My MR2 Project (Turbo swap)

[PearlWhiteMR2]

Okay here are the most recent pictures...sorry it took so long I never seem to have time for things like uploading pics lately haha...

New oil plate gaskets all around (4 total):


New distributor cap and rotor, gasket and o-ring were not on the old ones...oddly enough...


Hose from Hell and Hose from Hell on Earth...I cannot understand how someone would do these without all of this stuff removed...no wonder they have the nicknames they do...



That's it for now..I am ordering a new O2 sensor and other than that...I think I have everything I need. I have all my new Denso plugs in, new oil filter and fuel filter waiting to go in, a few hoses left, some new gaskets, and that's about it other than the big stuff.

[PearlWhiteMR2]

Feeling a little bit GIDDY right now as I just read this on the tracking site......................

2009/07/27 21:16 VANCOUVER International item arrived in Canada and will be reviewed by Customs

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!

[bbarnumboy]

lol congrats....but it can take up to a week or more to get to you....i shipped something to vancouver using express next day delivery and was stuck in customs for over a week ...

this gives you plenty of time to get it running before the meet.

[PearlWhiteMR2]

Well I'm am still waiting on an O2 sensor as well so it's fine if they hold it for a little while..but I've also had several people tell me they will only hold it for a day or two. I guess it depends on what it is. Either way...can't finish the job without the sensor so I will have to wait and see!

[Variance]

How hard was it to remove the AC compressor there? Any tips in general?

I think I want to get it outta the way it would make life a whole lot easier!

[PearlWhiteMR2]

I had help with the A/C compressor it wasn't very easy. It is much easier with it out of the way though. The four long bolts I had to remove were already coming loose for some reason so it wasn't hard to get them out just awkward because of the positioning of them. Then had to struggle to get the darn thing out of there. Nothing about doing a turbo swap is easy at all but so far it's gone smoothly for me, it's just been a matter of positioning yourself and your helpful friends awkwardly and wearing gloves so you don't cut up your hands lol. It's a small space to work with and depending on how old your car is, you are going to have trouble with bolts more than likely. Mine all came off fairly easily but I sprayed Liquid Wrench on just about everything lol.

[PearlWhiteMR2]

The turbo and O2 sensor arrived today! I have the O2 sensor but I can't pick the turbo up until tomorrow morning, which is fine. I was a little disappointed I wouldn't get to nab it today but what can you do!

So, the work will begin on putting the puzzle back together tomorrow evening, and now Jordan's back and is going to help as well as Konrad so wish us all luck!

[bbarnumboy]

good luck....and glad to hear customs only too 2 days.

[PearlWhiteMR2]

Well, spent far too long last night getting everything put together (3am!) and now I have to go to work haha...but the car is not running properly. It has trouble starting, and when it does fire it hesitates and dies when you give it any throttle at all. There is a hissing sound like an air/vacuum leak but did not get to locate the sound as the car doesn't stay running long. Suggestions? Going to work on it again tonight. The timing is fine, we did do the distributor cap and rotor but the timing is bang on. We can't see any loose hoses or connections anywhere, but we didn't go over it perfectly last night. It sounds like it's coming from the area of the new turbo.

[PearlWhiteMR2]

Going to check for vacuum leaks today. Could be anything...gaskets, hoses, who knows so we have to go over it all with a fine tooth comb. Sorry no pictures guys, I was so eager to get it done and work solid through the evening that I didn't bother to take pictures. I know it makes this project thread kind of useless but it's really just the reverse of taking it apart. I will have pictures of it completed and cleaned up once it's running.

Any advice please let me know.

[nhepburn]

get it figured out yet? that sucks... definitely know that feeling, it hurts.

[Fierce Dragoon]

one idea to locate the vacum leak if you havent yet is if you have a tourch of some sort that you can run the gas without liting it you can probe it around the sound and when the leak sucks up the gas the engine will pick up.

[PearlWhiteMR2]

We sorted it out, it was plugged cats.

[PearlWhiteMR2]

lol, just re-reading this a year later. Man what a pain in the rear. The first turbo was lost in the mail, and then it turned out all along that the big problem was the catalytic converters had come apart inside and were plugged.

Note to everybody: if you run a bunch of tests and a car won't run, disconnect the exhaust!! Might save you a lot of headaches.