AW11 MR2 Build - "Akemi" Part 17

6/7/11
New water pump is inIt looks like my pistons are burned or something.....or like one part of them is not dirty. What does this mean?
Piston #1

Piston #2

Piston #3

Piston #4

6/9/11
Because things are taking so damn long I'm probably going to end up taking it to NAPA machine shop up on Chamberlayne. Dude said it would be like $270 for milling and valve job and would take like a week

6/15/11 all parts are in. took the head to the machine shop today only to learn that i had left the cams on they can adjust the valves for me.....I thought I was gonna have to do that myself.

anyways so I brought it back home and put the cams back on and I'm taking it back tomorrow

6/16/11got my HellaFunctional sticker in today :D

AW11 MR2 Build - "Akemi" Part 16

5/19/11
GOD I am like twitching i cant freaking wait to get started on this HG.....I'm gonna go to Dicks or something tomorrow and get an EZ up so I can say FUCK YOU to mother nature and work on it even in the rain. Still need a 12mm and 10mm twelve point deep sockets though AND I need to call the Head Shop in VA beach and see how much it would cost to make sure the head is flat and how much it is to do a valve job

5/21/11it has begun. pix tomorrow. if you want to follow my progress, you can download the BGB at opc.mr2oc.com
basically today I drained coolant, unplugged everything that can possably be unplugged (engine harness), dropped AC compressor, disconnected alternator, removed engine lid, battery, intercooler, strut bar, belts, some coolant hoses, vacuum lines, water pump pulley, and misc other stuff. tomorrow the throttle body/SC inlet assembly will come out and probably the supercharger too.

also picked up a caliper (for measuring shims later), a torque wrench, and 12 point deep sockets (10mm &12mm).

5/22/11still no pics yet. but I got the throttle body/sc inlet, supercharger, fuel rail, vacuum stuff, wiring harness, and intake manifold, alternator, and AC bracket off. broke a plastic vacuum port on the supercharger VSV >.<
later will be alternator bracket, exhaust manifold, and who knows what else.
most bolts are going back where they came from, but what I remove I bag&tag. also vacuum lines are tagged

5/24/11
PICTURES!!





Today I got the alternator bracket and AC brackets off, as well as the distributor, exhaust manifold, cam covers, cam gears, and the intake cam.
The exhaust manifold was only being held on by 3/5 bolts. the one on the far right was backed out and the one on the far left was missing. Also, there is supposed to be a support bracket at the bottom of the manifold that connects to the block to reduce stress on the manifold......yeah that's not there so its literally 2 exhaust hangers and the manifold on the head that is holding my exhaust up. awesome.
wasn't planning on pulling the crank pulley but i couldnt get to the timing belt tensioner without removing the cover...and because my crank pulley is oversize there wasnt enough clearence to get it off so I had to remove it.
tomorrow will be the exhaust cam and hopefully the head will come off.

5/24/11
brand new exhaust manifold from Toyota is $208 + shipping......not horrible.
part number 1714116190


5/24/11head is off.


As it sits now
5/25/11
ordered valve seals and exhaust manifold tonight.

AW11 MR2 Build - "Akemi" Part 15

4/5/11
New issue of Modified....look who is on the last page!!
4/7/11
OK here we go
exhaust off. funny story....forgot to unplug the (brand new) o2 sensor when I dropped it (onto myself so it didnt fall too far to put stress on the wire thankfully) so I had to like rotate myself under this (very very heavy) exhaust to get to it. that was fun

gasket looks faaaaantastic. glad I got new ones for when I do my headgasket!


flywheel cover off


oil cooler line off

oil cooler line tied up out of the way
oil pan off

oil baffle and pickup

oil pickup/strainer

behold my crankshaft!

2222 = bearing numbers for rod bearings from the factory (supposedly)

33332 = main bearing numbers from the factory (supposedly)

rod bearing #1 = 2

rod bearing #2 = 2

rod bearing #3 = 4. this is different from the numbers on the block, meaning this one has probably been changed at some point

rod bearing #4 = 2

after i tried wiggling stuff around I couldn't see any noticable play in any of them. since it started to get dark, I put the oil pan back on with just 4 bolts to just hold it there so crap doesnt get up in my bottom end till i work on it again this weekend.

4/8/11
started it up for a sec while the exhaust was off earlier today

4/9/11
I got the rod ends and bearings out. All of them say the number 3 on the flat side. Also, the crank is super shiny and smooth, no scratches or anything. Bearings dont really have any scratching either, but the top ones (the ones in the rod) look like they have some wear in the middle. Once I figure out if the "3" really is the size I need, I will order the new bearings. Hopefully everything will be back together next weekendCylinder 1 - most of them look like this more or less. very clean, not gouged or anything.


this is the only marking on the bearings themselves

number on the side. all of them say 3

super clean crank journals

Cylinder 1 - notice one 12-point and one 6-point nut....very weird. will probably have to order another 12 point from Toyota so they are all the same

Cylinder 2

Cylinder 3

Cylinder 4
4/10/11sent the bearings with Pierce so he can measure them so I can have an idea as to what size I need to be looking at.

