Ahmed....you are without a doubt, the most knowledgeable Toyota mechanic I've ever known of. If my 2017 Tacoma (22k miles) ever needs something major, I'm there from Ohio. Love your videos!
Survivor is putting it mildly, that thing an amazing time capsule. So many of those got hacked (ahem, rather tuned) and wrecked it's nice to see one looking so good. Shame there're such a pain to work on.
The reason that cross point screw is destroyed is because someone used the wrong driver to try and remove it. It is not a Phillips head, it's a J.I.S. head and a Phillips driver will just destroy them. Take it from a long time Japanese motorcycle mechanic as I ran across this same issue hundreds of times on japanese motorcycles. You need to get Vessel brand driver's and bits to remove and install these fasteners without destroying them. No Snap On or any other American tool companies do not make J.I.S. drivers.
Love this video! I have a pretty similar, well-preserved MR2. 1993 with a 1994 3SGTE motor, transmission, front brakes. Only 82K on the motor, and all original except for a K&N filter. Completely rust-free, and always been in the South. Owned for 22 years now, and just drove it yesterday. It is a sweet ride, in great shape, and not modified. Turquoise, which was only used on the 1993. I did have the timing belt, seals, belts, and water pump replaced two years ago and they did drop the engine. Fortunately, it all worked out. Still original spark plug wires and struts, but works great. I’m excited to see the next video! Thanks so much!
Check out the projectfarm air filter test... I used to use K&N too, but switched back to stock for engine longevity sake. Post a pic of that turquoise gem!
@@iansmith1901 I have heard the K&N perhaps doesn't filter as well. I have only put 40K on the motor in 20 years, and it was installed when I bought the motor from the wrecked '94 turbo. ! I'll check it out! Would love to post a picture, but don't see where you can here. I didn't mention it also has the trunk lid with '94 spoiler, and I bought the Kouki tail lights from Japan. Even the different power antenna. The body shop did a great job putting all together with a beautiful paint job (stock color, of course).
I had a 91 MR2 Turbo as my first car. Bought it with a blown engine. Ordered a short block from Toyota and had the head rebuilt and the thing ran like a beast on a stock turbo with some bolt on mods. Thing was so much fun to drive. Was hard to sell it.
the waterpump phillips head bolt is just a regular countersunk bolt. i replaced mine because it stripped and used one with an allen head. also the engine isn't backwards, it sits the same as it would in the gt4. the turbo is at the front.
Love me a distributor car. Something about setting ignition timing, installing the spark plug wire separator and routing them nicely is what most new cars missing
I concur. I used to own a 1991 MR2 Turbo. It was a fantastic car, and I miss it dearly, but boy was it a PITA to work on compared to other vehicles I've owned, and even currently own.
I once owned the previous body style of the MR2 and always wanted this model you are servicing, even knowing that it is impractical and difficult to work on. It’s such a great looking design and the high horsepower version is very capable at the race track.
Transmission shop I worked in (1991) got one of those in with no top and with the transmission literally in 5 gallon buckets, on the floors, full of water! Flywheel was rusted on the passenger seat. Made me mad then, now I weep thinking about it. COOL CARS.
Those are some crazy taillamp covers and I've never seen them before. I have a 1993 Turbo with Zenki lights on it but I also own several sets of Koukis, if and when I decide to do the conversion. My Zenkis are custom because I had them refinished and had the amber turn signals switched to red and it looks awesome. I have several sets of Zenkis too. One set is clear lenses. It's crazy how you start collecting parts for these MR2s.
I just did this to 99 rav4 so I can really relate to this video. If I ever do it again I’m going to drop the engine. I like how he stated he just stopped working if he got frustrated. This was very good advice😊
I bought a 1988 Fiero Formula New, I had it 6 year and 135,000 miles. Drove the wheel off this puppy. Was my first new car and my favorite car ever! MR2's beware back then. 🙂
Nice classic. Another ruff one to work on was the early 80’s mid engine van with the leaned over 4 banger between the front seats. You had to unlatch the driver’s seat and lean it all the way back just to check the oil and coolant ( which no one hardly ever did). You had to lift the vehicle just to tune it up. Now you know how old of a tech I am. Fun times. 😂😂
I agree, a very difficult engine to work on. Another difficult job is replacing the fuel pump which is located in the fuel tank. Removing the fuel tank is a real challenge.
