JLee's 1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo build thread

[Bartman39]

Ok girls lets stick to jlee's thread topic or I'll start impounding cars, trucks, mules, camels or whatever your ride is (including $59.95 turbo nose hair clippers)...


Will say most of you are keeping it clean so thank you for that...:thumbsup:

 

[IcePickFreak]

The Time-Sert kit came in yesterday. Much faster than I expected! I'll pick up a new stud from Toyota tomorrow and get this thing back together.

:thumbsup: Interested to hear how the clutch pedal fix feels once you get it back on the road.

 

[jlee]

:thumbsup: Interested to hear how the clutch pedal fix feels once you get it back on the road.

There's also a square bushing in the shift linkage (on the transmission side) that tends to wear over time, and I have a bearing to replace it - hopefully that'll help things as well. The pedal feels incredible right now, but I'll definitely know for sure once it's driving again.

 

[jlee]

So, James came over last night and we fixed the stripped stud.

Exhaust ports and oil cooler were covered to avoid tragedy:

We drilled the old threads out by hand - due to clearance issues with the oil cooler, we couldn't use a tap wrench:

Next was to counterbore the hole:

Tapping:

Unfortunately, despite doing everything without power tools and following the old hole as best as possible, our threads ended up slightly off. I don't believe it's enough to cause a problem with fitting the exhaust manifold, but it was enough to make the Time-Sert not seat completely flush. I had to open the hole in the exhaust gasket a little to avoid it getting pushed up by the imperfectly seated shoulder. I'm not happy about this, but other than machining a tool to ensure a perfect 90° angle and then re-doing it with a Big-Sert, there's not much I can do. We didn't poke a hole anywhere we shouldn't have (yay for intact water jackets), so absolute worst-case scenario means I just get another exhaust manifold leak. I think it'll be fine, though. I'll fix it once and for all when I put a built head on.

I may postpone replacing the square bushing thing, since I'm reading that people have had starter mounting bolts break or starters come apart during removal (yay for old cars). I've also found a zip-tie holding something together down there...and since everything has been working for three years, it may be wiser to fix this properly after I drive it to AZ. I'm leaving in 3 weeks and I can't really afford the time to fix problems that I may inadvertently create.

 

[jlee]

In better news, my eccentric t-top guides came in today and I installed them. Hopefully they'll fix the slight t-top leaks I have (had), and my driver's side t-top definitely fits better, considering a previous owner decided that aluminum foil worked well enough instead of an actual guide:

I also opened out the stud hole in the exhaust gasket to clear the Time-Sert's shoulder. Again...not thrilled, but I'm running out of time. It should still seal perfectly well.

 

[JCH13]

We also found a nice gnarly bit of aluminum at the bottom of the hole, given that the stud had never come out before I think there's a reasonable chance that it was cross-threaded the whole time and finally gave out. That may have even lead to, or been a result of, the original hole being slightly crooked.

Whatever happened, something weird was going on.

 

[jlee]

Update on the stereo shenanigans - I hooked up my old Polk Audio components and they worked fine at high volume, so I'm thinking the whole 'amp going into protect mode' may have something to do with the speakers that are installed currently (Infinity Kappa Perfect 6.1). When I can get the car to a position where I can fully open the doors, I'll swap the speakers out and see if that solves the problem.

 

[punjabiplaya]

screw the stereo, I've got a mod for your BOV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Erjhkv9AzKY

 

[lavaheadache]

Once again Jlee, you continue to have problems working on your car. Apparently you are inept and would be better suited to handing out stickers at Walmart.





*** Disclaimer***

For those of you who don't know, I am not serious. I actually applaud his fine work and great attitude. Keep on wrenching....

 

[jlee]

screw the stereo, I've got a mod for your BOV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Erjhkv9AzKY

LOL, fantastic!

I bought a Rotozip and some other stuff today - going to make MDF speaker risers, and also extend one of them to cover the gaping hole that a previous owner left in the door panel (think "speaker hole but way bigger" - that's what's there now). Hopefully that'll help it sound better, too.

Turbo is also going back in tonight - should be running in an hour.

 

[sjwaste]

LOL, fantastic!

I bought a Rotozip and some other stuff today - going to make MDF speaker risers, and also extend one of them to cover the gaping hole that a previous owner left in the door panel (think "speaker hole but way bigger" - that's what's there now). Hopefully that'll help it sound better, too.

Turbo is also going back in tonight - should be running in an hour.

