JLee's 1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo build thread - part 2

[jlee]

Some of you may be familiar with the previous build thread: Part 1

Here we are, after 8+ years. Post #2 will contain my ongoing to-do list.

1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo
Rebuilt Gen2 JDM 3SGTE
LSD E153 transmission
Clutchmasters FX500 6 puck unsprung clutch
CRW axle cages
GSC 268 cams
GSC valve guides
GSC valve springs
GSC titanium retainers
Cometic MLS head gasket
ARP head studs
Wiseco 86.5mm forged pistons
Stock rods
OEM main/rod Toyota bearings
ATS Racing GT3071 kit with 38mm Tial wastegate (dump routed into downpipe)
1200cc top feed injectors
ATS Racing top feed fuel rail
ATS Racing modified FPR
Walbro 255lph fuel pump
GM flex fuel sensor
RacerX coil on plug bracket
1ZZFE coils
3" ATS Racing downpipe
3" Berk exhaust
DIY intake (3" aluminum pipe with cone filter)
Berk Technology one piece intercooler cold pipe
KO Racing one piece intercooler hot pipe with BPV delete
XS Power sidemount intercooler with ATS Racing fan and shroud
ECU Master EMU standalone ECU with integrated wideband and boost controller
Eibach Pro-Kit springs
Koni Yellow shocks
Suspension Techniques sway bars (new bushings 2016)
XXR 551 17x8.25 / 17x9.25 wheels
215/40R17 and 255/40R17 Dunlop ZII Star Specs
EMS Powered oil pressure gauge
Autometer boost gauge
White LED dash lighting
GladFab HID projector conversion

 

[jlee]

To do:
Clean or replace fuel level sending unit
Clean or replace map light switch
Repair climate control slider (have part)
Replace passenger side window regulator (have part)
Wire and configure AC idle up (part en route)
Install new steering wheel clamshell trim (have part)
Replace/rebuild steering rack, maybe replace motor assembly (P/S light is always on) (have spare motor)
Replace license plate light trim/lights (have part)
Rebuild / swap engine harness (have spare harness)
Locate / fix exhaust leak
Install trunk carpet
Fix speedometer (part en route)
Wire tach adapter (part en route)

Maybe:
Respray roof with t-top seals removed, install new ones
Respray front end (rock chips) and trunk (peeling clear)
Buy new seats

Done:
Install new shift boot/surround
Install new AC idler pulley assembly
Install new hood prop rod, grommet, and clip
Modify / re-seal grommets in frunk for the HID conversion wiring
Permanently mount HID conversion parts
Flush/replace brake fluid
Recharge AC system
Replace body clips in door panels
Clean Alcantara wheel wrap
Repair cracked welds in exhaust
Weld IAC and PCV bungs to intake tube
Reroute IAC and PCV to intake
Locate/fix suspension clunk
Replace missing motor mount bolt
Repair intercooler fan wiring
Tighten oil drain from turbo
Reattach / add Nord-Lock washers to intercooler heat shield
Sleeve braided fuel line with PCV hose to prevent abrasion
Properly ground backup camera
Install wheels/tires
Repair engine lid prop rod (new socket)
Replace wastegate gasket
Replace master window switch trim plate
Install Fusion (fan pattern) windshield washer nozzles
Replace headlight adjustment hardware
Install LEDs in fog lights
Replace sway bar bushings
Rotate or replace square shifter bushing
Replace starter bolts/stacked washers
Ground sensor wire to shut off low oil level warning light (no sensor installed)
Properly plug previous owner's holes in trunk wall
Replace B-pipe
Coolant flush
Install OEM fog light connectors
Replace wastegate/ECU vacuum/boost lines and install with spring clamps
Replace turbo gaskets
Clean/verify battery and chassis grounds
Replace front bumper beam to allow fog light install
Fix off-center ignition switch
Diagnose/repair intermittent brake/intercooler warning lights
Rebuild cylinder head
Install fog lights

 

[msi1337]

Awesome job so far!

 

[JCH13]

Many little things to do... But I think that my new welder will arrive in time!

 

[jlee]

Many little things to do... But I think that my new welder will arrive in time!

I'm constantly revising the list -- it just keeps getting longer, but a fair amount of them are little things that should only take a few minutes. There are definitely a few weekends worth of work here, though...one day it will be done. I hope.

Side note, I am getting one of the three passenger window regulators left in the country...we're running out of parts.

 

[jlee]

I found my exhaust leak.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

leak on the B-Pipe? easy fix looks like.
And ya, that suspension clunk was a bit disconcerting. Almost sounded like a damaged strut.

Rebuilding engine harness suuuuucks... Thats what Ive been stuck on for months. Made me loose all motivation to work in the garage.

 

[jlee]

leak on the B-Pipe? easy fix looks like.
And ya, that suspension clunk was a bit disconcerting. Almost sounded like a damaged strut.

Rebuilding engine harness suuuuucks... Thats what Ive been stuck on for months. Made me loose all motivation to work in the garage.

It's the Y pipe that splits to the mufflers, right by the flange that bolts to the B pipe.

If it's just a bad strut, that'd be convenient - Koni has a lifetime warranty.

 

[JCH13]

I have $1 riding on the strut gland nut being the culprit!

Wiring definitely takes a certain type of weirdo... I happen to like it, generally speaking. Is there no one out there who reworks engine harnesses?

 

[jlee]

The AC has been recharged - 47.3f at the vents.

Wheels and tires are on the way.

 

[JCH13]

Wow, -47.3°F? That is really cold.

The cracked weld is a really interesting failure. Cracks do not commonly go through the center of a weld bead... I can't wait to get a closer look when we repair it this weekend!

 

[JulesMaximus]

The AC has been recharged - 47.3f at the vents.

Wheels and tires are on the way.

What is wrong with the tires and wheels you have currently? They look pretty good in the pic you posted above.

 

[jlee]

What is wrong with the tires and wheels you have currently? They look pretty good in the pic you posted above.

I need more grip.

I love my previous wheels and thought about just trying new rubber to see if that'd be enough, but ultimately I decided having the ability to go to a 275 tire was worthwhile. My old rear wheels are only 8 inches wide, which limits me to a 245.

I gained 0.9" of tread width on the rear tires just by going from a 245 to a 255 (the Star Spec 255 is really wide), and now I have the wheel width (9.25") to go up to a 275 if need be.

 

[JulesMaximus]

How heavy is that clutch pedal with the clutch pack you installed? How driveable is this car?

 

[jlee]

How heavy is that clutch pedal with the clutch pack you installed? How driveable is this car?

That depends who you ask.

The clutch is not much heavier than stock, but engagement is very abrupt unless you are really comfortable with the car. I can drive it smoothly but it takes some finesse (unsprung 6 puck ceramic discs are not forgiving at all). Surprisingly, it does slip fairly well; I can back into a garage without chatter. I'm thinking about putting a sprung disc in now that I'm daily driving it (since I have to pull it apart to replace the throw out bearing anyway).

 

[JulesMaximus]

That depends who you ask.

The clutch is not much heavier than stock, but engagement is very abrupt unless you are really comfortable with the car. I can drive it smoothly but it takes some finesse (unsprung 6 puck ceramic discs are not forgiving at all). Surprisingly, it does slip fairly well; I can back into a garage without chatter. I'm thinking about putting a sprung disc in now that I'm daily driving it (since I have to pull it apart to replace the throw out bearing anyway).

Why didn't you replace the throw out bearing when you put the clutch in? When I had a manual trans cars I usually replaced the throw out bearing whenever I replaced the clutch.

Ever ride a dry clutch Ducati? They are pretty grabby and definitely noisy.

 

[jlee]

Why didn't you replace the throw out bearing when you put the clutch in? When I had a manual trans cars I usually replaced the throw out bearing whenever I replaced the clutch.

Ever ride a dry clutch Ducati? They are pretty grabby and definitely noisy.

I did, with a new Toyota OEM bearing. It didn't last very long.

Nope, my motorcycle experience has been limited to Suzuki, BMW, and a couple crotchrockets which brands I can't recall... Are you volunteering?

 

[JulesMaximus]

I did, with a new Toyota OEM bearing. It didn't last very long.

Nope, my motorcycle experience has been limited to Suzuki, BMW, and a couple crotchrockets which brands I can't recall... Are you volunteering?