That is such a beautiful W20 car and IMHO the best body style of the series. The W30 body style was such a tragic mistake. Your attention to detail on this can be summed up in one word. Artistic. I really appreciate the way you treat your customers and their cars. Be safe and God bless.
I still remember back in the day when these MR2's came to our dealership, it was a very futuristic car! But not as futuristic as the Previa! I still loved the Mk1 MR2 which looked different to the US version....the rear spoiler really helped made that car.
I think it's so great how u appreciate Toyotas AND well taken care of ones. Your approach to leave engine in? Only a professional would handle. I wished u would tell us what oil/filter ppl use & how many miles they've changed. Beautiful car! Great camera work, Jose'. 👍
Excellent video! Love the sound of that engine! As someone who bought a 1987 Tercel (18 vacuum hoses) and drove it every day for 29 years, I’m pleasantly surprised that this MR2 didn’t have any VSV (vacuum switching valves) with membranes that have failed. There’s no NOS (new old stock) for those, so I had to resort to scavenging junk yard parts.
Missed so many more tips, what about oil pump seals? Oil leaking from head gasket? Water pump from Toyota with housing is ALOT MORE ! Hose from hell? And he’ll and back? Oil cooler orings and hoses? Oil level sensor oring?
Id like to add preserving these cars can be a task im glad the owner had a shop like yours. I recently bough a 95 grand marquis the hugher trim with 57k miles with the original dealer documents and maintenance. Its so nice but sometimes i feel bad driving it but someone has to enjoy it and why not me
I feel your pain. I've done many of these things,over the years. And yes I did drop the whole assembly. It was easier for me instead of monkeying around in the engine bay. I had the experience and equipment to do so. And yes. These things were a pain in the @$$.
I sold my celica alltrac with this same engine last year after 14 years of ownership… It was fun while I had it, I graduated to big V8 for simplicity now lol
AMD; I’ll suggest an idea for another video: maintenance for cars that has been sitting for long time. It will help us to those that we have a “vacation” / weekend car. Thank you always for sharing your expertise.
Man if this guy fixed jdm imports I would get my cars shipped to him without looking for any shops here in California, it’s a sprinter trueno with the 4age silvertop with only 30k miles .
For a second i thought you use mobile 1 oil filter i was like oh cool i use that until you said it was the one on it. Thats so crazy i commend you for not taking the easy route and preserving the car and being entrusted by the owner
I owned a few MR2's over the years. 91 NA, 93 & 95 Turbos. Timing belt and alternator R&R was brutal. Timing belts for maintenance and alternators due to failure on both MR2 Turbos.
My two favorite automotive TH-camrs both working on red 1991 MR2s on the same week. Strange coincidence. :) AMD working on a survivor MR2 with a US 3S-GTE. Sarah-N-Tuned working on her MR2 with a swapped-in JDM 3S-GTE(prior to her buying it) that she's heavily restored(it was non-running when she bought it).
Had a couple mk2 MR2's. Not the sweet 3SGTE engine but the 5SFE 2.2 NA 4 cyl. Still a very fun car. I wouldn't want to work on the 3S engine. Kudos to Car care nut for getting this awesome car in to work on. Timeless car.
Had a 1986 two tone (Dark Jade Metallic / Light Beige) AW11 and a 1993 Steel Mist Grey SW20. Brings back a lot of good memories. The owner chose the right place for the job. Great car!
brings back memories of my 1986 MR2. Bought it new in 86 at the ripe age of 22. first manual transmission and it was a blast to drive. kept it for 7 years, only changed the oil every 3k miles and that’s it ever needed. never had to change the brake rotors or pads since i always downshifted and engine braked. should’ve stuck with toyota since 1993 ! best reliability. my current daily is a 2002 Lexus ES300 w 182k miles in excellent condition.
I love the MR2. I see one regularly in my neighborhood when I walk my dog. Unfortunately, being 6'4", I don't fit behind the steering wheel, nor can I actuate the clutch.
No surprise to me, I have 2 tidy, low miles & mostly original 3S-GTE 1990 SW20's .. brilliant cars to drive.. yeah, tricky to work on, but even harder to work on is the ST185 & 205 4WD Celica.. I sold my 205 for that reason, years later I'm still working on the 185 engine rebuild..
