Ghost's SW20 MR2

[GreenGhost74]

Well, I haven't been able to drive the MR2 much for about a month or so.

After noticing the tread on my rear tires reaching the end of their acceptable window, I opted to stop driving on them and order new rear tires. My fronts still measure close to brand new on tread depth -- imagine that. After about a week, the tires finally arrived (same brand/type as last time), and I got to work. Put the car on jack stands, took the rears to shop, got the new tires mounted/balanced, took em home to reinstall... mission accomplished.

I drove the car one more time after that.

Went out to start my car up the next day, turned the key, and it just cranked without coming to life. This is what happens when you repeatedly install your own wheels, obviously. I figured it was really the ignition system or the battery, but either way, I knew the car was due for a tune up. I was also hoping this had nothing to do with the starter motor or anything like that. I figured I'd just try everything I can do at home with a torque wrench and a screwdriver before looking at other options.

I went ahead and ordered the parts (distributor cap & rotor, wires, spark plugs), and took the battery to the auto parts store shortly thereafter. They confirmed it was at the end of it's life (free battery test), so I picked up a new battery. Went outside to install everything in 40 °F weather, and it mostly went smooth, except for one of the plastic clips that attaches the last ignition wire to the distributor cap. For whatever reason, it was angled the wrong way and the wire did not fit on. I managed to retrofit it by using the plastic clip piece from the old ignition wire instead, which actually worked perfectly, but for a moment there I thought I had a real problem. I finished the rest without a hitch.

Got in the car, turned the key, and the it finally roared to life. Took it for a brief test drive and I'm soo glad to have it working again. It'll be nice peace of mind knowing all those parts are fresh again. Fingers crossed there isn't one more thing that wants to wear out tomorrow

 

[GreenGhost74]

Another update! It's interesting how a small new sound coming from the car will start you off thinking "did it always do that?" until you eventually decide it absolutely wasn't always doing that. Some rather overt creaking/popping noises slowly developed from the suspension over the first half of the year, so I've just recently replaced the front shocks, front strut top mounts and front sway bar end links. That seems to have mitigated the problem while breathing some life back into the steering feel, as well as the overall confidence of the car up front.

I was hoping to hold out on replacing parts like these until I could get to a proper suspension upgrade/overhaul, but it is what it is. On the maintenance records, it looks like the previous owner replaced the rear shocks much more recently than the front, as well as the rear top mounts. That puts the shocks in a weird out of sync wear cycle, so I'll be relieved to just get some Koni Yellows in all four housings later on.

Haven't had as many reasons to drive the car lately because of quarantine (my job is also independent video production for businesses, and work has been slow), so I've taken the car out a few times just to drive. It can be really fun to get out there and just appreciate your car sometimes, with nowhere to be. It's been over two years since I bought this MR2, and while it's taken a predictable chunk of cash to keep it as nice as it was when I got it, it's been a very rewarding ownership experience. It really has not been a bad car to daily drive, and has injected a lot of driving joy into otherwise mundane days.

My current to-do list/goals for the car are as follows:
*Routine maintenance and whatever else springs up..
*Fix the speedo, as it's started reading too low.
*Suspension overhual -- Premium shocks, slightly lower springs, bushings, sway bars, ball joints, geometry correction (addresses most tie rods).
*Summer tires! I'll be getting a Corolla or Camry in the future to haul more video equipment, meaning the MR2 can also sit winters out.
*Engine Swap -- Been eyeballing a swap for some horsepower since the start, and it'll go nicely with the tightened handling.
*Brakes -- I've certainly got room for lightweight big brakes, and they might be a good thing to pair with the engine swap.
*Paint? Fix body imperfections and get a quality paint job in Toyota Electric Green Mica (6R4) from the MR2 Spyder, or maybe the new Hakone Green (DAN) from the special edition 86. Ironically, Toyota is nailing the green & bronze look I'm going for straight out of the factory now, ha.

 

[GreenGhost74]

Photo taken today. It's been a good 4.5 years since my last post, I thought I'd post a quick update.

I am STILL driving this car, my FIRST car... coming up on about 7 years now. It's been a very rewarding experience, always injecting joy into a normal day, especially if you can rev match & heel toe. I definitely credit Gran Turismo for preparing me for how this car needs to be driven. It's a real special thing. At this point, I really do think anyone who owns one of these with minimal experience should play simulators or go to a real track, and learn how the MR layout behaves. You'll get more out of it, and you really do want to know how to hold/catch the tail when something surprises you. It's a feisty car.

Covid definitely made it harder to pursue modifications I had wanted to do, but perhaps some of those things with finally come around soon.