Looking After The Engine

[jaxx]

right then lads and ladys

this is the first 3SGTE powered car ive owned, and indeed the first turbo charged car ive owned.

if you would be so kind im after a few hints and tips on how to keep her sweet. both engine and mr2 orientated i suppose :D

ok i plan to change the oil and filter on it within the next week for my own piece of mind (any brand recommendations) for a start.....

the car has been extremely well looked after by its previous owner and only sports approx 40,000 miles! im aware of the cambelt needing to be done soon so thatll be sorted.

would anyone recommend a service at toyota themselves (due a 'B' service i think) is it best to have a full TSH or would a local toyota specialist be a better option??

also what about other fluids ie brakes, PS, coolant..... how does that normally fair?? and any problematic mechanical or electrical gubbins a common place??

many ta's

[jaxx]

ooh and on a side note

''engine warming and cooling''

ill be getting a turbo timer soon, but 'manual' turbo timing has to sufice for now

is it best to give a couple of minutes warming prior to driving and then what would you recommend for a cooling period....

ie...

arriving at work at 7am (normally late) but driven mainly off boost and no more than 4k for about 6 miles??

after a spirited drive, you know the drill ??

thanks again

[Bibbs]

Right.

Oil change every 3,500 miles ..

Let the engine warm up for 5/10 mins before thrashing ..

Let the engine cool for 5/10 mins after thrashing ..

Don't let your BOV fall off at 120 mph ..

Avoid Toyota, use a good MR2 garage ..

Replace the other fluids every few years ..

Change your disks/pads etc when they need it ..

Get it looked over proper every MOT time ..

[Jesus]

Right.

Don't let your BOV fall off at 120 mph ..

[jaxx]

excellent advice there Mr Bibbings

[Jimlad]

coolant change at 50Kmiles

[EarL]

Top stuff Bibbs. Hope it didn't do too much damage mate. Wicked pics in your garage.

Jaxx, 2's are pretty much like any other car with the exception of oil changes. Just common sense really. You either look after your car on a regular basis or it turns into a !Removed!!

Your Yaris was a minter, so I can't see you being the sort of owner who abuses you car. We all know you'll turn this one into a minter too.

:D

[JohnnyC]

coolant change at 50Kmiles

Think the coolant change (it is on most cars) is first when it's 4 years old, then every 2 years after that.

[Jesus]

coolant change at 50Kmiles

Think the coolant change (it is on most cars) is first when it's 4 years old, then every 2 years after that.

Better safe than sorry eh!

[mikeb]

If you use genuine Toyota 4life coolant it should last for, err, life. Well, not that long, but much longer than standard antifreeze. I replaced my original coolant this year (13 years old, 70k miles). It didn't look too bad, but I probably should have done it sooner. The toyota stuff isn't cheap but like I said, it should give you peace of mind for a lot longer.

As for oil changes, 3.5k sounds a bit OTT. I know you've got to look after the turbo but I would have thought that 8-10k should be fine as long as you use a good fully synthetic oil. Feel free to correct me on that though. Can any of you lot recommend any oils for the 3s-gte?

Talking of oil, it is probably worth getting a genuine toyota oil filter (or at least a reputable pattern one) as they should have a non return valve in them to stop all the oil draining back into the sump. I have heard that some cheapo ones don't have a non return valve, or one that doesn't seal very well.

[LORD_ED]

personally id take bibbs advice on oil, important stuff. when u perform ur oil change im assumnig ull use fully symphetic (sp) if so use an engine flush to get all oile crap etc out as if u mix semi and fully together it turns into a gunk which aint good (the old owner of my 200sx mixed oils part of reason she blew up)

[breezer]

mr2, turbo, fast!

how much it cost you rob to get insured on that?

[Stu8]

do you know if the cam belts have been replaced?

If you dont get them done "pronto"

Mr T are the best people to service your car, but if you want to cut costs it's simply enough to do yourself.

[mattmr2]

Mr T are the best people to service your car

Ummm, I think you will find a few peoplewho will disagree with that......

The best advice I can give is treat the car with respect, espchally in the wet - keep an eye on tyre pressures and make sure the coolent overflow has pleanty of fluid in it - could cause problems. I think most have covered the rest, enjoy.....

Matt.

[Stu8]

Well I cant vouch for every MR T in the country. but mine are more than capable of doing a routine service/cam belt change, and stamping the service book in the mean time.

[jdbecks]

i'm going to do an oil change..what oil for a n/a?

5w - 30?

[DeusMR2]

10w40 is what NAs use ive heard, but 5w30 should be fine seeing as its nearly winter now.

[Jimlad]

make sure you use a garage who knows what they are doing with respect to the MR2. I've found an amazing garage about 4miles from me in the smallest village ever. Owner drives a Supra and he knows what he'son about...

[jaxx]

great advice people

earl - cheers fella! kind words! i aim to make her just as good! :D

stu - i think im gonna get the belt done soon, its on my shoulders and ill know its sweet then, just need a decent garage in my area to sort it