Help needed!!!

[Halls]

So a bit of a long story this.
I bought a second MR2 at the weekend to save it from being sold to someone who was going to part it out. Its a 2001 with 153k miles.

When i bought the car the oil light flickered on now and again when going up and down hills. I had the brother in law drive it home for the hours drive to get it back. Upon arriving home i asked how the car felt to him. All good came his reply apart from the ojl light is on all the time and now the engine management light, arrrrrr!
Put new oil in it (3 ltrs) to "top" it back up. While doing this i spilled quite a bit of oil when the funnel slipped out. Later that day after giving it a good wash i took the other half for a drive in it when i noticed a problem. I put the foot down and the engine doesn't deliver power and feels like something is holding it back. When stood the engine revs free, so i was thinking clutch, especially with spilling some as i noticed what looks like the fly wheels is visible through the bell housing under where the oil spilled from.
When driving and the problem happens the engine hesitates i get a decent puff of white smoke too.
Sorry for the war & peace but any suggestions are appreciated

[Joesson]

Hello and welcome, you've contacted the 4th Emergency service.25 minutes response time, AA eat your heart out !
Usually we have a little introduction before the problems start but commendable that you've rescued a Roadster from the Breaker.
I'm guessing you bought a second hand car with 153 thousand on the clock.
When the oil light was flickering up and down hills that was indicating low oil pressure as there was very little oil in the sump( you needed 3 litres to top up) and the pump pick up was above the oil on the inclines.
These engines can block the catalyser when in an advanced state of wear. A blocked catalyser would feel like something is holding it back
To determine a way to check your situation we need to know whether the exhaust has been modified.
When you look at the engine can you see the manifold tubing coming from the cylinder head or is there a silver cover plate over them?

[1979scotte]

Shoot the brother in law he's a numpty

[SV-3]

Shoot the brother in law he's a numpty

Perhaps a quiet word?

[Gaz mr-s]

It sounds like you didn't check the oil level before you bought it.  The chances are it's an oil-burner & the previous owner has neglected it.  If you got 3 litres in it, it only had 0.8 running it. Just in case you don't know, the oil light works on pressure, not oil level, so if the sensor is working properly any flicker means the oil is really low.
Far more knowledgeable folk than I will advise whether it's likely to be kaput....?
 

[shnazzle]

Are you able to read the error code?
Oil levels OK now?

As said above. If it has been run dry with too little oil, it's a bit of a death blow to the engine

[Carolyn]

If you put 3 litres in it, and it only holds 3.7 litres, It's basically been driven with no oil.

That won't be a happy engine.

How's the roof?  Sounds silly, but I'm gauging whether it's a scrapper or a saver...

[1979scotte]

Shoot the brother in law he's a numpty

Perhaps a quiet word?

If a red oil light doesn't make him stop what makes you think a quiet word will?
Anything short of an elephant gun and I reckon this guy wouldn't even notice.

[Halls]

Thanks for the welcome by the way lol. Just keen to get it back to health.

The exhaust looks stock and yes the heat shield is present. Doesn't look like its ever been off. 

I should have checked the oil at the time but it was parked on a very steep driveway, and with the oil light not showing when we drove away i completely forgot about it. Stupid i know.

I had the battery disconnected over the weekend while doing some other bits to it and the engine management light has gone off now the ecu has presumably reset.

No oil light since putting some oil  in. The engine sounds good and ticks over and revs nice etc.

Roof is in decent condition just a couple of little tears i plan to patch over

[SV-3]

Shoot the brother in law he's a numpty

Perhaps a quiet word?

If a red oil light doesn't make him stop what makes you think a quiet word will?
Anything short of an elephant gun and I reckon this guy wouldn't even notice.

Ah, the usual 'overkill'

[shnazzle]

Thanks for the welcome by the way lol. Just keen to get it back to health.

The exhaust looks stock and yes the heat shield is present. Doesn't look like its ever been off. 

I should have checked the oil at the time but it was parked on a very steep driveway, and with the oil light not showing when we drove away i completely forgot about it. Stupid i know.

I had the battery disconnected over the weekend while doing some other bits to it and the engine management light has gone off now the ecu has presumably reset.

No oil light since putting some oil  in. The engine sounds good and ticks over and revs nice etc.

Roof is in decent condition just a couple of little tears i plan to patch over

We'll that sounds a lot more promising than before.


The code will likely come back but time for a decent service and then monitor for codes/oil usage

[Topdownman]

Any idea when it was last driven or serviced?

I would just take it easy and get to know the car. If you havent got a code reader, nows the time to order one.

Do make sure you have breakdown and recovery cover, "just in case!".

[Halls]

Any idea when it was last driven or serviced?

I would just take it easy and get to know the car. If you havent got a code reader, nows the time to order one.

Do make sure you have breakdown and recovery cover, "just in case!".

Im not sure when it was last serviced, the last owners gave me a folder with a stck of old MOT's and invoices so i'll have a look in there. The car has done about 600 miles since the last MOT.

Been meaning to get a code reader, so ill get one ordered. Oh yes i have breakdown cover too.

[Halls]

Ill monitor for engine light & oil coming back on,but in the mean time i need to find out why it feels like its not pulling / clutch slipping.

