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The Toyota MR2 is a series of cars that started in 1985 with the W10 (1.5L 3A) and AW11 (1.6L 4A).

It was a car built to be usable daily by the average person, whilst providing maximum enjoyment. To do this, it had to have slightly more comfort than a bike, good economy, good reliability, something to make it fun and a low pricetag. All 3 MR2s acheived these goals in slightly different ways.

The first MR2s main selling point was the layout that set the whole series apart - MR (Mid Engine, Rear Wheel Drive). This gave the car a rear weight bias allowing it to corner very fast for the price (~1G).

The second MR2 was heavier, but the flagship engine produced nearly 100HP more than the previous - allowing it to hold its own on straights as well as corners now. The car was also far more comfortable and spacious than the previous, so it's easy to see why this generation is the most popular.

The final MR2 returned to the light weight, low power roots, weighing 975kg in 2000, and a 140HP engine - at least this time it was acheived without a supercharger. This car accellerates as fast as the 3SGE in the previous gen, although it falls behind the turbo obviously. Despite that, it can corner at nearly 1.1G and features a softtop which is seemingly less leaky than the previous t-tops... much colder though.

The Dinger

The Car

The Dinger is a MK3 MR2 from 2003. It is a UK spec car meaning it's RHD and has an oil/coolant exchange. It is fitted with several dealer extras: TTE Springs, TTE Backbox, and a TTE Rollbar. It also has a unknown exhuast manifold, the MAF mod, EBC Greenstuff brake pads, and some bracing.

I have done everything in this car - town driving, dump runs, shopping, road trips, off road, circuit driving, camping, sleeping in it, road trips, even naughty stuff (no sex, although I reckon it's achievable). It has proven suprisingly versitile. I thought it'd be a practical nightmare. All of that said, the one thing I'd recommened no one do in it is sleep... I barely got 2 hours.

Living on borrowed time.

As far as I am concerned the car is dead. Allow me to explain.

In late January of 2024, I was driving at the speed limit in a place named after cheese. Unknown to me, excessive RTV applied to the oilpan had ripped apart and started to block the pickup. This combined with my driving destroyed 2 of 4 rodbearings and damaged the other two, resulting in significant knocking.

Once I noticed the knocking, I still drove 12 miles as slowly as I could trying to prevent further damage. After testing and checking some things, I took the pan off, changed the pickup, and changed the bearings. All 4 were still in spec however the crank was not properly checked.

Generally a repair like this on a 1ZZ will either work and work forever, or work for about 5 minutes. It has been 10K miles, including several times on track, and the car still runs fine. In theory I have gotten away with it but really, the crank was significantly worn in ways I don't know, and its life has been shorterned by an unknown duration. An engine I've seen exceed 200K might die at 100K. I have no idea.

I am frankly hoping I never make it to 100K (currently at 70K) - because I am hoping I can work remotely long term. We'll see though.

The pit.

In August of 2024 I was on a date. A carpark I wanted to go into was blocked off, so I drove until I found a layby, and tried to turn around. I did not notice that the layby was really just a slab in a ditch. I drove over the edge of the slab, causing the car to suddenly drop into the ditch with enough force to damage the radiator. It leaked. After 5 minutes of driving, the coolant overheated (although oil temp was borderline).

Luckily someone I hadn't even met yet (but knew as I'd seen them driving to work) drove past as I pulled over. I felt like I was living in a film at that moment. Their partner is a mechanic who got all of the air out of my rad, allowing it to work, even though it continued leaking. The car drove home without issue.

This allowed me to do something I'd been putting off - change the coolant. Specifically I wanted less antifreeze, so I went for a 30/70 mixture instead of the usual 50/50. The average 70mph temp has gone from 90-93 to 83-86. Track temps are also significantly lower.

Notes

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