4/11/11

MR2_FTW wrote:

2222 = bearing numbers for rod bearings from the factory

te51levin wrote:

Those numbers have nothing to do with the rod bearings. I suspect they indicate the standard piston size, though I couldn't find any solid evidence of that.

________________________________

killer_siller wrote:

NO! Those numbers cast into the end caps are not the numbers you're looking for. These will be stamped into one flat side of the rod big ends.

te51levin wrote:

Exactly right. Just as the BGB says. You (MR2_FTW) need to have that BGB handy and pay careful attention to it.

________________________________

MR2_FTW wrote:

number on the side. all of them say 3

te51levin wrote:

So the factory originally fitted size 3 bearings in all of those connecting rods.

________________________________

MR2_FTW wrote:

Yeah I know, I just don't know which ones to get....the 3 on the cap suggests I get #3's, but the block says 2's...

te51levin wrote:

Again, just to be clear, ignore the numbers stamped into block. They are NOT for the connecting rod bearings.

________________________________

MR2_FTW wrote:

..should I just get 2's and measure the clearence on those then get either 1's or 3's depending on the clearences?

te51levin wrote:

Get #3 bearings if the crank looks cherry and feels perfectly smooth and confirm the correct clearance with Plastigage.

________________________________

MR2_FTW wrote:

I sent my old bearings with my friend to measure at their least-worn spots so I can have a (vague) idea as to what they are supposed to be since no one knows...and the measurements dont really say much either way...

te51levin wrote:

Let's not worry about measuring bearing shell thickness. There is far too much room for error and misinterpretation there.

________________________________

mk1noob wrote:

Maybe it was just an exhaust leak from that one donut gasket? If you didnt have any metal shavings in the oil, plus those bearings dont look too bad......

te51levin wrote:

I'm with mk1noob here. Exhaust leaks and poor state of tune can make a very convincing clunk or knock sound on these cars.

4/20/11
good news
new bearings are in, oil pan stuff is sealed and on. still need to fill with oil, put exhaust back on, and start it up.

bad news
the chassis where my front motor mount mounts is cracking and starting to tear away. this is apparently common on AW11's because its a pretty weak point on teh chassis to be taking all the forces from the engine. Mine is just starting, but this is what could happen:

so I need someone to weld on some 1/8" steel like this

more examples of torn mounts and repairs

4/20/11
tonight I added copious amounts of JB Weld to my exhaust crack, found a great way to route a ground wire for the alternator, and filled the car w cheap oil (wal mart supertec is like $11 for 5 quarts) cuz im just gonna have to change it after 500 miles of breaking in the new bearings anyway. tomorrow night I'll add another layer of JB Weld and Friday I'll put the exhaust back on the car and hopefully start her up.

still need to find a place to do my engine mount

4/21/11 emailed Delta V and they referred me to the guys they use for building roll cages and stuff
http://www.goroadracing.com/

I sent Carlos an email and I'm hoping to hear back from him soon
____________________________________________________ok i called him and he's gonna have a look at my pics tonight and gimme a call back tomorrow. I could take it in as early as Monday!

also my Urethane kit came in from McMaster. 60A urethane base and activator so I can fill my side mounts at some point as well. FOR THE WIN

4/24/11car runs smooth with no problems. even drove it to Billy's house. Still not heard back from Carlos about the welding

4/25/11forgot my camera AND left my phone in my car (it was on the lift) so i have no pics of the torn mount, but it was getting worse. I'll take pics of the repair tomorrow probably, since I have to be under there to put under coating on it anyway. So tomorrow morning I'm gonna go bright and early to get an inspection and then I gotta do said underbody coating and put the plastic undertray back on and wash the car then it's good to go.

4/26/11

pics are before I added the rubber undercoating.

4/28/11need front tires to pass inspection. ordered two Dunlop Direzza DZ101 205/50/15 from TireRack.....so I will be driving an expired inspection for a few days >.<

5/2/11Front tires just came in. Dunlop Direzza DZ101 205/50/15. Treadwear 300, directional, summer tires. I decided on these because (1) its summer (2) they will probably help get rid of my understeer at autocross (4) the Kumho's have gone up in price by like $10/tire so these are now cheaper AND better

also I've never had 205's on the front before so this will be interesting.

5/5/11put the stock shift lever back in, kept the drop plate. Got tired of notcheyness/tearing up center console.
________________________________________________took a drive on Old Gun this afternoon. My new 205's up front rub on the plastic fender liners very slightly when I hit a bump in the middle of a turn. I don't think its a big deal since its not the metal of the fender, and its only under that instance, but I think my shocks play a big roll in that. I already know my Tokico Blues are woefully inadequate to properly dampen the TRD springs, so maybe better shocks can become a higher priority.