Mr2 Big Ends Gone...again! Help!

[Escher1982]

I have an '94 Mk2 Mr2 (SW20/3SGE) 2.0litre 16v.. The big ends went on it a few years back and it took me a while to get the money up to get it back on the road, when i did i put the 3sge in again.. (from a breakers yard) .. couple of months down the line it blew again. I know that this is a common fault among them, apparently..My problem now is that I don't know what to do, do i do a turbo conversion and risk the extra hassle that it may cause, and money! or should i go with the same again and risk his happening again?! HELP! also, apparently its an oil pump problem which the turbos dont have... ANY help or advice that anyone can give me would be really appreciated! Maybe someone else has had this problem?

Thanks! ;)

[ormi]

i had one of these and i drove it like i stole it everywhere and it never cost me a penny all i did was give it a service every 6000 miles and the usual checks.

are you ok with a socket set? take the sump off and change the big ends(just chech the crank for scoaring) yourself not a drastic or hard job.

theirs a pic of my wee bullet proof t-bar(sold now have a is200 now)

[Escher1982]

i had one of these and i drove it like i stole it everywhere and it never cost me a penny all i did was give it a service every 6000 miles and the usual checks.

are you ok with a socket set? take the sump off and change the big ends(just chech the crank for scoaring) yourself not a drastic or hard job.

theirs a pic of my wee bullet proof t-bar(sold now have a is200 now)

hi, cheers for the info .. whatever i get done will be done by someone else, i know a bit but not enough! did you have the 2.0 GT limited or was it a turbo? Im really tempted to do the turbo conversion, but dont know realistically know how much hassle it might be and whether id have to buy a whole car cos would need the engine, loom and ecu...

Is that scoops/intakes on your mr2? ... another thing i want!

[Escher1982]

Or.. if anyone has any thoughts of any other, better options for my engine change......?! ;)

[Karma Supra]

Fix it proplerly and it'll last far longer then another half knackered engine from a scrapper.

[Escher1982]

Thanks.. I agree, definately fix it properly but not sure whether to go with a re-con'd 3sge or a turbo conversion which apparently doesnt have the fault.. any ideas? please!

[Karma Supra]

What about a twin VVti Beams? Much nicer powerband than the turbo, and more pickup/grunt than the regular N/A.

Would be lovely on throttle bodies :)

[Escher1982]

Thanks again for the response... I thought I knew a fair bit.. for a chick.. apparently not! So.. VVTI Beams, is that an engine out of the newer Mr2s?! Sorry if im being stupid! Im interested to know more though!

Thanks, appreciate it!

;)

[Karma Supra]

Not at all... If you never ask you'll never learn more.

The Beams actually a fairly rare(in the UK) engine, out of the Jap Altezza (Think Lexus IS200). It is still a 3S so apart from wiring will drop right in, and won't require fiddling about with intercoolers etc from a turbo engine. There should be plenty on google....

In all honesty it'd probably work out costing more than a turbo swap, and give less peak power, just more "driveability" hence why it's not the most popular option..

I guess it all depends on how tight funds are, and if it is your only car. Failing that if you still have your old engine you could try and rebuild that properly, or just get the cheapest, highest milage one you can find, run on that for a bit while you do a detailed rebuild on your existing one at your leisure. I took great satisfaction out of rebuilding my supra engine, made me smile pretty much every time I started it!

If replacing for another N/A and your car is older, go for a rev 3+ engine, they are a little stronger and have a little more power. - plenty of cars being broken on Fleabay.

I know some awesome girl mechanics... If you have already done an engine swap you already know more than most people!

[Escher1982]

I wish I was a mechanic, be a whole lot cheaper! A friend who is a mechanic will be doing all the work really, Im gonna help as much as i can though! I didnt do the last one, same thing, i helped as much as i could but, a friend did the work!

Ive thought about re-building the old engine, thought that may be a good idea, obviously Im quite drawn to the turbo conversion idea too!! You sound like you know alot.. have you ever heard of this problem before, apparently its a common fault? I also considered jus trying to get a short block but.. fairly hard to find.

As for funds, pretty tight but im willing to spend the money, and live cheaper (or try) to get it up and running for it to last! The car has sentimental value so jus dont want to get rid! Not my only car but will probably have to sell my little baby crx to help raise the fundage!!

Thanks so much for all your help!

[Karma Supra]

Yup heard of it before.... any old performance engine that has not been looked after properly or lived a hard life is prone to it. I had a '92 Mr2 with 160+ k miles on it and the engine was as sweet as a nut, - but it had been fanatically looked after all its life. I have also killed my fair share of supra engines ;)

Regular oil and filter changes are your friend, I used to do my supra every 5000 miles... I do the M3 every 6-7k. I also like oil pressure gauges to keep an eye on things.

