Year 2000 MR2 roadster, UK version

[tperry2x]

Hi everyone. I'm a new member to this forum and it's the first time I've owned a MR2 roadster.
I'm located in Norfolk, UK and I've managed to pick a fairly good example for £700.



All well and good, and I've sorted out a few little jobs like sticking catch on engine bay, low idling problem etc.
I've got an engine light showing. Car has done 115 thousand miles. The precats are still in place from what I can tell. Car consumes hardly any oil (10w40).
My next job is to take the precats out, and the socket https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000MQ7XRA is on it's way as we speak.

I suspected the O2 sensors, being a common problem, so did the resistor fix (I'm sure you are all aware of it), using this type:

Ordered from RS components.

Thing is, engine light is still on. I'm guessing it's because the codes aren't cleared from memory on the engine management unit. Tried taking the battery off and leaving for 30 mins and reconnecting, but engine lights come back on after 5-10 miles when the car realises codes are still there I guess.

So, tried to order a couple of OBD2 readers. This one:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005FOIC3I and all it did was give me a 'linking error', then I tried this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01N2ISTNG, but again just get a linking error.
Doing a bit more reading, the first one says compatibility is '2002 and newer vehicles that support Mode 9'. The second reader says 'Working on most of 1996 and later OBDII agreeable US, European and Asian vehicles'. (So I assume mine isn't 'agreeable', lol).

Question is: What reader does work for a UK (european?) year 2000 MR2 roadster? I do have what looks like an OBD2 port:
Am I looking at silly money? Links appreciated. Many thanks.

[Call the midlife!]

Hi everyone. I'm a new member to this forum and it's the first time I've owned a MR2 roadster.
I'm located in Norfolk, UK and I've managed to pick a fairly good example for £700.



All well and good, and I've sorted out a few little jobs like sticking catch on engine bay, low idling problem etc.
I've got an engine light showing. Car has done 115 thousand miles. The precats are still in place from what I can tell. Car consumes hardly any oil (10w40).
My next job is to take the precats out, and the socket https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000MQ7XRA is on it's way as we speak.

I suspected the O2 sensors, being a common problem, so did the resistor fix (I'm sure you are all aware of it), using this type:

Ordered from RS components.

Thing is, engine light is still on. I'm guessing it's because the codes aren't cleared from memory on the engine management unit. Tried taking the battery off and leaving for 30 mins and reconnecting, but engine lights come back on after 5-10 miles when the car realises codes are still there I guess.

So, tried to order a couple of OBD2 readers. This one:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005FOIC3I and all it did was give me a 'linking error', then I tried this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01N2ISTNG, but again just get a linking error.
Doing a bit more reading, the first one says compatibility is '2002 and newer vehicles that support Mode 9'. The second reader says 'Working on most of 1996 and later OBDII agreeable US, European and Asian vehicles'. (So I assume mine isn't 'agreeable', lol).

Question is: What reader does work for a UK (european?) year 2000 MR2 roadster? I do have what looks like an OBD2 port:
Am I looking at silly money? Links appreciated. Many thanks.

Any chance it's had a replacement ECU in it's life? The linking failure might point to an import ECU.
Trouble is without the reader you're not going to know if you've put the resistor on the right sensor, unless you've done all 3???


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[tperry2x]

Hi, yes I did all of them - might as well I thought while I'm at it. Don't think ECU has been changed, is there an easy way to tell by looking at it?

[Call the midlife!]

Hi, yes I did all of them - might as well I thought while I'm at it. Don't think ECU has been changed, is there an easy way to tell by looking at it?

ECU wise I'm afraid you'll have to wait for a more experienced member to say about, I know it's not unheard of but not sure how to tell them apart other than part numbers perhaps?
Also the resistor only overrides the heater circuit failure I'm sure so it could also be that one of the sensors has died altogether.
Assuming it's an O2 fault, obviously.


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[tperry2x]

Ok, that's a pain. Don't really care if the O2 sensors have failed as the car runs fine, just annoying having the engine light on. Had hoped the ECU only looks for a resistance across the sensor and would therefore be happy. (I'd rip them both out if I could fool the ECU) and leave the main one underneath as required for MOT.

I'll try and take a photo of the ECU later on and see if anyone knows. Many thanks.

[Call the midlife!]

From memory the heater circuit wires are the two the same colour (don't quote me, I could be wrong) and the heater only works until the exhaust gasses are hot enough to keep the O2 sensors at working temperature.
If they've failed it won't run fine for long, the mix will be all over the place.


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[2 of the left]

By the sounds of it, If your engine is running sweet, then it's a sensor prob!! Most likely the one to the right as you look into the engine bay!!

[delhusband]

Hi there, welcome! I have a UK car and use a cheap ish £40 ish Bluetooth ELM 327 reader and Torque app on Android smartphone, works for me

[tperry2x]

The ones that are the same colour are the ones the resistors are attached to, so essentially the ECU always things the sensor is live. But if the sensor doesn't work or open, there's then no signal on those lines. Any way to fool the ECU on those lines I wonder?

