Levi's 1996 GT-S

[4CylinderSpecial]

On another note thought this was interesting as describes the same weird lean condition with the stock ecu I was facing.
https://www.mr2oc.com/61-3sgte-turbo/14 ... boost.html

Maybe it is meant to be like that? Which means the cut that I was seeing could be either boost or knock related but not entirely sure which. Once I have the J&S connected I might see if it is because of knock or something else. I am 100% it's not overboosting as my boost gauge is accurate and I have set the EBC to boost cut at 17psi.

[Swampy]

Wouldn't link or haltech be the best?

[GDII]

Wouldn't link or haltech be the best?

LINK, Haltech and MOTEC are the better ones for Japanese cars. They tend to be more well known and do a lot of advancements with their products. There are plenty of others out there but some are older and lower tech than what these manufactures offer. LINK has some good tech but the plug ins for the MR2 are getting old, not that the cars are getting newer. Software is still updated and you can add to them. Or go full wire in.

[4CylinderSpecial]

Wouldn't link or haltech be the best?

LINK, Haltech and MOTEC are the better ones for Japanese cars. They tend to be more well known and do a lot of advancements with their products. There are plenty of others out there but some are older and lower tech than what these manufactures offer. LINK has some good tech but the plug ins for the MR2 are getting old, not that the cars are getting newer. Software is still updated and you can add to them. Or go full wire in.

Yeah with more modern ECUs you can get nicer features like bluetooth connectivity for display outputs etc. I'm happy with the Power FC however as it does everything I need it to do. Know it's old tech but it does the job absolutely fine and if anything it is kinda neat having period correct tech - maybe one day that will mean something!

Anyway I just can't justify changing ECUs when I have a tuned PFC already and which has no problems. Starting from scratch maybe I would have gone a different way but honestly you aren't really losing much.

[85AW20v]

My Megasquirt EMS does knock control but its very crude and unreliable. I'm battling with phantom knock now which pulls back timing by 1-5deg in those zones where I'm trying to make power which is very unhelpful. It can be turned it off in program but unsure what is real and what is not.

After speaking with a local Tuner he configures all the EMS systems conservatively and then turns off knock control. I'm starting to come to the same conclusion.

When I was co-driving for my brother in his Starlet with a twincam Suzuki in it, we had a Knocklink fitted that kept lighting up. Finally tracked it down to a stone between the sump and the sumpguard, which when removed, halved the times it was coming on. Then we found a loose/broken engine mount so that could also be something to check. There wasn't any issue with the motor itself.

[4CylinderSpecial]

Well I took the girlfriends DSLR and took a few pictures of the car. I am by no means any good at photo taking but it was fun to learn what angles worked and didn't etc.

Still might be dropping the engine next month in prep for the nationals! Really keen to but also don't want to rush and miss it completely. Hard choice as would rather have the cambelt and HFH etc done before a long trip. But hey it should be fine, fingers crossed

[4CylinderSpecial]

Well, I got around to pulling the engine to do several things:
Fuel Pump
Timing belt
Water Pump
Hoses From Hell
Oil Pump Seals
Crank Seal
Rear Main Seal
Cam Seals
Oil Pan Seals
Clutch
Slave

.... As you can see its a huge list. Here's a random assortment of pictures of the build so far. Wish i took more pictures but I was dirty and sore most of the time so refrained. Let me say that I have respect for anyone trying to do half of these jobs with the engine in the car. Would've been tough!

Turns out that my clutch was the ORIGINAL (surprised it has survived this long). Getting the flywheel skimmed today and some new flywheel bolts are on the way.

[4CylinderSpecial]

Been pretty busy since the last post.. Got everything put back together, plonked back in the engine and it started first pop, no leaks!

After a few test drives the RHS axle seal started leaking... it was because I pushed it in too far and in on an angle. Managed to rip up the outer edge of it too . Luckily I RTV'd up the edge of the seal and put it back in for now. 200km later and no leaks at all so i'm happy for now. I do have a spare one on the way from Mark @ Manawatu Toyota just in case though.

Otherwise I've just been doing final button-up stuff on the car in prep for this weekend. Lot's of little things mainly. I did manage to replace my plastic intake piece with a nice shiny aluminium pipe too, and have started the polishing process on my valve cover. Not mirror shiny yet, and I think i'll pay someone to do the whole job as it does have a lot of pitting which I can't really be bothered getting out by hand.

[4CylinderSpecial]

Also am getting an alignment on Friday morning. Trying to decide on 0 or 0.5mm toe out on the front. Will keep around 4mm of toe in on the rear, and max camber that I can get from the bolts. This is the setup i had a year or two ago that I preferred. The latest alignment I have has too much toe in on the front and tends to tramline under hard braking - GDII can attest to that

[GDII]

Also am getting an alignment on Friday morning. Trying to decide on 0 or 0.5mm toe out on the front. Will keep around 4mm of toe in on the rear, and max camber that I can get from the bolts. This is the setup i had a year or two ago that I preferred. The latest alignment I have has too much toe in on the front and tends to tramline under hard braking - GDII can attest to that

Yeah I haven't quite fixed that.... OEM spec wheels and tyres mask this so much.
Got some steering boots to replace and then going to GEN2+ front arms then I'll get another wheel alignment closer to OEM specs.

Good you've got everything sorted. Not a too hard job in the end ay?

[4CylinderSpecial]

Yeah I haven't quite fixed that.... OEM spec wheels and tyres mask this so much.
Got some steering boots to replace and then going to GEN2+ front arms then I'll get another wheel alignment closer to OEM specs.

Good you've got everything sorted. Not a too hard job in the end ay?

Good call. The major difference to OEM that I will have is more camber in front than rear, and no or positive toe, so should be a bit more responsive to turn-in without the awful tramlining... but we will see on the way down

It's not really that hard to drop the engine, just time consuming, and it's hard to not just go overboard and restore everything 'while it's out'. One day I will upgrade the turbo and probably head etc which then I will spend longer refinishing bits!

[4CylinderSpecial]

Happy new year!

Nothing special to really note. Failed last Wof for rear brake imbalance. Was a simple matter of rebleeding and regreasing slider pins etc. Passed easily once that was done. Will look at rebuilding calipers soon as I have the whole kit to do so.

Went out to a meet partially hosted by Isaac (Rotationals) and co. Was fun. Levi J snapped a cool shot of the 2 arriving. Full cred to him

In non-related mr2 news, picked up a new daily for general haulage and practicality. First euro. Personally I think the e46 touring was the best shape for the chassis. Carries my bike real well in the back!

[MoNk]

Came back for a nosey. Great to see you still have the car, and it looks so nice . Hope you are still loving it.

[4CylinderSpecial]

Came back for a nosey. Great to see you still have the car, and it looks so nice . Hope you are still loving it.

Still loving it! Realistically this will be one I'll keep for as long as possible. I'm planning a few restoration type things to it this year (new trim rubbers, caliper rebuilds, CV boot replacement and probably coilovers too). Still goes real well though!

[MoNk]

Awesome.

I have been watching the Mighty Car Mods MR2 and feeling jealous.