Still waiting for my first MR2

[RePete]

Yes, wheel balancing is crucial on these cars. I'd heed Russ' suggestion of checking out the suspension components, bushings etc. which tend to also vibrate the car if worn.

Also, most if not all, overlook the tires. If they're cheapies, chances are they are contributing a lot to the wobble if they have improperly placed steel cords in their carcass, invisible bulges, tire scrub which may indicate internal damage, etc.. Solutions are a more expensive Road Force balance (where the wheel is balanced with simulated weight/driving conditions) or new tires. Don't forget tires are essentially big rubber, inaccurate balloons.

Jordan & Sarah (_mr2_, PearlwhiteMR2) do auto repairs, they are located in Langley.

[spookynick]

Oh jeez, idk if he's still around, but Cam used to do work on MR2s a lot. Before I joined, I've just read a few threads. I think Joe (Oteck) also does it, but I'm not sure. All the other members know, I'm still new myself

But an alignment can be done at any place, I think they're like 60 bucks? I need one too soon, I put a new steering wheel on and it's on a bit crooked As for the turbo system, just make sure there isn't any shaft play (I'm not sure what that means, I've seen other people hock that term around ). Otherwise, it's hard for a stock turbo system to blow up, especially with the dinky CT-26.

As for your car, congrats, nice to see that there weren't many owners. I lucked out that way too, I think I'm the 3rd or 4th owner only, and my car came with the T-top shades, stock radio, stock wheels and even the stock bra. The only thing that wasn't OEM on the car was the shift knob haha.

How much did the car cost you? Looks like a 91 too. And it's LHD, so insurance companies won't be a pain in the butt.

Well i need to get new rear tires, so when i get them i will get the fronts balanced too and see if that gets rid of the shake.
I think shaft play is if the shaft the 2 fans are on wiggles back and forth. I think it's supposed to have .13mm of play, which to me sounds closer to 0 play lol.

Nice, so what kind of mods do you have on yours now?

The car cost under 6k with taxes, insurance is cheap, round $100 to and from work under 15km, cheaper than my 94 gti

[spookynick]

The vibration could be caused a wheel is out of balance or bent rim. Those are usually the suspects with a high speed vibration that can be felt through the steering wheel. Take it to a wheel shop and get the wheels re-balanced and let them know about the vibration at high speed. When they put each wheel on the balancer, they will let you know what the problem is.
As for the turbo system, is it at stock boost?
Is it blowing smoke or leaking oil?
Is it not boosting?

I believe its at stock boost, there aren't any mods on it or anything, and i don't see extra hoses in the engine compartment.
I didn't see any oil anywhere on the engine except a little bit of build up around the valve cover, none around the turbo.
It is boosting, it seems hard to get it to boost in 1st... It boosts just fine in every other gear i think (never driven a turbo before), i think maybe the stock gauge is a little slow...
I also hear a little "whoomph" sound once in awhile just before the boost kicks in, what is that sound and is it normal? (i don't see a bov so I'm confident its not that)

[spookynick]

Yes, wheel balancing is crucial on these cars. I'd heed Russ' suggestion of checking out the suspension components, bushings etc. which tend to also vibrate the car if worn.

Also, most if not all, overlook the tires. If they're cheapies, chances are they are contributing a lot to the wobble if they have improperly placed steel cords in their carcass, invisible bulges, tire scrub which may indicate internal damage, etc.. Solutions are a more expensive Road Force balance (where the wheel is balanced with simulated weight/driving conditions) or new tires. Don't forget tires are essentially big rubber, inaccurate balloons.

Jordan & Sarah (_mr2_, PearlwhiteMR2) do auto repairs, they are located in Langley.

Yeah, it feels like balance to me, and i sure hope that's it.

I'm going to give Sarah and Jordan a call when i get some free time and see if they can look my new baby over.
Super awesome that the mr2 community is so tight on here, these forums are so helpful I'm amazed.

[kakucaekz]

The whoomph sound may be the turbo spooling, not so sure. And BOVs make that amazing sound when you let off the gas, so it's definitely not that, like you said. I'm sure your car is fine mechanically, just take it to Sarah out in Langley to double check.

And you're lucky with your insurance, $100?! I pay $240 a month for mine; it's ridiculous! I guess you're not a young male on an N, are you? =\

[spookynick]

The whoomph sound may be the turbo spooling, not so sure. And BOVs make that amazing sound when you let off the gas, so it's definitely not that, like you said. I'm sure your car is fine mechanically, just take it to Sarah out in Langley to double check.

