main problems with 90-91 MR2's?

[03ozwhip]

im looking at a few different cars this one caught my eye like crazy. its from Japan grade 4 with 55000 km for 9700 landed cost. totally stock GT Turbo. is this a good price, and what are the main problems with MR2's? thanks for the help.

[CryoCarnage]

ignition systems. Other then that, no problems.

[03ozwhip]

whats wrong with the ignitions??

[CryoCarnage]

starters tend to go bad, especailly if its been sittign for a bit. Ive heard of soem electrical issues with the wiriing for the alternators and such that make them go bad to, but thats a 3SGTE problem and not the MR-2's

[03ozwhip]

dumb question just because im still new to MR2's and such what is the 3SGTE?

[vc-kev]

The engine in the MR-2

[03ozwhip]

then its the same thing... if its a problem in the 3sgte then it is a problem with the mr2. you confused me dammit!

[Cornfed]

So far no problems with my '90 MR-2. I know the one you're talking about, that one looks sweet ;) If you ask me it's a good deal!

[03ozwhip]

also, what kind of limits are there to doing up the engine in an MR2? is it worth doing stuff to? and is it real expensive for parts? exterior and engine?

[sh0ko]

03oz ask this in the mr2 club forums....problems spark plugs distrubitor cap wires and ignition coil but all those things are easily easily replaced

[03ozwhip]

which forum is good to go to?

[thinmyster]

www.mr2oc.com

[FivE.SeveN]

Dunno if it's considered a "problem", but the early G2's had an issue with snap oversteer -- basically it's possible to easily lose control in a (high-speed) corner cause of the way the suspension is laid out.

Alot of people actually like it like that, if you can control it then you can apparently pull off some really crazy moves.

Suspension was also re-worked in '93 to make it less prone to oversteer.

Even tho I got a Z, I love MR2's. ;)

[alloroc]

Originally posted by 03ozwhip
also, what kind of limits are there to doing up the engine in an MR2? is it worth doing stuff to? and is it real expensive for parts? exterior and engine?

limits on the engine?

go to any toyota / mr2 forum and search ... "hyde"

toyotanation is a good place to start as well. You can get references and hit the specialized sites from there.

[Redlyne_mr2]

Like any car if you want good parts you have to pay and wait for them. Ebay will always have shit available but its all crap. Mr2oc is a good resource for used parts as is mr2board.com. If you want to order locally though be prepared to wait as no one stocks mr2 parts. As for it being a japanese car, I have mixed feelings on these things. The paint will probably be in shitty shape since its old and they used single stage back then, if the tbelt has never been done it will need one and with it being lowK it means it has been sitting for a while so it will probably leak oil. Of course Im mentioning only the negatives, the car could turn out perfect. The mr2 doesnt really have any common issues, things just break or wear out eventually. If I was to start from scatch on an mr2 again first mods would be coilovers and rims/tires...staggered of course. Good luck

[Redlyne_mr2]

Oh yeah and as for limits in the engine there is a debate going on that states the 3s block is good up until 700whp, Im not sure on how valid that is though isnce there are a few 800whp mr2s out there.

[03ozwhip]

http://j-specimports.ca/index.php?page=list/index.php?PHPSESSID=148c0a8f51c35c6f501a8cd7a3fafdeb

this is the link for the one im looking at. its the third one down w/55000k on it. let me know if its a good deal or not.

[03ozwhip]

also when you say staggered do you mean say 17 x 7 in the front and 18 x 7.5 in the back? or is it 17 x 7 in front and 17 x 8 in the back? is that what you mean by staggered? and what is the best combination without rubbing for the MR2?

[95EagleAWD]

Beware the Snap-Oversteer on those models. I've heard it's pretty wicked.

[Redlyne_mr2]

Originally posted by 95EagleAWD
Beware the Snap-Oversteer on those models. I've heard it's pretty wicked.
Its really only bad on the track when youre going high speed, as for staggered I meant narrower in the front wider in the back. 17 inch rims are perfect on the 2, and do not sacrifice handling. A nice conservative sizing would be 17x7 and 17x8. That one jdm car you posted actually looks really good as long as the mileage is valid. Paint is good, it is a hardtop , interior is what really shows the age of the car and how it was care for and that interior looks almost mint. I think that one might be a good buy

[03ozwhip]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2

Its really only bad on the track when youre going high speed, as for staggered I meant narrower in the front wider in the back. 17 inch rims are perfect on the 2, and do not sacrifice handling. A nice conservative sizing would be 17x7 and 17x8. That one jdm car you posted actually looks really good as long as the mileage is valid. Paint is good, it is a hardtop , interior is what really shows the age of the car and how it was care for and that interior looks almost mint. I think that one might be a good buy

good to know thanks alot.

[TEAMFaint]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
Oh yeah and as for limits in the engine there is a debate going on that states the 3s block is good up until 700whp, Im not sure on how valid that is though isnce there are a few 800whp mr2s out there.


Gotta love the bulletproof Toyota motors:)

You will be able to put over 600 WHP to the bottom end without having to do any internall work, but once you hit over 300WHP get ready to do some work on the internals on the top. Pistons and Rods are always a good thing to upgrade.

Truthfully, if its stock already install the following things:

Boost Controller
Downpipe
Exhaust
Intake

Do the simple bolt on stuff, crank up the PSI to 10-12 PSI and have some fun with it. The C26 isnt the greatest turbo but its definately a turbo you can have fun with.