I'm not sure what came in the 91 MR2, but the 91 Supra's stock speaker cutout had this goofy plastic baffle that held the stock components. When I replaced them, I built new ones out of 3/4" MDF. A piece one sheet thick to bolt up to the door frame, roughly the outline of the stock baffle, and then where the speaker bolted down I made an MDF ring that I glued to the MDF baffle - basically giving me a 1.5" thick speaker ring to bolt to. It worked really, really well. If you siliconed the two pieces of MDF together and used some dynamat on the back of the baffle (or just some rubber gasket material), you'll have minimal (or even no) rattle. I was putting 100-150W RMS through this setup from time to time, even.

I'd highly recommend this approach if you have to build new baffles and have the space under the grille to fit it all.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

screw the stereo, I've got a mod for your BOV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Erjhkv9AzKY

lol! thats hilarious.


and Jlee, why not run a brand new zip tie beside the current one? Just added secutiry till you can fix it proper. Would hate to see you loose that in mid arizona trip.
What is it doing anyways? just holding on a flywheel cover?? Hard to tell.

 

[exdeath]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1mt6Ba197k

 

[exdeath]

lol! thats hilarious.


and Jlee, why not run a brand new zip tie beside the current one? Just added secutiry till you can fix it proper. Would hate to see you loose that in mid arizona trip.
What is it doing anyways? just holding on a flywheel cover?? Hard to tell.

Looks like a coolant line for sure (too big to be anything else) and looks like there is a missing bracket bolt or something on that metal hard line. Looks like it (the plastic zip tie) goes through the top over the bell housing and back under through a vent slot or something on the front of the bell housing to keep that hose from flexing or rattling.

My 2 cents from looking at one pic. Sigh previous owners. When I lose or break bolts, I jump in my other car and pick up replacements at Ace. I don't like ghetto tying shit unless it's only temp to get home.

Metal tubing, 1/2" diameter, back of block / head, heading forward to the rear firewall. It's a coolant bypass for the heater core. The metal tube looks to have the hold down integrated into and perhaps it's missing a bolt and was making clunking without it when the engine flexed on the mounts, so previous owner zip tied it down snug to the bell housing. Or it's held on by the 14mm bolts with the starter / bell housing and someone forgot to sandwich that back in and said fawk it and just zip tied it after the fact :awe:

 

[jlee]

Long story short - the stud Toyota sold me was apparently too short, so it didn't fully engage the Time-Sert. Of course, it snapped. And pulled the threads out of the head. Again.

The rest of the night didn't go much better - long story short:

Now to decide if I want to Big-Sert the 2nd-stripped hole and Time-Sert the rest (and make sure I get the proper stud size) or just say fuck it and buy another head...which may actually be easier when it's all said and done.

Blah!

 

[exdeath]

I'm counting 4 stripped holes...

 

[jlee]

I'm counting 4 stripped holes...

Yep, went to torque everything to spec and only two got tight. There's one that I'm unsure on, and the other four stripped. Nice, isn't it.

 

[exdeath]

Yep, went to torque everything to spec and only two got tight. There's one that I'm unsure on, and the other four stripped. Nice, isn't it.

What's the torque spec and what size wrench were you using? Shouldn't have used some of those studs either, they look pretty nasty and chewed up.

Nicks like that would cut through the aluminum threads like butter and weaken them long before you ever noticed it tighten up at all. Or you end up over torquing the stud at the head trying to work the nut over the exhaust manifold side.

 

[jlee]

What's the torque spec and what size wrench were you using?

Torque spec is 38lb-ft and I was using a 1/2" drive torque wrench.

The studs were all in the head - I only put one in, and that was a brand new stud into the time-sert. Everything else was a new Toyota nut on the existing stud. All the threads on the head side of the studs were fine, except for all the aluminum that came out with them (lower ends of the studs in the pic were in the head). Using an ez-out will chew up the other end pretty nicely.

 

[exdeath]

Torque spec is 38lb-ft and I was using a 1/2" drive torque wrench.

Part of the problem I think. That's too low for a 1/2" drive wrench, it will never click before it strips the threads and a 1/2" wrench has a huge lever / handle length. What's the range on your wrench? 30 to 150? Should always use the size wrench that puts the torque you want in the middle of the scale. Never rely on a click type wrench within 20% of either of the ends of the scale, I don't care if it's a $1,000 wrench.

 

[jlee]

Part of the problem I think. That's too low for a 1/2" drive wrench. What's the range on your wrench? 30 to 150? Should always use the size wrench that puts the torque you want in the middle of the scale. Never rely on a click type wrench within 20% of either of the ends of the scale, I don't care if it's a $1,000 wrench.

20-150. I should've used my 3/8ths - but if the torque was really that far off, I'd think it would've stripped a long time ago. Some of them stripped with a ratchet before we even put a torque wrench on...

