mr2-digest Saturday, December 27 1997 Volume 02 : Number 028 Club MR2 MKI: Need help and more MR2s in movies MR2 MKII Rattling Noise MR2 Supra invite Re: MR2 Re: MKII Shifters & Knobs RE: MR2 MKII Rattling Noise Re: MR2 MKII Head Gasket MR2 Atlantic City Gathering Cancelled!!! Re: MKI: Need help and more MR2s in movies MR2 MKII removal of A/C MR2 Re: TRD HPZ in your SIG ! MR2 MkII: Our Webpage is Up MR2-Announce MR2 MkII: Coolant Change MR2 Mk1 leaky windows Re: MR2 all MK2 exhaust manifold owners!! MR2 MK1 exhaust/dist cover/wires Re: MR2 MKII Head Gasket MR2 Re: ATTN BRoKeN MANIFOLD CA/MA!!!!!!! MR2 Mistaken Identity, Top End ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 26 Dec 1997 23:30:43 -0800 (PST) From: momosc@sasquatch.com Subject: Club MR2 Hi All Any of you long time owners recall a club out of Tallahassee, Fla called Club MR2. They were VERY knowlegeable and put out several newsletters called "Sen~or Dos". I still refer to them when doing coolant changes or timimng belt changes. Are any of you original Club MR2 people on this list? As I recall, you never put your names on the newsletters, but you sure did know your stuff. Your "how to's" filled in the gaps the Green Book left out and made it possible for me to do several procedures I might not have otherwise tried. I'm talking around 1989 or '90 here and I recall one of the last articles I read had to do with the club intending to take a "wait and see" attitude about this "new" car that was trying to call itself an MR2 :) Mo ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 1997 02:36:23 -0500 (EST) From: Christopher Conrad Subject: MKI: Need help and more MR2s in movies I went to the garage toaaday, and they said I need to replace a valve cover gasket. I apparantley have a leak. And since I got the oil change at Pep Boys, my car has been smoking from the engine compartment. Every time i get out my car, i open up the engine compartment, and smok is pouring out. Not horrible, but noticeable. I never notice this until after my oil change at Pep Boys. I took it to my garage tonight and they gave me another oil change (I wasn't taking a risk). So how much are these gaskets? Are there certain brands to avoid? MY mechainc said they are only about $27 and he would put it on when I get it tuned up. Also what spark plugs are recommened? Thanks Also, tonight I went to see Jackie Brown (good movie) and saw a red MKII in it. II can't say what part it is, but it is towards the end. And in the rapper Busta Rhyme's new video, there is a whit MKI in the background. It can be seen the part when the people are in a foot chase and they are running on the top of the cars (luckily, the mr2 is not stepped on). Ok, that is all for now. Thanks - --------------------------------------------------------- Chris Conrad 1987 Tan MKI (Sold!) 1985 Blue MKI http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Speedway/7153/mr22.html NJ IMOC Page: http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Speedway/6819/njimoc.html ICQ: 5285001 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 97 07:48:05 UT From: "Simon Soong" Subject: MR2 MKII Rattling Noise I just brought a 93T a few days ago. There is a rattling noise coming from the dash near the glove box if the car go over 60 mph. I take out the whole glove compartment but couldn't find anything loose inside. The previous owner took the car to the dealer and they said they need to open up the dash console but I really don't want to do that. Anybody know what may cause the noise? I am planning to install a turbo timer and the car already has a Clifford 900IQ alarm on it. Could the turbo timer and the alarm coexist? Thanks Simon ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 1997 00:22:59 -0800 (PST) From: momosc@sasquatch.com Subject: MR2 Supra invite Hi Hope y'all Supra folks can read this. I can't make the run Saturday, but appreciate the invite and would love to run withyou folks anytime. Mo ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 97 21:49:48 PST From: "David Youl" Subject: Re: MR2 Re: MKII Shifters & Knobs Dean, I have a "Personal" knob on my Mk1 which is fastened by the same means - 3 grub screws and then a ring screwed up underneath. I don't mind the setup too much, except for the fact that the 3 screws keep on coming loose! No amount of loctite or anything else seems to help. I would be interested to hear any other suggestions or methods of permanantly affixing the knob. Dave Youl 89 Mk1NA White, Lowered 2", Koni Adjustable x4, plus other mods. See pics at Australian MR2 owners club site: www.australia.net/~thampson - ---------- > > > > >The Momo knob is shorter, but it won't give an overall shorter lever. > >The stock knob screws way down over the lever so that with either knob > >the top of the lever is about 1" from the top of the knob, so the > >overall length is the same either way -- the stock knob just covers more > >of the shaft. > > > >I had a '93 shifter with a Momo knob in my '91T for the last couple of > >months and I loved it. But today I reinstalled the original shifter and > >knob to keep the car stock class autox legal. I also installed a Ken > >Farrell leather shift boot and an HKS turbo timer while I had the > >interior disassembled. > > > >Brad Burns > >'91T > >'93NA > > > Santa just got me a cool Sparco knob yesterday & it was installed today with > the KF leather shift boot (and some Sparco pedals). Installation of the > knob was simple but I'm not completely satisfied with it (I'm kinda anal > when it comes to my car). The knob installs with 3 small set screws which > are covered by a little "trim ring" which screws up to the knob. That ring > is the problem. > > The stock knob is threaded and screws down tight against the top of the > shift boot. The Sparco knob (which is similar to all the Momo knobs) is > secured with the small screws and then the trim ring is screwed upward > leaving the top of the shift boot loose and about 1/4 to 1/2" of the shaft > exposed. > > I'm thinking of filling the inside of the shift knob with resin or something > and tapping it so that it screws down like the stock knob; or drilling holes > in the trim ring so that I can get to the set screws last. Anyone have any > other suggestions? > > Thanks, hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and Best Wishes for a great > '98. > > Dean Fujita > '93T > > > ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 1997 20:14:05 -0600 From: Andrew Adams Subject: RE: MR2 MKII Rattling Noise Dealers! @$$^%^! People who don't read the FAQ! $%^#$1! You'll find your front right mud flap has come loose from the one plastic screw-fastener Toyota used to affix to the body. Toyota! @$$%! Someone mentioned using liquid nails to tack it down, as it will come loose every six months or so. I guess I shouldn't be surprised the dealer wanted to take your $ to look at that. Bastards! !@$$%^! Congratulations on your purchase; I also own a 93T and you have just purchased a very fine automobile, except for those little fasteners. Andrew Andrew Adams acadams@weston.com The Weston Group acadams@swbell.net www.andrewadams.com On Saturday, December 27, 1997 1:48 AM, Simon Soong [SMTP:SimonSoong@classic.msn.com] wrote: > I just brought a 93T a few days ago. There is a rattling noise coming from the > dash near the glove box if the car go over 60 mph. I take out the whole glove > compartment but couldn't find anything loose inside. The previous owner took > the car to the dealer and they said they need to open up the dash console but > I really don't want to do that. Anybody know what may cause the noise? > I am planning to install a turbo timer and the car already has a Clifford > 900IQ alarm on it. Could the turbo timer and the alarm coexist? > > Thanks > Simon > ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 1997 21:42:53 EST From: Lsaccone Subject: Re: MR2 MKII Head Gasket The head gasket is not part of the 60K service... the head gasket replacement according to the book of estimates that most places use is 17hrs of labor. Figure that Toyota's labor rate is approx $60/hr 60*17=A LOT Don''t replace it till it goes. I went about a year before it got to the point where I really had to change it after it started going. It got to the point where after 15 mins of driving it it would overheat. Anyways, metal head gaskets are good and the thicker, the lower the compression. When your gasket goes, you usually have to have the head milled by a machine shop... that will increase the compression ratio. a metal head gasket that's a bit thicker will keep the compression ratio where it should be or better. Good Luck! Later, Larry S. 1991 MR2 Turbo ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 1997 20:25:23 -0500 From: nu3y@CritPath.Org Subject: MR2 Atlantic City Gathering Cancelled!!! Due to questionable weather tomorrow (it's snowing like the dickens here in Philadelphia AND Atlantic city at the moment) we have decided to call off the gathering in Atlantic City. If this causes you any inconvenience, please forgive me; I'm only trying to heed to the wishes of most of the would-be participants. Stay in touch... Maybe we'll have a "Raincheck" Atlantic City Gathering very soon! Happy New Year, all! - ----- Joe Pearlstein '91 Crimson Red MKII, Past owner of '86 Super Red MKI Philadelphia, PA mailto:nu3y@critpath.org ICQ# 3480202 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 1997 16:54:08 -0600 (CST) From: "Muhammad Ali M. Bawany" Subject: Re: MKI: Need help and more MR2s in movies On Sat, 27 Dec 1997, Christopher Conrad wrote: > cover gasket. I apparantley have a leak. And since I got the oil change at > Pep Boys, my car has been smoking from the engine compartment. Every time > i get out my car, i open up the engine compartment, and smok is pouring > out. Not horrible, but noticeable. I never notice this until after my oil Hi, I recently changed the oil on my MK1 as well and noticed that for the first 10-15 minutes of driving. The MR2 faq + my Haynes manual suggest the following culprits (from memory, FWIW): 1. Old oil on the filter mounting surface. This could prevent the filter from seating properly. 2. Oil on the manifold and exhaust. Should "burn off" unless there is a persistent leak (probably from the filter housing?). I changed the oil filter from above, which is why mine smoked for a bit. It seems to have stopped now, so I am pretty thankful. You may want to get it checked out. Hope this helps. Probably the experts on the list have better suggestions. Sincerely, Ali. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 1997 14:21:09 -0800 From: Randy Chase Subject: MR2 MKII removal of A/C Anyone on this list removed their A/C? Brad, I know your car was without A/C right? I am curious about what it takes to remove it. Anyone have a guess what the A/C weighs? Just a thought. Not sure the savings would be worth the sacrifice of personal comfort. Randy Chase *should flush more* 8) '91 Mr2 NA ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 1997 15:29:10 -0500 From: "Adrian F. Cole" Subject: MR2 Re: TRD HPZ in your SIG ! >adrian, i see that you have the trd padz. how do you like em? im >running the carbotech in the rear right now, while they are great for >autox and the twisties the are much to noisey for street (for me) how >would you compare the trd to the repco metal masters'? or stock padz? Well, they aren't noisy, and I haven't tried the metal masters on my car. I put the metal masters on my fiance's supra and the performance difference in her car was about the same as in my car (Even though I only have HP-Z's on the front). They seem to bite a lot harder than the stock as my only real comparison. Well worth it to me at a meager $60. The actual manufacturer of the HP-Z pads is Performance Friction. I haven't checked direct prices, but their ad says about $60-$180 per axle. Hope that helps. - -Adrian Cole 93 White NA HKS Sport Exhaust Nology Power Core/Hot Wires/Ground Strap Beru Silverstone plugs TRD HPZ Pads 94+ Taillights 97 Clear Corner lenses Toyota mud flaps ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 1997 17:00:49 -0500 From: Jon or Cary Robinson Subject: MR2 MkII: Our Webpage is Up Hi All, The wife has our web page up. Since we broke down and bought a scanner I have pics of my 2. If you want to check it out and let me know what you think here's the address: http://members.surfsouth.com/~mr2jon/ Phil Naut and his White '92T is coming down today from Atlanta for a mini meet at my house. I'll take several pictures to put on the site. Take care, Jon White '91 NA ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 1997 17:00:02 -0500 From: Phil Cutajar Subject: MR2-Announce Is there something wrong with announce or am I doing something wrong. My messages to announce keep bouncing back with followsing messages: "Warning: could not send message for past 4 hours" ----- The following addresses had transient non-fatal errors ----- ----- Transcript of session follows ----- ... Deferred: Connection refused by slapshot.hockey.net. Warning: message still undelivered after 4 hours Will keep trying until message is 5 days old I sent the note to: Is this correct? What is the problem? - -- Phil Cutajar '93 MR2-Turbo, Super White, 74k miles K&N FIPK, MR2-PP MBC mailto:Solo2_MR2@ibm.net my web page:http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Speedway/6213/index.htm ICQ #6032611 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 1997 17:01:37 -0500 From: Jon or Cary Robinson Subject: MR2 MkII: Coolant Change Hi All, I just had my 90k service done at the local dealer. First, I went to the Toyota Homepage, looked up the maintenance schedule items for a 90k and printed it out. They recommend replacing your coolant every 30k. I last replaced mine 2 years ago at 62k when I bought the car. So I had them clean the charcoal canister out with compressed air, replace the coolant and the fuel filter and check over all of the items that Toyota said needed checking. I received a coupon for a $29.95 coolant change in the mail from them last month so I used it. Of course, the guy who performed it had to whine about how hard it was to change. So I slipped him a $50 and went on my way. NOT!!! All in all they did a good job. Jon Robinson White '91 NA ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 1997 15:28:50 -0600 From: "The O'Malley's" Subject: MR2 Mk1 leaky windows I am trying to adjust the windows on my 87MKI to stop whistling when I drive above 50 mph. The door glass does not seem to contact the rubber seal at the top. The seal looks good and has been treated recently with STP protectant. I have been told the original owners tinted the windows and the next owner (who I bought it from) had the tinting removed. The windows were very loose and rattled before I adjusted them. Now they are snug, but still do not come in enough along the top to create a total seal. I am thinking of getting new pads along the top of the door figuring that maybe the extra thickness of the tinting wore the outer pad to much and is now not pushing the glass in enough. The T-tops do not leak and the car has been garaged for most of it's 50k miles, so the pads look to be in the worst shape of all other possibilities. Does this make sense to anyone? Chris O. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 1997 13:12:55 -0800 From: Byron Subject: Re: MR2 all MK2 exhaust manifold owners!! Terry, Don't worry about getting your car fixed by 1998. Toyota can change the warranty on their new cars, but they cannot change the existing 7yr, 70k warranty for emission components. This warranty is mandated by the state and applies to the parts that are listed in the Owners Guide. The exhaust manifold is listed, but the egr tube is not, so the egr tube is only covered by the 5yr 50k warranty unless the dealer is lenient. Byron Johnson 93 Turbo SF Bay Area ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 1997 15:18:09 -0600 From: "The O'Malley's" Subject: MR2 MK1 exhaust/dist cover/wires Does anyone know of a good (and somewhat inexpensive) exhaust for an 87 MK1 na? I do not want it too much louder, but am willing to give a little if I can get a little. I am leery of trying a custom system by either myself or someone else. I have a K&N FIPK and Borla systems on my 91 toy truck and really liked the results of that combination. The cat must remain in place. It is an automatic, so I am hoping for a little help in the low end. I have the power max filter (very noticeable improvement) and that is about it so far (any ideas on plugs and wires?). As I am on the subject, does the rubber boot over the distributor top actually do anything? The car is only driven on "nice" days so rain is not a concern. Just wondering.. Chris O. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 1997 13:59:51 EST From: Daucott Subject: Re: MR2 MKII Head Gasket In a message dated 97-12-26 19:17:09 EST, you write: > As I approach my 60k service, I am considering an aftermarket headgasket. (I > am presuming that the gasket is replaced). Anyway, HKS and Greddy offer three > sizes each for metal gaskets. My questions are: > 1. Is my presumption correct? No. > 2. Are there any drawbacks to using a metal headgasket? Yes. You MUST disassemble the upper half and re-torque the head bolts after heat cycling the engine. If you don't you will have blowby and overheating, oil in coolant, etc. > 3. Will a Toyota dealership install an aftermarket headgasket? Probably, but remember it'll have to go back in right away to be re-torqued. > 4. What are the reasons for/against the various sizes of gasket? Thinner = higher compression. Thicker = lower compression (if you're adding a turbo or supercharger). Thicker can also compensate for milled heads or blocks. Dave A. daucott@aol.com > ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 1997 10:56:00 -0008 From: TerrySaltzman@home.com Subject: MR2 Re: ATTN BRoKeN MANIFOLD CA/MA!!!!!!! one fine job my man, Jefferson V !! get that baby fixed!! rots-o-ruck terry 92turbosteelmistgreyttopsloadedlikeme with to many mods to list...ahhh what the hell... 15"fittapaldion5waytokicostrutsmotivatedbyamanualboostcontrollerspinn ingaTRDkevlarclutchactivaledbymotul600fluidallbrougthtoascreaminghalt bystainlesssteelbraidedlinespushingmotul600topowerstopcadniumplatedcr ossdrilledrotorsthatclampcarbotechpadsintherearafterwhichiturnoth eturbotimer. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 97 11:53:02 -0000 From: Subject: MR2 Mistaken Identity, Top End Gary M. Wrote: >If you are running a higher lift cam and planning to run higher rpm, then you >should use springs recomended by the cam maker. If they say stock springs are >okay, then you want new stock springs. The card that came with the cam should >have recomendations for this. > >I am willing to bet you are either running out of air flow meter travel, or >you are too rich. The air flow meter should have handled the extra air flow >all by itself. This is the great thing about an air meter system. More air >will push the door further open, and this will make it inject more fuel. >If it >is lean or rich, the spring and bypass screw will let you trim it a few >percent, but if it runs out of range, then you need bigger injectors, and the >spring will have to be recalibrated. With your current setting, check if the >O2 sensor is going lean, below .5 volt. If it is not, then, put the spring >back to the stock setting and watch the O2 sensor voltage with a meter. As >long as it is above .6 volt under power, don't richen it. Too rich will hurt >power. If it goes lean, then you have to check if the air meter is topping >out. If the air meter is hitting the end of travel, then you need more fuel >pressure, or bigger injectors, but I find it hard to believe that just cams >would make that much more air flow. Stock air meter and injector setups are >usually good for about 20% more power with no adjustments needed. > >Good luck, let me know what you find. > >Gary M. You da man. But, not guilty, Gary. Wasn't me on that grassy knol. Boot-up your super deluxe electronic penetration scanner array, direct it toward my terminal, enter your secret agent code, then scan the thumbprint I have just left for you on the centralmost portion of the glass of my monitor. I didn't do it. I appreciate the thought, but: I didn't install those camshafts... wasn't me. It's good advice, but... I already know all this stuff. You got the wrong guy, my friend, but I'm BCC-ing you, and relaying your good advice, whole and intact, to the digest. Courtesy, Sammy Joseph, '88 4AGZE PS- You likely intended this communique for a guy on the MR2 Digest who stuck some used two-seven-twos on his OEM valvetrane and was wondering how come it doesn't run right. __________________________________ Alfred Samuel Joseph and / or Barbara June Joseph 1707 Jenner Street Lancaster, CA 93534 (805) - 723 - 6506 asjoseph@as.net asj6961@csun.edu ASJ/alphasierrajulietendcommunique __________________________________ ------------------------------ End of mr2-digest V2 #28