**UPDATED** 1991 Rev 1 (Beastly V6 1MZ-FE VVTI) **UPDATED**

[riot68]

Bummer, glad i made you laugh, although very sorry to hear about the issues, good luck with it all...

[Tsia]

Damn, I've managed do something similar in an old car before, it's a horrible feeling. Hope it's all back up and running soon, I was loving this thread

[KarlBristol]

Damn, I've managed do something similar in an old car before, it's a horrible feeling. Hope it's all back up and running soon, I was loving this thread

My heart literally skipped a beat when I saw the plumes of smoke!! I'm ust so relieved that the damage was localised, and I managed to stop it before it spread. My lovely bodywork has remained untouched thankfully.

My aim is to have it fully running again by Friday. Fingers crossed

You can continue to love the thread after that, lol.

Bloody hell mate.

Very lucky in the end, you could have been half way down the road, or the whole car could have been engulfed!

Fingers crossed its a straightforward fix

Thanks mate - I have been very lucky all things considered.
I agree that it could have been a lot worse.

Thats two of us hoping for a straightforward fix, lol

very sorry to hear about the issues, good luck with it all...

Cheers bud, thank you

[jack-p]

lucky escape there I'd say, your a brave man taking pictures when you should be putting fires out! I hope you get it sorted, then we'll go for that drive!

[Tsia]

"SH*T, CAR'S ON FIRE. IMOC MUST KNOW."

[blue2]

Really good job thus far! Read this on my extended lunchbreak!

[KarlBristol]

Really good job thus far! Read this on my extended lunchbreak!

Thanks, it is appreciated. Its comments like this that push me to keep going with it



The car fire has willed me on to work harder on the get it to a condition that I want it - this car isn't going to be scrapped, forgotten about, or rust away like all too many MR2s are nowadays. In fact I'm tempted to buy another one to use just for parts (it would probably work out cheaper in the long run!)

Anyway, this morning I spent a long time cleaning up the fire damage and its now in the same cosmetic condition that it was before (other than the handbrake cable)

I then re-earthed the engine bay, although didn't have enough cable so I bought some more:





I ensured that I cleaned up all contact points in the car aswell. It took a while, and lots of fiddling but the car finally started again today

I still need to re-earth the frunk and want one or two more earthing points in the engine. So I'm popping out to Halfords later to buy some more cabling - better safe than sorry.

The car seems to be idling a little high, and the battery and fan light is on until the car is revved. This would indicate to me that there is still a slight earthing problem. Hopefully that will be sorted first thing tomorrow morning with the stuff that I'm going to buy tonight!! Anyway, at least its running again, and running well at that - just a few teathing problems.

I figured that as I'd gone to all this hard work I would treat the car to a little present - trim clims to hold on the frunk trim properly for once:



They will be put to good use tomorrow when I've finished earthing the car fully


Also have the following parts on the way for the MR2:

- Handbrake cable
- Black crystal sidelights (rather than my hand tinted ones which probably aren't too legal, lol)
- Side window vents (for a mod that I'm looking at doing)

Next few days will be very busy indeed!!!
The list of things to do to the car now is ridiculously long, and the pile of parts in the back of the car is steadily growing, lol.

[riot68]

The list of things to do to the car now is ridiculously long, and the pile of parts in the back of the car is steadily growing, lol.

Sounds familiar, good luck with everything, sure you'll keep us posted...

[KarlBristol]

Ok so today I've re-earthed the battery and frunk. I've also added another 5 insulated earthing points in the engine bay. This has to be the best earthed mr2 ever by now! lol. I am never repeating the car fire experience again.

I finally got around to re-constructing the car so all the interior panels and frunk trim got replaced today. (My trim clips got put to good use! lol) I also managed to re-fit all of the undertrays today.

The car now turns on perfectly, and a lot easier. However, the battery light and engine fan light stay on until the car is revved (at which point they dissapear). I have no idea why this is????

I've sorted out the misfire that I had before and also idling speed is now as it should be.

I then took the car for a drive, and un-earthed another issue. It drives very well, and I am pleased with it however when the engine reaches temperature the engine fan no longer works, resulting in the warning light on the dash coming on. So now I need to fix the engine fan and also handbrake cable....

Watch this space! lol.

Going to have the rest of today off from the car and work out a plan of action

[iain2010]

Fair play to you mate. Love the MR2 and great work with the earthing.

Did it melt the fan wires or blow a fuse?

[blue2]

Re your engine fan before taking anything out (as its a pain in the @ss) just check the plug is connected and not oiled up at the back, also the plug in thermostat if i recall can be a bit iffy! I replaced my radiator....never again took me 4 days!

[StuRobinson88]

devastating news about the fire damage. i bet your ar$e fell out when you realised there was a fire!

brilliant work on finding the problem and solving it though, well done mate.

[KarlBristol]

Right bit of an update today (only a mini one due to my job)...


Took the fuses out and tested them; all ok.

Also tested the ecu and all tested ok





I stripped the ecu and checked all of the soldering and all seemed fine, with no smell of burning. I think I can rule that out.

Couldn't get the cable off of the fan in order to test it however the fan itself is flowing freely

Also tested the battery today;
With the car off it is showing 12.4V
With the car on before accelerating its showing 11.8V
With the car on after accelerating (and the car returning to a normal state) its showing 14.7V

I think the alternator is some of the issue, but I'm still not convinced its stopping the fan though...


I then took delivery of the following:





I also have another package waiting for me at the post office

As I was disheartened that I hadn't fixed the car I then cleaned it and waxed it:









I then went and picked up custom made £500 car cover
I am so pleased with this - its triple insulated, with air vents to the front and rear. Its completly waterproof and also has a driver door entry system so that if I need something from the car I don't have to take the entire cover off:





I sat down and worked out what parts I have to fit:

1) Front drop links
2) Front ball joints
3) Track rod ends
4) Entire polybush kit
5) Alternator
6) Handbrake cable
7) New crystal sidelights

Once I've sorted the above out (and hopefully my small engine fan issue) I have the following I want to do

1) Respray front bumper
2) Respray bonnet
3) Refurbish all of the window sills
4) Sort out the wind noise coming from the mirror surrounds
5) Pick up my future stereo from "CJ"
6) Engine lid fan
7) Numer plate relocation
A few more undisclosed things

I'm off of work from Friday to Monday so I'm hoping to crack on with some of the above and fully fix the car again

[KarlBristol]

I've been thinking that my front lights were too dark having been hand-tinted. As the MOT regulations have recently changed I thought that it was important to change them.

I purchased a set of new crystal black sidelights which only needed a small amount of playing with to get the bulbs to fit.

The car before:





A new set of lights:



I then fitted ultra intensity LED sidelights, and de-tangoed indicators:



The car after:







The fit is a lot better, and I'm pleased with how it looks. Looks a lot more OEM and less chav.

That is as labour intesive as it gets when I'm between night shifts. The true work will begin tomorrow

[StuRobinson88]

excellent work. i think you are bank on the money with the less chavvy look front end!

[craig]

May have a problem with those new smoked front lenses with new MOT laws mate

[Steve-O 2007]

May have a problem with those new smoked front lenses with new MOT laws mate

can you not have smoked lenses???

[les85]

I would of thought they would be fine as long as they're E marked ?

[craig]

May have a problem with those new smoked front lenses with new MOT laws mate

can you not have smoked lenses???

Down to the mot tester I guess. The side lights aren't very bright compared to the same bulb in the stock units.

[craig]

I would of thought they would be fine as long as they're E marked ?

The e mark is just part of the moulding that the lights come from. Just because they are e marked, doesn't necessarily mean they are.....