'00 track car

[AJRFulton]

At least you have a trailer and comfortable tow car/van. Try driving a tricked out MR2 hundreds of miles across country then driving 8 hours on track, and then hundreds of miles across country back home its truly exhausting.

Absolutely the reason I decided to take car off the road. It was road legal, but was too firm and too stripped out to be any use on the road. No power steering, no ABS, no cabin fans, poor brakes when cold, hard sided track tyres that do the minimum to comply with an E mark, etc, etc.

I have a trailer so no point in keeping it road legal. It was horrible to drive as a road car - but after competitive Motorsport - road driving gives me very little joy or pleasure. Even in a good fast road car, it just can't recreate the thrill of being in a race.

[Alex Knight]

You don't half pay for it though 

Trackdays for me are the right balance. Appreciate it's not the same for everyone.

[JB21]

Absolutely the reason I decided to take car off the road. It was road legal, but was too firm and too stripped out to be any use on the road. No power steering, no ABS, no cabin fans, poor brakes when cold, hard sided track tyres that do the minimum to comply with an E mark, etc, etc.

I have a trailer so no point in keeping it road legal. It was horrible to drive as a road car - but after competitive Motorsport - road driving gives me very little joy or pleasure. Even in a good fast road car, it just can't recreate the thrill of being in a race.

I'm looking to get a tow bar fitted to my 330d and hire a trailer for this reason. I hate driving on the road full stop, even in a comfortable exec car, but i especially hate driving in some crazy firm tin can that screams at you from behind for hours on end.

[AJRFulton]

You don't half pay for it though 

Trackdays for me are the right balance. Appreciate it's not the same for everyone.

I enjoy track days. I think having anything other than a dedicated track only car would feel - dare I say - boring. To use an analogy, I get the same feeling having went up a few 4000m+ mountains in the Alps - however since doing that - going hiking in Scotland now feels like a nice day out, rather than any achievement going up a Munro. I dare say if I went up higher mountains the same would happen....

However being able to go around track in competition with myself only, with no pressure (and expense) of getting into a track car arms race..... I think at this point in time that is going to work better for me. I might get bored though..... I might start enjoying it again.... I don't know.

I'm looking to get a tow bar fitted to my 330d and hire a trailer for this reason. I hate driving on the road full stop, even in a comfortable exec car, but i especially hate driving in some crazy firm tin can that screams at you from behind for hours on end.

It's the storage of the trailer that is the problem for most people I guess. If you can store one, I'd always say buy one. Not much goes wrong with them - and the Brian James trailers especially - once they hit £1200ish they just never lose value from that. My trailer is 28yrs old. Other than a wee brake overhaul and putting some boards on it - it's been fine.

I'm fortunate that my parents live on a small farm so storage has never been the issue.

I also absolutely hate road driving the older I get - doesn't matter the car or road - nicer cars make it more tolerable but I can't ever imagine going out on a road to drive for fun these days.

[Petrus]

I can't ever imagine going out on a road to drive for fun these days.

Over here in most parts of interior Andalucía and also in Estramadura the secondary and rural roads are a joy. Good tarmac winding through varied countryside and very, véry little traffic.
To rekindle your fun in driving it´s worth a road trip holliday and apart from start/finish no need to prebook lodgings (bar August).

[Mark A]

I hope you can resolve the issues and fall back in love with the car, maybe  track days or sprint events is the way forward.

I'm at point where do I completely gut my car and have a track car, but then I'll loose the ability to go for Sunday morning blast and the look of shock when a little scruffy yellow 20 year car keeps pace with more modern expensive machinery.

I strongly believe these cars provide vfm up to a point, but good second engines and gearboxes are becoming harder to find.

My advice would be similar to that mentioned previously, find a good used engine, strip off all the race car engine stuff and go back to basics, enjoy the car for few track sessions, build your confidence in its mechanical reliability.

