so, as some i-club member know, back on thursday morning the engine in my 99 RS finally died. heh. it was expected, especially when the engine was consuming 3 quarts of oil in 2500 miles.

so, a buddy of mine got it towed back to my place and were planning on swapping the engine out.

thankfully, a few weeks prior i had purchased a 2000 RS engine from Earl. CSeaBass, Earl and myself loaded it into Ian's truck and it was transported back to my place.

since the time when it got to my place, i've inspected it visually... every seal was tight, looked new, and didnt leak anything at all. Earl told me that it ran perfectly and that he removed it because he decided to drop another engine into his 2000 RS.

so, i've replaced the throw out bearing, engine mounts, intake and exhaust manifold gaskets, valve cover gaskets, spark plug tube i-rings, throttle body gasket, timing belt and every timing belt tensioner and roller on the face of the engine. now, i've dealt with plenty of Toyota timing belts, and they're pretty simple... this was another beast entirely.

so, long story short. we (my buddy kevin and i) began pulling everything off my dead engine (intake manifold, etc) thursday evening... by friday night, its running.

thursday was purely dedicated to getting the replacement engine prepped for the drop in.

friday was all about getting the old engine out, and putting the new one in.

being that i hate dealing with wiring, i used the intake manifold and all the accessories from my 99 RS engine on the 2000 RS engine.

upon first turn over, it idled PERFECTLY... i was SHOCKED... i was sure that the timing belt would be off a tooth or so - it wasnt! i lightly blipped the throttle - the engine nearly died and the check engine light turned on.

we were pretty stumped as everything APPEARED to be plugged in. by this time, i had to leave to pick up my wife from the airport... so, the subaru had to wait.

later, i borrowed an OBD2 reader from International B (many thanks good sir!) and found the error code. p0117 - plug in the coolant temp sensor to the water pipe under the intake manifold on the passenger side of the engine.

it started, idled and revved perfectly!

at this point was just 12:37am saturday morning. 37 hours since it blew the original engine, and already its running.

saturday, we went to SF for a bit - waste of time unfortunately.

so, we drive around for a bit, just around town... the replacement power steering pump i had decided to use, was dying. no biggie.

sunday, kevin and i swap out the replacement power steering pump for my original one... all is well. we then head off to get some miscellaneous parts from Kragen, and the check engine light turns on again...

p1327 - knock sensor. so, i unplug and replug the knock sensor in. clear the code and fire it up - check engine light is gone, and has not come back since...

oh... this is kinda odd. i replaced the factory (ie. old and crusty) engine mounts with the Group N engine mounts (already have the Group N pitch stop and transmission mounts on there)... the car is SUPER QUIET... no one can believe how quiet it is!!!

so, i do believe that the rebuild i got, was not the best... but, my driving certainly did NOT help that engine's life...

and a final shocker... i WASHED my RS... yes, i am aware that it was raining already... but, i now have a WHITE car, not just a dingy and filthy RS.

 

and it's raining today!

 

Nice, good work Joel.

 

Daaayyaaaammmmn...So I guess Earl was your savior with that spare engine? Major props on all that work in that amount of time. So does this now mean you will...gasp... change you driving style?

 

Earl = Hondakiller? UCKK Earl?

 

Fixed and yes.

 

I have a feeling i will be writing this same thread in about a year haha.

And an engine swap is one of the few things that DOES call for a car wash whatever the weather. Otherwise my car will stay dingy

 

Haha, right on Joel, sounds like you had a productive weekend. