JLee's 1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo build thread

[exdeath]

Thats the way to do it. When I had a drip from an oil cooler, I didn't take it apart, find out what it was, put it back together still leaking, order the part, and take it apart again. Or worse, leave the car apart while ordering special order dealer only model specific bits that takes 4-5 days.

I just saw the drip and confirmed it was oil cooler, and ordered every single o ring and gasket between the block and oil filter including both oil and coolant sides, and replaced them all at once. For good measure even I broke the seals at the pipe plugs and the pressure sensor T and cleaned them up and resealed them too.

Silver bullet? I prefer to use gold plated buck shot and deal with a problem area once and only once. I've run into so many stupid problems as a result of people reusing $10 gaskets, tearing o rings, etc. It's especially NOT amusing when they cheap out in a hard to get area like the back of a head and it takes you 3 hours to pull a transmission just to replace a $2 o ring...

 

[jlee]

So it turns out the connection between the braided line and the t-fitting for the oil pressure gauge sender (appeared pre-assembled) was not, in fact, entirely pre-assembled. No more leak.

Due to extreme stupidity on the part of the previous owner of my fan shroud, which previously had the fans installed BACKWARDS so it could not be mounted, I need to pull that apart again...because they had the fans set up to blow in the proper direction when mounted upside down. WTF stoopid. And on top of that, the way they have the wires running behind the fans prevents the engine lid from properly closing, as the lower lip of the shroud is bulging out slightly and it catches on the sheet metal at the back of the engine bay.

Regardless, it's starting to look like something now:

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Excellent updates JLee

 

[SuperSix]

Great thread!

Be Awesome, Don't Suck!!

 

[jlee]

Thats the way to do it. When I had a drip from an oil cooler, I didn't take it apart, find out what it was, put it back together still leaking, order the part, and take it apart again. Or worse, leave the car apart while ordering special order dealer only model specific bits that takes 4-5 days.

I just saw the drip and confirmed it was oil cooler, and ordered every single o ring and gasket between the block and oil filter including both oil and coolant sides, and replaced them all at once. For good measure even I broke the seals at the pipe plugs and the pressure sensor T and cleaned them up and resealed them too.

Silver bullet? I prefer to use gold plated buck shot and deal with a problem area once and only once. I've run into so many stupid problems as a result of people reusing $10 gaskets, tearing o rings, etc. It's especially NOT amusing when they cheap out in a hard to get area like the back of a head and it takes you 3 hours to pull a transmission just to replace a $2 o ring...

When I ordered the parts to replace the coolant hoses, I asked the guy for "everything needed" to do that job. I guess he missed the o-rings. Ahwell, it seems that's not leaking anyway - which is good, because that job sucked and I don't want to do it again.

 

[jlee]

Ugh, too many wires. I got the programming switch wire for my oil pressure gauge confused with the illumination wire for the wideband gauge and gave power to the switch (which is ground)..I think I fucked up the gauge because it doesn't do anything at all now.

Gah.

Edit:
So, today is almost pure suck. The car drives fine but will not build any boost at all. I don't hear the turbo spooling, I get nothing (well, right about 0) on the gauge, and I don't hear the wastegate dump so I don't have any idea WTF is going on.

Edit2: The internal wastegate opening has been welded shut..but not the flapper arm. Derp. Gotta go make that not move anymore.

 

[jlee]

Ok, so today got better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU5QDlL79f0

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

Ok, so today got better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU5QDlL79f0

 

[MotF Bane]

Ok, so today got better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU5QDlL79f0

Sounds healthier now.

 

[jlee]

Sounds healthier now.

I think it had a loose plug wire..I pushed down on all of them and the problem seemed to go away. I thought I had a 7psi spring in the wastegate, but it's running right around 10psi now. I was afraid that the open dump would be too loud, but I kinda like it...a lot.

 

[exdeath]

Be awesome: check
Don't suck: fail

Sounds like a whole lot of suck when the turbo spools.

 

[punjabiplaya]

Be awesome: check
Don't suck: fail

Sounds like a whole lot of suck when the turbo spools.

Looks and sounds good Jlee.

It may sound "ricey" but it's real (including the dump tube) and you worked on it and made it your own, so you should like and have every damn right to like it.

 

[JCH13]

:awe:

 

[Sunny129]

It may sound "ricey" but it's real (including the dump tube) and you worked on it and made it your own, so you should like and have every damn right to like it.

what exactly sounds "ricey" in that video? please tell me you aren't categorizing any F/I automobile with an open dump as "ricey"...

 

[exdeath]

Doesn't sound ricey at all unless your definition of rice is "4 cylinders".

There isn't much you can do to make a high performance 4 cylinder sound like something it isn't. A pissed off chainsaw sound is what you get and is prefered to the hollow pissed off bumble bee in a coffee can sound.

 

[jlee]

Looks and sounds good Jlee.

It may sound "ricey" but it's real (including the dump tube) and you worked on it and made it your own, so you should like and have every damn right to like it.

orly?

I might have to go find an onramp...I'm only at 8psi or so, too. It'll be around 17 once fuel/tune is done.

 

[bonky]

IT'S ALIIIIIIIVE!!!

dude, that's really sweet. looks/sounds like it pulls good and hard at 8 psi. can't wait to see it with the tune.

 

[jlee]

Well, to get the ROM tune reprogrammed - $150. However, 540cc injector tuning is another $100 and a dual map (which I want) is another $50, for a total of $300.

The tune that's on it now (not yet installed) is for 440cc injectors (stock) with a bored fuel rail and an ATS modified fuel pressure regulator, both of which I have. ATS Racing told me I should be good up to 13psi on that tune (it's for a smaller turbo), so I may just run that at 13psi for now and save the $300. I can get it reprogrammed later when I decide to get cams...would suck to pay $300 every time something is changed if I could wait until I'm done.

 

[exdeath]

Get your pee tune yet for 91?

 

[jlee]

Get your pee tune yet for 91?

Nope. I might have to run meth or something...91 makes me sad.

 

[punjabiplaya]

orly?

I might have to go find an onramp...I'm only at 8psi or so, too. It'll be around 17 once fuel/tune is done.

nah, I think it sounds fine, just the fucking idiots in my neighborhood make faces when I drive by. my car is bone stock, so I'm used to anything that isn't a suburban being described as ricey by neighbors. A reason I put it in quotes.

 

[exdeath]

nah, I think it sounds fine, just the fucking idiots in my neighborhood make faces when I drive by. my car is bone stock, so I'm used to anything that isn't a suburban being described as ricey by neighbors. A reason I put it in quotes.

Lol the old Suburbans that are all BLAP BLAP BLAP BLAP BLAP with their 120 HP 454s.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

Jlee
You're my inspiration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrJSKvX0AcI

 

[Howard]

Ok, so today got better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU5QDlL79f0

What was that dieseling noise near the end?

 

[jlee]

Jlee
You're my inspiration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrJSKvX0AcI

rofl

What was that dieseling noise near the end?

I believe that's my cheap camera picking up wind noise (t-tops were off). I don't recall hearng anything weird when I was driving it.