please help :[

[puretone]

$800 for a BlackTop BEAMS engine seems very very suspicious...

[Buckatron]

i dont have the site anymore but what are the options on the v6 swap? what engine is mostly used for the mr2 91 sw20 and what would need to be done for it?

[Medusa]

There's a V6 subforum, check that out and see what they have.

[Servin]

You need to back up and famailarize yourself with the MR2 first. Im going out on a limb and saying you havent had it for long time. I know you posted this thread to find out what engine choices best fit you and your budget. But first learn everything about the car that way you can make a better choice on engine option.

I would say for now leave the car the way it is fix anything that is worn out or needs replacing. Learn how the car handles the 5SFE is very forgiving and will allow you to learn the limits more safely than with a higher HP motor. Go to a drag strip and see if thats what you like. Then go to a AutoX and see if thats what you like. Also is this your daily driver or a second car? That will also influnce your choice on motor to pick.

[Medusa]

^ I agree, that is the biggest thing to think about, is this just a drag/ autoX fun car or primarily a daily driver?

If you're just ferrying back and forth to work you really DON'T want 350 horses and a crazy engine, that's just useless.

Also, like he said, learning the car is a big thing too, you didn't go running in the olymics the first time you learned how to walk either.

[Buckatron]

right now, i have a daily driver, a 1965 mustang i have pretty much 99% done, i am buying the mr2 tomorrow, i plan to run the 5sfe untill that engine just saying LEAVE ME ALONE IM DEAD!. just a normal car, untill my mustang is all done, but i dont know what all i can do to it, i just want to see my options and what those options need done, i preffer to gather everything i need to know for this car, im also trying to find out from based knowledge already on here, what makes the 5s run so rich, so if i do stick with the 5s. i can atleast attempt to fix that problem if i do choose to rebuild that motor, but if not, i have the valueable information i have gathered from yall in this post so i can see a future move :] im not trying to jump to something yet, its a info gathering. i want this mr2 and i wanna do it right, but i want it to perform. and i would like it to do it well, im not sure how much a car that weights 2700lbs would need, i mean i drive a 1965 mustang that weights like 1700 and is running a 302 5.0L carb. v8 it use to have 220 horse power but it hasnt been re-tuned in like 30 some odd years, and i kept up with my friends 91 300zx untill his top end kicked up higher, but his 300 is stock, so im not sure, the mr2 is a solar eclipse to me, i see it once and im like WHAT IS IT! I DONT KNOW! BUT I WANT IT!

[Medusa]

Your '65 mustang weighs 1700? That better be a typo. I think the body and frame weighs more than that!

And you can do some mild weight reduction in your MR2 to make it lighter too, don't forget that.

[Buckatron]

trust me :X it may be all metal, but its all hollow, im sure its not 1700 im just being sarcastic on its weight :X i mean that car doesnt weight crap! i remember when i first hit triple digits in it, omg my front end was wavering left and right. :X its not a truely safe car to race and have fun in, so thats my daily driver, but i want this mr2 for looks and kicking fun! that way when i pull it out, i can just.. go balls to the ball bonkers. (not stupid omg i can kill myself bonkers) but something to have fun, and im sure theres weight reduction for alot of cars :P but i need to know my options, even though we've been kinda diddling with small facts sofar, everything is helping me with what i can do

[Servin]

IIRC My buds 65 mustang weighs around 3300#'s curb weight. It feels light but trust me it aint.

Well if you get the 5SFE MR2 and stick with it you will enjoy it. It feels really peppy for 130hp. It runs so rich stock just because Toyota tuned it crappy. Not much you can do for the 5SFE besides header, cams, port&polish. Exhaust and intakes dont do much for it which is weird.

Also since you are keeping the 5SFE until it blows up. I def. recommend going to a AutoX this is were the NA trumps the Turbo. So many people dont beileve it at first but a NA can hang perfectly with a Turbo. You will learn alot about the handling characteristics of the MR2 and have a blast.

Last thing do you know what to look for when buying a MR2? There are plenty of things to look at before buying esp a MR2. These cars require constant and good maintenance or else you may end up spending lots more money than you intended too. Or even worse end up in a terrible accident, these cars can be quite deadly in uninformed hands.

[Buckatron]

sofar i've read that a mr2s suspension well if you dont know much about steering a car, the only place your steering the mr2, is into a ditch, i heard they have a good suspension but it can turn on you real bad, somethin like snap oversteer or somethin. and your buds mustang, does it have everything for luxury? atm mines just .. motor, steering and body. no additions, no ac pullys or power steering pumps nothing. its basicly down to the bone of what makes a car run :X lol. but i never got an estimate of its actual weight so far. but offtopic of the mustang, the mr2, im not sure what condition the engine is in, it has like 158k miles on it, somethin like that.

[Servin]

Oh boy...

Ok well here is some guidance:
Look for white smoke coming out of the mufflers when you start the car. If it smokes than it has bad valve seals. This is common and not really a concern till later down the road or unless its a big cloud.

Also smell to see if you can smell fuel, this would be a indication of it running overly rich. It will also shoot out a puff of black smoke on start up. Also put your hand directly behind the exhaust if there is black specs on your hands this will be another indication of running excessively rich. This is often caused by a TPS sensor, coolant temp sensor, cold start injector. also look under the oil fill cap for any sludge this will indicate improper oil changes in which case i would stay away from that car as the 5SFE likes to spin bearings.

Now when you drive the car pay attention to see if the car makes any noises. A clunking noise may be a blown damper or bad strut top. It will also ride very bouncy. A squealing noise could be brakes or maybe even a throwout bearing. Or worn loose belts. Notice if it does it when you push in the clutch or when you brake. Also feel the car does it dart around at certain speeds? This could be bad tie rods or possibly bad front ball joints. Does it sway? This is usually bad ball joints in the rear. Sometimes its the sway bars that have busted brackets, this is common on MR2s. Take a long good look underneath the car. Look for anything bent or misshapen. the suspension is a crictal aspect not to neglect on a MR2 as this will lead to costly, repairs, possible accidents, and over distaste for your car.

Im sure you know this but TIRES! That is the MOST number one thing to look after on your MR2. It will be your best investment by a long shot. If the MR2 you look at has worn out tires make sure you have enough money to buy some new decent tires. If you don't have enough money to buy new tires than don't buy it, Im serious. Lots of people on the boards have experienced very bad times because of worn out tires.

Last thing to look at is electronics. If it has power windows, locks, mirrors look to see if the work. Open the door when you test them. If they start/stop working when you open the door than the wiring harness between the door jamb is going bad. If it has power antenna its not uncommon for it to be stuck which is usually a blown motor.

I think thats it for common things to look at when buying a MR2. There are other common sense things to look at but I wont post those as you *should* know what to look for when buying any car.

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by Buckatron

i mean that car doesnt weight crap! i remember when i first hit triple digits in it, omg my front end was wavering left and right.

The front end wandering around is crappy aerodynamics, not low weight. Now, the aero causes the front to have lift which reduces the pressure on the front end, but that's caused by aerodymanics like I said, not curb weight. Or it could have also had crappy suspension, which it probably did. But aero definitely plays a role in the front end problems at high speed.

And heed the words of Servin, he is right. I would definitely check all those things.

[metheores]

Originally Posted by Medusa

The front end wandering around is crappy aerodynamics, not low weight. Now, the aero causes the front to have lift which reduces the pressure on the front end, but that's caused by aerodymanics like I said, not curb weight. Or it could have also had crappy suspension, which it probably did. But aero definitely plays a role in the front end problems at high speed.

And heed the words of Servin, he is right. I would definitely check all those things.

I think it's crappy aerodynamics as well...a car with good aerodynamics sticks to the ground more when it's going at higher speeds



except for the MR2 of course (no weight in the front)

[Medusa]

Well, what aerodynamics does is effectively change the weight and weight distribution when you're moving at speed.

So, a good lip/ front wing would be giving you downforce and thus effectively providing MORE weight the faster you go. Same deal with a good rear wing. Not a SPOILER, a WING. There is a difference between the two.

Bad aerodynamics (READ: most street cars) causes uneccessary drag and lift. The MKII MR2 was designed to reduce drag, but lift/ downforce was not paid attention to as much. Although it does better than a lot of cars, the front still has lift at speed.

I could go waaaay in depth with fluid dynamics for you, but that's a REALLY basic explanation.

[Buckatron]

lol yeah, my mustang is like a brick in a air tunnel lol

[metheores]

Well isn't that what I meant to say? a car with good aerodynamics sticks to the ground (distributes weight properly) that's why they sell that phoenix wing for the MR2 the ugly one on the hood.

[Medusa]

I was just clarifying your statement about the MR2 having no weight in the front. Sorry, didn't mean to sounds like a know-it-all, I have a bad habit of always correcting people....

My bad.

And do you have a link for the phoenix wing? I'd like to see it.

[puretone]

5SFE running rich?? What do you consider running rich? A/F 9 ?
Check under the hood to see if you can find an aftermarket chip wired into the IAT sensor...thats one of those silly quick-mods that people used to wire into their cars for like 5 extra HP.
Basically makes your ECU think its under load the whole time and run it slightly richer

[Medusa]

The 5S-FE is known for running rich. Stock ECU setup runs somewhat rich. I can't remember the ratio off the top of my head, but a quick way to lean out the A/F ratio is to install one of those piggyback systems.

Stock though, the 5S always runs rich.

[Buckatron]

i got it, the only sounds it seems to make is coming from its radiator fan, but then again, it was extremely hot today so it has no puffs of smoke from the exhaust, i havent taken anything to see if black stuff shooting out, it runs fine sofar. just needs gas :X lol although the guys rpm gage says ....redline at 7 when it should be 6.. idk why it says 7 -.- but im gonna keep my 5s, my best bet, i dont want to deal with a swap. that was a dumb idea for me :P but earlier in this thread there was an idea of a 3sgte head in a 5sfe? how? arnt they 2 different engines? a 2.2 and a 2.0? wouldnt that mess stuff up? ^^ if it flows better i would like to do it (later on, thank god all it needed was a new battery lol i tried turning it on and NOTHING happened, and i looked at the guy with this extremely disappointed face and said " this is not what i call a running car man) and he jump started it and i went and got a battery and it started good, but after idling for abit, the radiator fan was going on and it seemed like... very loud. but periodicly.. vrrrrr...............vrrrrrrr...............vrrrrr rr. could it just be the extreme heat of south texas on a hot day? the bodykits he had on the car... were not really put on the greatest, i gotta attempt to sand down the front of bondo and get the front kit off =/. but overall it seems like a sturdy car, needs abit more air in the tires. and umm... someone tried to break into it and the door lock is jammed in on the driver side... so.. how do i get the undone? im guessing get a slimjim and down the windowside and try and unlock it that way and then take the door panal off and redo the locking setup?