Ahmed I’ve loved your program since you started in your home garage and you do a great job. Someone else who does a great job is Jose. I’ve been a television cameraman for many, many years and Jose has got what it takes.
Such a beautiful car! I’d love to have an MR2 with 50k miles lol my 21’ 4Runner TRD ORP has almost 52k miles on her now. Glad to see the owner is preserving her! God bless~
AMD You put out fantastic videos and on this one you really went above and beyond , to show us the originality of this MR2 . What I love about this the is this customer is trusting you to keep everything original and that is where everything matters you didn't just rush into this job , you took your time ( along with Jose ) and you did it right , I think this considered A restoration project for you and that's truly what it looks like and I think that's the best part of this video .
My brother and i worked on a 2nd gen mr2 when i was a teenager still because a friend blew it up with too much boost. Ended up going with a full engine build and its much simpler now and makes 550whp.
Your videos are great, if I lived closer I would definitely want to get service at your shop. Would it be easier just to pull the engine on a car like this?
I've done this job with the engine in (twice) and the next time the engine is getting dropped as I think it will be easier (yes, I've dropped and installed a 3S-GTE in an MR2 before). I hope you have a copy of the factory manual (BGB) that shows a mechanic with 3 hands when you are installing the tensioner 😆
This was the first engine I ever overhauled and just doing belts and stuff is a nightmare for large hands. Sealed well, they dont budge. Using a shit tonne of grinding paste tends to make removing the screws easier.
Wow, as clean as my '93 MR-2 Turbo with 32k miles. Had her since new. Had the engine dropped in '20 for first timing belt replacement, all seals, "hose from Hell" behind the Turbo, etc. The timing belt still looked pristine. Fortunately the mechanic who worked on mine also owned an MR-2 and had done the work previously on his. I was stressing for years about who would do the work - First World problems. Annoying thing was the lower fuel pipe had rusted and is no longer available from Toyota. Mechanic added stainless steel pipe to reach the injector rail.
I bought a really nice 1991 turbo Mr2 back in 2008 for like 2k fixed a couple of issues but after working on it I decided I didn’t want it and sold it. Fun little car but yes a PITA to work on.
I’m so happy to see an MR2 on this channel! It’s my absolute dream car, and having a real true professional talk about it is so much better than some random backyard TH-camr with the background music way too loud. I do have a question though, would you say the AW11 is easier to work on than the SW20? I’d love to have a first gen at some point in my life, but the lack of room to work on it does scare me
I had the serpentine belt replaced on my 2002 celica gts. It was like 18 years old and I was hearing a noise. So I had the dealership replace it. Noise went away. Car only had 40k miles on it when it got done
Would love to see a video from you on the Toyota/Lexus 3.4 V6 twin turbo and your thoughts on the main bearing issues I’ve heard it’s having. From the alleged plugged oil tube to the possible design flaw of the so called ladder to hold the main bearings down. Your Thoughts would be very welcome on this V35A-FTS engine.
Besides having a De Tomaso Pantera enter the shop for state inspection one day, I clearly recall doing some problem solving and maintenance on an MR2 once and I initially thought that the "Problem" was that the whole Engine was "missing" when I could not at first find it at either of the two compartments at the far ends of the car. It looked like a smaller "Back to the Future" De Lorean engine squeezed into the center back there (after I did finally find the hood latch). That was my first and only MR2 experience as an "F.N.G." mechanic apprentice on Long Island in 1999. The senior well experienced mechanics could not immediately find the Engine either btw, "Good times."
At this time back, I worked for a Toyota dealer with this beautyfull cars❤...similar engine into ST165 Carlos Sainz edition...that was a great big time remember 🤩
I once had a student that had one of those. Bad part was he abused it by doing that crazy drifting stuff. It ran great, in spite of how it was treated.
Best is just to lower the complete subframe and engine, replace all that is old or prone to wear due to age and/or mileage. Looks like gen 2 engine, some of those had problems with the piston rings, my engine started to throw oil into the combustion chamber when hitting boost, replaced them, checked the walls and patterns which were perfect.
I had a 1986 MKI MR2. Changing the alternator in that thing was an absolute nightmare. It took me over an hour just to line up the mounting bolt for the alternator. I should have paid someone to do it.
I remember pulling out the engine from a 1987 MR2 version W2. I was at Hahn AB Germany at the time and my neighbor had completely disassembled everything so we could pull out the long block and load it into my 1988 Ford Ranger. He was an F-16 F100-PW-200 jet engine mechanic. I don't think difficult access was the issue, more like red line RPM damage.
I do like the second generation MR2. I wouldn't mind owning one and I would be perfectly happy with one that wasn't turbocharged. The bad thing I've heard said is like in this video they can be a bear to work on. I've heard some mechanics say that you probably are better off pulling the engine when you need major work and just replacing everything at that point.
Entertaining video I’m never going to have an MRII car but it’s a fascinating look at the past and how far the current technology is ahead of this. Rotors and distributor caps vacuum switches difficult bolts and Japanese cross point screw heads not Phillips head. It’s very strange that early model T engines had spark plugs and copper cables with no distributor and new technology cars have no distributor and each spark plug has its own coil. But in between the rotor points and distributor cap was the best design.
ive had a usdm 1991 mr2 since 2011 it is a difficult service to do a timing belt i found you have to do half and half to get the top and the bottom and that bracket is changed later to not have that huge arm. and i didnt have to take the intercool3r out to get the timing belt off just intercooler piping. geat video though
Beautiful new space in your shop, a bit of an echo. Is sound dampening material too flammable to put on the ceiling or on 1 or 2 walls? I'd be willing to pitch in some money towards that project. Love your channel, may the lord bless you and keep you.
Most Toyota techs today don’t know what a MR2 is let alone have the experience of working on it. Ahmed you are truly one of a kind.
Maybe they think you're talking about a new "virus"?
I had two, wrote off the first one in rain accident. Great value sports car.
I got a sider manual and never had to work on it , only downside is that it's damn near unrivaled on the snow
He didn't even do any work, yet I kept watching until the end.
Great videos!
Ahmed....you are without a doubt, the most knowledgeable Toyota mechanic I've ever known of. If my 2017 Tacoma (22k miles) ever needs something major, I'm there from Ohio. Love your videos!
This gem of a Mechanic's name is Ahmed? What is his background? Is he Arab? God bless good honest mechanics
No. He's from Spain, pretending to be of Middle Eastern descent.
On the weekends he fights bulls just for fun.
¡Ole!
@@AB-dr8wqno, he is African
He’s good but there are many other great Toyota mechanics
@@egx161 smart guy over here 🤡
The Car Care Nut (Mr. Ahmed) is undoubtedly the most underrated mechanic ever. It is pretty crazy to grasp your massive amount of knowledge
Without a doubt THE most organized mechanic that I have ever seen.👍👍
Survivor is putting it mildly, that thing an amazing time capsule. So many of those got hacked (ahem, rather tuned) and wrecked it's nice to see one looking so good. Shame there're such a pain to work on.
The reason that cross point screw is destroyed is because someone used the wrong driver to try and remove it. It is not a Phillips head, it's a J.I.S. head and a Phillips driver will just destroy them. Take it from a long time Japanese motorcycle mechanic as I ran across this same issue hundreds of times on japanese motorcycles. You need to get Vessel brand driver's and bits to remove and install these fasteners without destroying them. No Snap On or any other American tool companies do not make J.I.S. drivers.
Mr2 one of the greatest unknown cars out there, Ive worked on alot of cars and the quality toyota afforded this car for its price is second to none.
An affordable mid engine car, pretty damn cool
It is high quality, unfortunately the low price of the car is reflected from the R&D they put into it
Love this video! I have a pretty similar, well-preserved MR2. 1993 with a 1994 3SGTE motor, transmission, front brakes. Only 82K on the motor, and all original except for a K&N filter. Completely rust-free, and always been in the South. Owned for 22 years now, and just drove it yesterday. It is a sweet ride, in great shape, and not modified. Turquoise, which was only used on the 1993. I did have the timing belt, seals, belts, and water pump replaced two years ago and they did drop the engine. Fortunately, it all worked out. Still original spark plug wires and struts, but works great. I’m excited to see the next video! Thanks so much!
