New members with MK3 04 plate.....engine issues

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MarciHuss

New members with MK3 04 plate.....engine issues

Post by MarciHuss »

Hi all

we have a Mk3 04 plate owned from new.....today we were told that the engine needs a rebuild or a second hand one...the mechanic said he tried top obtain pistons -no luck...It has been well maintained and has 65k on the clock, so we are very upset about this...it has had a strange rattling noise from the engine and recently was blowing white exhaust smoke.....

any help gratefully recieved.....we live in Guildford

Cheers all

Marcia



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Re: New members with MK3 04 plate.....engine issues

Post by jvanzyl »

Dear Marcia,
I'm very sorry to hear about your engine woes - If it helps you can have my old engine for free (circa 130k) burns a tiny bit of oil but nothing major.. I was going to rebuild it for a high power turbo effort, but it's likely I won't get round to it.

I'm curious as to why your mechanic says he was trying to obtain new pistons? That seems to be a strange route to take....

The reality is that if the engine is making strange noises, and blowing white smoke then it's likely gone.

Cheers

John
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Re: New members with MK3 04 plate.....engine issues

Post by yose_gt »

There are a couple of dedicated mk3 MR2 breakers that I know of who could supply a decent second hand engine.

The first is Dick at MR2 Roadster recycling - he has a facebook page of the same name but I have his phone number if you need it.

The second is Dean at Rutland MR2 - he has an ebay shop of the same name and I have his phone number if you need it.

Hope you get it sorted
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MarciHuss

Re: New members with MK3 04 plate.....engine issues

Post by MarciHuss »

Hi

thanks very much for the responses, we are currently having the MR2 repaired at a body shop (it was hit by a van while we were parked ...very annoying!) , then we have another mechanic lined up to assess the engine issue...no doubt we will be back on here again,.

Thanks all
Marcia
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Re: New members with MK3 04 plate.....engine issues

Post by peteV6R5 »

white smoke usually means HG as it indicates burnt coolant in the exhaust. (blue smoke generally indicates oil).
get a leakdown test done to see if you have exhaust gases present in the coolant.
Q?---- does it need topping up with coolant regularly?
think you may need a 2nd opinion on new engine before you start down that route.
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Re: New members with MK3 04 plate.....engine issues

Post by martin42006 »

^as above, your car is fairly low milage so if it needs anything it will probably just be a headgasket.
Cant imagine why your mechanic is looking for new pistons :confused1: The "rattling" is potentially a bad sign of big ends or piston slap but make sure its not something simple before diving into the engine.
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Re: New members with MK3 04 plate.....engine issues

Post by jimi »

martin42006 wrote: 30/05/19 15:36 ^as above, your car is fairly low milage so if it needs anything it will probably just be a headgasket.
Cant imagine why your mechanic is looking for new pistons :confused1: The "rattling" is potentially a bad sign of big ends or piston slap but make sure its not something simple before diving into the engine.
Possibly something to do with this scenario? https://www.mr2oc.co.uk/forums/42/141256.html
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Re: New members with MK3 04 plate.....engine issues

Post by martin42006 »

As Jimi said the 1zz is known to have issues. My understanding is that the facelift engines 04+ were not as bad for it especially at such a low mileage.
Does explain why he would be looking at new pistons though, if it was me though if its that far gone i would probably source a good spare engine to put in.
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Re: New members with MK3 04 plate.....engine issues

Post by carolineasb »

It is very very rare for the Mk3 to have HG issues unless it has been driven on when the engine is cooking :(

The mechanic has probably been trying to swap the old pistons for the new upgraded pistons which were the upgrade that MrT made to fix the oil burning issues, although, if the engine has been cooked then pretty pointless now perhaps? :( MrT upgraded the Pistons late 52/early 03 reg but this upgrade did not fix the problem and they did it again late 55/early 06 reg and this did appear to fix the problem (these dates are UK cars as I believe it was a different date in the US). You can't totally go by these registration dates and need to check the engine numbers. There is a file on the UK MR2 Roadster page on Facebook giving the engine that they believe was the start of the last upgrade. I have heard (though it may not be true) that there was also an upgrade to the linings of the chambers.

When our Oldie Y reg went (we found metal filings in the sump :( ) we purchased an 06 engine from MR2 Roadster Recycling that had the final upgrade so now we have two 06 2s as our other one is a TF300 :)

Good luck!

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Re: New members with MK3 04 plate.....engine issues

Post by carolineasb »

PS if you are trying breakers, I believe that Dick of MR2 Roadster Recycling may be taking an extended holiday in June so the quicker you contact him the better if you are trying to get an engine

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Re: New members with MK3 04 plate.....engine issues

Post by carolineasb »

PPS lol I do know that some people have drilled further holes in their pistons themselves rather than buying new but I don't know how that has gone.

Also, oval bore has been found to be a myth :(

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