 

[exdeath]

20-150. I should've used my 3/8ths - but if the torque was really that far off, I'd think it would've stripped a long time ago. Some of them stripped with a ratchet before we even put a torque wrench on...

Gotta be careful with aluminum. Probably fatigued from repeated torquing. Can't just crank down on it with a 2 foot long torque wrench at that low a setting and wait for a click. Also need to take it slow so as not to heat up the threads and it should be loose and turn easy even by finger. If it offers any resistance before the bolt head bottoms, stop. Don't want to crank the shit out of it and get it hot and soft just before snugging up to spec.

Also are those single use torque to yield bolts? Accurate torque with stretched bolts isn't cool either.

Just throwing things out there. Don't mean to sound accusing, but 4 in a row isn't random luck

Also those are studs with separate nuts. Stud stops turning in head, nut continues to tighten down before wrench clicks and pulls the stud out threads and all?

Again, throw those away and get a clean set of new header studs. That second one from the left? You are going to over torque the stud in the head forcing the nut over that end when you tighten down the header, etc. And the threads on the head end of that same stud look squished (fatter) in one spot where the light reflects diff and shows how some threads look wider and polished (interference/cutting).

 

[jlee]

Gotta be careful with aluminum. Probably fatigued from repeated torquing. Can't just crank down on it with a 2 foot long torque wrench at that low a setting and wait for a click. Also need to take it slow so as not to heat up the threads and it should be loose and turn easy even by finger. If it offers any resistance before the bolt head bottoms, stop. Don't want to crank the shit out of it and get it hot and soft just before snugging up to spec.

They usually go snug and then immediately click to spec. These didn't, but they were also brand new locking studs so they felt differently.

Also are those single use torque to yield bolts? Accurate torque with stretched bolts isn't cool either.

They're studs, not bolts - don't believe they are single use, either.

Just throwing things out there. Don't mean to sound accusing, but 4 in a row isn't random luck

I have seen at least one thread on MR2OC where a couple people mentioned several studs stripping...at least I'm not the only one.

Also those are studs with separate nuts. Stud stops turning in head, nut continues to tighten down before wrench clicks and pulls the stud out threads and all?

Yes, I know they're studs with separate nuts...which is why I said earlier that the studs were all already in the head, and all I put on were the nuts. But yes, the nuts did tighten down and just pull the studs out.

Again, throw those away and get a clean set of new header studs. That second one from the left? You are going to over torque the stud in the head forcing the nut over that end when you tighten down the header, etc. And the threads on the head end of that same stud look squished (fatter) in one spot where the light reflects diff and shows how some threads look wider and polished (interference/cutting).

Dude, the second one from the left was removed with a left-hand threaded aggressive stud remover tool - actually three, since the first one stripped, the second one wouldn't grab, and then we hammered a smaller one on to finally get it to grab and come out. It's royally fucked from that, plus vicegrips to hold it while we took the ez-out off. As for the lower end of that stud, it still has threads embedded in it. If it's the threads themselves, they were already like that (or got deformed on the way out) - the stud was already in the head.

Edit: One of the guys from MR2OC:

do you have a turbo support on there? if not that can have a big impact on manifold stud life

 

[Squisher]

Since you're having a do-over, maybe those keyed inserts we talked about on tfnn might work better. They are pretty robust, much more so than the heli-coil like stuff. I'm not sure if they have an over-sized one.

 

[jlee]

Since you're having a do-over, maybe those keyed inserts we talked about on tfnn might work better. They are pretty robust, much more so than the heli-coil like stuff. I'm not sure if they have an over-sized one.

Possibly, yeah... I went ahead and ordered tap guides to make sure everything goes in perfectly square and we'll give it another shot on Wednesday. If that doesn't work, I'll look at buying something else.

On the bright side, I do believe I solved my car audio problem (with the amp going into protect mode). I tested it with the left component set and the subwoofer - with the component woofer disconnected, it still cut. With the tweeter and woofer disconnected, it still cut. However, once I unplugged the crossover from the amp, it ran the subwoofer fine. It also runs my Polk components perfectly, and the Infinity woofer attached to the Polk crossover. I've contacted Infinity and they're shipping me a replacement.

My Goodridge braided brake lines are here, along with ATE Super Blue brake fluid and Toyota EHPS (power steering) fluid. I'll hold off on the line replacement / fluid flush just in case bleeders start snapping...brakes work beautifully now, so it's not a priority item. I was going to swap out the steering pinion, but I may hold off on that until after my 4000 mile trip - would hate to pull the rack last-minute and then find something wrong that I can't replace. I've lost a little fluid over the last 3 years, so I'll top it off and call it good for now.