mr2 valve job?

[plaintacoma]

Hello all, I am a hopeless Toyota fanatic. I have a Tacoma and Camry and am now looking at a 1988 MR2 with a standard shift, 137k miles, to purchase. The good: Body in reasonable shape (for Ohio a real plus), interior good, new tires, clutch seems pretty good. The bad: Homeade exhaust back pipe, and an engine that has a distinct ticking sound which increases as the engine revs and does not go away. I'm thinking a valve job to get this baby on the road to recovery yet I'm not sure. Performance wise, it seems pretty good. Current owner is somewhat nonspecific on the car which he has owned for about 3 years. He does say it needs a timing belt. I believe I can purchase the car for around $2200.00. Any thoughts from the members, and if my worst case scenario is true, what am I looking at money wise for a valve job? I do not have the expertise to do this myself. Thanks in advance for your input

[MR2Jedi]

$1500.00 would be more like it.
I would check to see if that ticking noise might be an exhaust leak at the manifold.

[SuperchargedMR2]

$2200 for a car with a noise as you describe is too much.

[NoHonduhs]

My 88' has a corrolla gt-s eng. w/ who knows what tranny and 230,000 miles paid $1000 cash from a tow yard running and driving. But it all comes back to what your willing to spend.

[mr2tim]

Stand back and take a deep breath, yes, at 140K it's time for the belt $20-50, spring and tensioner wheel $20, (water pump $75 and front crankseal is usually done also), your contemplating a "required" cylinder head removal.(cyl head bolts aren't resusable!$50-70 and a TOYOTA OEM headgasket-$70-90)

Odds are if the speedometer cable isn't broke you could be looking at a clutch job since your rubber in the OEM clutch disc is 20 years old.

Approaching will be a alternator replacement.

On top of all this you should know this car does NOT storage well. If it has not been used on a regular basis all bearings should be inspected/maintained and all fluids changed no matter what..

If you do buy this car be aware it has a VERY complicated coolant bleeding procedure and should never ever be driven without proper coolant levels. (this car melts engines)

I'd offer $1K and go absolutely no higher than Jedi's reference.

BTW mid-engined cars are a freakin' blast to drive.

Happy Motoring!!

[plaintacoma]

Originally Posted by mr2tim

Stand back and take a deep breath, yes, at 140K it's time for the belt $20-50, spring and tensioner wheel $20, (water pump $75 and front crankseal is usually done also), your contemplating a "required" cylinder head removal.(cyl head bolts aren't resusable!$50-70 and a TOYOTA OEM headgasket-$70-90)

Odds are if the speedometer cable isn't broke you could be looking at a clutch job since your rubber in the OEM clutch disc is 20 years old.

Approaching will be a alternator replacement.

On top of all this you should know this car does NOT storage well. If it has not been used on a regular basis all bearings should be inspected/maintained and all fluids changed no matter what..

If you do buy this car be aware it has a VERY complicated coolant bleeding procedure and should never ever be driven without proper coolant levels. (this car melts engines)

I'd offer $1K and go absolutely no higher than Jedi's reference.

BTW mid-engined cars are a freakin' blast to drive.

Happy Motoring!!

[plaintacoma]

Thanks for the valuable info mr2tim and others. As it has turned out, the seller balked at going much lower than the 2200, so he may have sold it to someone else. I'm still on my quest, I have the fever now. You're right, after test driving this one, it was a blast! plaintacoma

[mr2tim]

If your still going to look for a mr2 don't discount looking for a great body and chassis and maybe a motor that needs replacement?

The American used engine market is flooded with JDM cast off engines. They are in general still a viable engine, with low mileages under 100,000 miles as a rule. (My racecar is 270,000 miles, same engine)

Swapping out engines is not out of the realm of most home mechanics and when compared to building an engine is actually cheaper in the long run.

Beware of the manual trannys in the 85-86 years as they were defectively engineered with a bad 5th gear which was corrected with the 87-89 era transmissions (C-52's).

I knew you'd be impressed with your Mid-engined test ride. Remember most of the Ferrari's have mid-engined setups, so you know it's a winner.

mr2tim
SupercharZed ToyZ RacZing
A Toyota Race Team since 1986

Originally Posted by plaintacoma

Thanks for the valuable info mr2tim and others. As it has turned out, the seller balked at going much lower than the 2200, so he may have sold it to someone else. I'm still on my quest, I have the fever now. You're right, after test driving this one, it was a blast! plaintacoma

[plaintacoma]

Originally Posted by mr2tim

If your still going to look for a mr2 don't discount looking for a great body and chassis and maybe a motor that needs replacement?

The American used engine market is flooded with JDM cast off engines. They are in general still a viable engine, with low mileages under 100,000 miles as a rule. (My racecar is 270,000 miles, same engine)

Swapping out engines is not out of the realm of most home mechanics and when compared to building an engine is actually cheaper in the long run.

Beware of the manual trannys in the 85-86 years as they were defectively engineered with a bad 5th gear which was corrected with the 87-89 era transmissions (C-52's).

I knew you'd be impressed with your Mid-engined test ride. Remember most of the Ferrari's have mid-engined setups, so you know it's a winner.

mr2tim
SupercharZed ToyZ RacZing
A Toyota Race Team since 1986

[plaintacoma]

That is an option I hadn't really thought of. Like you said, it could wind up costing less money to replace the whole thing, than dealing with what I would have to begin with. I will keep that in mind in my search. Thanks again for all the good advice. plaintacoma