Anyway, laying on my back in the driver's footwell, I can just photograph the ECU.


Tried to make the numbers more readable:


It runs fine when on auto-choke and when it's up to temperature. I regularly drive 35 miles to work and back, through a bit of city traffic too, and it never falters or fluctuates when idling. It used to until I cleaned the MAF sensor with carb cleaner

[smarty72]

Hi and Welcome.

Whereabouts in Norfolk are you located?

[tperry2x]

Near Aylsham, north of Norwich.

[tperry2x]

Numbers on the ECU are as follows (line by line)
89221-17040
232300-0191

[jonbill]

Does it have an alarm and/or a blinking red light in the middle of the dash when locked?

[smarty72]

Near Aylsham, north of Norwich.

I'm near Dereham and have a Bluetooth connector and App on my phone that works with my FL car if you ever venture this way.

[tperry2x]

Ok, there's no blinking red light when locked, so no immobiliser getting in the way.

Delhusband: had heard about the Bluetooth adapter but have heard they'll only work on a year 2001 and above car.
What year car do you have? If it's a 2000 and works fine with the reader, can you send me a link - I'd like to own one that works to reset at any time in the future.

[delhusband]

Ok, there's no blinking red light when locked, so no immobiliser getting in the way.

Delhusband: had heard about the Bluetooth adapter but have heard they'll only work on a year 2001 and above car.
What year car do you have? If it's a 2000 and works fine with the reader, can you send me a link - I'd like to own one that works to reset at any time in the future.

Ah, OK, I'm '06 plate

[Essex2Visuvesi]

Looking at those numbers they are different to my 2001 JDM Import, so I'm guessing not a JDM ECU replacement
Rutland have one for sale with the same numbers as yours so it looks like its probably a UK/EU unit
 m http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toyota-MR2-Bo ... 1926385582 m

Those ODB readers can be quite fickle
What OS are you running it on? I have found them to be most stable when using an old XP laptop

[tperry2x]

The readers were both standalone units with no computer requirement (all that was on the CD supplied was a pdf user manual). No setup program or application or executable.
You basically plugged one end into the obd2 port and hit 'scan', it went through a list of all the different protocols (can't remember the names now), but just failed to connect as if it wasn't receiving the response it was looking for.
(Said in Obi-wan voice "this isn't the ECU you're looking for", lol)
I'd stick a bit of tape over the engine light, but I do want to be able to plug something in to tell me what's wrong. Especially if anything else crops up in the future. What I'm really after is someone with an early 2000 model (the ones which suffer from oval-bore syndrome) *sigh, just my luck.

[jonbill]

I think no immobilizer means Japanese grey import and so you'd need a JOBD reader. There are threads with info on what to buy for that. But best to confirm what it is first

[tperry2x]

I know it's not an imported car as log book and DVLA say never imported, or do you just mean the ECU? Did the early roadsters have an immobiliser? Again, I just don't know here. I had read that there were lots of improvements made on the facelift model; just wonder what is lacking on a standard 2000 model.
I'll read up on JOBD readers too, many thanks everyone.

Have received my 22mm oxygen sensor socket an hour ago, so will be attempting that tonight, in the dark on the driveway lol. Fun ways to spend a Friday night and all that.

[tperry2x]

Keeps me out of trouble though.

[smarty72]

I know it's not an imported car as log book and DVLA say never imported, or do you just mean the ECU? Did the early roadsters have an immobiliser? Again, I just don't know here. I had read that there were lots of improvements made on the facelift model; just wonder what is lacking on a standard 2000 model.
I'll read up on JOBD readers too, many thanks everyone.

Have received my 22mm oxygen sensor socket an hour ago, so will be attempting that tonight, in the dark on the driveway lol. Fun ways to spend a Friday night and all that.

Soak them in plusgas and crack them in the daylight tomorrow would be my preference.

[tperry2x]

That'd be lovely if I wasn't working tomorrow and Sunday. They've been soaking in WD40, 3-in-1 oil and GTX35 while I do the childcare thing today.

[tperry2x]

The more I read about the precats, the more urgently I want them out. Ok, the car has done over 115 thousand miles with them in, but knowing my luck...

It's like hanging a basket made of eggshells, full of nails, above an open engine. Sounds like an absolutely terrible idea, but there's officially no problem as far as Toyota is concerned.

[Call the midlife!]

The more I read about the precats, the more urgently I want them out. Ok, the car has done over 115 thousand miles with them in, but knowing my luck...

It's like hanging a basket made of eggshells, full of nails, above an open engine. Sounds like an absolutely terrible idea, but there's officially no problem as far as Toyota is concerned.

104k on mine when I smashed them out and they were fully intact, car uses very little oil even when treated roughly and I'm sure I'm the 5th owner. It's all about the oil and filter changes.


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