Buying A Toyota MR2 in 2022? Here are its MOST COMMON PROBLEMS
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- Опубликовано: 9 июл 2024
- The Toyota MR2 is a 2 seater, rear-wheel drive, mid engined sports car that was manufactured by Toyota in the late 80's and 90's. It was one of the most legendary Japanese sports cars to ever come out of Japan.
It was one of the Toyota Triplets (MR2, Celica, Supra) and it featured a design that was considered futuristic during its time.
Many car enthusiasts choose the Toyota MR2 as their project car because of the vast aftermarket support it has. It was truly a popular car.
But as popular as it is, it's far from perfect. It had a few issues that you'd need to think about when buying one. One issue drivers had with the MR2 was the infamous snap oversteer. It would catch even professional drivers off guard and end up spinning out.
But, if you are thinking of buying a used SW20 Toyota MR2, what are the common issues you would need to think about? what are the common problems you may face by owning one? In this video, we go through the top common problems the Toyota MR2 has.
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Here are some lessons I learned:
Front sway bar mounting points on the frame are weak- get some reinforcement plates. It will crack your frame, especially using modified suspension.
You will also benefit greatly from learning suspension setup. Get and keep the best tires you can afford on yours, get roll center adjusters if you lower it.
The snap oversteer thing is a result of a combination of suspension geometry/design, weight distribution, and skill issue. The rear end of these cars is pretty much the same as a 911. Brake before the corner!!!
These cars are old now. Get ready to replace virtually all rubber parts. Some of these might be a big deal if you can't make some parts yourself.
Engine rubber seals will leak like the oil pump o-ring and valve cover.
The valve cover leaks into the spark plug tubes or out onto the intake manifold. Luckily the angle of the engine lean is opposite to BMWs where they leak onto the exhaust lol
It's true what he says about the distributor o-ring leak and externally they drip down the same path as the valve cover leak. They can also leak internally too, however. In that case it may be best to buy a new (Chinese) distributor for Camry/Celica.
Also check all fuel related hoses. Here you might have to make your own or refurbish the ones you have. I'm pretty sure they are made out of some kind of silicone plastic material so they last longer than most of the other rubbers on the car but still consider them. They are probably not available new as of 2023. I used AC hose ferrules with E10 (California Ethanol blended gasoline) compatible hose.
Also check your power steering rubber hoses for cracks and damage. That hose ferrule crimper can also be used here.
Also verify that your axle boots aren't torn. Thankfully, recently, axles became available thanks to vendors in the community but they were rare for a few years. There is also a forum post out there that can get you "equal length" axles for SW21 which involves getting a ZZW30 right side axle and a Camry bracket.
I noticed that the vast majority of this video is about coolant leaks. Yeah, it's true. It was one of the first things I did, but it was incomplete. Only recently, after 5 years of searching, I got a heater valve from Japan new, thankfully it became available. Some of the heater hoses are still not available like the ones in the frunk.
Above list are some of the bigger items I needed to repair on top of frame damage. As you can see the real problem of MR2 ownership lies in the parts availability. This parts problem extends to a lot of other places, such as interior upholstery and body/frame pieces. I remember not being able to find a harmonic balancer before. I also want a new factory front and rear bumper set still. I hope I won't need to find half a car worth of sheet metal again.
It's not difficult to own and repair the MR2 in many ways, but expect to rebuild pretty much everything. Therein lies the fun in owning the MR2, but if you aren't patient or have the mechanical and manufacturing skills you will hate this car. It makes sense why people come up with aftermarket kits for these, because as you go along having to remake half the car from scratch you realize how you could make it better than stock.
edited with more info since I got a reply
edit 2: can't comment on rust problems since I live in California
Hey do you know any installation vids on the reinforcement plates? I'm looking and most are the swaybar themselves
@@positivity2550 Google "MR2 front sway bar reinforcement plates" for images and look for the triangluar plates with four holes in them in a L formation. They should be like $70-80 shipped, I think from mr2heaven. They are installed by taking off four bolts on left and right side after taking off the underpanel covering it
I can't see your replies to my comment but do you know any place I could contact you? I have an MR2 and you seem to know more than what google cares to give me after hours of searching...
i bought my mr2 just this past september, and if you're considering buying one, do it. the fun i've had in the little thing is unbeatable for the money.
