I use 0w30 instead of 5w30 because it has superior flow properties while the engine is cold, but they're both the same 30 weight oil at operating temperature. You'll find lots of debates about what the best oil is, and Amsoil is always one of the contenders (again, everyone has their favorites). If you've never heard of Amsoil, Google it. They should be good until 150k.Įngine Oil - I only use Amsoil 0w30 because I believe it's the best for my operating conditions (it doesn't get below freezing here, and I don't do any racing). Plugs - I replaced these at 50k for no reason (just felt like doing it). Serpentine belt - I heard Goodyear Gatorbacks were great belts, so I thought I'd try it out. There are NO engine oil leaks anywhere now. I noticed that mine was just starting to dribble oil, so I replaced it with a new one from the Toyota dealer.

Timing chain tensioner o-ring - This is the #1 suspect whenever a 1zz engine has an oil leak. The old coolant was still super clean, but I figured I'd replace it anyway. This car has never had the green stuff poured in. Replacing this fixed a slight bogging issue that I had and even improved power a little bit.Ĭoolant - OEM Toyota red coolant. The ACT clutch is a little grippier than stock, but it's still easy to use and is supposed to last longer too.įuel filter - OEM Toyota, from the dealership. My friend's MR2 has an unsprung 6-puck clutch + superlight aluminim flywheel, and that's a whole different beast to drive. However, taking off from a stop isn't extreme since it's still a full-disc street clutch. With this setup, I find that you spend a little less time waiting for RPMs to drop between shifts. Pretty much everything has been done, so you should be good for the next 100k miles.īrakes - The stock brakes lasted me until 100k, so I bought OEM Toyota brake pads and new (not resurfaced) Napa rotors, which are usually made by Brembo or Raybestos.Ĭlutch - The stock clutch also lasted 100k, but this one I replaced with an ACT clutch kit, and a slightly lighter flywheel (from Monkeywrench Racing). 2004-2005 MR2s also have improved crash worthiness thanks to some chassis revisions, on top of the styling changes (and EXCELLENT headlights) that came out for 2003.Īll maintenance, major and minor, has been taken care of using only OEM/quality parts. The limited-slip differential (LSD) was a rare option for 2004-2005 only, and it makes a big difference when you're hard on the throttle going around a turn. This is the last year of the Toyota MR2 in the US, with only a few hundred imported for 2005. I'm only selling this car because I bought a Honda Insight for my commute (70mpg!), and I've decided to sell the mr2 to help me pay for college. I'm anal about my cars, and even if they're not perfect I do everything I can to take care of them. I'm the kind of guy that always shifts gently, keeps the revs low, and even closes the doors with only the minimum amount of force. It's garage kept and has never been raced or abused. I don’t have an impact driver either.The car is in excellent shape, maintained religiously with only the best/OEM parts.

The T-35 seems to grab the inset of the bolt, but when trying to rotate it, no dice and the bit comes out of the hole/ slips (and this is using strong pressure directly over the bolt and using a breaker bar as a regular ratchet handle (3/8” drive) simply didn’t apply enough torque. Any ideas to free up the bolts without drilling them out or other brutal tactics. I’ll either return it to RetroModern and lose 20% restocking fee or maybe try to sell it here. I’m not sure if I can get this installed. I don’t want to further bugger up the bolt and I just cannot get it to release (I read a thread from 2005 in which another owner had the same issue and basically pounded a T-40 Torx bit in and then got the bolts to release, but no such luck with this. When I wanted to remove the bolts of the striker (which are actually T-35 Torx button head bolts), not matter what I do and having obtained the proper bit from Harbor Freight (as no one else sells it), I cannot get the bolt to budge at all. Anyway, today, I tightened up my front hard top latches (the procedure where you cut the long nut of the latch by ~ 5 mm) and this seems to have worked well.

Yes, I would assume our tops are not high theft items (as are Miata tops in some cities), but I purchased a RetroModern polished HT lock (you remove the 2 large Torx bolts from the striker and install the billet retainer and then slide the latch lock over the retainer, then it’s locked in place with a special key).

Toyta mr2 spyder hardtop