Check out the projectfarm air filter test... I used to use K&N too, but switched back to stock for engine longevity sake. Post a pic of that turquoise gem!
@@iansmith1901 I have heard the K&N perhaps doesn't filter as well. I have only put 40K on the motor in 20 years, and it was installed when I bought the motor from the wrecked '94 turbo. ! I'll check it out! Would love to post a picture, but don't see where you can here. I didn't mention it also has the trunk lid with '94 spoiler, and I bought the Kouki tail lights from Japan. Even the different power antenna. The body shop did a great job putting all together with a beautiful paint job (stock color, of course).
I had a 91 MR2 Turbo as my first car. Bought it with a blown engine. Ordered a short block from Toyota and had the head rebuilt and the thing ran like a beast on a stock turbo with some bolt on mods. Thing was so much fun to drive. Was hard to sell it.
the waterpump phillips head bolt is just a regular countersunk bolt. i replaced mine because it stripped and used one with an allen head.
also the engine isn't backwards, it sits the same as it would in the gt4. the turbo is at the front.
Sarah N Tuned's channel walks you through the whole MR2. Hers is super clean.
She's amazing, I followed her build on the Mr2 from basket case. She's still upgrading
Be respectful. Don’t name drop and advertise other channels.
I like how Ahmed describes the SPECIALNESS OF WORKING on a great classic in the context of a great mechanic with a great shop.
Love me a distributor car. Something about setting ignition timing, installing the spark plug wire separator and routing them nicely is what most new cars missing
I concur. I used to own a 1991 MR2 Turbo. It was a fantastic car, and I miss it dearly, but boy was it a PITA to work on compared to other vehicles I've owned, and even currently own.
I once owned the previous body style of the MR2 and always wanted this model you are servicing, even knowing that it is impractical and difficult to work on. It’s such a great looking design and the high horsepower version is very capable at the race track.
Transmission shop I worked in (1991) got one of those in with no top and with the transmission literally in 5 gallon buckets, on the floors, full of water! Flywheel was rusted on the passenger seat. Made me mad then, now I weep thinking about it. COOL CARS.
Those are some crazy taillamp covers and I've never seen them before. I have a 1993 Turbo with Zenki lights on it but I also own several sets of Koukis, if and when I decide to do the conversion. My Zenkis are custom because I had them refinished and had the amber turn signals switched to red and it looks awesome. I have several sets of Zenkis too. One set is clear lenses. It's crazy how you start collecting parts for these MR2s.
I just did this to 99 rav4 so I can really relate to this video. If I ever do it again I’m going to drop the engine. I like how he stated he just stopped working if he got frustrated. This was very good advice😊
I bought a 1988 Fiero Formula New, I had it 6 year and 135,000 miles. Drove the wheel off this puppy. Was my first new car and my favorite car ever! MR2's beware back then. 🙂
Nice classic. Another ruff one to work on was the early 80’s mid engine van with the leaned over 4 banger between the front seats. You had to unlatch the driver’s seat and lean it all the way back just to check the oil and coolant ( which no one hardly ever did). You had to lift the vehicle just to tune it up. Now you know how old of a tech I am. Fun times. 😂😂
I agree, a very difficult engine to work on. Another difficult job is replacing the fuel pump which is located in the fuel tank. Removing the fuel tank is a real challenge.
I wish one day I can get you to work on my all white 2000 Lexus GS400 you’re the best 👍
That is such a beautiful W20 car and IMHO the best body style of the series. The W30 body style was such a tragic mistake. Your attention to detail on this can be summed up in one word. Artistic. I really appreciate the way you treat your customers and their cars. Be safe and God bless.
I still remember back in the day when these MR2's came to our dealership, it was a very futuristic car! But not as futuristic as the Previa! I still loved the Mk1 MR2 which looked different to the US version....the rear spoiler really helped made that car.
Extremely rare find especially in Chicagoland. I used to work on mid 90's cars in the 2000's up there and every thing would break due to rust.
I think it's so great how u appreciate Toyotas AND well taken care of ones. Your approach to leave engine in? Only a professional would handle. I wished u would tell us what oil/filter ppl use & how many miles they've changed. Beautiful car! Great camera work, Jose'. 👍
Excellent video! Love the sound of that engine!
