there, lowered with flares and wide wheels and a cage and such. It was making nice turbo noises. The owner was new to autocross last weekend. After the event I found him and started talking to him. Within 5 minutes of our conversation I find out his other car is my old red MR2! The one that was Supercharged in 2003. The one that I sold in 2006. The one that I randomly ran across a few years later at an autocross in Santa Clara, owned by someone other than the guy I had sold it to. That car has really gotten around. And yet keeps finding its way to autocross. How cool is that?
When he said he had an '87 MR2 Supercharged I started to ask questions... yes, it was red. Yes, it had a Grant steering wheel... by this time he gets his phone out and looks for a pic. It's a small photo of the back of the car on an alignment rack but I recognized the license plate after all these years. 3WYA092. Man, so many memories with that car.
I expect to see it at an event next year. :up:
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/19946897/original.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/55315466/original.jpg
<3 <3 <3
Sweet
awesome...looks in great shape too!
Those are my pics from years ago. I don't expect it looks quite like that anymore. :)
ah gotchaQuote:
Originally Posted by CudaMan
My garage is experiencing a high concentration of turbochargers per square foot right now. :cool:
http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?...tid=2737&stc=1
Why does the garage suddenly seem more spacious? ;)
For a couple reasons, I thought it was time to swap the blue Z out for the MR2 Turbo (I store it in my parents' garage). So now this MR2 is my DD, possibly for the first time.
Noticing the Supra needed a new turbo inlet hose motivated me to put in the replacement turbo inlet hose for the MR2 that I bought probably a year ago or more... :smh:
I undid 10, count 'em, 10 hose clamps of various types in order to replace this 90 degree elbow that's plainly visible when peering into the engine bay. :lol: Could they have made this any more complex if they tried? Everything is connected to everything else in some way.
http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?...tid=2738&stc=1
Supra wheel cleaning didn't go quite as I'd hoped. It appears there's some corrosion in places, and perhaps some paint worn away. One of these pics is of the leading edge of a spoke, and I noticed a similar dark spotted area at the leading edge of every other spoke...
http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?...tid=2739&stc=1 http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?...tid=2740&stc=1
Sadly, in my experience, the only way you can fix that is by refinishing the wheels.
This... makes me nervous. :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by CudaMan
At least the H00pra wheels are painted silver and not the polished rims.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WQiqYlpxoY
Cool vid, might be something fun to tackle some weekend on another car. Just not on a friend's car when I've never done it before!
Good point! :lol: :up:
Sounds like the perfect time to me!!! :finger:
Supra findings:
The intake hose came today and I put it in. Much easier than the MR2 Turbo, although it took more hulk wrestling, being more rigid than the MR2 hose.
This didn't fix the problem. :) I wasn't really expecting it to.
During my test drive late tonight with no one around, for the first time I got a decent sense of what the car is actually doing under boost. Report I got from the owner was the 2nd turbo wasn't coming on properly or reliably. So I wasn't expecting to experience breakup during high boost -- the type of sudden breakup that makes me think ignition. The hastily-installed mechanical boost gauge for diagnostic purposes has no lights for night driving, and my phone won't record video with the flashlight on, so meh. But the gauge A) reads as high as 13-14psi when OEM spec should be 11.6, and B) flutters. Low amplitude (like 0.5psi), high frequency flutter. There is a slight kink in the line -- would this produce an erroneous pressure reading during boost, or a flutter during boost? Vacuum seems in spec.
Now here's the other interesting thing. If I keep the car to half throttle it goes faster and doesn't break up near as much if at all, compared to flooring it. Same RPM range. So then I thought maybe the TC pre-throttle-body might be doing something funky at WOT. I tried to turn off TC but couldn't figure it out. :lol: The button doesn't have an up/down position and I don't see a light anywhere, either. Gonna have to RTFM on that one.
It's OBD1. Shouldn't the car at least report a general misfire if it's really an ignition breakup problem? I don't think OBD1 can narrow down the cylinder. Also, the fact the breakup was throttle position based and not RPM/boost based, seems weird. The boost gauge reads the same (more or less) when I'm full throttle or half throttle, but the car breaks up / hesitates at >50% throttle.
I'll throw the two VSVs in that I have here, and do some more research as I have time.
https://cdn.pastemagazine.com/www/ar...lixfnfmain.jpg
Targa top rattle repair attempt today. Simply removing the top is quite a bit more involved than MR2 T-tops. On those you just undo a latch and pull the top out. Easy peasy. The Supra has a locking allen head, plus four allen bolts. The car came with a ratcheting allen tool from Toyota when new (this car still has it). Significantly more awkward.
Removing the headliner from the targa roof was a big pain. The normal way to do it is to destroy the weatherstripping seal and replace it. Yeah, no. I got it done but it took a while. Anyway, that was to get to the rear latch bolts inside which very commonly are loose and cause the rattle. I was all set with loctite and everything. But they're fine!
The other reason to get inside was, the allen head for the lock mechanism is pretty well rounded out. Not even a torx worked. I randomy found something the right size and fashioned an extension and wrench onto it to get the lock undone. McGyver moment there.
The problem is, I can't see any way to replace this 'bolt' without replacing the entire latch assembly. Which I just looked up. It's $80. It's such a simple latch!
So I'm kindof not sure where to go next. I'll probably drive around with the top on but headliner out next time I test the car, and maybe that'll help me narrow down the rattle.
Check it broskis:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/uJACv5YzJLQvy3Eo1
Slot it.
Glad cool cars are still flocking around you ;-) Great to hear about the AW11, too. Did you have a pic of that car exiting the Corkscrew, leading a light blue Viper?
'Breakup' under high boost could be the fuel pump not keeping up (either the pump itself or the fuel filter being blocked) ? Or, the ignition wires all being cooked and not giving a strong spark? I've heard that boost can 'wash out' a weak spark - e.g. on FD:UK forum "Mapping did not go to plan, anything over 0.6 bar of boost caused the spark plugs to be washed out and create a missfire (with a lot of flame) ... Over the summer I replaced the coils, leads and plugs plus wired a direct feed to the coils just to be sure. Thankfully this paid off "
The FD has a similar sequential twin turbo system, which is famously failure-prone.
Problem 1 is vacuum leaks - either pipes, or the plastic bits that join them, or the plastic pressure accumulator chamber. People often replace rubber pipes with silicone. Leaks can cause intermittent 2nd turbo operation, or a bad transition, or it works when you first hit 2nd turbo, but when you lift and re-apply throttle it doesn't come back in.
Once you fix all the leaks, you then have problems with your solenoids - the electric motor-y things that move flaps and so on. Often they fail such that they stop working when hot.
After that, you're back to cracks in the large cast-iron housing that holds the two turbos, or the turbos themselves can fail.
I'm not sure how similar the Supra is.
I finded something of interest in the Supra. Two vacuum lines were switched at the Intake Air Control Valve VSV, which provides a key role in secondary turbo operation.
In switching them back I broke a nipple off the old VSV. :| It had been epoxied back together previously, and tenuously. A small piece must have been missing at the prior break already because the nipple was askew a bit. I want to epoxy it back together again and also find a more permanent replacement. The Toyota part is $75 (wow), Dorman has one that looks like it is the same even down to the plug shape. Dorman doesn't list any parts for Supras on their web site, but a VSV is a pretty simple thing...
What's a good glue/epoxy for little plastic pieces?
I'm still thinking there could be a weak spark under boost given the behavior of the car, but I'll go down this cheaper vacuum line road first.
I have an idea/strategy for the rounded out allen head in the targa latch mechanism too. We'll see if I can pull it off...
Must be another car you're thinking of. I never took any of my own cars on track at Laguna. Too many walls. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by samoht
Good thought on the fuel filter, too! I looked it up and it's not as easy to change as the 300ZX filters. The main issue with the Supra is the flare nut which can strip. Then you have to buy a $200 fuel line too.
The MKIV Supra TT is a coil-on-plug ignition. From my reading, it's usually the wiring at the coil packs or poorly sealed plugs that cause issues. The tricky bit is it's usually not possible to test for a bad coil when the car is at rest, so you just replace them with known good ones and see if that fixes the problem.
But yeah, weak spark under boost seems plausible. If the VSV repair and properly routed lines doesn't solve anything, I'll check the plugs and their gap. I'm told they were replaced recently.
Slow but steady progress over the past few days.
The breakup under boost seems to have been solved. I ordered one new coil and put it in #6, and it was better but still did it, then I moved it to #5, and there's no breakup at all. Coincidence? Got lucky? Actual problem solved? Who knows!
Boost is still not boostitating correctly, and I'm in the process of narrowing that down. What happens is inconsistent so my thought at the moment is leaning towards a sticky actuator, or maybe even a sticky VSV. I've bypassed two VSVs to put the car into what they call "True Twin" mode, where both turbos spool up simultaneously instead of one handing off to the other via the complex system. On my next test drive this may or may not be telling as to where the problem lies.
The boost gauge also reads 27in/hg of vacuum at idle which is really high. I don't think it can be trusted for anything other than if something changes. Absolute values are no good. It was a $10 gauge, guess you can't expect much.
How about this PCV hose? It appears semi-collapsed at a bend. When I rev the engine a bit, it expands just slightly. This appears to be a very thin walled hose, likely not stock. In my searching I haven't figured out yet if this is a problem or not.
http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?...tid=2747&stc=1
Also, I fixed the allen head for the targa latch. I used SteelStick by JB Weld. It's an epoxy putty, almost like clay. Because it's less like a liquid I was able to put it in the allen head, stick in a next size smaller allen key for a second to give it a 6-sided shape that it more or less kept, and then after it cured, file file file to carefully enlarge the six sides to fit the proper size allen key. It was a bit tedious but I did a half hour each day and it works.
http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?...tid=2746&stc=1
Driving around with the top off on a 75F autumn day is excellent. :up:
Hmm, the True Twin conversion hasn't stopped the boost fluctuations. Which, actually, might not be boost fluctuation at all. Hard to tell when the boost gauge can't be trusted. The needle vibrates only at high boost, all other times it's smooth. Don't know whether to read anything into that or not. It no longer feels like a quick harsh cutout or stumble, the variance in power feels smoother since a couple days ago. Going to have to do some more thinking.
It's actually kind of cool in town this way, as the exhaust flapper is permanently open so you hear more good noises at low revs. :)
Hooligan!! :D
Still way quieter than anything I own. :p
Sitrep:
1) No real work or progress on the Supra, other than first stage cleaning of the interior. I did install the new IACV VSV but I'm sure now that isn't the main problem. I need to do some more reading about the system. I did confirm the pressure tank is holding pressure, because when I disconnected a vacuum line even after days of not driving the car, pressure was relieved. I attempted to install my extra Autometer boost/vacuum gauge on the Supra to get a likely more reliable reading, but it turns out Autometer uses a very different boost line attachment method (and size of the line, too) from the generic boost gauge. I don't happen to have a bunch of the right size tubing and a reducer just lying around... so janky boost gauge it is.
2) I just ordered $900 of parts for the MR2. :o I haven't spent this much on it since... hmm, probably since the evaporator broke many moons ago. New moldings for the top of the doors, some EHPS fluid, stainless valve cover bolts (the OEM bolts are kinda stupid and lead to weeping around the valve cover), a new square shift selector bushing, oh and a Berk exhaust. :D It'll probably be quieter than what I have now which is just a straight pipe, but the Berk will flow better because it replaces the restrictive OEM B-pipe. And that better flow will come in handy when I turn up the boost. :cool: I'm in the research stages of that right now, looking up EBCs, FCDs, Toyota family turbo options, and intercoolers. Decent intercooler information for MR2s is really, really hard to come by. No one talks about pressure drop or anything. It was all I could do to find some flow numbers. It appears there are basically two cores that have ever been made for the side mount location: a thicker Greddy copy fin design (sold via no-name eBay, EMS Powered, Berk, KO Racing, PrimeDriven, and many others), or a larger again Spearco bar and plate (copied/modified by Phoenix Power, Apexi, Turbohoses, etc). So few kits are still available to buy new and they're all the Greddy copy design from what I've seen. Supposedly aluminum pipe is better than stainless steel for heat transfer properties, and some of the kits use SS or polished piping (kinda more bling than I'd want anyway). Choosing an IC kit may take some time.
3) I wanted to change the boost gauge in the MR2 to the black face one. However I couldn't remove the push pins holding the A-pillar pod to the A-pillar. Those suckers are in there good. The boost gauge pulls out but not far enough to get to the back of it and disconnect the tube/wiring. I'm scared to remove the A-pillar from the car for fear of breaking 90s plastics or NLA clips. Also, when I learned the Autometer boost line connection utilizes a ferrule and a lock nut, it made me wonder if the ferrule is a one-time use thing or if it can be re-used when changing gauges.
