Mushi 虫 - the MR2

[JayPee404]

Hello everyone,

First of all, gotta thank everyone for all the help I have been given so far, this has to be one of the most helpful and friendly communities I've come across on the internet.

So this is gonna be a post where I document all my plans and eventual actions taken upon my little red MR2. From replacing the dreaded pre-cats to doing up the aesthetics and all the in-betweens. I'll also limit my inevitable questions to this thread so I don't spam every board. I am a complete amateur when it comes to working on cars and therefore I expect a lot of failure and frustration and subsequent necessity of aid from gritty experienced folk.

Meet Mushi, the Roadster (because she's Japanese and looks like a bug and I am not very creative).








Current plans for which I actually have parts to execute:

• Exhaust manifold Swap (Got a Gravity Performance one on eBay)
• Air and oil filter change
• Radiator ( https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150561877372 ) + lots of Toyota Red concentrate coolant and a lot of deionised water to bleed and refill the coolant system
• Nappy removal... Still unsure on this one, I don't like the look of it but like the idea of protecting the innards of the car... Style or substance on this one? TBD[/s] Style was the answer on this one.

These are the most important things I need to address.

Things I want to do eventually:

• Take the cat heatshield apart and bolt it together a la Ardent, as it still rattles.
• Get a black wing, powder-coat the alloys black, paint the brake callipers red. Perhaps paint the badges black as well.
• Fit a twin exhaust (looking at one by the same company who made the manifold, Gravity Performance, anyone happen to buy from them in the past?) That  or Malian which I have already heard good things about.

I have a week off at the end of this month when I am hoping to tackle at least the exhaust manifold and while at it inspect the cat heat shield and see what can be done about that. My toolkit is pretty limited but with some PlusGas and elbow grease I am hoping the pre-cat manifold won't fight me too much. -

Here's hoping the weather will be kinder to me in August and I can get cracking.


I got rained out instead so hopefully September will be the month this happens.

[Joesson]

@JayPee404
@Chilli Girl will perhaps be feeling broody seeing your Chilli red! Looks to be a good'un.
It's good to have a plan and thank you for sharing.
I'm unsure about what you mean with dye the brake callipers red. Perhaps dye the badges black as elsewhere you would like to paint the whole exhaust black.
Importantly though, if you have limited tools a very good/ essential investment would be a set of SIX point sockets. Please DO NOT attempt work on your exhaust manifold with multipoint sockets.
The nuts may not come off with the six point but they will certainly round off with the multi points.
Soak the fixings for as long you can and repeat as necessary with Plus Gas preferably or similar.
Let us know how you progress.

[puma2]

  keep is informed on you get on with your work
when starting out there is never a silly question so ask away if needed  

enjoy the pain and frustration with hand cuts along the way    

[JayPee404]

@JayPee404
@Chilli Girl will perhaps be feeling broody seeing your Chilli red! Looks to be a good'un.
It's good to have a plan and thank you for sharing.
I'm unsure about what you mean with dye the brake callipers red. Perhaps dye the badges black as elsewhere you would like to paint the whole exhaust black.
Importantly though, if you have limited tools a very good/ essential investment would be a set of SIX point sockets. Please DO NOT attempt work on your exhaust manifold with multipoint sockets.
The nuts may not come off with the six point but they will certainly round off with the multi points.
Soak the fixings for as long you can and repeat as necessary with Plus Gas preferably or similar.
Let us know how you progress.

Yeah this has been my priority recently. I have a set but they're mostly standard sockets so I'm looking at one of the "pro" sets at halfords. I have already gotten a small set by Erbauer I believe to tackle specifically rounded off nuts if they're already ruined, but I do need a more comprehensive set before I start working. I was going at the oil sump with a standard socket and thought wait best not to round that off. Arsenal growing currently, but funds are running low 

Also the dye and paint, maybe a case of poor wording. In the end I mean turn them black as the silver on red is not my favourite combo. In an ideal world she would be yellow and black accents but I'm not ready to completely overhaul the paintwork

Edit: The rounded nut remover: https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-bolt-nut-remover-set-6-pcs/6083d

[Ardent]

@JayPee404

Nappy.
I do not like them. look awful. But accept that Mr T did or had to, put them there for a reason.
Problem is no one really knows the real decision. There are many valid thoughts as to why and what they do, and some may well be correct. But up to now, no one has pointed to a Mr T paper or otherwise that categorically defines the design decision. If protecting the innards was one of them it was not that successful. Plenty reports of sub frames suffering despite nappies in place.
 

[JayPee404]

Yeah nappys out. Wanted to look at the cat heatshield properly, need tighter clips as the rattle ruins my fun. It's amazing how everything that's supposed to hold it together is one dirty look away from crumbling.

