A couple of questions...

Deacon · October 23, 2005, 16:53

Hello,

I've had my '2 for about 2 months now from new and due to this site have already made a few mods / accessory purchases s:D

s:D (JDM front emblem, hardtop stand, mats, TRD shift knob).

Anyway there's a couple of things I was looking for advice on as I've done some searching but am still not sure.

1. On a few occasions I've had some difficulty starting my car although when I've tried it once and it wouldn't start its always started on the second go. Has anyone else had this and anyone know why and if there's anything I can do? I've read a few old posts where people suggested turning the ignition to position 2 for a few seconds before starting up and I've been doing this but still had the problem a few times.

2. This is the one that's most annoying me. The handling of my '2 seems a little 'unsettled' like the front wheels want to follow EVERY imperfection on the road and shoot off wherever they fancy rather than where I want the car to go - this seems to be most noticeable when going straight. Not sure whether its related to this but when turning and going up / over a bump / hill there's a clunking noise that sounds like it's from the drivers side front suspension.

Any help / advice / suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Deacon

darrenjuggins · October 23, 2005, 18:44

Hi Decon,

In answer to your questions:

1. The Starting Issue - I've owned my for 5 years now and on the very odd occasion, I've had the engine take rather more than expected turns to get started, but it's never been a common problem. Obvious things to look at are the fequency you are using the car, how long are the trips and how old is the battery. Other than that, if she start's mostly, then I wouldn't worry to much.

2. Sounds very much like your tires on the front are coming to the end of thier useful life. The 2 runs mostly on the inner edges (camber), so when you turn your wheel to full lock, you will probably find that the outer tread is in good condition, whilst the inner tread will be, low or no existant.

Easily solved, just buy some more front tires.

It's not a fault with the car that only the inner edges wear, it's a design feature, to give you more grip when cornering (i.e. with side ways load, more tire is in contact with the road, whilst going stright, you only need a very small contact, AKA inner edge).

Now you may want to do a search, regarding tire choices, mixing makes, etc.... but hopefully the above posts help your inital enquiry.

Cheers

Darren J

kanujunkie · October 23, 2005, 18:50

Hi Deacon,

as for the ignition, try your idea but if not get it to Mr.T and see if there are any codes that come up in the ECU. Personally i've never had any issues with starting and have not come across many either. One thing you can try is to disconnect the negative of the battery for about 15mins, this will reset the ECU.

As for the second handling problem, well thats easy to fix but at a cost s:roll: :roll: s:roll:

new tyres and a front strut bar

kanujunkie · October 23, 2005, 18:52

Quote from: "darrenjuggins"2. Sounds very much like your tires on the front are coming to the end of thier useful life.

after 2 months!!!!! s:shock: :shock: s:shock: now that would be good going

darrenjuggins · October 23, 2005, 18:59

Woops - didn't read the 2 months was from New - Thanks s:oops: :oops: s:oops: Stu s:oops: :oops: s:oops:

Hmmm well if he drives like you - it could be right !! tee, hee !!

ok - well if they arn't warn then, I would suggest taking it in and ask for the tracking to be checked, although both times i've had it done, they adjusted it but it was well with in the parameters, they just "tweeked" it.

Decon - I don't know what you have owned in the past, but with the car having the engine being rear wheel drive, the feel through the steering wheel is far more direct than that of a front wheel drive car, therefore the sensation you are feeling could just be the "directness" of the car.

Although going back to your question, I only really experienced the tramlining effect with warn tires.

Stu - any suggestions ?

Cheers

Darren J

kanujunkie · October 23, 2005, 19:08

Quote from: "darrenjuggins"Hmmm well if he drives like you - it could be right !! tee, hee !!

OI!, well ok then probably right s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

other thing it could be is alignment of the front wheels, but with the age of the car i'd would have ruled that out straight away or tyre pressures. My guess is that your not used to the twitchiness of the 2, especially with the stock tyres and the lack of strut bars to help in the corners.

Deacon, what cars have you driven before??

Deacon · October 23, 2005, 19:53

Thanks for the ideas evryone!

With the starting issue I thought I'd see how it goes and if it ever wont start at least I have the RAC cover to fall back on and maybe just ask Mr T to check it out at the first service if it keeps happening.

As for the steering feel well I can say that my drivings not good / bad (??) enough to have got through the tyres in 2 months! s:D

s:D I've also religiously checked the tyre pressures so know those to be ok.

