Bimmer Bob gets an MR2

[Bimmer-Bob]

***Many posts by me in this thread will mirror my build thread over at SpyderChat, but I'm posting here as well because I see value in participating in both sites. Obviously any discussions that might arise from any of my posts will be unique to this site.***

[Bimmer-Bob]

So, recently I became the owner of a 2003 MR2 Spyder in a color combination that I've long admired: Electric Green Mica with the tan top and leather interior, with only 40,000 miles on the odometer. I'm pretty stoked!

I tend to work on my own cars and mod for performance, mainly interested in European cars, and daily drive a BMW 1 Series which I've also autocrossed and taken to the track. I'm not sure why I need another toy, but I was recently shopping classic cars and after an '85 Mercedes 280SL (with 5-speed manual tranny and 24K miles!) I was bidding on sold for almost $42K, I decided something more sensible was in order. I have also always coveted Porsche 914s (very different than the R107 SL, I know, which is more of a GT than a true sports car), but after pricing those I was a little unsure about taking the plunge.

Enter the MR2 Spyder. I remember being interested in them when they were new and reading the mostly glowing reviews, but at the time I couldn't afford a new car, and they weren't around for long so sort of fell off of my radar. Every once in a while I would see one at an autocross or something, maybe talk to the owner for a while, but there were always a lot of different cars to look at and talk about, and I was deep into building out my BMW, so I didn't really consider buying another car. But, in a way, I see them as a somewhat modern 914: polarizing styling, midengine layout, low-power engine but a lightweight chassis. Except I can get a much newer one for cheaper, and it's built by Toyota, so it will be reliable and parts will be cheap! At least compared to Euro cars, especially one decades out of production.

Anyway, I don't know what I have planned for this car, exactly. I'm tempted to keep it fairly stock, if only to save cash, but who knows? I've thought about maybe wheels (I like the Enkei Compe, sort of like a Panasport clone, which goes along with the 914 theme), but then I'll probably need to get into suspension stuff so that the car sits right and...well, everything just snowballs from there.

My new-to-me ZZW30 is still somewhere in Minnesota, while I'm in Washington State, and getting ready to move to California in about 4 weeks. Unfortunately, that means that I can't quite arrange for shipping home just yet - the PO agreed to continue storing the car in his garage, for now, which seemed like a fine idea until it occurred to me that my car is currently just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Monkeywrench Racing, in Michigan (well, at least compared to me on the West Coast - and certainly to you lot in the UK). One thing led to another, and I decided that since I have some time to kill before I can take delivery of the car, I'll have it shipped first to MWR for some work...

My wish list for this car was basically: (1) Electric Green Mica, (2) Tan Leather Package with Tan Top, (3) 5-speed, and (4) Factory Limited-Slip Differential (non-standard in the US, and only available on MY04-05 cars). That's how I would've spec'ed-out the car if I was buying new. I originally thought that the LSDs were offered starting with the '03 facelift, but later realized it wasn't until '04 - which severely limits options, of course. Funny enough, at the very last second I did actually find an '05 car, which ticks all my boxes and is in beautiful condition (2,840 miles!), but they want $25,000 for it. Anyway, I'm going to take my 40K-mile car and go get a Toyota helical LSD installed, so that I can have the car that I wanted. And because I believe that any self-respecting RWD car with sporty aspirations needs an LSD.

I did start to go nuts with the ideas - everything from headers (important pre-cat delete, right?) to a full-fledged 2ZZ-swap (I mean, as long as it's there...), but I think reason will eventually prevail. The main reason that I'm having MWR do the LSD (well, besides to kill time) is that I personally CAN'T do it, on account of the preload and backlash set-up. I definitely want it professionally done. Everything else can wait, as I can do it cheaper myself, and I want to experience the car in stock form first anyway. Who knows, maybe I'll just leave it that way?

One thing I know for sure, though, is I've GOT to get the original wheels back on this car. Luckily, the PO still has them, but he put these god-awful chrome 17" wheels on, like it was an upgrade! It hurts my eyes. The other thing is I will definitely want new tires, but I'm having a hell of a time finding anything in the stock sizes. Which sucks, because I'm a total tire snob. I did see a few more options if I tweak the tire width slightly.

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[Bimmer-Bob]

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And she's off!

The car was picked up in Minnesota this afternoon, and is currently en route to Monkeywrench Racing in Michigan. I picked up a used LSD from an eBay seller in the UK, who salvaged from an MR2 Roadster (which, I'm told, all came with an LSD as standard). Anyway, I had the LSD shipped to MWR, and they agreed to install it into the stock C56 5-speed.