Also trying to see if I can squeeze under the car and undo the sump plug without jacking the car up or putting it on ramps. It seems feasible as I'm a small dude.

Oh to have a level drive instead of a slanted parking spot....

[JayPee404]

Gave her a good clean today and tightened the heatshield together. Also decided it's unlikely I'm small enough to get under the car without raising anything.

Currently thinking I'll put the front on ramps which will both give me enough clearance to reach the sump plug and filter while putting the at the right angle to drain everything out.

How do you guys normally do the oil change? Jack the back, filter and plug out, jack the front, and so on so forth?

[Petrus]

Yeah nappys out.

I am a great supporter of that but be aware that the rear bumper skirt lower part is now acting as a parachute. P.e. @Carolyn made brackets to keep it stable but that does not address the issue; cutting it a bit down (well, úp actually) will. If you do so neatly it looks completely standard to the uninitiated.
@Ardent place a pfoto of the rear of mine on here.

[Joesson]

@JayPee404 said:

How do you guys normally do the oil change? Jack the back, filter and plug out, jack the front, and so on so forth?

Typically I raise the whole car at the end of my driving season ready for service and maintenance work.
Starting with the rear of the car and with chocks  in front and rear of the front wheels, I position a trolley jack under the central engine mount to enable placing of two axle stands that I position at the rear jacking points.
I then raise the front in a similar fashion with the jack under the centre of the front cross member, position indicated by a recess in the undertray, axle stands under the front jacking points.
I protect the paintwork with a double thickness of carpet off cut between the sills and the stand heads.
Some other members advocate the axle stands be positioned under suspension elements, but in any situation not just a jack!
@Ardent I believe uses a pair of small ramps to raise the rear end to drain and refill the oil which is a quicker, easier method for just an oil change.

[Ardent]

Gave her a good clean today and tightened the heatshield together. Also decided it's unlikely I'm small enough to get under the car without raising anything.

Currently thinking I'll put the front on ramps which will both give me enough clearance to reach the sump plug and filter while putting the at the right angle to drain everything out.

How do you guys normally do the oil change? Jack the back, filter and plug out, jack the front, and so on so forth?

I use a pair of plastic caravan levelling ramps. Argos.
Plenty enough clearance.
There will be pics in here somewhere.
Search me, in what have you done today

Edit
https://www.mr2roc.org/index.php?msg=889812

[JayPee404]

Thanks guys. I have a set of 2 tonne ramps from Halfords , which I was gonna use to lift the back up and get under there to do what needs doing, but then the back will be up on ramps and I'm unsure how I would drain the oil properly. I don't wanna jack the car up while it's on ramps it case it slips. It really doesn't help that everywhere around where I live is slanted so it just makes setting it up a bit worse than it should be.

I guess my solution is to find somewhere level to work, I've got the tools to do it just not the surface.

Or am I getting too hung up on getting every bit of old oil out? Seems pointless to do an oil change but leave more than just residue in the sump.

[Joesson]

Thanks guys. I have a set of 2 tonne ramps from Halfords , which I was gonna use to lift the back up and get under there to do what needs doing, but then the back will be up on ramps and I'm unsure how I would drain the oil properly. I don't wanna jack the car up while it's on ramps it case it slips. It really doesn't help that everywhere around where I live is slanted so it just makes setting it up a bit worse than it should be.

I guess my solution is to find somewhere level to work, I've got the tools to do it just not the surface.

Or am I getting too hung up on getting every bit of old oil out? Seems pointless to do an oil change but leave more than just residue in the sump.

Put the nose of your car UPHILL and reverse onto the ramps. That will make your car somewhere nearer level.

[Carolyn]

I agree, you want to get as much out as you can. 

With my car on jack-stands, I drain the oil and change the filter, then I drop the car before putting the sump plug in and let it dribble until it pretty much stops.  Then I put the sump plug back in and fill her up.

[Ardent]

Put the nose of your car UPHILL and reverse onto the ramps. That will make your car somewhere nearer level.

As can be seen per the link I put in post 9.
The ramps offset the slope of the drive leaving the 2 levelish.

[Joesson]

Further to my posts #8 & #11 above, my garage floor is not level, there is around 80mm fall from the back to the front / door. This means that when I put my car on same height axle stands front/ rear the front of the car is somewhat higher than the rear.
 

[JayPee404]

As can be seen per the link I put in post 9.
The ramps offset the slope of the drive leaving the 2 levelish.