This is the kiss for death for mine, but I run mine hard, not at race levels but at least once or twice on a drive I'm bouncing off the limiter, it's a standard very very low mileage engine with the only engine mods ultra light flywheel, come air filter mod, billet oil pump gears, big sump and an oil cooler, I've even switched back from an EMU black until I can get it mapped by RRR. But it is still a hoot to drive and puts a smile on my face and is reliable.

I think the next thing on my list of purchases is a trailer which will fit in my garage.

[AJRFulton]

I'm back fit again having completed my rehab from the spinal fracture. Strength is back to where it was, but at 40yrs old now - the flexibility will never come back.

After the last engine failure I had taken 6mths off all things cars, and got my thrills from a few visits to the mountains and doing Via Ferratas, trying to build back strength and fitness.

Finally got around to working on the car this weekend. I do love how easy it is to drop an engine out of an MR2, even without an engine hoist. An IKEA trolley is very useful! 2.5hrs doing that by myself, without rushing and with a hangover. However there is a bit of cheat with the bulkhead hatch.

Going to start stripping the engine this week to try and understand what failed.

I've no debris in the drained oils and the coolant looks fine too. Oil was still golden.









Not sure where I go from here though. I've lost all trust in the 2ZZ as a race capable engine. However it's important to understand what failed, so....

[KRAMSNEHPETS]

Am in the same position as you with engines. My rebuilt engine is out and on a stand after having spun a bearing on number 4 . hope to take head and timing cover off next week end, Hope i can see what went wrong....

[jvanzyl]

Glad to hear you're back after all that time off for recovery!

Being under the understanding that you cannot fully rebuild a 2ZZ due to the cylinder lining,it does sound like the engine options these days are narrowing down to the 2AR or K20.. both with their pitfalls and additional costs, but no idea what other options you have for the power levels you're accustomed to. Oh.. I suppose there is the 1.8T VAG option from Stavtech..

[Carolyn]

Am in the same position as you with engines. My rebuilt engine is out and on a stand after having spun a bearing on number 4 . hope to take head and timing cover off next week end, Hope i can see what went wrong....

A sp8n bearing is usually down to oil starvation. Unless there was insufficient oil clearance, which you won't be able to measure now the thing has spun.  Were you running a fully baffled sump?

[mr2garageswindon]

 I suppose there is the 1.8T VAG option from Stavtech..


[/quote]
Thats what my apprentice is looking into for for his mr2..

[AJRFulton]

Concerns with the 1.8 20VT is the weight, and it's more top heavy. I think it's potentially a cracking engine for the road though. I had an S3 years ago, and really rated the engine.

Not sure what I'll do.

[Alex Knight]

If it were me, it'd be K20/K24 all day long.

[AJRFulton]

If it were me, it'd be K20/K24 all day long.

It's the most likely way I'll go.

Far more proven engine for track

[Slowpoke]

Concerns with the 1.8 20VT is the weight, and it's more top heavy. I think it's potentially a cracking engine for the road though. I had an S3 years ago, and really rated the engine.

Not sure what I'll do.

Interestingly they did highlight this point, whilst it is more top heavy, the engine itself sits lower in the engine bay, closer to the firewall and is a more compact block. Perhaps this would be enough to offset it?

And although it is very unlikely that anyone tracking an mr2 is going to be using the original exhaust system, as a 'like for like' swap with the 1zz and 1.8T, I think the masses would be rather similar due to the exhaust weight savings etc. I imagine the gearbox for the 1.8T is anything but lightweight though.

They said that they recently did some testing of the weights to compare them in their entirety because of the lack of true information out there. Will be interesting to see what their findings were when they upload the results to YT.

[Slowpoke]

^agree that k20/k24 is absolutely the motorsport way to go though if you have the patience and capability to carry out that swap

[JB21]

Anyone who puts a VAG engine in the ZZW30 chassis needs banning from this forum with immediate affect! Its like fitting big fake t*ts to a Peregrine Falcon.

[AJRFulton]

Haven't opened the engine yet.

I did unplug the lift solenoid and the back of the solenoid came away in my hand. The solenoids snapped in 2.

Not sure when this would have happened, as lift was engaging up until the failure.

Would the snapping of the solenoid in any way effect the oiling?