And as long as the car is there...I figured I'd do a few other big jobs that I'd prefer not to DIY later: first is an MWR forged steel ultralight flywheel. There was no additional labor charge since the entire transaxle was already being removed, so I figured why not? Normally I'm a little weary of aftermarket flywheels, but I've heard such good things about them on this platform specifically that I thought I'd give it a go. Plus I thought the MWR steel option would sort of split the difference between an OEM flywheel and a less streetable aluminum option. The other thing I'm having done is a set of Crower Stage 1 camshafts. I don't think I want to mess with an engine swap, especially with so few miles on the odometer - but a little extra oomph couldn't hurt. And I figure maybe no one in the world has done cams on these engines more than the guys at MWR, so it's kind of now or never. Plus, did I mention that I have time to kill?

You might have noticed that the stocker wheels are back on the car. It took a little cajoling on my part, as the PO really didn't want to bother with it. In fact, he actually was going to attempt to squeeze the tireless wheels into the cabin somehow, and I think he thought I was crazy for turning my nose up at his new-ish 17" chrome disasters. But in the end, he relented (for one thing, the shipping companies won't take the car with loose articles inside). I still don't know if I'm going to bother with new wheels or not - I know I definitely will need new tires, but I suppose I have a few weeks to decide on the wheels.

[shnazzle]

Some very sound decisions there. 
Amazing color package. 
LSD is brilliant, you can actually feel it working. Especially once you start throwing 220+hp at it. 
Stage 1 cams (Crower I assume?) have nothing but positive reviews (as long as not mated with a PPE exhaust manifold) 
I think MWR do a nice decat exhaust header as well. The CHE for 279. Might as well have that slapped on unless you want to have one built or ship a Zero Exhausts manifold from here.
Having said that, you're moving to California, doesn't that mean you have to adhere to the ULEV regulations and keep the pre-cats?
If not, replace that cat as well, as that's the big blocker and unleashes noticeable gains.

Off-topic; what made you move from Washington to Cali?

[Ardent]

@Bimmer-Bob

Top decision re the rims. 17s. No no no.

If you are z tyre snob. By that I mean a close to original spec as possible.
Width profile speed and load rating.
Then your choice is narrowed down to the Yoko ad08r(s)
There clearly are others. But these match the closest.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Some very sound decisions there.
Amazing color package.
LSD is brilliant, you can actually feel it working. Especially once you start throwing 220+hp at it

Thanks! I love the color combo. An LSD is just a requirement for a RWD car, in my opinion. I questioned whether it was that important at stock power levels, but I figured Toyota didn't offer it for nothing. I've added a clutch-type LSD to my BMW 128i, and it's been a massive improvement. Much more controlled in the corners, with the ability to apply throttle earlier on exit. Plus it just seems like a safety feature, especially on a mid-engine car, where rear grip is so important.

Probably won't be hitting 220 HP in this car anytime soon (or ever, lol)!

Stage 1 cams (Crower I assume?) have nothing but positive reviews (as long as not mated with a PPE exhaust manifold)
I think MWR do a nice decat exhaust header as well. The CHE for 279. Might as well have that slapped on unless you want to have one built or ship a Zero Exhausts manifold from here.
Having said that, you're moving to California, doesn't that mean you have to adhere to the ULEV regulations and keep the pre-cats?
If not, replace that cat as well, as that's the big blocker and unleashes noticeable gains.

Off-topic; what made you move from Washington to Cali?

Yes, the Crower cams are the ones. I know they won't be anything crazy, but I've heard good things as well, particularly in regards to improved torque in the low- to mid-end RPM range. I'm not necessarily looking for a huge increase in power per se, but really just a sportier character to the engine, if that makes sense.

I've read to stay away from the PPE headers because they sacrifice low-end power for high-end, especially in conjunction with the Crower Stage 1 cams, which are tuned more opposite. For a while they were on top of my list, so I'm glad I encountered that bit of information. I'm leaning heavily now towards a Zero Exhaust set up. Looks to be very high-quality and also just a bit different than what most folks run this side of the Pond.

I'm moving from Washington to California for work. I'm in the military and am being transferred to a new duty station. However, I've filed paperwork to make Washington my legal "home of record" so that I will be able to maintain Washington plates and registration no matter where I go, and won't be subject to California emissions standards while living there.

@Bimmer-Bob

Top decision re the rims. 17s. No no no.

If you are z tyre snob. By that I mean a close to original spec as possible.
Width profile speed and load rating.
Then your choice is narrowed down to the Yoko ad08r(s)
There clearly are others. But these match the closest.

Yes, 17"s are a no-no, for sure. I will either stick with the stockers, or else go with something of similar diameter (either 15" all around or the same 15"/16" stagger). As for tires, I'm leaning towards a summer tire in the 200 treadwear category, like Dunlop Direzza ZIIIs. I've used these tires for autocross and frankly love them. Grip for miles!

