Toyota MR2 Turbo Rev 3 - Third time lucky?

Did you find one?

Rev 3 turbos seem to be quite thin on the ground. I almost sold this last week but changed my mind a few days before it was going. Just couldn't do it. There's nothing else like them. So I'll be trying to run two cars for a while. This will be good because it will scratch another itch, keep the miles off the Mister, and make it even more special when I do drive it.

I'll update the thread when I've bought the second car.

I'm planning to do a euro trip in the Mister this year, and hopefully finally get on track.

Good choice
They're still pretty cheap and there's nothing around £5k that would give you the same thrills/looks. As a second car you could probably get classic insurance on it, mine is insured for under £200 with all mods declared and I live in London!

Well the E36 has been in bits for a few weeks (uprated water pump/tstat etc to fit, got annoyed at the viscous fan) and so the SW20 decided it would be the perfect time to fk up. MOT coming up too. An idle issue and misfire developed to the point that it would hesitate to run, which prompted some investigation. There was a red herring in the form of a leaking cam cover gasket flooding plugs 2 and 3 with oil. So a new gasket was fitted along with plugs which I'd had waiting to go on anyway. Then PHer SonicShadow offered to come help diagnose the car further. We found an error code which indicated the coolant temp sensor had gone, and he very handily had a spare in his car! This solved the idle issue. Then we plugged something in which connected to his phone via bluetooth, which indicated the car was running very rich. A few more deductions with a multimeter concluded that it was probably a broken o2 sensor. One week later and I can confirm the car is running perfectly again, with the added bonus of a new cam cover gasket.

For people of the future looking for an o2 sensor for a japanese import mr2 gt turbo rev 3, the correct Denso replacement is DXO-0217! NOT DXO-0215. The connector IS DIFFERENT.

Next I found my offside rear brake was sticking and so the pads would need replacing and the caliper sorting. I've regreased the sliders and if that doesn't solve it long term I shall replace with refurbished calipers, but for now it seems to have done the trick and the new pads feel good. I did find both handbrake cable covers are perished though so I will need to order some asap.

Next I need to either fit two new top mounts at the front, as there's a slight knocking on bumps. Or bite the bullet and go for some Driftworks coilovers. Could give me the kick up the bum I need to finally do a track day or two.

And today she passed her MOT with only two advisories, low tread on the rear tyres The tester was smitten with the car and loved the noise of it.

Which brings me on to my next change. I've picked up a Fujitsubo Legalis R exhaust to replace the giant single exit. Hopefully will be fit in the next week or two, but i'm worried i'll miss the popping and crackling of the single. The Fujitsubo is said to be fairly quiet and well behaved. I'll probably do a video to compare and then decide which I want to run.

If you read all of that well done, here's a photo to reward you.

MR2 Turbo spring drive by Dan J, on Flickr

HUGE thanks to SonicShadow for his help getting the car right again. Here we are playing jdm heroes a few weeks back!

Thanks mate! Wish I had a mate with a TVR to chase down some B roads

I'm a big fan of the 90's pop ups though

Body wise, I keep saying it but I will be changing the front end one of these days.

Makes me miss my old MR2 Rev 3

We definitely need to do that mate, just need to replace that leaky O ring i mentioned on facebook on the cam cover!

Anyway, I am back, with huge news. I did a euro trip in the car, something I've wanted to do since my first MR2 years ago! I'm writing a retrospective blog thing, so i'll put them here too when done!

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This is the first part of my euro trip retrospective blog. Its a bit of a read so feel free to not read it and just enjoy the photos. Its largely for my own satisfaction, so I can jot down some memories and things to look back on and remember

I very nearly didn't do this trip. At least, not in my MR2. I must be mad I thought, as I hovered over the buy button on the Eurotunnel website. This is a 24 year old car. Anything could happen. It could ruin me financially. But on the other hand its never, ever left me on the side of the road. Its been nothing but reliable. It's not just a 24 year old car, it's a 24 year old Toyota MR2 Turbo. It's the best, most fun car I've ever had, and this is something I've always wanted to do, since owning 4 MR2's over the years. You'll be fine. Tickets booked before I could talk myself out of it, and Euro recovery booked immediately after. Well, you never know...6 days to go, better start planning.

