[Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

V6? V8? TDI? Discussion and technical advice for engine transplants inc. 5SFE & 5SGTE builds. Not for N/A to Turbo, or Rev1/2 to 3+ conversions.
Project and build threads welcome.

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lozzzzzz
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Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by lozzzzzz »

Right then, a very busy month at work is over, I have booked the MOT for Saturday, then off into Whales camping :) :)

if it fails then we're in the pug 106 :( no pressure then!

After literally months of considering the options (from time to time), the wheels are now shod in 205 50 16, and 225 50 16 at the rear. All four are on Honda accord 16" 7J wheels.
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The PCD is the same as the Toyota but the offset and center bore are different. I needed a 10mm spacer to put the wheels in the right place. I went with 20mm ish on the rear though as the wheels did used to look very "inboard". I went with hubcentric on the rear as 20mm is a little long to be relying on the studs for location. This meant I needed new longer wheel studs. 63mm was the longest I could get. I shortened one set by 6mm for the front and left the rears are 63mm long.
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I used a hammer to knock out the old-uns, and a Toyota wheel nut in a socket top pull the new studs in.
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Unfortunately I snapped one of the studs :( so I'm hoping a replacement arrives before Saturday.

Then the brakes were put back on and the spacer fitted.
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Fronts done, just the rears to go (the front had just been jacked up at this point so is a little high).
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All done! and once again the dog features in the photo :) The reason for changing the wheels was to get the right overall diameter, to give the diesel engine the long gears it had in the Toledo, this means the speedo will read correctly and engine won't be revving to much on the motorway, it is a diesel after all. I didn't want the car to look too bling, slammed on 24" wheels :) but I admit I wanted it to look a little smarter than it does on those 14" Toyota wheels. So I think 16" OEM Honda was a good compromise.
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I've still got to replace that busted stud on Saturday morning, try and adjust the rear tracking slightly and give it a quick wash then its fingers crossed that a good thrashing and a tank of real diesel cleans up the exhaust fumes :) oh and hopefully nothing else is wrong :)

More to come :)




P.S. Anyone looking this up and wanting information on wheel studs, as I did.

I found that the studs on my car (1991) were had the same (or near enough the same) splined sections front and rear. So I simple bought a the rear studs from Ebay and used them front and back.

I cannot confirm that this is the case for all MR2's but for mine it was that simple.
Ben
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Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by Ben »

Nice work! Any issues with the larger-diameter wheels rubbing at full lock?

Fingers crossed for the MOT :thumleft:
2001 BMW M5 (Bahnstormer) | 2004 RX8 231 (the Racecat) | 2001 Volvo V70 (Swedish eBay barge)

Previous:
1989 MR2 Mk1b T-bar | 1988 MR2 SC Super Edition
pistol pete
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Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by pistol pete »

good work.. those wheels work really nicely :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft:
2mad
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Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by 2mad »

Looks mega rad dude :D .. great project .. very enjoyable to follow :clap:
lozzzzzz
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Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2007 7:29 pm
Location: Herefordshire / Worcestershire

Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by lozzzzzz »

Thanks folks :) I'm pleased with how it looks, I think it suits me pretty well.

Ben,

I can't say for sure yet, although I think I would have used full lock maneuvering it round the drive. I'll give it a good test at some point. I do remember thinking that the tire looks awfully close to the spring seat on the front, with perhaps 6mm of clearance.

Watch this space. :)
kirk
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Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by kirk »

I can't get used to that noise in an MR2. :mrgreen:
lozzzzzz
Posts: 100
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2007 7:29 pm
Location: Herefordshire / Worcestershire

Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by lozzzzzz »

The smoke cleared on the way to the MOT station :) i think it must have been oil in the exhaust (bought from ebay). The brakes cleaned up and passed ok and i have had an absolutely awesome day driving through Wales with her indoors, in Mr Two :) we are now canping ready for more MR2 TDI fun tomorrow :)

More to come
Ben
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Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by Ben »

Wahey! :D
2001 BMW M5 (Bahnstormer) | 2004 RX8 231 (the Racecat) | 2001 Volvo V70 (Swedish eBay barge)

Previous:
1989 MR2 Mk1b T-bar | 1988 MR2 SC Super Edition
shinny
Posts: 2345
Joined: Mon Nov 27, 2006 4:59 pm
Location: Reading, UK

Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by shinny »

lozzzzzz wrote:This meant I needed new longer wheel studs. 63mm was the longest I could get. I shortened one set by 6mm for the front and left the rears are 63mm long.
Image

P.S. Anyone looking this up and wanting information on wheel studs, as I did.

I found that the studs on my car (1991) were had the same (or near enough the same) splined sections front and rear. So I simple bought a the rear studs from Ebay and used them front and back.

I cannot confirm that this is the case for all MR2's but for mine it was that simple.


I've had these studs a couple of times and never fitted them successfully. In fact I was trying to pull one in just a couple of weeks ago but it just felt like it was too tight to pull in. In fact I was struggling to turn the nut without the hub moving... glad to see they worked for you though. How difficult did you find them to pull in?
lozzzzzz
Posts: 100
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2007 7:29 pm
Location: Herefordshire / Worcestershire

Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by lozzzzzz »

It was difficult, I felt like the studs were perhaps a little bigger than they should have been, I could do the first few turns with the ratchet, but soon had to reach for the breaker bar. I guess I must have been pushing pretty hard not to notice that one was about to snap! :)




There are a number of things still to do (things that I knew about) and a number of new minor issues to solve, so I’ll keep checking in here. I’d like to take it to the drag strip just once and put it against a standard MR2 petrol (NA) I’d like to see how far off it is. And of course, I’ll be doing some lorry chasing, normal driving, and crazy driving, and will report on the MPG figures.

I’ll write a little about the weekend for anyone interested.

I got up early and changed the last wheel stud, no dramas there really, got the rear tracking in spec, (front is already good) and gave it a clean. Then off to the MOT station. By the time I had got to the petrol station it was smoking pretty badly, I was in two minds about turning back, there was no way it would pass! I stuck with it, just in case it was the bio diesel.
It only took about 20L of fuel before it was full? Then I remembered I put load of bio in to see if the fuel gauge worked. I set off up the long hill through Bromyard and it was smoking like mad. Everyone was looking at me for all the wrong reasons it was thick blue smoke! I’d lost hope by this point, I was thinking of new injectors and turbo etc. My thinking was, I’m on the road and legal for now, lets just enjoy it for a few mins. I thrashed the hell out of it for a few more miles and as I approached the MOT station the smoke began to the reduce, so I went on a mile or two. By the time I got back to the garage, there was no visible smoke at all, even under full throttle.
I’m pretty sure now that this was as a result of the “MR2 turbo” exhaust I had bought off ebay, I imagine the previous owner had failed a turbo and put lots of engine oil into the exhaust. I had now finished burning it all off.

Anyway 40 mins later and a few comments from the MOT man, I was good to go. Went back for the missus and the tent and headed for Wales.

We went to the dams at Rhayader, then on to Aberystwyth via the really rather excellent “mountain road” or Elan Valley. Camped in Devils bridge and faffed around in Aber today, then home on the faster road, here are a few pics followed by my thoughts on the car.

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This is an MR2 with a diesel engine! I can only take credit for engine transplant, everything else is standard. The handling can only be put down to the genius engineers from Japan. I knew this was the case and this is why I went with this car. I really love the way this thing drives, I would say that it doesn’t have the feedback and truly instant steering feel of the MX5, but it is very close. The most important thing here is the lack of weight at the front. It changes direction so dam quickly.

It “quite nice” at normal traffic speeds and there are no nasty traits what-so-ever, but when you press on a bit and push it through the corners that’s when it really shows its true colours and gives a feeling of confidence as if to say “is that all you’ve got!”. It is very precise and gives the feeling that there is plenty more grip on tap. It’s really very good fun. Having the roof off is fantastic, and once again really good fun, the noise can perhaps get a little tiring after a couple of hours.