4) I feel like tsg would have some real good knowledge/experience with the DIY kind of stuff here. :(
5) #boostedlife
Today was interesting. My parents' Camry decided to throw a CEL for the first time. It's a '95 V6. Not bad after 23 years I guess (purchased in December '94).
So I go over there to check it out, making sure I have my custom bent paperclip code reader with me. :hard: Find the usual Toyota diagnosis box under the hood, jump TE1 and E1, turn ignition to ON. No flashy flashy of the CEL. Try reconnecting the paperclip, still nothing. Different thickness paperclips in different areas of the terminal holes. Still no diagnostic mode to be found. Hmm. Check under the dash. Well there's a Diagnostic port there, too, like on the Supra. Except either TE1 or E1 (I forget which) is labeled under the lid but has no metal inside. Well that won't work. WTF is the deal here? :? I Google. Someone says check the vacuum diagram. I do and it says OBD-II. What! In 1995? With OBD1 diagnostic boxes on the car? Where's the OBD-II connector? Not under the dash! More Googling. Someone with a '96 4cyl had the same problem - no ability to check codes. Turns out, you have to remove the mini glovebox to the left of the steering wheel. The OBD-II port sits behind it. I have never heard of such things.
So I go home to pick up my OBD2 reader and come back. I get a P0402 code - EGR flow too high. Hmm. I poke around some. Find the EGR VSV under the plastic engine cover, figure it's easy enough to check. It fails the resistance test hard. This is likely the/a problem.
As I'm removing it to get the part number, I find another VSV nearby has completely broken off one nipple. This VSV leads to an actuator that connects to a rod that appears to turn a valve or plate inside the intake manifold. Likely some kind of intake volume control device for different RPM or load. With no VSV connection it's stuck in whatever mode is the default. No idea if open or closed but I suspect it's stuck in the "low RPM/load" mode because the Camry is always driven so gently and nobody has noticed anything out of the ordinary.
So two VSVs and some vacuum line is on order. This leads me to a vacuum line rant which I'll perhaps get to at a later date. Suffice to say, 2.7mm ID appears to be the correct size in this case. Which you won't find at your local Autozone.
Now the bad news: the underhood plastics are so brittle the engine harness ends of the plugs both broke when I removed them from the VSVs. The latch mechanism won't hold the plugs tight anymore. Gotta figure out what to do here... maybe an X pattern of zip ties once they go back on the new VSVs. Stupid 90s plastic.
Yeah TSG's banter is sorely missed. :(
"Daily-driving a '95 Camry with zero rust" stories make me think SoCal must look like Cuba! :lol: :up:
It looks like a place where people drive cars of all varieties. :p Old, new, fancy, simple, pristine, beat up, and everything in between. It was weird when I went to South FL and people there tend to drive one of two things - if they have decent income, they replace their cars often for the latest and greatest. If they're of less means, they drive old beat up cars. There's almost no in-between. I have no idea where all the 5-10 year old cars go!
Edit -sun damage is what you gotta watch out for in CA. Cracked or faded interior parts, clear coat peeling, oxidized paint, crumbling EPDM trim, that kind of stuff.
Honestly, when I go to SoCal, it is weird seeing so many 90s cars with clean bodies.Quote:
Originally Posted by novicius
There are lots of older, rust-free cars in Colorado, too. I'm wondering how long I can continue to drive 20th century cars without sign-holding beggars at intersections handing me money out of pity.
"Here, man. You need this more than I do."
Sounds like you're a candidate for a 3D printer!Quote:
Originally Posted by CudaMan
That'd be lovely.
I ended up using zip ties. Mom-unit reports the car has been just fine ever since I fixeded it.
Wish all cars were that easy!
The Supra is still not giving up its secrets. Won't be much longer and I'll have to start disassembling some major stuff on the turbo side of the engine.
Meanwhile its engine bay harness plugs are fine. Still not brittle. You'd think underhood temps would be higher than that of a Camry. Perhaps Toyota used higher quality plugs on their halo car. But the MR2 plugs are also good. Strange one.
Looks like my sister's Miata's throwout bearing has gone all grindy all of a sudden. Might be working on that before too long here, too.