My Ducati has a wet clutch. Sorry.

 

[jlee]

Exhaust cracks repaired, but in the process we found a crack in the flange on the muffler. While grinding that out, we found a pocket of shitty metal...looks like the flange was cast and was of poor quality. It's filled back in with weld but I will probably end up replacing the whole exhaust at some point.

I was also missing one of the four bolts that holds the front motor mount to the chassis - fixed. The oil return from the turbo was also loose - fixed. 5/8ths bungs have been welded into the intake pipe as well. My catch can was dry, which is a good sign. I also checked the turbo for shaft play while the intake was out and it's fine.

 

[jlee]

Many good things happened today (and my AC still works)! Let's catch up on photos from the weekend.

Any stress fractures we found in the welds were stopped by drilling the ends:

Welded:

The other side:

Action shot of JCH13 welding two 5/8ths bungs into my intake (for PCV/catch can return and IAC):

My exhaust gasket was in pretty poor shape, so with the help of an exceptionally better-than-usual Autozone employee, we found one that was close enough to modify to fit. I'm somewhat surprised that generic 2 and 3 bolt exhaust gaskets are not available at most parts stores.

While attempting to flatten the mating surfaces between the B pipe and muffler section, I noticed a stress fracture on the flange.

As mentioned earlier, grinding that out revealed a pocket of shitty metal. It was porous and..well, shitty. JCH13 filled it back in with weld (the welder wasn't happy because the metal quality was so poor), but it worked. GIven what I know about the quality of this exhaust now, I will probably not try to rescue it if it fails again. I got a good eight years out of it, so I'll just buy another one and hope to get another eight years.

The muffler no longer leaks, but on the way home I discovered that I still have an exhaust leak under load. I checked after I parked and I think I found it:

If that's the only one, that's an incredibly easy fix. I have multilayer steel gaskets on the way.

My suspension clunk was caused by the gland nut on the front right strut coming completely loose, so the Koni strut insert was no longer retained properly in the housing. With delicate use of a hammer, JCH13 knocked the housing back to round (it was slightly ovaled) and we were able to re-thread the gland nut. The suspension is happy again. The idle air control valve is now plumbed to pull air through the engine air intake (instead of the cheap tiny air filter it was using before), and the PCV is routed through the catch can into the intake as well. This should result in a healthier engine (there's a long thread somewhere in ATG on this topic). JCH13 repaired my (terrible) intercooler fan wiring, I found that my oil return from the turbo was loose (tightened that), and I also sleeved my stainless fuel line (that runs over the intake manifold) with a split PCV hose to avoid any possibility of abrasion.

I do have a new problem, though. My brake warning light and intercooler fan warning light are fading in/out simultaneously at apparently random intervals. This one may be interesting to figure out.

 

[JCH13]

I have $1 riding on the strut gland nut being the culprit!

I don't always quote myself, but when I do it's because JLee owes me a dollar.

Lots of progress on this monster... though I'm a little annoyed with how the exhaust welding came out. Not my prettiest work, that was some gnarly SS with a lot of contamination.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

Does your battery light work? The reason I ask is that the inter cooler fanlight and brake light and battery light will all light up when an alternator is failing. The three lights off death.

As far as exhaust leaks go, you could rent smoker and plug one side of your exhaust while shooting smoke up the other.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

Oh and Jules, I'd say this car is very easily drive able. I was actually surprised how easy it was as I was anticipating a heavy clutch and chatter, but no, it was actually quite smooth. The scariest part was 3/4 throttling it in second and having the back end start to swivel on the on ramp. The car is a beast but could use new shoes.

 

[jlee]

Does your battery light work? The reason I ask is that the inter cooler fanlight and brake light and battery light will all light up when an alternator is failing. The three lights off death.

As far as exhaust leaks go, you could rent smoker and plug one side of your exhaust while shooting smoke up the other.

The battery light does come on during key-on. Whether it accurately reports low voltage, I don't know....but it appears to be functioning.

 

[lsd]

I'd replace that rubber hose to the w/g with a ss line with an insulation sleeve or at least a sleeve around the rubber hose. Looks like a hot area with little airflow and already having cracking issues doesn't make it any better. It will save you headaches down the road.