Day 1. Well let's start at -1. I had a bit of a rush around with some last minute things to do. Priority were new tyres on the rear of the car. I wanted to avoid any unwanted attention from any Police whatsoever. Fines are notoriously large and on the spot in Europe. I was surprised to find my two usual tyre shops had nothing in my size. The rears of the MR2 are 9j and I like a 245 40 on them. Thankfully I found some locally, Infinity Ecomax. Misleading name, the tyres are brilliant. More on them later. I had my front wheels balanced at the same time which eliminated any wobble I'd had before. After this, I grabbed a tent and Europe driving kit from Halfords. I got home and made a few last minute checks on the car. Wheel nuts, fluids, pressures. While I was in the engine bay I noticed the downpipe looked a little loose, and I was right. Nipped up all 6 nuts and the car was ready. I really needed an early night but it wasn't going to happen as I sat up looking at routes and roads, and this would bite me in the bum the next day.

I woke up at 3:40 to give me plenty of time to catch the tunnel train I had booked for 6:20. I only managed around 3 hours sleep. Last minute bag checks and camera equipment all packed, I was out of the door and soon on my way. I had my medium tool bag in the frunk for peace of mind too. Approaching the Folkestone terminal under a beautiful sunrise, I was sure I'd catch some sleep on the train but it was much quicker than expected and the excitement of the adventure I was beginning was a bit too much for me and kept me awake. Instead I used the time to fit the headlight beam adapters and GB sticker, and to mess around on social media. Before I knew it I was on the French motorway. I quickly found myself at my first toll which I had seconds to work out how to use. Engine off, belt off, jump out and run around to the machine to grab the ticket. I would later streamline this process so it went from a minute or two, to seconds.

I had decided my first stop would be the old circuit section at Reims, which was hours away. I was unprepared for the dull, flat French countryside which would surround the motorways and it wasn't long before the lack of sleep started catching up with me. The first of many regular stops was made, trying to keep awake for the long drive to Annecy in the South. I want to give a shout out to French motorway stops here, they're mostly well kept and spacious Picnic areas where you can really relax and stetch your legs. I found a few splashes of cold water really helped to keep me sharp for a good hour or two. Adding to my problems, almost as soon as I started driving I could hear a very, very high pitched whistling sound. Definitely wind noise but it was new to me (I know all of the noises my MR2 makes). I stopped at a services hoping to trace the cause. Having all of the wheels off the previous day was a perfect red herring. I was sure it was something to do with the centre caps on my Sparco alloys being loose. I found a couple of them were but on joining the motorway, the noise was still there. Not much I could do for now so with the t bar panels out and windows down, and music up, the noise was gone.

After some fun and games with tolls and my gps app, (Waze for anybody wondering) I was soon at Reims-Geaux. Most of my photos from the first day were from here. I found myself there alone bar an English couple, meandering around France in their Saab 900 Turbo. The woman said she could imagine the racing teams bursting in to life and I agreed. There's a fantastic atmosphere lingering about the place. Its a superb and iconic location for photos of your car. Although I'm sure its frowned upon by some, you are free to roam around and explore the old brick structures which are left. I spent around 45 minutes here, taking videos and photos, before leaving via the top roundabout and a full boost, second gear pull by the grandstand.
A couple of hours later I was feeling drowsy again when a huge smash occurred about 30 seconds in front of me. I didn't see what happened but traffic in front of me stopped almost immediately with a cascade of hazard lights. I was caught off guard after smooth sailing for a good few hours, and by divine intervention (there is no other explanation) I was able to dart around the car/caravan in front of me to find space on the right to brake in. I'd never experienced anything like this in the UK, and even now writing this, I don't believe I had the reflexes to do what I did. With traffic at a crawl and filtering to the left lane to go around the incident, I slotted in with my heart pounding. This was a wake up call that I needed for my long drive. The MR2 had done me proud, with no drama and no locking up under very heavy braking in an emergency. It turns out a car had gone under the wheels of a HGV trailer. Oh dear.