As someone who bought a 1987 Tercel (18 vacuum hoses) and drove it every day for 29 years, I’m pleasantly surprised that this MR2 didn’t have any VSV (vacuum switching valves) with membranes that have failed. There’s no NOS (new old stock) for those, so I had to resort to scavenging junk yard parts.
Missed so many more tips, what about oil pump seals?
Oil leaking from head gasket?
Water pump from Toyota with housing is ALOT MORE !
Hose from hell? And he’ll and back? Oil cooler orings and hoses?
Oil level sensor oring?
Id like to add preserving these cars can be a task im glad the owner had a shop like yours. I recently bough a 95 grand marquis the hugher trim with 57k miles with the original dealer documents and maintenance. Its so nice but sometimes i feel bad driving it but someone has to enjoy it and why not me
U bring memories, my last car in PR 🇵🇷 in 1976 was a Toyota Celica GT , I rebuilt the engine with new 4 pistons sold to come to US🇺🇸 👍
I feel your pain. I've done many of these things,over the years. And yes I did drop the whole assembly. It was easier for me instead of monkeying around in the engine bay. I had the experience and equipment to do so. And yes. These things were a pain in the @$$.
I sold my celica alltrac with this same engine last year after 14 years of ownership… It was fun while I had it, I graduated to big V8 for simplicity now lol
AMD; I’ll suggest an idea for another video: maintenance for cars that has been sitting for long time. It will help us to those that we have a “vacation” / weekend car. Thank you always for sharing your expertise.
I second this!
Man if this guy fixed jdm imports I would get my cars shipped to him without looking for any shops here in California, it’s a sprinter trueno with the 4age silvertop with only 30k miles .
Awesome to see a sw20! Ive been keeping an eye out for one i can fix up. Coolest mid engine 90’s jdm car only behind the nsx
For a second i thought you use mobile 1 oil filter i was like oh cool i use that until you said it was the one on it. Thats so crazy i commend you for not taking the easy route and preserving the car and being entrusted by the owner
What a beautiful classic Toyota MR 2. No challenge is too big for AMD. Thank you for your patience in working on a old classic.
I owned a few MR2's over the years. 91 NA, 93 & 95 Turbos. Timing belt and alternator R&R was brutal. Timing belts for maintenance and alternators due to failure on both MR2 Turbos.
Alternator is easy. But timing belt... I swore to never buy a Toyota again.
2017 Tundra, supercharged 5.7, 145k miles with no significant issues so far.
Woohoo another CCN video, makes my day every time!!!!
My two favorite automotive TH-camrs both working on red 1991 MR2s on the same week. Strange coincidence. :)
AMD working on a survivor MR2 with a US 3S-GTE.
Sarah-N-Tuned working on her MR2 with a swapped-in JDM 3S-GTE(prior to her buying it) that she's heavily restored(it was non-running when she bought it).
When he called it "Mister Two" my first thought was...any relation to "Mister Dos"? lol
Had a couple mk2 MR2's. Not the sweet 3SGTE engine but the 5SFE 2.2 NA 4 cyl. Still a very fun car. I wouldn't want to work on the 3S engine. Kudos to Car care nut for getting this awesome car in to work on. Timeless car.
Had a 1986 two tone (Dark Jade Metallic / Light Beige) AW11 and a 1993 Steel Mist Grey SW20. Brings back a lot of good memories. The owner chose the right place for the job. Great car!
Respect to you brother. Honest and professional master mechanic.
I remember doing one of these maybe 20 years ago....250,000 mile car...guy had zero problems with car..
brings back memories of my 1986 MR2. Bought it new in 86 at the ripe age of 22. first manual transmission and it was a blast to drive. kept it for 7 years, only changed the oil every 3k miles and that’s it ever needed. never had to change the brake rotors or pads since i always downshifted and engine braked. should’ve stuck with toyota since 1993 ! best reliability. my current daily is a 2002 Lexus ES300 w 182k miles in excellent condition.
I love the MR2. I see one regularly in my neighborhood when I walk my dog. Unfortunately, being 6'4", I don't fit behind the steering wheel, nor can I actuate the clutch.