If it was the oil is there something i can spray on the clutch / flywheel to clean it? Or is it a case of the clutch will be knackered?

[Carolyn]

Ill monitor for engine light & oil coming back on,but in the mean time i need to find out why it feels like its not pulling / clutch slipping.

If it was the oil is there something i can spray on the clutch / flywheel to clean it? Or is it a case of the clutch will be knackered?

Don't be waiting for the oil light! That means the system has lost pressure  Use the dipstick regularly for awhile, while you find out how bad the oil consumption is.

[Halls]

Ill monitor for engine light & oil coming back on,but in the mean time i need to find out why it feels like its not pulling / clutch slipping.

If it was the oil is there something i can spray on the clutch / flywheel to clean it? Or is it a case of the clutch will be knackered?

Don't be waiting for the oil light! That means the system has lost pressure  Use the dipstick regularly for awhile, while you find out how bad the oil consumption is.

I meant more to keep an eye on the lights. I keep checking the dipstick but im hesitant to drive it with the other problem.

[Joesson]

A slipping clutch should feel like a slipping clutch, a very long time since I had one on a not very old Imp. I would put handbrake on and try to pull away, if the engine races the clutch is slipping. If the engine stalls it's not.
Or Courtesy of the www.:
Squeaking or unusual grumbling noise when pressure is applied.
Difficulty changing gears.
The clutch pedal sticking, vibrating or appearing to feel spongey or loose.
Poor acceleration but still having the ability to rev your engine.

Not pulling, I would go back to my first post. Cat blocked.
To check that you remove the Oxygen sensors in the manifold to check the condition of the pre cats. That is best/ easiest done with a special, split, socket to avoid the cable. Other spanner's and methods are available.
If what you se on inspection looks like intact honeycomb all is well. If it looks like broken honeycomb that is what has passed through and blocked the main cat.
If completely clear, no trace of honeycomb they've been cleaned out previously.

PS I would discount oil on the clutch, I doubt that oil would have got into it when you had a spillage and no you can't clean it. If it is oiled and/ or slipping it would need to be replaced.

[paulj]

Just a thought on the clutch.  I dont drive my MR2 much in the winter and every spring i think the clutch is on the way out. A bit of juddering when pulling away.  A few weeks into regular driving i realise it was just me getting used to the different bite point and torque of the 2 compared to my normal drive.

Havent needed a clutch yet.  Try the @Joesson suggestions of handbrake and pull away.  Although with the 2's history of poor handbrake issues you might need feet on all three foot pedals!

[Joesson]

Just a thought on the clutch.  I dont drive my MR2 much in the winter and every spring i think the clutch is on the way out. A bit of juddering when pulling away.  A few weeks into regular driving i realise it was just me getting used to the different bite point and torque of the 2 compared to my normal drive.

Havent needed a clutch yet.  Try the @Joesson suggestions of handbrake and pull away.  Although with the 2's history of poor handbrake issues you might need feet on all three foot pedals!

Maybe just ( the right ) two would work better.

[Halls]

I'll check out the pre cats tomorrow and see what they look like.

[Halls]

Update to the problems im having above.

I got myself a OBD2 scanner and did a check. One fault PO155 o2 BANK 2 SENSOR 1.

Also the pre cats are still present, so they'll be coming out next. 
I swapped the offending 02 sensor with one from my other car. Took the car out and its 90% better than before. Still some hesitancy when giving it full gas but know where near as bad as it was. Getting a fair amount of smoke though still. 

[Halls]

Update.
I scanned the car previously and found the o2 sensor fault above. While waiting for a replacement i took off the manifold to remove the pre cats. I finally got around to putting the car back together along with the new sensor. Took the car for a drive over the weekend and i thought the problem had gone with the loss of power, but as the car got hotter the problem got worse. The car drives fine in normal traffic conditions but when you put the foot down to have some fun i get a stuttering and lag from the engine like something is holding it back.

After arriving back home i noticed how hot the engine was! Temp gauge was reading mid way, and coolant present but a lot of heat from the engine.
Anyone have any recommendations of what to check for? Could the two issues be related?

I bought the car as a bit of a do upper but its getting to the point now that my patience is wearing thin with it.
As always any help is greatly appreciated guys & girls

[Topdownman]

I am no expert but these cars do seem to be hot after a run so it may not necesscarily be a problem, just different to a front engine. Does the heater work as it should with lots of very hot air avaialble? The cars are hard to bleed so could possibly be an airlock if the heater isnt working. Its normal for the coolant to be full when hot and lower when cold though. If you have the Torque pro app and a bluetooth obd reader then you  then you can get reports of info such as air intake temperatures to see if this is getting very high.

Have you checked the condition of the spark plugs and air filter? Best to make sure the basics are good before getting too complicated.

Have you cleaned the MAF? Easy to do and cheap but can cause problems if dirty.

Other things to think about could be throttle position sensor or a clogged fuel filter (this is in the top of the fuel tank, accessible by removing the rear storage bins).

[Halls]

Just taken the car for a spin, but all is worse than i thought. Getting lots of smoke from the exhaust. Think between the knackered pre cats and the oil situation have taken their toll. Time for the scrap yard im thinking

[Chilli Girl]

That'll be sad, one less on the road