If I were you I'd either look out for a stuffed turbo car that been through a hedge sideways/backwards (plenty about) ideally a REV3 car and buy the whole car so you have all the parts, LSD gearbox etc....

Or if nothing shows up rebuild your engine meticulously. You don’t need it for transport so don't rush, see what comes up. I'd start with eBay.

I must admit I have only driven one MR2 turbo and found it obscenely laggy, but they are undeniably fun, and the one I drove wasn't in the best of health!

[ormi]

na not the turbo mate just a g limited i work for toyota so i know how much of a mare working on a turbo can be!!!(lots of skint knuckles) yip those are the toms scoops nightmare to fit propper though(the bonnet wont open up fully if you dont fit them right.)had my induction kit fitted right up inside the left one.

if you were to do the turbo conversion you would be better buying a smashed or scrap turbo whole and having the cars side by side it would be a whole lot easyer.

why not go buy a camry v6 and put that engine in(very easy acording to mr2oc) the parts boy at my work he put the camry v6 into his mk1 mr2 it was a beast and would outrun mr2 turbos.

v6 looks nice and snug all tucked up in their.

[Karma Supra]

I was going to mentioned Mikes V6, but its not all that practical if someone is on a budget its as simple as a straight turbo swap either so I didn;t think it was relevent...... he later supercharged it too....

If you want to talk silly engines there is also this:

[Escher1982]

I think i might just stick with the non turbo, theres no way i can afford a v8, v6 or maybe even a turbo the way id drive it! ;) Although a mate of mine did get a v6 camry come in to his garage and we did discuss that as a possible and.. were thinking about how much fun could be had!

Are there any major differences between the rev2 engine which i have and rev3 one? i saw a rev5 engine on eBay, would that work too?! and... (sorry all the questions!) if i went with the non turbo would i still need the loom and ecu.. i guess so..

Im getting all excited about it now... want my baby on the road again!

But... mmm a v8!!!

[Karma Supra]

I'm not sure exactly what was changed, but there were a few overall improvements, to use they feel a little smoother and seem to have a more grunt, they look a little different too.

I've not transplanted a 3S, so I'm not sure how interchangeable the management is.. Usually you can run your existing of you transfer everything over to a newer short block (going by other Toyota engines I have worked on from the same era).

As far as I know th Rev5 engine is the same as the Rev3.

[Escher1982]

I'm not sure exactly what was changed, but there were a few overall improvements, to use they feel a little smoother and seem to have a more grunt, they look a little different too.

I've not transplanted a 3S, so I'm not sure how interchangeable the management is.. Usually you can run your existing of you transfer everything over to a newer short block (going by other Toyota engines I have worked on from the same era).

As far as I know th Rev5 engine is the same as the Rev3.

A bit more grunt... we like that! Wonder if they changed the oil pump...

Reckon thats what Ill go with then, can you reccommend any places to try, i have put a request on find-a-part but think thats mainly breakers and, i dont want to go with another engine from a breakers... danger! Do you know of any good placecs that do recon'd engines?

Or.. recon'd engones, dont i have to pretty careful even then cos what a lot of places will class as a recon, isnt really a reconditioned engine at all?!

Thanks!

[Karma Supra]

Owners clubs for stuffed cars are probabley best, don't rule out Celicas as donor cars either, although the writing will be upside down on the cam covers ..

I have had "reconditioned" engines from findapart that knocked as soon as started up, read the small print and it is always returns accepted, but you have to pay postage and 25% handling fee...

I hate dealing with pikey scrappies... I have also had them send me the wrong gearbox then try and tell me I didn't know what I was talking about....

[Escher1982]

I hear you! I used to work at a breakers yard.. only temporarily cos nothin about but.. have seen all the little tricks they pull and lies.. the lies!! Every engine they had, when asked the mileage, we always had to say between 60-79k.. little *****es, so yeah, another reason i dont want one from a yard.. i called one that had an engine not so long ago.. I asked what the mileage was, he hesitated and then said 69k! I asked why the car came into them cos I wanted the engine, he said, another car went up the back of it so the engine is mint!.. Pleeeeease! At least know somethin about the car your trying to mug me off with!! Anyway...!

So.. whole car still the best way to go you reckon even if not doing turbo conversion?

Will have a look, thank you!

Any other ideas for where i could get an decent engine from a reliable source... will keep checking eBay etc.. but any ideas anyone..!

[Escher1982]

Also.. sorry, Im being stoopid.. you said to look on here for crashed cars etc.. where can i find things like that on here?!

[Karma Supra]

For sale sections, there are usual cars being broken somewhere, try the other MR2 clubs too there are enough of them!

[Escher1982]

For sale sections, there are usual cars being broken somewhere, try the other MR2 clubs too there are enough of them!

Ok thanks! will do.. I forgot how much fun it is looking for an engine....!