I did wonder whether it may just be the difference in the '2 being a MR when all the cars I've driven in the past have been FF.

Previous to the '2 I had a Daihatsu Copen which only had 4.5" wide tyres and so didn't get caught too much by flaws in the road surface, I've noticed in my girlfriends car which has about 6.5" wide wheels on that it seems to be affected more by the road flaws so maybe I just have to re-adjust after the Copen.

And just for completeness before that I had a Civic Sport, a MINI Cooper, a Civic Lsi, a Clio, a KA, 2x Metro's!

Cheers for the help everyone, any more thoughts are much appreciated.

Deacon

kanujunkie · October 23, 2005, 20:21

this is what you want s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

aaronjb · October 23, 2005, 20:33

My advice would be - check the tyre pressures with a good digital guage. Garages have been known to leave delivery-pressure in tyres which is often wayyy off.

If they're OK and right, then get a full four wheel laser alignment (and not at Toyota, unless you can see that they have proper alignment gear there - most don't) from a reputable shop.

Then see what it's like after that s:)

s:)

darrenjuggins · October 23, 2005, 22:16

Sorry Stu - Couldn't resist - you 122MPT (Mile Per Tank!) Lad !

the change from Front wheel Drive Deacon, could be your answer.

PLus on motorways the 2 is very good at getting in the Lorry Rut's in the Slow lane!

A suggestion for the starting issue, is when you actually come to turn the car off after running, maybe just give it 30 sec of idle to let everything settle down, after some spirited running, it always good to give it time to settle before turning it off. (only suggestions, nothing scientific!)

Cheers

Darren J

Anonymous · October 23, 2005, 22:18

Quote from: "darrenjuggins"other thing it could be is alignment of the front wheels, but with the age of the car i'd would have ruled that out straight away ..

From new my car always pulled, so it went back to MrT to have wheel alignment done, it was then perfect.

Deacon, When your steering wheel is perfectly straight does your car head left or right? If it does then I suspect your wheel alignment is out. This was what made me take mine back to MrT as it drove me crazy. HTH

darrenjuggins · October 23, 2005, 22:24

s8)

s8) Miss Quote, Miss Quote ! I didn't say that - it was Stu, honest guv ! s8)

s8)

Jap GT300 · October 24, 2005, 09:24

The MR2 does follow the road because of its light weight and MR setup. You'll notice it most when in the slow lane of the motorway and you get caught in the lorries tram lines.

The starting issue is most probably because the fuel pump isn't being primed. If you get some one to turn the key to 'ACC' while you have you head in the engine bay you should hear a 2 second buzz coming from the fuel tank area. If you don't hear it or it is intermitent then the pump isn't priming correctly and the car won't always start. I have had this on an MR2 before.

roger · October 24, 2005, 13:06

On the tramlining - stock RE040 (yours?) have very stiff side walls that produce this. Changing to Toyo, for example, have softer walls so the effect is less, but they get used quicker. I wouldn't suggest you change now, but you might want to consider this when they are renewed.

Nobody seems to have answered the "clunking suspension" problem. If its from only one side, it strikes me as beeing a suspension problem, so I would take it to MrT to sort under warranty, as soon as possible, before any bigger problems arise, like hedge-finding, or ruined tyres s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

Deacon · October 25, 2005, 17:32

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

I took the advice and booked the car in to Mr T to have a look. They couldn't get the car to not start but did say that the car took slightly longer than usual to start but was 'well within tolerances' and to bring it back again if I get any further problems.

For the steering issues they agreed with me that the wheel was not on straight and have adjusted that which now seems ok. They said for the wayward steering and the clunks that they have adjusted the toe/track control arms and that should have sorted out those problems. On the way back from the dealer it certainly felt better although noticeably 'friskier' at the front.

Finally, bit of a weird question but, does anyone have, or could anyone take, a picture looking under the front wheel arches towards the car as I'm sure that I can now see more than I could before and am wondering whether there may be a cover that was there before but isn't now or whether the fact that I'm a little under the whether is playing tricks on my memory.

Cheers for the help,

Deacon

Anonymous · October 25, 2005, 19:20

Quote from: "Deacon"Thanks for all the replies everyone.

For the steering issues they agreed with me that the wheel was not on straight and have adjusted that which now seems ok....

.... a picture looking under the front wheel arches towards the car as I'm sure that I can now see more than I could before and am wondering whether there may be a cover that was there before but isn't now or whether the fact that I'm a little under the whether is playing tricks on my memory.