My dear AMD. No one else would TOUCH thus car❤️
No surprise to me, I have 2 tidy, low miles & mostly original 3S-GTE 1990 SW20's .. brilliant cars to drive.. yeah, tricky to work on, but even harder to work on is the ST185 & 205 4WD Celica.. I sold my 205 for that reason, years later I'm still working on the 185 engine rebuild..
Ahmed I’ve loved your program since you started in your home garage and you do a great job. Someone else who does a great job is Jose. I’ve been a television cameraman for many, many years and Jose has got what it takes.
Such a beautiful car! I’d love to have an MR2 with 50k miles lol my 21’ 4Runner TRD ORP has almost 52k miles on her now. Glad to see the owner is preserving her!
God bless~
AMD You put out fantastic videos and on this one you really went above and beyond , to show us the originality of this MR2 .
What I love about this the is this customer is trusting you to keep everything original and that is where everything matters you didn't just rush into this job , you took your time ( along with Jose ) and you did it right , I think this considered A restoration project for you and that's truly what it looks like and I think that's the best part of this video .
My brother and i worked on a 2nd gen mr2 when i was a teenager still because a friend blew it up with too much boost. Ended up going with a full engine build and its much simpler now and makes 550whp.
Ahmed is the go to guy when it comes to Toyotas. Please do a 2ZZ GE strip down.
I had 2 mr2s an 1986 and an 1988 one na and one supercharged they were my first cars and I miss them so much😭❤️
Beautiful example of a survivor. I would’ve loved to seen the exterior as well.
Your videos are great, if I lived closer I would definitely want to get service at your shop. Would it be easier just to pull the engine on a car like this?
I've done this job with the engine in (twice) and the next time the engine is getting dropped as I think it will be easier (yes, I've dropped and installed a 3S-GTE in an MR2 before). I hope you have a copy of the factory manual (BGB) that shows a mechanic with 3 hands when you are installing the tensioner 😆
Ah the good old widowmaker MR2 GT. So many of these have spun off the road with a bit of extra boost
This was the first engine I ever overhauled and just doing belts and stuff is a nightmare for large hands. Sealed well, they dont budge. Using a shit tonne of grinding paste tends to make removing the screws easier.
Wow, as clean as my '93 MR-2 Turbo with 32k miles. Had her since new. Had the engine dropped in '20 for first timing belt replacement, all seals, "hose from Hell" behind the Turbo, etc. The timing belt still looked pristine. Fortunately the mechanic who worked on mine also owned an MR-2 and had done the work previously on his. I was stressing for years about who would do the work - First World problems. Annoying thing was the lower fuel pipe had rusted and is no longer available from Toyota. Mechanic added stainless steel pipe to reach the injector rail.
I bought a really nice 1991 turbo Mr2 back in 2008 for like 2k fixed a couple of issues but after working on it I decided I didn’t want it and sold it. Fun little car but yes a PITA to work on.
I love my sw20
I’m so happy to see an MR2 on this channel! It’s my absolute dream car, and having a real true professional talk about it is so much better than some random backyard TH-camr with the background music way too loud. I do have a question though, would you say the AW11 is easier to work on than the SW20? I’d love to have a first gen at some point in my life, but the lack of room to work on it does scare me
I had the serpentine belt replaced on my 2002 celica gts. It was like 18 years old and I was hearing a noise. So I had the dealership replace it. Noise went away. Car only had 40k miles on it when it got done
Unbelievable..! That engine looks just like new. ! A true survivor ! Thanks again for another great informative video.
Would love to see a video from you on the Toyota/Lexus 3.4 V6 twin turbo and your thoughts on the main bearing issues I’ve heard it’s having. From the alleged plugged oil tube to the possible design flaw of the so called ladder to hold the main bearings down. Your Thoughts would be very welcome on this V35A-FTS engine.
That looked like a Mobile 1 oil filter "Aftermarket"😯 lol
I used to grind off the A/C from AC Delco thermostat housings when I worked at the aluminum casting plant when they would ship to other sellers
Besides having a De Tomaso Pantera enter the shop for state inspection one day, I clearly recall doing some problem solving and maintenance on an MR2 once and I initially thought that the "Problem" was that the whole Engine was "missing" when I could not at first find it at either of the two compartments at the far ends of the car. It looked like a smaller "Back to the Future" De Lorean engine squeezed into the center back there (after I did finally find the hood latch). That was my first and only MR2 experience as an "F.N.G." mechanic apprentice on Long Island in 1999. The senior well experienced mechanics could not immediately find the Engine either btw, "Good times."
