Pre-cats: The Official MR2-ROC Information Thread

Anonymous · July 3, 2007, 17:02

Quote from: "roger"The same arguement could be said for any car with "known" faults, having said that failure rate is low, and there is still the unanswered question whether pre-cats are the cause or the result of a problem.

To answer your question:-

1. Buy an 03+
2. Inspect pre-cats before you buy
3. Take them out after you buy
4. Have a warranty with the car. If its shot when you buy, it'll be gone well within 3 months!
5. Warranty Direct do 12 months for around £200 depending on mileage for use after garage warranty ends.

Roger, im fairly sure Warranty direct does not cover piston ring failure, which would pretty much give them a get out of jail free card i would have thought.

roger · July 3, 2007, 19:05

Quote from: "nelix"Roger, I'm fairly sure Warranty direct does not cover piston ring failure, which would pretty much give them a get out of jail free card i would have thought.

Not that I knew when I wrote that, but I am pleased to say their Gold Cover does...

"...pistons & rings, cylinder bores/liners....."

Anonymous · July 3, 2007, 19:16

KEV,

All cars have their issues. Rovers K-series - head gaskets, Honda S2000 clutches, Peugeots Idle Valves and speed sensors etc etc.

The fact remains engine failure in MR2's is still very rare.
Compared to many these are solid reliable cars. My car is four years old and has had no mechanical issues to date and uses less than 500mls of oil in 10k.

Don't let it put you off.
s:D

s:D

Anonymous · July 4, 2007, 08:42

Hi simon.

QuoteKEV,

All cars have their issues. Rovers K-series - head gaskets, Honda S2000 clutches, Peugeots Idle Valves and speed sensors etc etc.

Sure... being a pug 306 owner for the last 4 years i know all about idle controller valves... the difference being they cost £50 and tend to last 4 years at least s;)

s;) Rover K series... never! hahaha s;)

s;)

Problem is, if i was to fork out for an mr2.. i definatly wouldnt be able to afford a new engine haha!

Anonymous · February 18, 2008, 11:45

Sorry to drag up an old thread, I'm burning a bit of oil, Diopstick from full to empty in aprox 1200 miles. They car is a 2000 year model with aprox 65000 miles on the clock. I removed the precats aprox 3 years ago, they looked ok at the time. At that stage there was no oil issues.

I've been using Castrol Edge Syntetic 0W-40 for the last 12-18 months, and religously changing the oil every 5000 miles. I know its possible that the oil I'm using is just to viscous and light and maybe thats causing the issue. This weekend I'll change back to reccomended spec and watch consumption.

But in case its not how can I check if the oil control rings are poor? would a compression check show this?

markiii · February 18, 2008, 14:07

yep do a compression test

if low add a few drops of oil via teh spark plu holes and retry

if the compression improves it's your rings

Anonymous · March 11, 2008, 21:16

just thought i'd let you all know, i had symptoms of the pre-cat issue this week (loss of power through the revs, noisy engine etc) and i knew straight away what it was thanks to your posts so thanks!

took it to the local toyota dealership (still under warranty from where i bought it) and they confirmed it was the pre-cat and it was covered under warranty - lucky since it costs nearly £1000!

this all happened shortly after my 02 sensor was replaced which i also heard about on the forum.
i will definitely be getting the pre-cat removed when the warranty runs out - thanks for all the tips guys!

aluk49 · March 23, 2008, 16:55

How easy is it to check the precats? and how do I do it?

Anonymous · March 23, 2008, 17:02

You need an 02 sensor socket, remove the two 02 sensors at the top of the manifold and shine a torch in the holes. Do a search, there are pics of how the precats should look, basically an unbroken honeycomb structure.
If you can see any damage you are probably fubared.
This only allows you to check the tops though, they could be fine but the bottoms could be breaking up.
Get them gutted or replace the manifold with a Che, asap.

aluk49 · March 23, 2008, 17:14

thanks... i'm getteing paranoid now too! My car is a 2003 with 37K miles

aluk49 · March 25, 2008, 20:32

me again, been looking at the Che, latest advert on ebay has it at $280 plus $70ish shipping. Has anyone bought one of these recently? btw, Che claims a power increase of 4-6hp. Any idea how much the other precatless types cost?

ignorance was bliss!! s:(

s:(

Al

Anonymous · March 31, 2008, 13:31

Hi Guys,

Well news isn't good, about 3 wks ago I left car in for service and asked them to check the compression. According to them the compression check was ok (I remain dubious) but the asked me to come back when I'd done a 1000 miles. Well called down today and they checked the oil.

The engines using Aprox 1.3l every 1000 miles

They've recommended new piston rings and new valves and seals and quoted me about €1350 Aprox (about £1050 stg).

Will this be sufficient or will I need a new block?

I'd love the idea of a 2zz conversion with Rogue but considering the hassle of going between Ireland and Kenilworth it just doesn't suit me

What do you think?

I've no precats, instead having a PPE manifold and cat. The cat's probably toast but will the manifold be ok? Is it worth doing a flow test on the cat anyhow

markiii · March 31, 2008, 13:48

for that money may be cheaper going with a 2nd hand engine

if your not happy with teh comp test I can bring my tester to Scotland if your still coming, will only take 10 mins

Anonymous · March 31, 2008, 13:55

That'd be great Mark, Thanks

Wouldn't a used engine be likely to fail at some stage though

Re Reading the Rogue 2zz Thread at the moment.

markiii · March 31, 2008, 13:56

will do, used engine if low miles should be fine and usually comewith a 3 month warranty anyway

Anonymous · April 8, 2008, 13:21

Well rang my garage again and asked about using a new or reconditioned engine but their not advising it. They maintain that its better to just change the piston rings, valves and valve seals. A new engine is masively exspensive and there not convinced by reconditioned engines, besides which mines only done 50k.

So should i get them to do it? Or should I look for specilist help like a engine shop. How difficult is the work to do?

aluk49 · April 17, 2008, 13:19

Anyone have or heard of this header type I found on ebay? Are they any good? seem less expensive than the che
m http://cgi.ebay.com/00-04-MR2-SPYDER-ZZ ... dZViewItem m

markiii · April 17, 2008, 13:25

comes out of teh same factory but painted so you can't see teh problems

get tehche at least he stands by teh quality

aluk49 · April 17, 2008, 13:33

What about this one?

m http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/00-04-To ... enameZWDVW m

demsdad · November 27, 2008, 10:02

Quote from: "kanujunkie"your right about the O2 sensors on UK and Jap spec cars, however your not removeing the main cat, just the pre-cats, so no it wont bring the CEL light on

Hi! I've finally found a mechanic willing to do the deed on the precats for me (I'm totally useless with my hands). I showed him GSB's excellent how-to posting. Although I quoted the above quote to him he insists I ask the experts about the O2 sensors after getting rid of the precats. Esp on the issue of whether the sensors would send "wrong" signals and interfere with the engine management, or cause the engine management light to go on. So please assure him/me that all he needs to do after getting rid of the precats is put the sensors back as before and that's it, job done.

Any replies would help greatly with my ulcers!!!

Thanks guys.

markiii · November 27, 2008, 10:03

yep thats all he needs to do

roger · November 27, 2008, 10:09

Quote from: "markiii"yep thats all he needs to do

..and I'll confirm if he wants multiple re-assurances. s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

demsdad · November 27, 2008, 20:27

Thank you very much for quick replies. He'll operate on the precats Monday. Will issue post operative bulletin Tuesday.

StuM · November 28, 2008, 12:27

I was also advised to reset the ECU (by leaving battery off for 30 mins).

demsdad · December 2, 2008, 18:05

The Pre Cats are out drove home and have had no problem! Great result and weight off my daughter's shoulders. Now she can drive without the Pre Cats in the back of her mind. For anybody in the Maidstone area (or further afield) PM me and I'll give you the details of the gentleman who did it all for £50 incl the gasket.

To everybody who kindly offered advice thanks a lot.