And you're lucky with your insurance, $100?! I pay $240 a month for mine; it's ridiculous! I guess you're not a young male on an N, are you? =\

No, thankfully I never had to deal with the N. I've got 15 years safe driving so i get a good discount

[MRII]

Sounds like the turbo system is running normal. If it is still at stock boost then you should be fine. Best thing to do is get a accurate boost gauge installed.
What else you can do is look over all the vacuum hoses and see if they are getting hard or have cracks after 20 years they can fail. I bought a roll of of vacuum hose, cut to length and replaced the old hoses.
In first gear, IIRC, the TVIS kicks in.
I have had my MR2 worked on by Jordan and Sarah and they do great work. I will be having them do some more work when I am finished gathering more parts for the upgrades.

[macatak]

+1 on the vacuum hoses, worth the time and money to just replace them all.

The job is fairly easy to do yourself,bit time consuming but gives you a chance to look at just about every part of the engine.
do one piece at a time and take before and after pics as you go.
(small digital camera that works on AAA batteries is a great addition to your tool box and saves getting crap all over you cell phone)

Just take off one of the short pieces of tubing and take it into somewhere like NAPA ,
they will make sure you get the proper type and ID tubing,
just buy a couple of meters, if you need more you can pick it up later

I'm not positive but I think the ECU limits boost in 1st gear and also until the engine reaches a certain temp
The stock gauge is notoriously slow to respond and about as useful as an idiot light,
a good aftermarket gauge is a worthwhile investment

[spookynick]

Getting an accurate boost gauge is the first thing i want to do. I want to get the Omori gauge, but the only place i can find it is on twos r us, is where anywhere in the lower mainland that sells em?

I've looked at all the hoses they look to be in really good shape, course it cant hurt to replace such a cheap part for piece of mind.

[Goopi]

Getting an accurate boost gauge is the first thing i want to do. I want to get the Omori gauge, but the only place i can find it is on twos r us, is where anywhere in the lower mainland that sells em?

I've looked at all the hoses they look to be in really good shape, course it cant hurt to replace such a cheap part for piece of mind.

Even if you find another place where its at a lower price, Two's R Us will price match it, unless you're looking for another place because you don't want to pay shipping fees.

[RePete]

...Even if you find another place where its at a lower price, Two's R Us will price match it...

Probably for the small stuff only. I tried to price match him for his LSD w/ an online dealer, he wouldn't budge.

[spookynick]

Getting an accurate boost gauge is the first thing i want to do. I want to get the Omori gauge, but the only place i can find it is on twos r us, is where anywhere in the lower mainland that sells em?

I've looked at all the hoses they look to be in really good shape, course it cant hurt to replace such a cheap part for piece of mind.

Even if you find another place where its at a lower price, Two's R Us will price match it, unless you're looking for another place because you don't want to pay shipping fees.

Nah, i just bought it from twos r us, shipping isn't too much, i just saw they were closed until the 24th and wanna throw a gauge in there asap.

[MRII]

What I can also recommend, if not do already, is replacing all the fluids and tune up parts including fuel and air filters'. Then you know everything is up to par.
As Sarah mentioned earlier in the thread, if you notice notchy shifting, redline light weight shockproof fluid worked great for me. I have a 93T w/lsd and I ended up replacing the shifter bushing with the brass ones thinking that would fix it, it did not. Then I tried 4 different types of transmission/gear oil fluids, (royal purple, gm synchromesh, castrol, witches brew) until I went with redline fluid.
After this is all done, you can decide to start modding it if you like.
These cars are very fun to drive and are rare on the streets. I always have a smile when cruising around.

[spookynick]

What I can also recommend, if not do already, is replacing all the fluids and tune up parts including fuel and air filters'. Then you know everything is up to par.
As Sarah mentioned earlier in the thread, if you notice notchy shifting, redline light weight shockproof fluid worked great for me. I have a 93T w/lsd and I ended up replacing the shifter bushing with the brass ones thinking that would fix it, it did not. Then I tried 4 different types of transmission/gear oil fluids, (royal purple, gm synchromesh, castrol, witches brew) until I went with redline fluid.
After this is all done, you can decide to start modding it if you like.
These cars are very fun to drive and are rare on the streets. I always have a smile when cruising around.

Yeah actually i do seem to get a little bit of rough shifting sometimes, it feels like its right in the shifter itself, mainly when going into 3rd.
I plan on changing all of the fluids and filters before i go ahead and do any modding. Well, I'm going to throw in the Omori gauge, but wont add the fuel cut defender and MBC until I'm sure that everything is in tip top shape. I'm pretty keen on keeping the car as stock as i can, might wrap the seats as they are quite worn.
Same here, i really love this car, i regret waiting so long to buy one. I'm also still surprised at how cheap they are for such a solid car.