Piston Slap: Re-write Destiny, Re-Love The MR2

Tae-Moo writes:

Sajeev! Your bottomless well of knowledge and practical opinions has turned me into a huge fan of TTAC. With all your knowledge I hope you can answer a very broad but basic question of mine:

I have owned my MR2 for the past 7 years, having been my high school love (sadly it has been more bitchy than any teenage girl I dated at the time, yet I still continue to love it more than any set of D cups). Actually all the headaches caused by the car are my own fault as my electrical skills were severely insufficient to properly install any headunit or speakers. Wisely, I let all the mechanical work to be done by professionals. The body of the car has about 200k miles on it while the engine has about 50k. I replaced my N/A with a 94 turbo and has been running beautifully for the few months after.

Unfortunately, after graduation, my life entered the abyss and has succumbed to the life of public finance and spreadsheets in San Francisco. Due to the high costs of keeping a car in SF and not actually needing one like my city of origin, LA, I have left my poor love sitting in the garage of my parents’ home. FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS! I have finally reached puberty and grown some balls so I will be quitting my job in the near future and pursue graduate school in LA. Could you please give me some general advice on what check-ups I should do for my MR2 so I can return it to a daily driver? Thanks Sajeev, keep up the great work!

P.S. True story- My dad’s 1991 Toyota Previa died just under 500k miles. He has since bought a Sienna and I’ll report how long that one lasts.

P.S.S. I F—ING HATE MUNI BONDS.

Sajeev answers:

Think about this, our long-term reactions to life altering stressors fit into three categories: positively, negatively and suicidally. I’ve experienced the first two, and lost one of my best friends to the latter.

Kudos to you, as I know what it’s like to be in your shoes: in a dead end job back in ‘02, saw the writing on the wall and went back for my MBA. After that, a series of unfulfilling jobs, with enough money to buy (among other things) a 6-speed stick in my 1988 Mercury Cougar. Then I quit a particularly brutal job, and it left me a mental basket case. The Cougar sat for a year behind a shop, waiting for someone to install a new dashboard/heater core. As I regained my personal fortitude, the Cougar was reassembled and rejuvenated by me. For me. It was a great feeling, even if I was close to broke at the time.

And you, my good man, have plenty of time to do it right. Restoring the MR2 shall be a nice break from the tortures of grad school. The following list is by no means comprehensive, but it will get your rolling. You’ll find plenty more wrong (electric motors, weatherstrip, heater core, etc) none of which should stop you from attending class: it might keep you from studying as much as you…could. Not that you would.

Now that I’m done rambling, let’s list the things to check after a 3-year hiatus. Best and Brightest: on your marks…

1. Tires: odds are they weren’t new when the MR2 sat, so they are probably nicely rotted. And flat spotted. If traction is a problem in the wet, or when the turbo hits, get a new set.
2. Fluids: coolant and engine oil should be changed, brakes should be bled at the bare minimum.
3. Brakes: once the fluid is addressed, test for proper operation. If something feels grabby or generally “wrong” about your trusted ride, consider getting the rotors turned/replaced and new calipers.
4. Replace the battery: even if it works now, it doesn’t have the stones to keep up the good work 6 months from now.
5. Belts, vacuum lines and hoses: same problem as tires, examine or replace.
6. Gasoline: if the car actually runs on what’s in there (not recommended) dilute it quickly with fresh gas, and stay the hell outta the MR2’s boost until you get all of the old stuff out.
7. Filters: Fuel filter should be changed when all the old gas is cleared out.
8. Critters: stored inside or not, you better check inside, outside and underneath for signs of life. I’d hate for you to get a nasty surprise when you turn on the HVAC, or get a nasty short when activating something electrical.

Send your queries to mehta@ttac.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry.