mr2-digest Wednesday, December 31 1997 Volume 02 : Number 041 Re: Fwd: MR2 Japanese vs. American car quality MR2 ABS and the 91/92 MR2 N/A MR2 5th gear popping out MR2 MKII NA Fuel Filter Replc. MR2 Update on the "Beast" MR2 Re: MKII coolant flush MR2 Silver State Classic MR2 Re: mr2 rattle MR2 MKII TURBO lowering springs question MR2 MKII electrical failure MR2 NorCal IMOC update - rally announcement Re: MR2 Mk1 potentiometer and thanks! MR2 RE: Mk1 Walker Dynomax glasspack MR2 Re: A-stock Nationals results MR2 RE: Mk1 Stereo Upgrades MR2 '92T fade to black. MR2 Pontiac Vs. Toyota Re: MR2 MKI: Stereo upgrades ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 10:39:54 -0500 From: Steve Bagdon Subject: Re: Fwd: MR2 Japanese vs. American car quality > << I tried to prevent myself from being baited in this thread, but I lost. > American Q.C. has come a long way since the 60's and 70's, but let's face > it, it's still crap! People who purchase American cars (except for maybe > Saturns) are simply used to taking their new cars back to the dealer for > various "adjustments" and repairs. >> > > Alright. I wasn't going to get in this discussion but I can't take it any > more. Everybody is talking about these GM cars then grouping them all > togethor with American cars. Well as a long time Ford man I just can't take > this. I had a supercharged Mustang GT which I drag raced 1 to 2 times a week > at the local track and I never once brought it in for service. Then my buddy > has a 90 Stang which has been autocrossed, drag raced, top speed hell > everything since it was new. He just passed the 130,000 mile point and it > still ran fine. The only reason it isn't running right now is because he is > putting on aluminum heads. There I got that off of my chest. Hey, like get over it. My step-mother has driven Mustangs hatchbacks since don't know when, and she loves them. But she's traded them in about every 3-4 years, so it's not like she's put major milage on them. But she's been very happy with them. When generalizing (in any direction), there will always be anomolies. Steve B. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 10:50:32 -0500 From: "Tommy Guttmann" Subject: MR2 ABS and the 91/92 MR2 N/A Randy Chase wrote: > Okay..so how do I install ABS? Does it impact other major items? > > How much does it weigh? Hmm...I wonder if you would really benefit all that much. True you may not lock up as easily, but it could make "rotation" a little more difficult... Wonder if all the other MR2 AutoXers have ABS or not? Don't want to start a major debate (again) about this, BUT as we all know, it "can" be advantageous to be ABS-less in certain competitive scenarios. You seem to be doing pretty well without anyway. Happy New Year everyone Tommy Guttmann tools@tooltech.qc.ca Montreal, Canada 2 x Mk1SC ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 11:09:06 -0400 From: Helene Villemure Subject: MR2 5th gear popping out About the 5th gear popping out: I witness the same with a W58 transmission on the 1983 Supra MKII. We have good reason to suspect that the culprits are a $1.04 and $1.57 respectively ball and spring locking the shaft in gear... On the Supra (and on your trannies too I would guess) you do not even need to pull the tranny because with a magnetic finger it comes out from the side of the 2nd holder plate behind the bellhousing. Hope this helps, Helene 1983 Supra MKII Looking to find a cheap MKI MRII project car ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 11:09:01 -0500 From: "Kelly, Aaron" Subject: MR2 MKII NA Fuel Filter Replc. Has anyone replaced their fuel filter on the MKII-NA? I have a '91 and was planning on doing this job this weekend. I am sure it is self explanetory, but any advice may help. Is there a way of bleeding off the pressure so I don't drain half of my fuel tank while performing this job? No fair wrapping that beautiful car around a telephone pole tonight! Take it easy out there boys and girls. Aaron Kelly, BSC-Redmond ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 11:11:59 EST From: Ace123JIM Subject: MR2 Update on the "Beast" Group, Since getting back from Texas the Beast has gone through a number of changes. Some of them due to running very high boost and others due to my blunders in the shop. a. After returning from Alamo and taking my son on a demo ride I blew the knock sensor 30 seconds into the first 22 psi run. Drove home in limp mode. Bought new sensor. Reduced timing from 14 deg BTDC to 12deg BTDC. Mixed a 50/50 batch of Amoco 93 and 130 LL aviation fuel with 1/4 bottle of octane booster and no more problems with detonation. b. After several weeks I began hearing an exhaust leak. I found the leak between the turbo and the adapter. After pulling the turbo off, I