[Ardent]

Treadwear. Not something I've ever really noticed or heard of.
Unless that is the equivalent of or related to our economy ratings.
Edit
Just googled. Ad08r = 200 rating.
Every day is a school day

[Bimmer-Bob]

So I got notice yesterday that MWR wrapped up work on my car: Toyota helical LSD, MWR lightweight flywheel, and Crower Stage 1 cams. They said the clutch was about half-worn, so installed an Exedy OEM-replacement, but the 2ZZ-GE version, which is supposedly a mild upgrade (+10%). Sort of weird that a clutch would be half-worn at 40K miles, but I'm like the 3rd or 4th owner, so who knows? Lots of people can't drive stick well.

So now I just need to wrap up things here in Washington and get moved down to California by the middle of next month so I can finally take delivery of this car. Until then, she's locked up tight at MWR, as they graciously agreed to store the car for a few weeks.

Also, did I mention that I bought a set of wheels?

[Ardent]

What sizes and weight are those?

[Bimmer-Bob]

What sizes and weight are those?

15x7" square. They're Volk GR-Ns, and obviously in pretty rough condition, but I'm having them professionally refinished. I don't know the weight on them (hard to find specs on wheels from the 1990s), but these are the precursors to the ultra-light CE28Ns, and I believe are also forged, so I reckon they ought to be pretty light, although not as much as Volk's current offerings. I'm hoping in the 10-12# range, but really anything better than stock will be a win.

Oh, and I'm leaning towards Yokohama tires in staggered sizes, but rather than the ones you mentioned I'm thinking about the ADVAN A052s.

[Bimmer-Bob]

So I did a bit of detective work on the car. It turns out you can access the car's service history by VIN on the Toyota Owner's website. It's not super detailed, but it's better than nothing (which is what I have otherwise). Anyway, it looks like the car was originally leased (per CARFAX) in Arizona and then turned in 4 years later, at which point it was somehow put up for sale by a Toyota dealership in Michigan (maybe picked up at auction?). Anyway, it was then bought and registered in Indiana, and then three years later sold at a Nissan dealership in Indianapolis to the guy I bought the car from, who took it back to Minnesota. When he registered the vehicle about nine years ago, it had 37,130 miles on the odometer, which means he's only put 3,588 miles on it since then (or about 400 miles/year)! I guess that's not too crazy, considering this was a fair-weather weekend car and not a daily driver, and there are probably many months out of the year when the car was garage-bound due to weather. The guy is also big into Ducatis and owned several, so the car was directly competing with motorcycles for the owner's attention on nice days.

Anyway, looking through the patchy service history, I can see that the second owner, the one in Indiana, brought the car into the dealer in 2009 with the complaint that the "transmission is shifting hard" but the "tech could not duplicate at this time." Now, I don't know how a manual transmission could be "shifting hard" since, after all, it isn't shifting itself. Given this tidbit of information, plus the half-worn clutch discovered by MWR, I think it's safe to say that this person perhaps was not an expert shifter. Anyway, the subsequent owner apparently didn't seem to notice, nor did the mechanic I hired to do the pre-purchase inspection, so hopefully the only ill effect of that individual's incompetence was premature clutch wear.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Wheels are done!

[Bernie]

Great colour choice will look great on the car

[Bimmer-Bob]

The wheels came in today, much more quickly than expected. I didn't want to unpack them all because I'm moving so soon, but I took one out and weighed it at 14.1#, which is a little more than I had hoped, although still lighter (and wider) than stock.

I did a little more digging, and there were actually several different versions of these wheels. Although I've been unable to find anything official, forum lore suggests that the 1-piece versions were cast and a little heavier than the two-piece versions, which were forged. The 15x7" cast wheels were estimated to weigh 13-15#, so I'm right there. Also, there are no weld marks where the barrel joins the face, so they're definitely one-piece.

[Bimmer-Bob]

So I haven't updated this thread in a while, because I've been busy moving from WA to CA. Well, I'm here in San Diego now, and finally took delivery of my car early this week!

Some initial impressions: This car is fun! I know it's cliché, but I have never driven a car that felt so much like a go-kart before. The small size, low ride height and curb weight, and of course the handling all contribute to that feel.

The car is, of course, not blisteringly fast, but it's quick enough for what it is. It's a pretty lively little motor, at least with the lightweight flywheel and stage 1 cams. The engine is pretty coarse, though. Sometimes it sounds like a lawn mower back there. I think that is a common malady of inline-fours, which will never compare to the buttery smooth and balanced character of an inline-six, which is what I'm most used to. I'm hoping the right aftermarket exhaust can at least sweeten the sound a bit.

Another thing is that the car gets a bit squirrelly at speed. Most noticeably, the front end starts to feel real light and imprecise. I'm not really comfortable going faster than 80 mph in this car, which is probably as fast as I ever need to be going anyway, but still, it would be nice to feel a bit more planted.