I looked those up actually, they look nice and a bit more stable than mine which are metal and like to slip on the surface you can see in the pictures. Need to get some anti-slip mats if I wanna use the ones I have already, though they offer a good bit of clearance. I also have a curb at the bottom of the parking area, may put the ramps against that and back the car up. Should give me clearance while still being tilted to drain without the ramps slipping out.

I am a great supporter of that but be aware that the rear bumper skirt lower part is now acting as a parachute. P.e. @Carolyn made brackets to keep it stable but that does not address the issue; cutting it a bit down (well, úp actually) will. If you do so neatly it looks completely standard to the uninitiated.
@Ardent place a pfoto of the rear of mine on here.

More so than the nappy which looks literally built like one? Is that something some type of skirt or would solve? I'm ever so slightly reticent to start cutting away at the bumper. I'll see if I can find that photo as I'm quite curious what you actually cut down. Thanks for the head's up!

On a less positive note, the rattle is now different and is making me wonder if it's still the heatshield or if there's something else wrong. The car still drives beautifully so I don't think it's anything mechanical necessarily, but I don't feel anything loose under the car so will have to have a good look around.

I also noticed one of the side plastic grilles on the back of the car is gone. Wondering if somebody decided it'd be fun to nick it of it just blew off. In any case 2 new ones coming in from Mr T themselves. £10 a pop seems excessive but hey, I don't have a 3D printer so it'll have to do.

Further to my posts #8 & #11 above, my garage floor is not level, there is around 80mm fall from the back to the front / door. This means that when I put my car on same height axle stands front/ rear the front of the car is somewhat higher than the rear.
 

Are you not concerned physics will do it's thing and the car will slip, potentially with you under it?

[Joesson]

@JayPee404 said:
Are you not concerned physics will do it's thing and the car will slip, potentially with you under it?

My car has been on axle stands for around six months a year for the past ten years, so far so good.

[JayPee404]

Maybe I'm overly concerned about the whole having the car dropped on me scenario...

[Petrus]

More so than the nappy which looks literally built like one?

MUCH more as the nappy guide the flow under the car to enter beónd the bumper. Delete them and the skirt is like a scoop in the air flow.
Easy enough to see looking from underneath the car.

There are also méasurements for akin mod on other cars p.e. the MX5. It fals about halfway between all stock and a custom made rear diffuser.

https://www.mr2roc.org/index.php?msg=892733

How come better than stock? Remember that the manufacturers are seriously restricted by regulations, in this case noise. In particular engine noise relecting form the road surface. Noise containement is also the main reason for the misnomed ´drip tray´ unless it refers to collected water dripping onto the engine when the lid is opened...

Concerning the air flow throúgh the boiler room there is quite a bit more to it but deleting nappies helps.

[Joesson]

Maybe I'm overly concerned about the whole having the car dropped on me scenario...

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/content/discovery/ideas-and-advice/axle-stands-guide#:~:text=Axle%20stands%20are%20safety%2Dfocused,ratings%20are%20of%20great%


The supplier of my jack and axle stands:
https://www.sgs-engineering.com/help-advice/how-to-use-axle-stands/

[JayPee404]

It's not so much that I don't know how to use em more so that I worry the angle could lead to slipping. Need to get an old tire or something to plop under the car for safety.

https://youtube.com/shorts/KwNyUhpM6Co?feature=share4

https://youtube.com/shorts/IV9TcnHHGr4?feature=share4

On a different note, do you guys think this sounds healthy? Apologies for the quality as that is just my phone. I'm failing to capture the rattle (putting the phone down in the engine bay and going to the pedal to rev the engine means it just resonates with the chassis and doesn't catch the scratching noise).

I've long been wondering if the ticking noise is normal and while the car still drives great I don't wanna push her too hard. I think I have yet to push her over 5k (ok maybe once or twice) just out of fear it'll pop something.

I may see if @Mickemo 's recommended garage has a moment to look at the engine to make sure it's in good working order, as I am not prepared to delve into that side of things.

[Joesson]

@JayPee404

For what it's worth with my electronically enhanced hearing your engine does not sound to be in any imminent danger.
As said recently a noise that defies explanation is usually the catalyser heatshield.

[Carolyn]

Ticking noises can be down to valve gaps.  We used to do a lot a valve clearance jobs, but nobody seems to be doing it anymore.  There must be loads of cars with noisy valves!

The club still has 'bucket bank' if anyone wants to do their valve clearances.

[Petrus]

Ticking noises can be down to valve gaps.  We used to do a lot a valve clearance jobs, but nobody seems to be doing it anymore.  There must be loads of cars with noisy valves!

Less cars also doing less mileage?

[barchetta_ms]

The club still has 'bucket bank' if anyone wants to do their valve clearances.

I'd be very interested in checking mine at some point