New Wing and Wire Tuck

The gen2 engine is completely removed from the car.  I spent some time putting the rear suspension and subframe back together.  Now the car is off of the jack stands and has become a rolling chassis.  I also "tucked" the body wiring harness.  This consists of taking the engine bay fuse box and relocating it into the trunk along with the igniter and ignition coil.  The aesthetic appeal is the only reason for hiding the wire harness.  It is still accessible in the trunk and if done properly, takes up no usable cargo volume.

Engine is out

I spent the better part of two nights dropping the engine out of the car.  I've linked to a couple of websites which walk through the process of removing the engine from an mkII mr2.  You'll notice that both sites use an engine hoist to lower the engine to the ground and one site even utilizes a 4 post lift to raise the car up.  I own neither of these useful pieces of equipment nor do I have garage space.  This makes the engine removal process trickier.  It is definitely not impossible but the order in which parts are removed is crucial.  At the very least 4 jack stands, two jacks, and cinder blocks or pieces of 2 by 4 or required.

Cylinder #4 Retired = Time for a Gen3

I discovered that cylinder #4 has a serious problem.  It is most likely a cracked or broken piston ring land.  A compression test showed 160psi but the leak down test indicated a 22% leakage.  There were no bubbles visible in the coolant fill neck nor was there leakage from an adjacent cylinder so that about rules out a broken head gasket.  No sound was coming from the intake pipes nor the exhaust pipes which can rule out the valves.  Along with the fact that it is a common failure point on MR2s, the symptoms and test results point to a broken ring land in cylinder #4.
      It was suggested to me that getting a complete engine swap would be the most cost effective choice.  A rebuild requires lots of work at a machine shop plus the labor from a knowledgeable engine builder who can be hard to find locally.  These labor costs can quickly add up to more than a swap.  Also with a complete swap, I have a 90 day start up warranty and I get a complete set of engine components including the wiring harness.  I have my suspicions with the harness that was on my engine.  This also gives me a unique situation where I can sell good parts from my engine to help fund the swap.  My CT27 was recently rebuild and has 0 miles on it.  These are worth $800 in this condition.  With a rebuild, all costs come out of pocket.  With either choice the blown engine needs to be removed and the new engine installed.  This labor cost is only avoidable if I complete the work myself.  Hopefully a friends shop will be available and I can save over $1000!
     I have decided on a gen3 swap which I can get for $2100 shipped to my door from a well known MR2 specialty shop.  This does not include the transmission because I will be reusing the current LSD transmission that is in the car.  Going this route means I have put all of the good engine parts from my gen2 up for sale on MR2OC.com.  I've already made several sales and I'm well on my way to purchasing the gen3 swap.
     When the engine arrives, I will be doing some preventative maintenance while it is out of the car.  This is the best time to do a few part and gasket replacements because of the ample room.  With the engine inside of the car, some tasks are almost impossible without removing a long list of parts.  Some of the things I plan to buy before installing the gen3 are:
UPDATE: After figuring up the costs, I've had to revise my list.

-Spark Plug Wire Set (includes plastic cover) $76.93
-Distributor Cap Seal $2.77
-Distributor Rotor $7.37
-Distributor Cap $40.00
-HFH and HFHOE both are $13.00 each
-Water Pump $132.16
-Timing belt idler $104.44
-Timing belt tensioner $48.09
-ATS Timing Belt Replacement Kit includes ($104)
-----Timing Belt
-----Cam Seals
-----Crank Seal
-----Oil pump shaft seal
-----Oil pump O-ring
-----Both valve cover gaskets
-Have fuel injectors cleaned and flow tested by Witchunter $80.00
Stay tuned for more updates.  I am shooting for an early May install date but I hope to receive the engine a little before then so I can get started.

Front Lip Refresh and Gauge Cluster Update

After a few years of use and a poor initial installation, the front lip on the car was in need of some serious help.  It wasn't mounted using the correct OEM brackets, and the paint was coming off.  So I sourced all six brackets from Toyota and got locking nuts and paint from the store.  I also imported a set of aluminum rings to go around the gauges in the instrument cluster as well as an LED set to replace the old incandescent bulbs behind the gauges.  They both really give it a more updated look.  Check out the big improvement for both the gauges and the front lip.

Upgrade the stock radio with OEM Toyota Double DIN unit

My car came with an old crappy Kenwood CD player which looked too flashy and out of place.  Here is a cheap alternative to buying aftermarket CD players which also retains that clean factory look.

Georgia Summers (T-Top Replacement Knobs and Clips)

Being in the south, Georgia's summers can get pretty hot. When I bought this car, it did not have the sun shades which latch onto T-Tops.  Nor did it have the catch on the T-Top glass to receive the latch from the shade.  Unfortunately, Toyota no longer stocks the plastic knobs or catches and no one in the aftermarket reproduced these making these pieces highly desirable and almost worth just as much as the shade itself.  Therefore I had to do some research.  I bought a set of great condition black T-Top shades and after a tip from pyrotoxin on MR2OC.com, the solution was as easy as a trip to a NISSAN dealership!  It turns out that the same knobs and catches which are used on a older Z car are still stocked by Nissan and actually work on the MR2 as well.  A long standing and widespread problem in the MR2 community has now been solved!  Details after the jump.