So, you just bought an MR2.....

[mr2greasemonkey]

" So, you just bought an MR2", generally what i say when someone new comes down to the workshop after they've just purchased their first 2. Then they ask me to put it up on the lift and " look it over ". Which always makes me wonder, cause they bought the thing didn't they look it over!? But of course not, they just drove it and took the guys word that it was all good. Now most people that know car stuff (just quietly nod yr heads) already know that there are general things to look for when doing a visual inspection.

Visual inspection ( general inspection engine and drivetrain ):

Fluids:

1) Does it have coolant? What color is the coolant, green is usually the most common, but then there's red and blue and pink and orange and off yellow. To which i've noticed is almost like how many different flavors of cool aide there is, interesting eh? Is the coolant clean , not cloudy or lumpy. If you can't see through it or it sticks like peanut butter that's a good indication it wasn't properly serviced. Check yr coolant at the fill port in the engine compartment. Driver's side on MKII and pass side on MKI, cant remember where it is in the MKIII, but if its' an MKIII you better damned well still have yr owners manual. Now dont just except that since there is coolant at the fill port that the system is full, if you've ever had to bleed the system then you already know. There is the air bleed port on the radiator and the air bleed port at the hot water valve. If the heater hoses are routed back into themselves at the hot water valve it has a heater core problem. If there is no signs of coolant then you have a problem. Where did it go? Lots of places where there are potential leaks, but this is the visual inspection. So take a good look at all the hoses, heater bypass and radiator. You may not be able to see the tubes, but if there is a sizeable leak there will be puddles drippin from the plastic underpanels. Common leak that is hard to pinpoint sometimes is from the weep-hole in the water pump, generally there will be a trail underneath the timing cover above the oil pan at the front of the engine. The "hose from hell" will be more on the left side of the engine. While you have the cap off dont forget to inspect the rubber seal inside of it. Then the heater pipes tend to crack right at the tabs where they fasten to the body. Take a good look in the resivior, see if there is sludge in it, kinda hard to do sometimes, but you can get an indication by the level indicator stick or the brown clump that stick to the end of the tube when you pull the cap off. Make sure that yr radiator isnt just zip tied to yr core support cause it cant do much cooling when it's bouncing around.

2) Engine oil, sure it may be clean and it may be full, but we are more interested in what it smells like and where it isnt suppose to be. Fuel smell from the engine oil is a bad thing, think piston rings and injectors. Engine oil that looks like chocolate milk is a sign of water/coolant in the oil, think headgasket. It may be a little tricky gettin the dipstick in and out, damned engineers, but take more than one reading and take note of what the wet end looks like, carbon build up on the stick means carbon build up in the engine. Sure there are a lot of possible places oil can leak. Valve cover gaskets, main seals, oil pump seals, turbo lines, oil pan gasket, head gasket, distributor o-ring, cooler. Front seals will definitely need to be replaced and while yr at it the oil pump o-ring and seal. Knocking noise on start up and quick accel is a sign of low oil pressure. Moist is acceptable for high mileage, wet and dripping is not.

3) Transmission fluid, no you cant see it unless you have an automatic, so it shouldnt be anywhere. If you see wet around the axle seals you should wiggle the CV joints to make sure they arent worn out.

4) Power steering fluid, if you cant find it, then you prob dont have power steering, haha. It should be relatively clean and full in the resivoir. Fluid at the steering rack boots is a sign of the internal seals in the rack leaking.

5) A/C , does it even work? Freon evaporates very quickly, but there will be traces of refrigerant oil in places that leak, like where all the fittings are.

6) Fuel, there better not be any fuel leaks, haha. Do a visual on the lines and injectors. Dont be shy bout stickin yr nose down there and taking a whiff in case the leak is too small to see.

Drive belts and timing belt:

Have to be able to run the A/C and alternator. Squeaky belts are either loose or worn out. Generally visible from above in the engine compartment with a flashlight. Timing belt is not visible, unless the cover isn't there. Flappin noise from behind the cover is generally from a stretched belt. Oil leaks from the front seal will deteriorate the timing belt.

Air filter:

Is it clean, is there a mouse nest underneath the filter in the air box?

[3sgtepower]

admin should stick this

[MCLOVIN]

very nice write-up...