Supra stuff:
Weird as it seems to me I wonder if there's a small boost leak that opens up, closes, opens up, closes, and that causes the variable power output and lack of overall power. I'd think over time it'd get worse, and/or the offending leak would open up entirely and the car would be super slow. I went in to replace the intercooler hoses today but the silicone kit that came in the car didn't have all the right size/shape hoses. Good thing I hadn't removed the old ones yet. I looked it up and this is exactly what I have. I can't figure out why half of those hoses are there. Two of them, the ones on the drivers side, are fairly direct fitment. There are two additional hoses in the stock system, three if you count the one at the top of the engine bay, and none of the other UPGR8 hoses come anywhere close to matching. It's as if the UPGR8 kit is made for an aftermarket IC with non-stock piping. But nothing says it is.
Another thought is the wastegate. The #1 Turbo WG controls overall boost. I tested the actuator and it seems to be working although I don't know exactly how it should be. The manual says to apply 17.4psi to the actuator and move the rod to make sure the WG opens. I can't reach the rod. I can see it move a little bit right around 17.5-18.0 psi, and a little bit further at 20psi. Probably 1/4" in total. It releases with no bind when I bleed the pressure away (I did buy the Mityvac that supposedly breaks all the time...). So this test is pretty inconclusive to me.
I've eliminated some things in the system as problems, and there doesn't seem to be too many things left that would control overall boost. A lot of the complexity in the system lies in the hand-off between turbos, and that doesn't appear to be where the primary problem is because it runs worst under full boost when both turbos are supplying pressure.
Not much progress on the Supra. I did a little cleaning and prep work every day or so for a while and it was finally ready to correct the paint today. I did some test spots this afternoon and then finished up the hood before it got cold and dark. The haze and swirl marks came out very easily with just M205 and a light polishing pad. This suggests soft paint. (It's a respray). However, numerous tiny dots and RIDS remained. RIDS = Random Isolated Deeper Scratches. I went more aggressive. Then more aggressive again, all the way to the toughest combo I have (Griots Fast Correcting Cream with a Griots stiff white foam pad). It helped a little. This seemed kind of strange given how easy the haze and swirls went away. Anyway, I don't want to take tons of time going over it again and again plus take off a bunch of clear coat, so those imperfections will still be there. But the paint clarity will be much improved overall and given the state of the car when I got it, I don't think the owner is too picky about RIDS (or even knows what they are). ;)
I finished the hood and half of the targa roof. More tomorrow if I get to it after errands.
-
In less awesome news, the MR2 cracked a fog light lens. Seems a tiny stone caused a cascade effect. I swear these lenses are made of crystal! I think this is the 3rd one since I've had the car. The sad thing is they're now discontinued. :( I'm going to try to find a good used one. That may take some time. Meanwhile I've removed them so I can "save" my good one from the chance of a similar fate. Once I get a replacement, I'm going to install some kind of protective film before putting them back on.
That's a shame. I remember a documentary about the original VW Scirocco and how parts are getting really hard to find for them. I assume the MR2 has a bigger enthusiast community, hopefully they can come up with something. I assume you already checked to see if it cross references with anything?
No CELs when the boost fluctuates under throttle?
Waiting on pics of the Mostest Imaculate Supra after you're done! :D :up:
It won't be. The paint is too abused and not that good of a respray. But it'll look good. :)
No CELs at all except on the 3hr drive to bring the car home. The codes were EGR System Malfunction and Speed Sensor Signal. They haven't returned in the 10-15 minute test drives I've done here.
Nate, I don't hold a lot of hope for many quality reproduction parts becoming available. The market is not that big. Partially because these cars have been so cheap to buy for so long that a lot of owners don't seem to care about restoration or quality non-mechanical parts. Lots of stancebro stuff on the forums these days. "Yo this bumper is so JDM yo." Nevermind the fact it fits horribly. :lol: Many of the more mature and financially capable owners started moving on to newer things 10-15 years ago. Elises and other toys.
If I was king of the world I would start a company that specializes in quality faithful reproduction parts for Japanese cars. Kind of like a YearOne for Japanese stuff.
Now there are Chinese knock off fog lights for the MR2 Turbo. They're all over eBay. I need to do more research on them but already I don't like the lack of lettering on the glass. I don't know why I'm so nerdy about that part. :lol: Probably wouldn't care as much if my MR2 wasn't so special.
I had a look around at an online Toyota parts catalog and a ton of stuff is discontinued for the MR2 now. Body panels, emblems, braces, weatherstripping, etc. If an MR2 is in an accident these days it's not going to be easy to source parts (likely used). Time to up the insurance value on my car...
I remember those days from trying to find things for my '85 MKII Celica Supra. #salute
It wouldn't help you here, but I'm hoping 3D printing is the answer for some of the interior bits that are unlikely to be mass reproduced. There is some of that in the DMC community but it seems the plastics they use don't hold up well to sunlight.
Sometime this spring I'm going to go to one of the bigger pull-it yards in this part of the state to look for an E46 air box. I'll ping you then and see if you're still missing odds and ends and have a look around.
:up:
One of the things that is discontinued is the interior A-pillar trim. It's a yuuuuge piece on the hardtop MK2. From ankle height to behind the head. My boost gauge is stuck in the pod and I really want to replace the gauge but I also really don't want to break my A-pillar trim getting it off. Decisions, decisions.
So good news: I got the last OEM fog light left in the country today. $200+. Bad news: it's the wrong side. :lol: I'll have a spare I guess. Or I can sell it in 20 years and retire off the money (yeah right). I think I might call a Candian dealer and see if they can search their warehouses for a left side fog light...
Could Doug help you? I mean if you're not in a hurry, he could help you track it down JDM style, yo!
Checked the local yard, zero MR2s. :P
I signed up to be alerted if they get one. I'll let you know.
The global search begins. :up:
They're not too hard to find on eBay etc but I'd want a really really nice one. As close to like new as possible. There's one on eBay now that looked tempting but has some damage in the back where the plug clips in. Yeah, I'm really picky with this car. :) Nothing but the best!
Nothing wrong with that. It's how I approach the D, might as well wait a bit longer and do it right than just slapping together a solution with inferior bits.
Plastics tech for consumer 3D printing is coming a LONG way...some nylon infused parts or CF reinforced parts hold up much better than PLA (the most commonly used plastic in 3D printers now).Quote:
Originally Posted by dodint
I visited my sister over the last couple days to help her with the clutch replacement and suspension bushing replacement in her '97 Miata. She works on vintage aircraft for fun, and has quite a collection of tools in her own garage. Neither of us had done a clutch before and we figured our skills and tools would be complimentary enough to get the job done and learn something.
In a day and a bit of working in the garage, we got the front suspension off and the midpipe off. And a few tranny bolts loose. Nearly every nut and bolt fought to the death. The ball joints refused to separate even with a puller wound scary tight. The car isn't rusty. My theory is it used to go to a mechanic who railed on everything with air tools. Even my yuuuge breaker bar was flexing something fierce, and I nearly rounded off an impact-rated drive conversion. Copious amounts of PB Blaster and Freeze-Off were used.
Oddly, most of my tools were not a good fit for the Mazda nuts/bolts. It seemed as if a 14mm head was more like 13.75mm. My sister's sockets were a much better fit. Strange, because I haven't had this problem on Toyotas or Nissans.
Not sure when I'll make another trip to her place, but the tranny will come out eventually!
My secret to the ball joints has been lots of hammering on the side of the a-arm. You keep hammering and hammering and suddenly the joint will pop loose.
Wear ear plugs.
Can't be good for the ball joint, can it?
The A-arms didn't look that beefy to be whacking them with a hammer to me. I actually thought they were aluminum before the other day. The More You Know...
The tie rods were separated and the knuckles remained attached to the upper arms. The ball joints will either stay, or get pressed out while the bushings are being serviced on the press at the airport shop hangar. :)
The other fun part was the front sway bar megabracket (from Flyin' Miata or somesuch) got in the way of the looooong upper control arm bolt coming out on one side. That meant removing the rad mounts to get to the bracket bolts to drop the bracket down a bit. It sounds easy, in theory... :lol:
I strike the knuckle with a dead blow hammer.
Attachment 2843
You smack at the arrow. Nice big, thick casting. Eventually the vibration makes the tapered part of the ball joint just drop out.
Oh that one? I just separated the tie rods and left the ball joint on. :) The upper control arm ball joint I tried to pull and hammer free, but no dice.
It can take a while, and I always had to hit it a lot harder than I wanted/expected to.