Toyota MR2

[lozzzzzz]

I've made a bit of progress recently, I had a good day on it today. 

The air box is in with a new filter:



And connected up via the MAF sensor.  That's the Toyota air box and VAG MAF sensor. 


And this morning I got round to joining the VAG gear linkage cables with the MR2 gear linkage cables. 


It's all covered and sealed now too.  I few teething problems with plastic melting as I welded but nothing too difficult to sort.  Its by no means perfect, the Toyota gear stick was designed for only three rows of gears  (with reverse being behind 5th), and now it has 4 rows (with revers being to the left of 1st gear).  The travel of the cables is perfect, it's just takes a little practice to get the one you want (reverse, 1st, 3rd or 5th).  I'll be fitting a quiet buzzer to warn when you've selected reverse.  I'm pretty happy with it.  I think it would be a dis-proportionate amount of work to make it a really slick gear change. 

This meant I could drive the car around the driveway for the first time.  It was running for about 3 hours, so I was able to test it a bit.  Even so it only reached around 78 deg C.  B***dy efficient diesels, I wasn't able to see if the cooling fan worked. 

Here's a vid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR9Hp4XzfU8

I have found quite a few problems already though

There a clutch travel problem, well a lack of clutch travel.  I thought I was getting away with it, push the pedal to the bottom and push it into reverse and there was no noise.  But after a while it began to drag a little and grind into reverse gear.  I'll try bleeding it again, but I might have to look into an alternative diameter master (Toyota) or slave (VW).  I hope there is something that will fit. 

Next, when I really loaded up the alternator, lights, fan, heated rear window, I think the belt area began to smoke, I'm not certain as there was a breeze, but I need to look into this a little further. 

Mice have eaten part of the boot seal so I'll need to get another. 

And there is a clunk when moving off in a different direction (forwards to reverse or vice versa), I think the third engine mount need looking at.  As I was leaving I noticed that the exhaust flexi joint coming from the turbo elbow did not look "relaxed" as it did when I first made and fitted it, it seemed to be at a funny angle (not haha funny either!)  So I think I might need to re-make or add too the third engine mount. 

These fairly major issues put a bit of a downer on things this afternoon, having thought it was pretty much ready for MOT in the morning. 

Oh well.

More to come

[julesandtash]

Good going there, even with the few issues you have identified, it must have felt great to drive it out of the garage

There is a serious amount of turbo whistle going on, even at idle. I take it that the Toyota rear box does not offer a great deal of silencing

[Dickjotec]

Not bad at all. Looking forward to a trip in it.

[lozzzzzz]

Thanks both

Yeah it does whistle a bit, i absolutely love it!!!!   those giant american army lorries seem to be all turbo noise, i love that delayed drop in pitch long after the engine has settles at idle, too cool!

the exhaust is an MR2 turbo exhaust (muxh lighter than the NA exhaust that the car came with). It remains to seen how it sounds in the cabin at speed. i'm hopeful though, the engine noise drowns out the exhaust noise.

Dick, you'd be more than welcome to a ride or even a drive if you like.

[Tony]

Proper movement, that is so cool, good work - not far to go now!

[greasemonkey]

I love the howl of a turbo. Looks like the dog does too.
I used to drive a tractor that howled like that. Opening her out up a hill, with a heavy trailer behind, the noise would make my hair stand on end.
After driving it all day, when I went to bed a night, I could still hear the turbo howling in my ears. The moment I dropped off to sleep, the howling would stop, and I'd wake up startled, wondering why the engine had stopped.......

[therecklessengineer]

Opening her out up a hill, with a heavy trailer behind, the noise would make my hair stand on end.

I get that when loading up a marine diesel while standing next to it. It's an awesome feeling of power.

[julesandtash]

with those big marine diesels it could be that the hair standing on end is actually the turbos trying to suck your head into them

[lozzzzzz]

I've had a couple of evenings on the car this week, and although a lot of it was spent looking and thinking, I feel I've made some good progress towards solving the issues found when driving around. 

I think I've found a clutch master from a Toyota 4Runner/Hilux is the same and the MR2 cylinder but larger diameter.  This should solve the clutch travel issue without a minimum of fuss (fingers crossed).  The MR2 cylinder is 5/8 and this would be 3/4, a 20% increase in diameter, but more importantly a 40% ish increase in piston area!  That's quite a lot!  Watch this space. 

The exhaust is off again (only a 5 bolt job ) and I'm hoping that the flexi will bend back into shape.  The damage to the flexi was caused by the third engine mount failure when giving it some stick in 1st gear.  The torque at the wheels (and therefore the torque needed to hold the engine in place) is massive in first gear.  As a ball park figure (I've not looked it up for this gearbox) first is generally 3:1 and final drive is around that too, so you can multiply engine torque by 9!!!  when in first gear, and that's the torque that the engine mount has to withstand to stop the engine spinning int he engine bay. 

Anyway...  I've straightened the broken engine mount, used much thicker steel for the mounting points to the engine, and added more steel to the structure:
Going form this:


To this:



But this is just the first part of the plan.  I'm going to use some the position of the original mount, underneath the gearbox and make another section to join up with the bit pictured above.  Strength in triangles. 

More to come

[Dickjotec]

Keep at it. BTW did you get my email re oil?

[lozzzzzz]

A small update this evening.  I've bent the exhaust back into shape and the 'uprated' engine mount is complete, it should take a little more punishment this one.  You can see as well as strengthening the original section, there is now an additional section that extends to the bottom of the gearbox, its a little heavy but I'm sure its much stronger now



I took it for a fairly thorough trashing up and down the drive, plenty of clutch dumping and other such fun and it seems to be taking the punishment. 

I left all the electrics on too and the alternator/belt is no longer smoking/steaming so I'm putting that down to some coolant steaming off as it warmed up. 

Just the clutch to tackle now and a few small tidy up jobs.  Its really getting there. 

More to come

[Dickjotec]

  looks up to the job.

[sebring]

what a project - ive got this engine in a skoda Octavia and am pushing 160bhp - so its quite tuneable!

[lozzzzzz]

Too cool!  i really want to tune it to around that figure, i feel that would finish it off nicely especially as it doesn't have to cost MPG, but saving money and being sensible have stopped me for now. One day i will

[Dickjotec]

Once it is on the road I give it 8 weeks till tuning starts!