86 Mr2

[motu 56]

I am thinking about buying my first MR2. What should I look for on an 86 MR2?
Are the clutches expensive to replace? What about the timing belt? Thanks?

[toyotanos]

The timing belts are not too bad, just finicky. You have to remove the rear wheel and support the engine with a jack. Then you have to have small hands to reach in between the body and engine. I speak from an 89 supercharged car perspective, I owned and worked on it. The clutch on these MR2s suck. The coolant thermostat and hoses aere anchored on the tranny, and there are very few ways to lift the car high enough to work under it comfortably. If you have a lift or access to one, then its way easier. Things to look for would be for the power windows to work, the rust progression on the fenders, rears go bad first, also, I had my speedo cable break, and that was a nasty slice of hell. Just make sure everything works on your test-drive.

[lee_marvin]

I am also planning on getting an '86 MR2. I have driven a few now. Some of the problems I have encountered are: coming out of gear in 5th (up hills), lots of electrical problems (headlights remain on, alternator problems), idling issues (when the car warms up) and overheating.There are obviously going to be some problems with a car this old. Most of the former are the "more serious" issues, that involve things like "re-building" and "replacing". It can be tricky in a mid-engine car. My biggest concern(s) at this point is a straight frame, and a decent body. I have looked at a few body kits, and if the rear quarters aren't bad, you can cover them up (no bondo required).

I'm not sure about the engine re-build, as I have never done one. I figured a non-fuel injected '86 Toyota 1600 is a good place to start, as opposed to the turbos. I like the fact that you can basically pull the engine out from under the car. Works better in my garage with low overhead. When you buy a car like this, I think you have to seriously re-consider re-building the engine. It is almost as old as me

On a random note, I just found a nice '86 that a guy simply wants to get rid of. He already has a new car, and his old deuce has a broken alternator bracket, and a bunch of phantom wiring issues. I think I can probably drive it away for $1000. Wish me luck tomorrow.

[toyotanos]

Yeah, I forgot about that. The 85-86 MR2's had the c52 transmission, and it had a habit of popping out of 5th gear. The 87-89 twos had the E-51, which was stronger. As for a rebuild, you have to drop the engine out the bottom, as far as I know. Helped replace an 87 engine that blew, but we had a lift. Either way, good luck to both of you. These cars are a blast.

[toyotaspeed90]

Originally Posted by toyotanos

Yeah, I forgot about that. The 85-86 MR2's had the c52 transmission, and it had a habit of popping out of 5th gear. The 87-89 twos had the E-51, which was stronger. As for a rebuild, you have to drop the engine out the bottom, as far as I know. Helped replace an 87 engine that blew, but we had a lift. Either way, good luck to both of you. These cars are a blast.

e51 was only in the s/c cars.....

***edits.... guess I should read more of your post that requires fixing***

the motor alone will come out the top w/o the manifolds.... however, you should easily be able to get the car from a running standpoint to having the motor & trans out in about 3 hours if you have a lift..... all that's required is to disconnect the wiring from the ecu & push it out the firewall, disconnect the 2 rad hoses from the engine & the 2 oil cooler lines (not including a/c stuff...)... pull the axles then drop it out.... I've personally done it in about 2 hours on my own....


the earlier mr2's came with the c50's... and at some point in 87 they switched to the c52's....

the E51 came only with the 4agze cars..... they use all different parts (starter, clutch, flywheel, pressure plate, t/o bearing, clutch fork, axles....) and are about 2 times as heavy....

[toyotaspeed90]

Originally Posted by lee_marvin

I am also planning on getting an '86 MR2. I have driven a few now. Some of the problems I have encountered are: coming out of gear in 5th (up hills), lots of electrical problems (headlights remain on, alternator problems), idling issues (when the car warms up) and overheating.There are obviously going to be some problems with a car this old. Most of the former are the "more serious" issues, that involve things like "re-building" and "replacing". It can be tricky in a mid-engine car. My biggest concern(s) at this point is a straight frame, and a decent body. I have looked at a few body kits, and if the rear quarters aren't bad, you can cover them up (no bondo required).

headlights remaining on (if you are talking about the auto-off feature not working) would be caused by the relay for that and the key buzzer being unplugged.... very common.

alternator problems are either a bad ground, a bad alt, or a loose belt....

cooling issues..... the idle issue is related to coolant.... could be a bhg or just someone changing coolant who doesn't know these cars....

I'm not sure about the engine re-build, as I have never done one. I figured a non-fuel injected '86 Toyota 1600 is a good place to start, as opposed to the turbos. I like the fact that you can basically pull the engine out from under the car. Works better in my garage with low overhead. When you buy a car like this, I think you have to seriously re-consider re-building the engine. It is almost as old as me

all mr2's are fuel injected..... (at least in the US)... these engines go for a very long time... leaking/burning oil and they'll still run.... just watch out for the ever-elusive #3 rod knock...

On a random note, I just found a nice '86 that a guy simply wants to get rid of. He already has a new car, and his old deuce has a broken alternator bracket, and a bunch of phantom wiring issues. I think I can probably drive it away for $1000. Wish me luck tomorrow.

i would be concerned how an alternator bracket would break..... the upper is made of steel and bolted to the aluminum head (hint, aluminum is much weaker), and the lower is cast iron, just like the block.....