Back to the engine. With the windows closed and the roof on, there is more noise than the petrol engine gives but not by a huge amount, its quietest between 1400 and 2500rpm which is spot on for everyday driving. There is plenty of power and torque for overtaking. It remains to be seem how fast it is against the standard car. However for normal everyday driving, the kind that you do on your way to work, I would argue that this is quicker. (unless you are someone who actually red-line’s it all the time).

I have given the “power booster” ebay special a go now and it seems to make a difference although the “35hp” claim might be a little generous. Watch this space for more info on that.

I did manage to hold back and see what MPG it would do this evening. I did 13miles and the destination was at a slightly lower altitude than the start point so its by no means gospel. But the figure of 78 mpg was on the dash when I arrived. The wheels are the correct diameter for the speedo to read correctly so it looks promising. I’ll be doing lots of actual measurements soon to get some real numbers.

You have my respect if you have managed to read this far, I think I would have put most people to sleep by now. I’ll be back, there is at least another couple of months of work to get it just right, but its been a good weekend for Mr Two TDI.

More to come
synXero
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Joined: Fri May 28, 2010 12:04 pm
Location: London, Edinburgh, or the Highlands!

Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by synXero »

Awesome.

What an amazing invention. Mad pleased for you... That is incredible work :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft:
SonicSW20
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Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 7:54 pm

Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by SonicSW20 »

Feel free to come along to Santa Pod on the 8th to test against an NA: http://mr2oc.co.uk/forums/14/163594.html

Depending on the weather, of course.
lozzzzzz
Posts: 100
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2007 7:29 pm
Location: Herefordshire / Worcestershire

Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by lozzzzzz »

Thanks synXero, I'm over the moon, especially with what I saw when I got home (see below).

Gazza, I got very excited and checked the date and I am away that weekend :( I would very much like to join in a bit and "upset" some of the members with my rattly car at some point though :)


I still haven't brimmed it for a proper calculated MPG yet, but this was the figure on the dash when I arrived home from work today. A 45 mile journey, the majority of which is motorway, but 1/3 of it is A roads, with some ques! (there was a bit of lorry chasing on the motorway mind :) )
Image

More to come.
2mad
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Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by 2mad »

88.0 MPG .. Holy crap .. was you free-wheeling downward hills :wink: :lol:


Nice numbers , nice work :thumleft:
SonicSW20
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Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by SonicSW20 »

lozzzzzz wrote:

Gazza, I got very excited and checked the date and I am away that weekend :( I would very much like to join in a bit and "upset" some of the members with my rattly car at some point though :)


Fair enough - it's a drop in event so if you plans change feel free to come by :thumleft:
2mad
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Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by 2mad »

Gazza_DJ wrote:
lozzzzzz wrote:

Gazza, I got very excited and checked the date and I am away that weekend :( I would very much like to join in a bit and "upset" some of the members with my rattly car at some point though :)


Fair enough - it's a drop in event so if you plans change feel free to come by :thumleft:



Shame id love to see what mr tdi-2 can do against a n/a 2 O:)
synXero
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Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by synXero »

Technically this is an MR2 turbo.

You should definitely put MR2 turbo stickers on it.
lozzzzzz
Posts: 100
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2007 7:29 pm
Location: Herefordshire / Worcestershire

Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by lozzzzzz »

hahaha, I love it! MR2 Turbo stickers might get in some Traffic Light Races thta I can't win :)
pkmr2
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Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by pkmr2 »

Great thread and what a fantastic build. Loving your work!

88mpg very impressive :thumleft: :thumleft:
2mad
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Re: [Mk2] [NA] MR2 TDI

Post by 2mad »

synXero wrote:Technically this is an MR2 turbo.

You should definitely put MR2 turbo stickers on it.


To true its still a tubby .. 88mpg's wicked .. specially if you brewing the oil your self :mrgreen:
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