discovered that the thin gasket between the two had blown out the side. I resurfaced both parts and reassembled with a new gasket. This gave me a chance to inspect all the parts I could not see under the heat shields. I made several small mods in the interest of keeping plumbing cool. c. All this power needs brakes to stop it. I ordered a Stillen kit, installed everything, managed to reverse the front calipers(bleeders pointed down) and spent a solid week trying to figure why the brakes would not bleed. And to make things worse, the calipers have a big "R" on one and "L" on the other :( d. During the Alamo work, we installed the Rebic 3 behind me in the center box where you can't see it. My profec B was mounted by my lefy knee. So, with the help of a friend, we extended the wiring harness of each, removed the CD player from under the radio and mounted both in this area. I still have room for two more similar sized controls in this space. The Halmeter went into the right center vent space. This is a good place for it. It fits well. e. After hard runs I have noticed that my turbo and wastegate would take forever to cool. Marc Summers placed twin fans in his deck lid with good results. I ordered a SPAL fan and installed it over the louvers on the left hand side, so it pulls extra cooling air through the engine compartment. After building a faulty wiring harness and blowing the fused link in the Cooling ECU(repaired now), the power steering light came on for two days. I tried everything to fix it, with no luck. Then I pulled the 7.5A fuse in the front kick panel that controlls it. The fuse was good, but by pulling it in and out 4-5 times something clicked up front, the P/S light went off and it began to work again. So, this brings you up to date. The cars power is alot of fun. I still go Mustang and Camero hunting. I have even added new Corvettes to my list of targets. BTW, I talked with Brice at Alamo two nights ago and the project car is running. He thinks they will dyno it this weekend. He had a chance to drive it and said that it has lots of low end torque because of the stroker engine. It pulls right from the start with hardly any turbo lag. Jim Griffin 93T "The Beast" ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 11:20:19 EST From: Conti64542 Subject: MR2 Re: MKII coolant flush In a message dated 97-12-29 01:52:24 EST, you write: > > > > All the problems I have heard of with cooling systems developed AFTER > > flushing or changing of coolant. Never before. If you think about how cooling systems fail, it makes sense. As the coolant looses its metal-protecting properties, then gunk (the real technical term!) builds up as the radiator corrodes and essentially disintegrates. Cooling efficiency is reduced, but this is not a problem except in the most severe instances. Now, this gunk is fairly solid, so, for a while at least, it keeps everything together. When you flush the coolant, then you break it loose and you get problems. If you change the coolant regularly, then you don't get your radiator disintegrating. Now, if you don't change the coolant, you haven't changed hoses. This is a common failure mode. If it didn't need to be changed, I doubt that manufacturers would recommend it (after all aren't some saying don't change spark plugs for 100K miles). It is the heat/cool cycle that depletes the metal protectors, so if you do lots of short trips, you need to change more often. BTW, I change every 2 yrs. My Audi has 199K on it with the original radiator (although I can't say the same about the water pump). - -Renni ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 10:04:02 -0600 From: "John Welch" Subject: MR2 Silver State Classic I've run the Silver State Classic 3 times in my MR-2 and twice in a Viper. If anyone needs some real information on what it take to run the race feel free to contact me. It is one of the best events I've ever participated in. John Welch '86-4-Runner '87 MR-2 Turbo ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 11:20:18 EST From: Conti64542 Subject: MR2 Re: mr2 rattle In a message dated 97-12-29 00:03:00 EST, you write: > 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? It's the wheel liner and how to fix it is in the FAQ on mr2.com. - -Renni ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 11:30:23 -0500 From: "RONALD K. PARKER" Subject: MR2 MKII TURBO lowering springs question I would like to replace my stock spring with a set of lowering aftermarket lowering springs however I don't want the car to ride like a stage coach. I realize by reducing the ride height there will be a reduction in ride quality. I've been looking at Eibach,TRD,H&R and Supension Techniques. Can anyone reccomend one over the others. Thanks in advance... ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 11:58:45 -0500 (EST) From: Joe Musmanno Subject: MR2 MKII electrical failure Hi, folks! I've been a proud '93 MKII NA owner for about three months now, but I've had a VERY mysterious problem with which hopefully you can help. On two occasions, I have hopped in the car, put the key into the ignition, turned, and .... blackness suddenly envelopes me. Complete electrical shutdown. After that, no courtesy lights, no dash lights, no warning chimes, no nothing. Everything is completely normal up until the instant of the failure, and it is again completely normal after I get a jump from a kind-hearted passerby. No amount of waiting, cursing, or asking the car nicely will bring it back. After connecting the battery for the jump, everything turns back on (but the clock and radio memories are reset) in a snap. I don't even need to keep the jump connected for more than a second. I can even disconnect it before starting the car. It's almost as if my Two goes into a time-warp, and can't be brought back unless I employ shock therapy. Since the failure gives absolutely no warning (even a dying battery would slow down a bit before croaking), I'm very worried about it--I just don't need to get stuck on the side of the road, you know? Who does, right? A problem with a fusible link wouldn't be fixed with a jump-start. A weak battery would give me dash lights even if there wasn't enough juice to crank the engine or keep the ignition computer alive. Fried fuses would only affect certain subsystems, not the *entire* car all at once--also, they wouldn't be fixed with a jump. Is there some sort of voltage regulator that is hosed, or does the ignition computer have control over all the other electrical systems? My BGB has not enlightened me thus far. The only other facts I can offer that may or may not be clues are that on both occasions, I had driven the car for around an hour in the rain. In one case, the car was parked outside for about 45 minutes before the attempted restart and failure; in the other case, it was parked in a garage for about 15 minutes. Your assistance and ideas are appreciated. - -Joe "I also own a Mustang and it has been trouble-free for over eleven years and 190K miles" Musmanno - ----- Joseph F. Musmanno Atlantic Aerospace Electronics Corp. joe@aaec.com .-. . -- . -- -... . .-. -.. . .- - .... ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 09:15:10 -0800 From: Matt Gawlowski Subject: MR2 NorCal IMOC update - rally announcement We're planning a rally sometime in January - the date depends on the weather. Right now, we're shooting for Sunday the 14th. A final decision will be made by Wednesday the 10th. The drive will be in the South Bay somewhere, location TBD. I am currently not subscribed to the digest, so if you have any questions, please send them directly to me. - -Matt G., '91 White NA, whitemr2@usa.net www.geocities.com/~gawlowski ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 12:10:07 -0500 From: Stephen Gunter Subject: Re: MR2 Mk1 potentiometer and thanks! At 07:29 PM 12/30/97 PST, Todd klosnick wrote: >Hello, > > Thanks for the help with all the timing belt and alternator >stuff. I can't afford a toyota alternator so I'm probably going to have >to keep on replacing it with rebuilt 99 dollar specials since its under >warranty for lifetime. > I have another question. I was reading through the NOV/DEC 94' >issue of Grassroots motorsport magazine and it had budget hop ups for >MK1. In the 1,000 setup it said to hook up a pententiometer to the >temperature sensor. By doing this they said that it can be adjusted to >fool the computer into thinking the engine is cold and richening the >injectors. I'm sure some of you guys have read this. What is your >opinion about this and what is a pententiometer anyway. Also where is >the temp sensor located at? Also how do you adjust the Air flow meter? >Are these good mods? or bad ones? I'm curious. Sounds like easy mods >but how much extra power do they give you? > >Thanks >Todd >87 MK2 The complete mod is at my site, in the tech section. Take a look there for a description of how it is done. Stephen Gunter,1990 Levin, icq 285675 http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/7177 home of the Toyota Mods WebRing ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 12:22:38 EST From: Kurowski Subject: MR2 RE: Mk1 Walker Dynomax glasspack In a message dated 12/31/97 12:15:12 AM, you wrote: > I was reading through Grassroots backissue and they said to put >on a Walker Dynomax glasspack muffler in place of the stock muffler. >They also said the weight savings is considerable (20lbs). My question >is is this good to do? Also does it enhance the appearance of the >exhaust and would it be possible to add a 4" tip onto the end. Does >this give anymore low end power? Since mines a auto and its slow of the >start. And finnally, is this too loud or how does it sound? I'm sure >someone has done this. Thanks! It will be very loud. Almost unbearably so if you drive at high speeds on the highway. It won't be *that* much lighter, if you get new tubing before and after the muffler. It would have a nice sporty sound, and with a nice tip, looks great. Just make sure you can handle the extra volume. I had a glasspack on my car and I went and bought a stock muffler because I was going deaf! Extra power? Maybe a couple HP at most. Also, will a Dynomax fit? I wanted to get a Dynomax UltraFlow and it was too wide to fit in the stock location unless I angled it (which looked awkward). Paul Janicki kurowski@aol.com San Jose, CA, USA White 86 Mk1 135,000 miles ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 09:38:42 -0800 From: Randy Chase Subject: MR2 Re: A-stock Nationals results Burns, James B. wrote: > > Randy, these look like the 1995 results. Yeah. I'm just a little behind right now. 8) It was in reference to: http://www.tirerack.com/features/solo2/solonats/solonats.htm that was about the 1995 finals. Randy Chase '91 MR2 N/A ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 12:35:21 EST From: Kurowski Subject: MR2 RE: Mk1 Stereo Upgrades In a message dated 12/31/97 9:16:44 AM, you wrote: >Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 10:52:28 -0500 >From: John Wink >Subject: MR2 MKI: Stereo upgrades > >G'day! > >I just had a CD player installed in my '85, in place of the factory tape >deck. Clear as a bell, but seems the bass response has gone straight to >H-E-Double-hockey-sticks. Don't know if this is real or perceived... > >The question is, what size are the two speakers in the dash of the MkI? >Are they hard to get at to replace? Also, anyone have any experience >with dropping a small subwoofer into this car, maybe under the seat or >something? The dash speakers are 4" and don't really have good bass response. I got a Pioneer subwoofer which fits behind the driver's seat. I have never seen these in stores, though. I ordered it through Crutchfield. It was $80! It is a 5.25" ported subwoofer, which is enough to put the oomph in your music, especially in such close quarters. You can get bazooka bass tubes, but they take up more room and cost more. My next-door neighbor has an 87 with tons of speakers in it, including subs under the seat. Don't know what brand, though. I'll have to check it out. You may need an amp. I have an Alpine 80-watt amp with built-in crossover. Another great deal. Paul Janicki kurowski@aol.com San Jose, CA, USA White 86 Mk1 135,000 miles ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 10:53:49 -0700 From: "Roderick" Subject: MR2 '92T fade to black. As I got to work today, and the opera lights on the '92T were fading to black, I burst out into my best tenor voice, accompanied by the cd music from Command and Conquer. Another year ends on a glorious note in the MR2....;) Happy New Year To All. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 12:54:15 EST From: MK II NA Subject: MR2 Pontiac Vs. Toyota I just had to say something.... I owned a 87 Pontiac Grand Am some time ago and couldnt even get 93,000 miles out of it. the problems? 1. Alternator kept going 2. battery kept going 3. Tie rod end came off while turning a corner (had girlfriend in the car...NOT good) 4. radiator leaked in several places 5. air conditioner quit @ 50,000miles 6. brakes were underpowered for car 7. power (or so called power) windows worked sometimes 8. tie rod other end came off while parellel parking downtown 9. tape player quit working 10.poor gas mileage ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 12:57:29 -0500 From: Stephen Gunter Subject: Re: MR2 MKI: Stereo upgrades At 10:52 AM 12/31/97 -0500, John Wink wrote: >G'day! > >I just had a CD player installed in my '85, in place of the factory tape >deck. Clear as a bell, but seems the bass response has gone straight to >H-E-Double-hockey-sticks. Don't know if this is real or perceived... It is probably real, and easy to fix. Sounds like the polarization of one of the speakers is wrong, ie..the + wire is on the - terminal of one of the speakers. An easy way to diagnose this is to use the balance control. If the speakers sound better (more bass) when the balance is on one side, but sound 'hollow' when the balance is in the middle...there is your problem. Check the wiring. Should be easy to find the problem. If you had bass before there is no reason why a CD player won't give you bass now... Stephen Gunter,1990 Levin, icq 285675 http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/7177 home of the Toyota Mods WebRing ------------------------------ End of mr2-digest V2 #41