Cheers for the help,

Deacon

Do you mean your steering wheel or a wheel on your car???

Under the front wheel arches are plastic covers, looking upwards all you can see are the shocks/springs etc...

Deacon · October 25, 2005, 20:49

Sorry, it was the steering wheel that wasn't on straight.

There's still some of the plastic covers but I'm sure there's something missing around the area where the 'bits' leave the body of the car at the bottom - you seem to be able to see more of the 'bits' that connect the suspension and wheel, etc to the car than you could before. (Sorry, I'm not technical enough to know the right terms s:oops: :oops: s:oops: )

Deacon

roger · October 25, 2005, 21:54

Quote from: "Deacon"There's still some of the plastic covers but I'm sure there's something missing around the area where the 'bits' leave the body of the car at the bottom - you seem to be able to see more of the 'bits' that connect the suspension and wheel, etc to the car than you could before. (Sorry, I'm not technical enough to know the right terms s:oops: :oops: s:oops: )

Deacon

From the side, or from the front?

Deacon · October 25, 2005, 22:23

From the side. With my car sat on the drive with the wheels turned you can see various parts coming out of the car and connecting to the shocks / hub etc and it's where these parts come out of the car that I'm sure you can now see more, as though maybe one of the plastic guards has been removed at Mr T and not replaced.

Deacon

roger · October 29, 2005, 13:51

At the bottom front corner you should be able to see the side of the front plastic undertray. If you can't go under the front of the car and see if you have one. If you haven't thats whats missing. If you have IMO you are OK.

The only other removeable covering type bits are the wheel arch protectors, but they don't appear in the place you are describing.

Deacon · October 31, 2005, 22:43

Thanks for the help everyone, think I was just being overly paranoid about the 'missing' covers s:oops: :oops: s:oops:

Anyway since the car went in to Mr T I've had one none starting issue again today so think I'm just going to keep my eye on this and use my RAC membership if I need it.

As for the handling issues I was having whatever they have done has def. lessened the clunk noise I get, its very rare now.

Up until yesterday the handling was also feeling fantastic but yesterday and today it felt like it had gone back to how it was before - feeling very wandery and a bit like it has its own ideas on which direction to travel. Almost feels like they tightened something up that had come loose and its now come loose again (a bad analogy I know).

Any thoughts would be welcomed. I think I'm going to give it a week or so and if it still seems the same maybe get it booked in again?

Deacon

roger · November 1, 2005, 09:57

Quote from: "Deacon"Up until yesterday the handling was also feeling fantastic but yesterday and today it felt like it had gone back to how it was before - feeling very wandery and a bit like it has its own ideas on which direction to travel. Almost feels like they tightened something up that had come loose and its now come loose again (a bad analogy I know).

It may just be the roads you were on. If you have the stiffer side wall tyres like RE040 they follow indentions in the road very closely s:roll: :roll: s:roll:

As you say, keep an eye on it for a bit and make sure you get the same "feeling" on all types of surface and weather.

Might be that you have slightly too much pressure in the front tyres. Maybe experiment by taking out a psi at a time. I found just 1psi made a lot of difference.

Anonymous · November 1, 2005, 10:58

Definitely sounds a bit tyre pressurey.....they move all over the place at this time of year, changes in air pressure/temperature etc.

I check mine weekly, and at the moment, one week they'll need a bit more pressure, the next they need a bit taking out. s:roll: :roll: s:roll: It's just that time of year....once the winter weather arrives properly they'll be a bit more constant until the spring.

It surprises me still how sensitive the 2 is to pressures, even a pound different between left and right at the front makes mine wander a bit...I hate it if the car doesn't feel "right" s:? :? s:?

StephenBennett · November 1, 2005, 11:38

Quote from: "Deacon"Up until yesterday the handling was also feeling fantastic but yesterday and today it felt like it had gone back to how it was before - feeling very wandery and a bit like it has its own ideas on which direction to travel. Almost feels like they tightened something up that had come loose and its now come loose again (a bad analogy I know).

Deacon

I get the same feeling. Sometimes the car feels very stable, sometimes exactly like you describe - even on the same road! Mine's 10K, 2 Years, stock tyres.

Regards

Stephen

Anonymous · November 1, 2005, 12:31

I also get that clunking noise. Especially when turning right - Is it a big job to adjust the steering wheel?

The car also likes to wander to the left. I had the alignment checked and everything was fine but when they do that the steering wheel is straight. When driving, the steering wheel likes to go off centre.

cheers,

Viggs