We are here to help and love new owners getting hands on.

Thanks to everyone's comments on the forum , I am learning a lots of new things. I am glad if I have done something useful for the community.

Further research confirms alexcap is right, the 6 speed fill plug is NOT the same as the 5 speed.  You can learn stuff everyday.  Thanks for finding this!

Hi All,

A recent review just came up on my news feed. Nothing new in the article but nice to see it's still getting coverage.

https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-reviews/toyota/mr2-roadster-w30-/

I do like a bit of due diligence.

For a new member to be adding useful info for future reference. Well played.

Quote from: Beachbum957 on January 11, 2026, 13:09check the level at both plugs and see if they are different, and by how much.

I took my time to do everything properly and measure carefully.
I drained 2.05 litres of oil, letting it drain for a long time.
I started filling from the bolt hole with the 17mm spanner, leaving the 10mm Allen key hole open. After adding about 1.6 litres, oil started to come out of the 10mm Allen key hole, so I closed the cap. I added another 0.45 litres and it started to drip from the 17mm bolt filling hole.
 
Total oil added: 2.05 litres.

The difference in quantity between the two holes was 0.45 litres.

If the gearbox container is more or less the same between 5-speed and 6-speed, in the 6-speed there are extra gears that take up space, so a higher oil level is needed just to have the same amount of oil as in the 5-speed gearbox.
The 6-speed gearbox probably works fine even with 0.45 litres less oil, but it is definitely better to use the prescribed amount of oil.

Sorry to hear about the silver 2, what a shame after all your hard work but the important thing, you walked away unharmed. Wish you all the best for your blue 2.

@J.P.
As "someone" else might say - a like / not like post.
10/10 for perseverance, as I might say , the best tool in the box.

Quote from: alexcap on January 10, 2026, 15:11You're wrong, unless you know more than Mr. "T," and in that case, I raise my hands and apologize.

It appears you are correct as I found the same fill plug information for the Celica C60 transmission as shown by the right plug in your picture (not the 5 speed plug). 

However, it also seems people have been using the same plug as used on the 5 speed for many years with no issues. We have been running over 10 years with our 6 speed filled to the plug used with the 5 speed. Other people fill from the speedo plug and somewhat guess on the quantity, also will no apparent ill effects.  Our car is in winter storage, so a spring check will be to check the level at both plugs and see if they are different, and by how much.

I though I would make a more detailed thread on the work I'm doing this time round, having completely rebuild my last car, I realize looking back more documentation would be helpful so this time round I will use this thread

Late in 2020 I picked up this, my first MR2



This nice 2000 MR2 Roadster with 105k miles and some nice facelift bits sprinkled in. The car drove well for a period but began to burn oil, not a huge amount less than a litre in 2000 miles at the beginning, I tried various cleaners etc and the car drove on without getting any worse or any better for a couple of years until I parked it up at the end of 2022.

Life happened as it does and the car went untouched until late 2024, I rolled the car out began inspecting and found the subframe had corroded right through. The bushings where looking worse for wear and the car needed a refresh.

I completely rebuilt the car

New oem subframe
Tein Flex Z coilovers
Superpro polybushings,
Whiteline anti roll bars
TRD replica front strut brace with a corky mid brace already installed by a previous owner
Prius front calipers
new/refurbed rear calipers
new oem handbrake cables
refurbed hubs, new bearings, brake dust shields etc
Falken Tyres

I also gave the car a full bilt hamber/fertran treatment. Sills, chassis legs, new subfame, control arms basically everything got treated in some form or another. I completely went over this car tidying bits up.

The paint had scratches and the headlights where faded but mechanically it was happy-ish and drove well.


Until it didn't, I booked the car for its test, the evening beforehand I drove to a nearby hill to test and adjust the handbrake, whilst sitting at idle and adjusting the handbrake the engine suddenly stopped. No spluttering, no hesitation just dead. Car wouldn't crank. Towed the car 50 metres to my house and began to investigate the next morning to find the timing chain had snapped...


I still don't know why this happened, I had changed the valve cover gasket previously and the chain looked great?

I began to weigh up options and took a test drive of 2 2zz swapped cars, and personally I didn't like them as road cars so I decided to purchase a rebuilt 1zz unit from Mag Engines. Whom I would definitely recommend.

There where delays and I had to pay for the gearbox to be completely rebuilt due to being sold a shoddy unit but eventually had the car back running with a rebuilt engine, lightweight flywheel and 2zz gearbox with longer 6th and lsd.

The car then began to misfire pretty badly a failed injector was the main culprit, however a smaller intermittent misfire was present, this turned out to be a very minor leak/warp on the standard manifold flange. I picked up a good used stainless unit and fitted it, curing the issue completely.

I enjoyed the car quite a bit over 2025 racking up over 5k miles with the new setup, I just wish I took more photographs 

Unfortunately in November, whilst navigating a roundabout at no more than 30-40kmh an hour I lost the back and proceeded to smack a tree.


I walked away with not even a sore neck, the car unfortunately, was gone. I was obviously devastated, I've lost count of how many hours I put into this car, how many times I came close to just putting down the spanner and breaking it or selling it put I persisted, slowly but surely it was becoming a really great well sorted machine.


I made inquiries as to getting this repaired, but for the price of 2 maybe even 3 decent replacements it just didnt make sense, I did consider cutting the front out and having a tubular frame built but it would have been strictly track car and I just dont have the space, so I made the only logical decision available to me, I stripped the car


and bought another 



2002 134000miles body and chassis are really excellent condition for the age. no rotten rear quarters and only some really minor surface rust in the usual places. Subframe all good etc

However engine is kaput


It went through over a litre of oil in the 20km round trip to bring it for registration 

With registration out of the way the plan is simple, get the dead engine out and the rebuilt 1zz+c60 combo back in and then just enjoy it. Hopefully the lessons learned from my first engine swap will make this second much simpler!

The car will get the same bilt hamber/fertran/painting the last one got but I will waiting for warmer months to tackle that job. I will leave the standard suspension for now and see how it gets on, maybe a nice set of wheels but not a priority. It's only been just over 2 months but I miss driving these cars allot already, hopefully I can get this back happy sooner rather than later.