[MR2Goalie]

4) Power steering fluid, if you cant find it, then you prob dont have power steering, haha. It should be relatively clean and full in the resivoir. Fluid at the steering rack boots is a sign of the internal seals in the rack leaking.

Embarassingly, I had my frunk liner out on 3 occasions looking for my power steering that I had read my '95 n/a came with on Wikkipedia.

[Medusa]

[dualsportdave]

If your coolant is *brown* -- they have mixed Toyota Red and Prestone Green. Still worth changing it, but don't stress about the weird color. If it is rusty sure, but if it still has antifreeze properties and happens to be a brown color that is probably what happened.

[CasperDyess]

so i did really just buy my 1st mr2 today its a 1992 n/a, its a old beat junker... but damn it i love it! its a good project for me to start working on..... if only i had the money

[rhino]

Awesome write up!!!

[calfie1st]

im actually about to get my first mr2 on tuesday and i found this really helpfull, but ive never really seen the engine compartment of the car is there any way someone can post a picture of their engine compartment with like details pointing to where things are?? i really appreciate it

[LeePeyton]

So you just bought an MR2....

Welcome to the MR2 community.

Before you decide to ask how do I make a million horse power you should read this.
3S-GTE Power Primer

I know it only brings the 3sgte into question but it puts the affordable numbers into frame and gives you a good idea of what's going on.

Now on to the care packages.

You just bought an MK1 and want to understand it better, well save your lunch money
here is the repair manual.

MR2_AW_1989_REPAIRMANUAL.pdf

You just bought an MK2, you are in luck there is an insane knowledge base on these guys. They have enough aftermarket support to make a Honda guy cry at the bolt on performance and videos that all but hold your hand. I'm talking about the Turbo ones. If you have an NA you are only saving up for a 3stge or V6 swap right?

You also can save all of your learning lunch money....

Here is the repair manual
MR2_SW_1991_REPAIRMANUAL.PDF

and the electrical manual
MR2_SW_1991_ELECTRICALWIRINGDIAGRAMS.PDF

So you are thinking "thanks for the boat load of everything I need to know in PDF format but I'm a "Visual" learner". You sir and or madam are in luck. A few years ago a nice guy named Joe Obernberger was nice enough to get carried away and show the removal, tear down and placing back in of the 3sgte in a video. If you own a Turbo MR2 things like this make you super lucky and every time you watch these videos remember, All hail Joe.

Here are the videos:
MR2 Turbo Head Gasket Removal, Head Cleanup, and Installation.
(It says head gasket but he gets carried away I promise)

http://lovehorsepower.com/Videos/MR2/Headgasket1.wmv

http://lovehorsepower.com/Videos/MR2/Headgasket2.wmv

http://www.lovehorsepower.com/Videos...eadgasket3.wmv

He has a few other videos about installing Motor mount inserts and a fuel regulator.
Don't be afraid, these videos download. If you are thinking, "Oh wow these holy videos will take up precious hard drive space.", download them and cherish them. If you need more space buy an external or something. You want these videos and the above BGB manuals at ALL TIMES!

Ok so you have read this far and thought, "Well I bought an MK3, wtf?"
Well, why did you buy a girls car? Huh?

Nah I kid here is your lunch money saving manual as well....

Toyota MR2 MR-S MK3 (1999-2007).rar

It's the Toyota service manuals so don't be afraid to download my .rar file and open it, because it brings love for your soul.

Now that you have the bare essentials all that is left I will cover is quit asking, "How do I get to over 9000 horse power in an MR2?". If you are wanting insane horse power go buy some fat American car that will break with a huge motor. Horse power numbers aren't everything. There are lots of things to account like power to weight. If you want to go 10 seconds in straight line, buy a Camaro and use your savings to buy a house. If you want to appreciate lots of sleek performance values that you can generally experience with a Ferrari, welcome to the club. (No I'm not saying you just bought a cheap Ferrari, I'm just saying that affordable mid-engine cars almost don't exist. Well there are those rust buckets that catch on fire, but lets not bring them up. Let them die in the sands of the past with the 80's, hair bands, neon green Nikes, and cocaine.)

So I hope this helps you new guys and saves you initial dollars for knowledge. This forum is loaded up with lots of more advanced topics that would come to mind but I thought I would make a basics kit. So there you go, now read your manual like the bible and have a nice day.

[Tjzsin4given]

Wow thats alot of info! i think you saved more than lunch money, probably a couple lives and blown engines to!