The car was on stock wheels with what I assume where the original Bridgestone Potenza RE040s, about 17 years old at this point! I pout on the Volk wheels with new Yokohama ADVAN A052s (205/50R15 front, 225/50R15 rear) and that was a big improvement, obviously. Less road noise and more confidence-inspiring grip. The beefier tires and wider track give the car a more purposeful stance, in my opinion.

Anyway, that's about it for now. Here's a pic of the new wheels!:

[s12vea]

Green, gold and tan for the win!

[shnazzle]

So very nice. 
Glad you like your '2 experience so far

[Ardent]

The light front feeling is not un common, but easily sorted with a proper geometry alignment.
I say proper in the sense of, the tech/mech "knows" what they are doing, not just its be on the latest gadgetry and its in spec.
The difference can be night and day.

[jvanzyl]

Have a look at your bushings. Post 10 years old/ 100k Miles they'll be past their best. This plus proper geo setup will make it feel great again.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Been really busy with a new job, but I did get some deferred maintenance done. Last oil change on record was June 2019 (at a quick lube place) so I decided to do a proper oil change. I ran some LIQUI MOLY Pro-Line engine flush and filled the sump with some Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W-30, and replaced the no-name filter (which was screwed on WAY too tight!) with an OEM one. I also replaced the drain plug with a Stahlbus drain valve to make things a little quicker and less messy next time. Unfortunately, in my haste I stripped the oil pan threads, and ended up having to replace the entire pan! Oh well, lesson learned, slow down. It was a bit of a pain to get the stock pan off, but everything went back together beautifully with some Toyota FIPG (no leaks yet, knock on wood).

I also changed the air filter and wiper blades (PIAA Aero Vogue silicone, never tried them before but are supposed to last twice as long as traditional rubber - we'll see, I guess). I did notice a leak from the transaxle, but it looked like it was coming from the drain plug. Turns out it wasn't quite torques to spec. I've had a nasty grind getting into reverse occasionally, so I decided rather than replace the lost Valvoline Synchromesh MTF to just do a complete drain and fill with Redline MT-90 (my preferred brand of gear oil in other applications). So far , so good - still a little crunch into reverse when cold if I'm not careful, but it sounds like that is kind of par for the course with these things. Double clutching doesn't really seem to help, it's just sort of tray and try again without forcing it and it goes in fine the 2nd or 3rd try. Not a huge deal.

I washed and detailed the car, including the engine compartment and the frunk (plastics and underneath) - those areas had been kind of ignored, but cleaned up nicely. I hit just about every piece of black plastic I could find with some Chemical Guys VRP, which I highly recommend. It seriously makes tired plastic look brand new, without any kind of greasy residue like a typical dressing.

I also replaced the seat adjustment knob on the driver's seat, which was broken. The interior is otherwise in pretty nice shape, except that the leather panels on the door cards are sort of coming loose on a couple edges - need to look into how to fix that. I also ordered some replacement stickers for the fuel door and rear deck lid release.

Nothing too exciting, except a heaping dose of TLC for an older car (which to me is exciting, lol).

Anyway, I'm thoroughly enjoying this little car. It's impractical as hell, but it's a blast to commute in. It really feels like nothing else. It's almost hard to believe this thing was sold new even 20 years ago - in terms of road isolation, it reminds me of a much older car - my old '72 Super Beetle comes to mind. Of course this thing handles much better, but seriously, I feel like one step up from a motorcycle driving this thing on the highway, lol.

It's also a joy to work on. It's quite simple and straightforward, everything is rather accessible - at least by modern car standards. I mean, the oil pan was a bit of a pain because it was practically fused to the block, but access wasn't a problem. O2 sensors? You can literally reach in and grab them. Nothing obstructing the valve cover, other than the rear strut brace, etc. These are things that cause cursing and gnashing of teeth on my BMW, because of all the work you have to do before you even get to the work you're actually trying to do. I'm sure it's a similar story with other makes. The modern engine bay and undercarriage is just so tightly jam packed. The MR2 Spyder is refreshingly uncluttered in that regard.

[shnazzle]

Great progress! 
The "slow down" lesson is definitely one I had to learn as well. Especially as a lot of the threads are stuck and rusted or in aluminium, or the bolts/screws themselves made of 24 karat gold so you destroy them the second you introduce a screwdriver to them,and then they're a special so they cost a fortune to replace. 

Made me feel like I've really neglected my car the last few years... Which I have

[paulj]

Hey, you've done lots!  Not much left on the list of maintenance consumables, the only one i could think of is the auxiliary belt.  Assuming its the original a simple swap using the how to guide.  Choose a Gates replacement (i didnt and had a squeaker) and remember two sizes for a/c or not.