How much did you pay? What mileage?
@@1mate2hip paid 19,600 for a 1990 with 60k miles, imported from japan with a 3sgte and a few rare trd options
I’m about to buy a car in a week, good thing you made this
Glad I helped brother!
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Did you buy one Nathaniel?
Great video!
I bought a 10th anniversary edition sw20 in september 2022, it has rust repairs done to it already, i will repaint it when it gets warm again and will get it running in summer🤘
Good buyers guide here, but swap to k20 as the first thing you recommend? Not exactly the easiest to do, remember that almost all Toyota engines from the 90s, all the V6's and even up to todays modern 2GR V6 fits in the bay with very little modifications compared to sticking a Honda in there, Toyota were just so easy they used the same mounting points and components on many cars!
Just wanted to point something out on gearboxes.
You can fix every single SW20 transmission by filling MT-90 from Redline :D
Had 4 of these cars, all were grinders in either third or fifth as they tend to be, especially in early models, they weren't after MT-90 ;)
Why? Cuz Toyota recommends GL-5, which is better than GL-4, but fun fact, GL-5 eats the brass syncros.
Also, if you build a "5S-GTE" Turbo motor, you're set for life, (5S block with 3S head) 2.2 STRONG block and tons of power ;)
I don't have any of these issues lol Bought a rust free NA MR2 and threw in a 2GRFE with a brand new E153 tranny. The MR2 will run forever.
very informative video :) cannot beat the mr2.. its such a fun reliable car :)
Glad you liked it!
As for "you can't beat it for the money " ... not true in the US right now. For mid-engine sports cars, the 1st and 2nd generation Porsche Boxsters and 1st gen Caymans are much cheaper than equivalent condition MR2s.
I’ve got rust on mine that I need to get fixed but they are amazing cars
I have a 1991 NA rust free and clean interior don’t like the blue interior but it clean. I’m doing a k24a2 already got the motor.
These are things to check for in any car
im scared to buy a 1993-1999 mr2 sw20 turbo now!!
i bought a 1990 celica gts.
let's say i was scammed, yet again, i got too excited and i didnt properly inspect it. the owners were also pretty dishonest tbh too.
anyways, so the engine bay is caked in oil, and she leaks steering fluid, probably engine oil, coolant, exhaust and maybe fuel too.
they messed with the header and removed one fan for the radiator, and disabled/removed the thermostat so that the other fan is always running.
the underside is a mess. it is soo rusty, but they added an *inside* floor, so water doesnt get in
ive had it for a week and a half now.. and..... i have no money nor the experience/knowledge on how to fix the car myself
help
That all seems fixable but you will need a lot of time and parts 🫠
Mr2 turbo owners know these infamous words: Hose from hell. Gotta drop the engine to replace a 25$ part. Yay. At least it doesn’t damage the engine when it goes.
Well, not immediately 😆 we must drive around with one eye on the temp gauge because of these things. The other potential issue with that hose is when taking off all the stuff to get to it, you might strip a thread or two, like one of the exhaust nuts/bolts 🫠
@@kalui96 no... immediately was a. trust me. SOO MUCH COOLANT. Looked like a steam engine with the smoke coming out the back.
You almost lost me at K-swap. 2GR is the swap. Otherwise factual and good overview.
2nd gen 3sgte got headgasket issues
Thanks for the info bud! :)
And when you do replace it, upgrade to a gen3 (multi layered steel) gasket.
do not forget the Strud bars Back and front .. about 30 cm long parts.. have to be canged against INOX bars.. most als completely gone; also the Fuel FIlter and holder are really bad metal
i have one
Change headline.. mk2 mr2.. cuz most of ur claims are not in mk1&3
This video should really be called the SW20 buyer’s guide. Not much on the AW11 or the ZZW30 which are also MR2’s.
Well made video but a bit miss leading in the title.