mr2 turbos a nightmare to work on?

[Mr2_NA]

Has he tried changing the spark plugs on a Subaru...?

+1

[matt_mr2t]

Good point, dont they face the inner wheel arches being a flat four?
Or is the engine transverse so they're agains the bulk head and the rad?

When I look at a Scooby engine bay it just looks a complete mess to me.

[Marf]

Good point, dont they face the inner wheel arches being a flat four?

Yep, awkward doesnt cover it!

A friend of mine has had 4 scoobies the past couple of years, classics and new age, he just drops the engine to do any work on his, he's got it down to a fine art

[redmr89]

im going to disagree here guys. the mid mount layout makes it more difficult to work on.
for starters on front engined you can lean over the engine from front and both sides. only from the sides on mr2

its seams quite a small bay on mr2 compared to most 2ltr cars ive owned in the past.

saying that tho. ive owned mine for over 7 years now, and the problems its had are mostly my cause..

ie.. clutch needed changing... i launch it hard sometimes.
engine rebuild... it was bust when i bought it , thats why i got it cheap.
turbo change... it was 15 years old... what do ya expect???

so, yes it is harder to work on, but in 7 years all ive done is the above and the usuall service parts. and my mods. so yes its a reliable car. unless you try to save cash and buy a dog that you want to work on. like i did.

[Baker]

+1 for being easy to work on.

Also unlike modern cars they aren't totally computer controlled.

Only real problems are seized/snapping bolts.

[JJ]

By a honda !! I've had 4... and never broke any of them...

Mechanic needs to get his hands dirty.... if he want to just change oil, he needs to get himself to a BMW franchise !

[Race Idiot]

I can't think of a more reliable Mid engined turbocharged car!

I mean its more reliable than a Lotus Esprit!

[carlos9999]

Hi,

I've been a member on this forum for years as I used to own an n/a mr2, and having owned a FTO for the last four years the time has come to move on.

Whilst at the garage getting my FTO serviced I spoke to the chap about what to get next, with the main priority being something reliable and a bit quicker. I told him I'd always had my eye on a tubby to which he replied that this would be a major error as they're a nightmare to work on and some faults impossible to diagnose. He pointed to a mr2 in the corner and told me that it had been there for months as he couldnt figure out what was wrong with it.

now this guy is the most respected mechanic amongst the FTO and GTO community in the country and he knows his stuff about all jap cars; he suggested for reliable power go for a scooby or GTST. The scooby isnt an option and the GTST doesnt really appeal that much either.


I'd be interested to hear peoples unbiased opinions on this, especially any mechanics on here. I know mr2s are possibly more difficult to work on than front engined cars but are they really such a nightmare? If I bought a tubby I'd most likely take it to 3s rather than the FTO specialist but has anyone ever had the scenario where they have a broken tubby and no-one knows how to fix it as this is what would concern me most.

Cheers

mate a good greese monkey would not have any probs at all on a mr2.
i work at a renault garage and renaults are all's they ever work on , so when my car went in for a cambelt and a new clutch ( 2 seperate jobs ).i thought they might have problems..!
in fact it was the opposite ,the clutch was the first job and he had the gearbox on the floor in 1 1/2 hrs. now that is quick..!! the cambelt was 4 hours. so in my opinion they are no more difficult to work on than any other car..
as for the scooby.. lol... no man, they are like the old xr3i.. every kunts got one..!!

[carlos9999]

By a honda !! I've had 4... and never broke any of them...

Mechanic needs to get his hands dirty.... if he want to just change oil, he needs to get himself to a BMW franchise !

ouch... you cant say that on here man .. your supposed to big up the 2

[matt_mr2t]

To get around leaning in at the boot end (not that you'd really need to, just go underneither) stand on a box.

They really arent that packed in IMO. My Clio 1.8 16v had far less space in the engine bay.

The tubby engine isnt covered with loads of plastic covers etc, there's space to get around. The only issue I've had is, as some one else said, the off sheered bolt. Thats it really. And you'll get that on any older car. Add to the fact if you dont buy a dog of an MR2 you wont worry about fixing it as they're pretty reliable anyway

[bigrod]

I'm a little amused at the suggestion that an MR2 isn't reliable but a scooby is.

arnt the scooby engines made from chocolate ! ?

and dont get me started on the gearbox issue of the GTO !

[scott64]

a mate of mine has a turbo and he has no problem at all working on the engine .....my other car is a MGF now that is a nightmare you have to unclip the soft top and remove the rearshelf sound proofing BEFORE you can get at the engine cover then there are 10 bolts holding the cover on and all these have to be removed before you can even see the engine in total about 15mins work another exxample is the fan belt to tighten it the rear drivers wheel must come off ..... its not an easy car to work on, compared to the MGF my mr2 rev1 is a peice of cake

[mr2nut123]

yea they're a pig, pay someone to do it

Nah, i've done the turbo, downpipe and other bolt ons but they do take a fair few hours. It's all down to how much experience you have with the engine. There's a lot of funny sized tools you need for the MR2 with pivot extension bars for some areas to speed things up.