Love this car
At this time back, I worked for a Toyota dealer with this beautyfull cars❤...similar engine into ST165 Carlos Sainz edition...that was a great big time remember 🤩
the AW11 was pretty easy to work on without dropping the engine. Best car I ever owned. So much fun.
Reminds me of my Toyota Celica when the water pump went out. Had to take all kind of stuff off to get to it.
It's being a lot more time while seeing you working on car by yourself. It was really cool while working on car.
I once had a student that had one of those. Bad part was he abused it by doing that crazy drifting stuff. It ran great, in spite of how it was treated.
Used it as intended
Best is just to lower the complete subframe and engine, replace all that is old or prone to wear due to age and/or mileage.
Looks like gen 2 engine, some of those had problems with the piston rings, my engine started to throw oil into the combustion chamber when hitting boost, replaced them, checked the walls and patterns which were perfect.
I had a '93 turbo for 10 years. Great car, but yes not the easiest to work on!
No challenge too big for Amd!!
I had a 1986 MKI MR2. Changing the alternator in that thing was an absolute nightmare. It took me over an hour just to line up the mounting bolt for the alternator. I should have paid someone to do it.
If anyone can do a proper job on this engine it is AMD. You are the best Toyota Technician out there. From Australia 🇦🇺 👍👍👍👍
I love the historical/vintage care videos.
I had both the n/a and the turbo. I loved them both, but preferred the n/a. Wish I had one again!
That is why I just sold my mr2 versus fixing it. It just ain't worth the headache trying to fight it.
I once bought an Aisin part that had their logo ground off instead of Toyota 😂
Maybe that’s why a lot of guys put Honda k series engines in these,that and the aftermarket support that’s out there for them.
That supra looks freaking sweet in the back. Mr. 2 is looking great too in that red
I had one in an alltrac, I agree, it's horrible and so was the awd transmission to remove
Ah yes, the MR2 gen 1, a pain to work on. I also had a Porsche 914 and a Fiat X19. I finally learned my lesson.
I think it's a Gen 2. Certainly in the UK market.
This is gen2 everywhere..
I remember pulling out the engine from a 1987 MR2 version W2. I was at Hahn AB Germany at the time and my neighbor had completely disassembled everything so we could pull out the long block and load it into my 1988 Ford Ranger. He was an F-16 F100-PW-200 jet engine mechanic. I don't think difficult access was the issue, more like red line RPM damage.
I do like the second generation MR2. I wouldn't mind owning one and I would be perfectly happy with one that wasn't turbocharged. The bad thing I've heard said is like in this video they can be a bear to work on. I've heard some mechanics say that you probably are better off pulling the engine when you need major work and just replacing everything at that point.
Entertaining video I’m never going to have an MRII car but it’s a fascinating look at the past and how far the current technology is ahead of this.
Rotors and distributor caps vacuum switches difficult bolts and Japanese cross point screw heads not Phillips head. It’s very strange that early model T engines had spark plugs and copper cables with no distributor and new technology cars have no distributor and each spark plug has its own coil. But in between the rotor points and distributor cap was the best design.
ive had a usdm 1991 mr2 since 2011 it is a difficult service to do a timing belt i found you have to do half and half to get the top and the bottom and that bracket is changed later to not have that huge arm. and i didnt have to take the intercool3r out to get the timing belt off just intercooler piping. geat video though
Another great video Ahmed, you are truly doctor for car repairs and passion you are doing it is unmatched.
When the MR2 came out in the 90’s, it was on my want list! But I didn’t need it!
?The first series came out in 1985. It looked like Toyota's version of a Fiat X1/9.
That dreaded water pump phillips bolt is brings me back memories 😮💨 it's conical by the way.
Beautiful new space in your shop, a bit of an echo. Is sound dampening material too flammable to put on the ceiling or on 1 or 2 walls? I'd be willing to pitch in some money towards that project. Love your channel, may the lord bless you and keep you.
I've seen a prybar and various other tools get tossed across the shop out of frustration.
Actually the water pump bolt after you remove it, you can replace it with a 10mm bolt. I did it with my 1998 rav 4.