[Alex Knight]

Presume you mean affected not effected, but no, I highly doubt it.

Is there any part of the solenoid left in the engine?

[AJRFulton]

Presume you mean affected not effected, but no, I highly doubt it.

Is there any part of the solenoid left in the engine?

Yeah. The top of the solenoid is still in the engine. It cannot go anywhere though, but wondering can it stop oil getting anywhere? I don't think it can as it's regulating oil pressure to the rockers, rather than a proper oiling path way. Oil should still get there regardless of solenoid failing.

I am still think this is a bottom end failure, but this solenoid must have snapped very close to the time the car went bang..... And that's a lot of coincidence.

Watching back the videos. Lift never engaged on the final straight before the knock started, it doesn't engage after knocking starts either, but lift had always engaged prior to that. I can't properly hear in the cabin with helmet and earplugs in.

The fact I've found this is making me suspicious. It's an odd coincidence that lift stops working, presumably due to the solenoid physically snapping, then within about 15 seconds my engine starts knocking.

Guess opening it up will reveal all.

[JB21]

Yeah. The top of the solenoid is still in the engine. It cannot go anywhere though, but wondering can it stop oil getting anywhere? I don't think it can as it's regulating oil pressure to the rockers, rather than a proper oiling path way. Oil should still get there regardless of solenoid failing.

I am still think this is a bottom end failure, but this solenoid must have snapped very close to the time the car went bang..... And that's a lot of coincidence.

Watching back the videos. Lift never engaged on the final straight before the knock started, it doesn't engage after knocking starts either, but lift had always engaged prior to that. I can't properly hear in the cabin with helmet and earplugs in.

The fact I've found this is making me suspicious. It's an odd coincidence that lift stops working, presumably due to the solenoid physically snapping, then within about 15 seconds my engine starts knocking.

Guess opening it up will reveal all.

Cant see that being the issue TBH. I've done a session with a failed VVLTI solenoid, obviously lift doesn't kick in and the rev limit is reduced to 7k rpm. Oil is still circulating around the cams and engine.

[AJRFulton]

Cant see that being the issue TBH. I've done a session with a failed VVLTI solenoid, obviously lift doesn't kick in and the rev limit is reduced to 7k rpm. Oil is still circulating around the cams and engine.

Only thing I can think of, is that when it has physically snapped and some debris has broken off and into the oil system. Although cannot really think what could break, as it's surely just a spring loaded rod.

However...... I still have the filter gauze in (I know some remove them) - does that come before or after the solenoid in oil flow? Even if there was debris from it snapping, it should have caught it.

Also confused as to how it's managed to snap into 2.

[SuperArt]

Took me a while but got through all 12 pages of this blog during my lunch break.

Mightily impressed with how you handled and are continuing to handle all the curveballs and glad the physical recovery has gone well.

Interested to see what power plant you go with next. Ever considered bike engine? There's a widebody hayabusa engined race car in NZ/Aus I believe. Not sure who would be able to do this in the Uk.

[SuperArt]

https://youtu.be/MWQ1-yZpoZg?si=xChjNhDLYQxq3H_A

https://youtu.be/JzkX31GiTYs?si=ATMcU2OJuNxNWVe4

https://youtu.be/Pkkr4QyJ5oU?si=o5T2pItsRfvt_CwY

[AJRFulton]

Finally got around to getting the engine on the stand and getting the sump off.

The distinctive burnt oil smell was a give away, then the shards in the sump and the blackened and rainbowed steel on #1 big end confirmed it. Looks like a spun bearing.

The heat damage will likely have rendered the crank useless and I'd be shocked if the cylinder has escaped undamaged. I'd bet a lot this block is fubar.



Now the question is...... Why do I keep getting bearing failures on #1? I've had them on OEM engines and on built engines. 3rd time it's happened to me and must be about the 10th instance I know of on a track only car.

No logic for this one, it failed on a left hander, brand new OEM bottom end. Baffled sump with plenty of oil in there. I can understand right handers as the oil is being pulled away from the pick up, but left handers.... It's being pulled towards it.