There was a point where dull motorways turned into carving roads sculpted into beautiful mountain scenery, and everything was golden and warm from the setting sun. Just what I needed after questioning why I hadn't just booked a flight somewhere. It got better, with roughly the last 60km of the driving being hairpins and fast sections over a small mountain. I found myself arriving in Annecy much later than I expected due to taking so many breaks, and I had no accomodation booked. I had planned to wild camp, but darkness was close. I tried the one hostel in Annecy but all beds were taken, leaving me no choice but to pitch my tent somewhere. A quick look on maps showed a mountain road nearby. I was lucky to find it was dense with forest, so I found a picnic area to park in and went for a little walk with my tent. About 2 minutes away from my car up a mountain path, I found the perfect clearing to pitch in. It was fun pitching the tent for the first time in near dark but I just about managed it (in the morning I would find the ground I'd pitched on was full of little spiders, if I'd have known this I would not have pitched there!).

I left the tent and drove the '2 back down in to the centre to find somewhere to eat and enjoy. The old town was bustling. Even at night its quite a beautiful place, set on a huge lake with the silhouette of mountains looking over you. I couldn't tell you where I ate, I just chose somewhere after about half an hour of looking around and getting a feel for the place. I sat down and had a crazy sense of place lag. This is similar to time lag, but instead your mind hasn't caught up to the fact you're somewhere different. The last real place I'd walked around in was Reims, and before that Folkestone terminal. So to be sitting in this beautiful little town in the South of France was a bit too much for me to take in. After absorbing this I felt pride and happiness in finally doing something I had wanted to do for so long, a proper bucket list moment. I was in the South of France in my MR2, with the complete freedom to go anywhere and do anything I wanted. And I wanted to find some amazing roads. I sat enjoying this feeling for an hour or two, walked around the lake for a while, and then drove back to my spot up on the mountain for a good nights sleep. That was a bit of a fantasy though. It was my first time wild camping and the animals and crickets would wake me every few hours.

The car had been faultless all day, apart from the high pitched whistle, which I would need to find the cause of for my own sanity. We had driven almost 650 miles on the first day, starting in East London. Mostly motorway driving through the uninspiring rural Northern France. I had cleaned the '2 the night before, and now it was smothered in bug goo. Tomorrow the real fun would begin.

You can also follow this at www.facebook.com/snappedbydan

snappedbydaneurotripday1-1 by Dan J, on Flickr

snappedbydaneurotripday1-2 by Dan J, on Flickr

snappedbydaneurotripday1-3 by Dan J, on Flickr

snappedbydaneurotripday1-4 by Dan J, on Flickr

snappedbydaneurotripday1-5 by Dan J, on Flickr

snappedbydaneurotripday1-7 by Dan J, on Flickr

snappedbydaneurotripday1-8 by Dan J, on Flickr

snappedbydaneurotripday1-11 by Dan J, on Flickr

snappedbydaneurotripday1-12 by Dan J, on Flickr

snappedbydaneurotripday1-13 by Dan J, on Flickr

snappedbydaneurotripday1-14 by Dan J, on Flickr

Hopefully its interesting enough to keep reading the next one

Thank you mate. I know what you mean, the only ones for sale are at extremes. But you do get the odd decent one at a reasonable price. NA values are creeping up though. I think FB is your best bet these days.

Is that the PCV valve one? They are only a few quid from Toyota, but can be a bit tricky to remove the old one. They go super brittle and the risk is you break it up and drop half of it into the chamber!

Let me check my records/invoices for a PN.

EDIT - PCV valve grommet - 90480-18001

That sounds brilliant, I'd love a go in an SC! NA was fun enough when I drove a MK1!

Yes mate that's the one. I remember the way the grommets were around the cam cover bolts, they just brake in to pieces, and I bet this will be exactly the same. I don't want to take the cover off just to do it haha maybe some rtv sealant would do the job?

Thank you mate, yeah i'm still actually amazed how smooth it all went, the car really went above and beyond in my eyes, they like being driven and I was just at that point where I knew it deserved to be more than a daily driver.

I will definitely pre register next time, wish I knew about that before hand

OP, update this! Was enjoying your adventures....