My Sable Grey 05 MR2

[bobo83]

I have been using the knowledge of this forum for a while now and the time has finally come to create this work journal. This year should be "the year" when I improve my MR2 and enjoy it to its full potential.

Backstory:
I got my first MR2 MK3 in March 2024 from Copart. It was cheap, rusty, had some minor front wing damage though it had a good mohair (I assume) soft-top and a lovely custom exhaust. The handling of the car made me fall in love with it and against all common sense I spent tons of effort and money on that car. I learnt a lot by fixing that car (refurbished the brake system, changed the clutch) but the car broke down for good at the end of last summer. That's when I decided to get a "good" MR2 MK3 and keep the old one as a spares car.


My sable grey MR2:
I got it in August 2024 with 59k miles on the clock. The paintwork is very decent and the underside of the car looks decent for the age of the car. Unfortunately, this new MR2 was not as fun to drive as my old rusty MR2 .... the car feels floaty, the acceleration feels not as aggressive and it makes some slightly-concerning noises at start-up. And it burns oil as well (despite having full service history and the seller claiming it does not burn any oil ).

My intention with this journal is to document how I "restore" this MR2 to the OEM spec (or even better).

A photo of my MR2 in sunny France:


Issues fixed:

• Rebuilt both rear calipers
• Brand new OEM brake cables
• ToyoSports exhaust manifold + OEM gasket and bolts
• Refresh of all intake gaskets and bolts
• Cleaned throttle body and IACV valve
• Replaced rocker cover gasket & PCV valve
• Gearbox oil change (MT-90)
• Source an aircon condenser that does not cost 500£ (post #1)
• Have a Mishimoto radiator sitting in the garage ... maybe install it ? (post #1)

To-do list:

• Understand why my A/C compressor is cycling and the reason for surface rust behind glovebox
• Suspension refresh: Tein Flex Z Coilovers; track rods
• Full wheel alignment
• Whiteline Anti-Roll Bar front & back
• Bracing
• Steering joint protection boot install
• Address the start-up noise issue

Long-term to-do list:

• Clutch feels soft and has high biting point
• Engine burns 1l of oil every 400mi 

[bobo83]

It was sunny and warm recently and decided to do some work on the car. But as is always the case, I uncovered more problems than I fixed!

Changing the radiator

During the winter I bought from someone local a Mishimoto radiator at a good price and decided to install it. I know these radiators suffer from quality problems ... mine was luckily okay.

Taking the old radiator out is pretty straightforward: my old one looked pretty good, must have been changed not that long ago.

Fitting the new one in is a bit more tricky as it is twice or more the thickness of the old one! The right order would be: first fit the radiator without the fans , then fit the fans (you need an additional 2 M6 x 15mm bolts), then bleed the system (access to the radiator bleeding port is restricted so bleed first and then secure it in place) and finally secure it in place. As the new radiator is so thick, there is metal-to-metal contact at the front (see picture): I had to get some rubber edge protector to avoid rattling sounds.

Bleeding the cooling system was somewhat tricky as the heater matrix would blow cold, but after a drive it sorted itself out.

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Fixing the A/C system: new condenser

The next day I decided to install the new RHD A/C that I sourced from Japan (https://item.rakuten.co.jp/nextparts/k606001821/). What a bad decision that was: I had to undo most of the work I did the previous day to be able to fit the condenser to the car!

The new condenser was a perfect replacement for the old one, the only thing it lacked were the mounting brackets. Luckily I was able to transfer the brackets from the old condenser, but not without a 30 minute fight with a broken bolt.

Here is how it looked at the end, with a new radiator and condenser:

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After that went to an A/C specialist to gas the system and check for leaks. Pulled vacuum for a long time, gassed the system and now it blows cold air!

The problem(s) ...

The A/C system works, but the compressor cycles every 10-20 seconds. Need to test whether that is also happening when driving but it's hard to hear the compressor with all the exhaust noise. There is the possibility that the system does not have enough gas but the specialist I went to is very good, paid a premium for it...

The cooling system was bled, but I can still hear bubbles in my heater... I could hear the bubbles even before doing the change.

Now maybe there is a common root to these problems ? That's how my heating and a/c box looks like if I remove my glove box:
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Very very rusty and unusual ... on the driver side there is no or little rust.

Have I got a leaky heater matrix ?!? Need to investigate.