Just a few questions

[MR2 Rich]

Just reading back through the threads in this forum through the years and have a few questions. I will be getting a standard rev3 na so all the questions relate to the 3s-ge engine.

Reading back a few years and the general consensus for oil was 10w40 but now 5w40 seems to be the oil of choice for quite a few of you. Is there a reasons for this change or is it just oil has moved on over the past few years?

The standard Toyota oil filter seems to be the filter of choice for most on here so I will be sticking to that. But do any of you use an updated air filter in a standard na or is the standard toyota filter well upto the job for non track use?

I have always used comma xstream antifreeze which is Ethylene glycol based so meets the correct spec I think? Does anyone use this in their mr2?

Is 30psi for the rear tyres and 28psi for the front for standard tyres/wheels correct?

Sorry about all the questions but just want to be sure I get the basics right.

Thanks Rich

[Draven]

There isn't a real specific reason. generally 5/40 is good for colder climates. So through the winter a 5/40 is ideal but then summer a 10/40 is best. It is really a choice you have to make. If you are tracking the car then a 10/50 is best.

[MR2 Rich]

So the 40 part is important? I thought they used 5w30 from the factory or have I read that wrong? Does it go on age/mileage atall?

[dantheman]

yes the 40 part is important. 5W30 of for near freezing and below temps. milage wont bean issue

[MR2 Rich]

Thanks for the info, so all the other info (tyre pressures, air filter and coolant) are correct then?

[dantheman]

let me correct my drunken typings:

yes the 40 part is important. 5W30 is for near freezing and below temps. milage wont be an issue in picking oil.

Theres nothing wrong with the standard filters. The vast majority of people will run an aftermarket filter or an induction kit in the belief it adds hp but its rather negligible. Stick with the stock one if you wish.

I thought the listed tyre pressure was 28 psi front, 32 psi rear but i may be mistaken. They are on the B pillar in the drivers doorway. I run 32 front, 36 rear for economy and extra grip.

[JohnnyC]

I think the reason a lot of people use 5W40 is that it tends to be fully synthetic (I've not heard of a 10W40 fully synth).

Standard air filter is fine, people just usually go aftermarket for the noise (at least on the NA).

For tyres, my owners manual conflicts with the sticker in the glove box, one says 29 front & 35 rear, other says 31 front 35 rear.

[PeterRST]

Regarding the oil question:

The first number is how liquid the oil is at freezing temperatures, the latter number says how liquid it is at 100 degrees celsius.

That means, that for cold starting in winter it makes hardly any difference if you use 5W30 or 5W50, because the oils have similar viscosity at freezing temperatures.

While low viscosity (very "liquid" oil) is good for cold starts since it makes the oil reach all parts of the engine faster, it might get too thin and cause the oil pressure to drop at high temps. Therefore, race cars use oils with a high number after the "W", typically 50 or 60. And since race cars don't do too many cold starts the number in front really is neglectable.

For a road car, it really is important to cover a wide range of temperatures, especially in our region where we get everything from minus 20 to +35 degrees. At the moment I use 5W40 in my MR2 Turbo but will put in Mobil 1 5W50 on the next oil change.

[riot68]

I run 31 front & 35 rear on rev2 stock 15's
Use 10/40 oil
And have an induction filter for noise & engine bay bling
Also don't use Mr t filter, got a Jap equivalent from TCB...

[Adam86]

Toyota give different tyres pressures for n/a & turbo.

Turbos being lower. Personally I run standard 15's on proxies 34f & 38r. Which is 4psi higher than Toyotas pressures for a Rev3 turbo. I do this because proxies have soft tyres walls and higher pressures give a feeling of increased stability.

Just keep the rears 4psi higher and go for what feels good

[ashley]

34f & 38r

Is that cold or hot pressures? If cold then will be more like 38+f / 42+r when ragging it and the tyres are up to temp

[HighwayStar]

Yeah those seem a little high. I believe max recommended pressure on 225/50/15 toyos is 40psi..... though I think that's a cold pressure.

[RikH77]

running staggered 16" enkei rp01 and run 33psi front and 35psi rear

oil 10w40 at moment

[MR2 Rich]

Thanks for all the help guys. Just having a look at eBay and auto trader and am getting abit confused because some k reg cars have the rev3 back lights so someone has obviously swapped them at some point. So is there any other visual differences between the rev2 and rev3? ABS was an option before 94 so if it hasn't got it it's not a rev3.

Does anyone know this one? Looks a little tired on the outside but don't mind if it's a solid example

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1994-TOYOTA-M ... 372wt_1026

[riot68]

Rev 1 and 2 have the 3 piece spoiler, rev 3 and 4 had the single piece and rev5 had a different spoiler again...

[MR2 Rich]

Are the engines visually different throughout the rev's?

[riot68]

Yes, rev1 and 2 different to the others, google image search should help, or post one here and we can tall you...

[riot68]

Here's my rev1, just induction pipe changed from standard airbox..



and this rev3+...

[MR2 Rich]

Just read on a thread from awhile ago that states rev3 chassis should be SW20-0087386 or higher is this correct?

[malwhiterev3]

35 psi on all tyres always seems fine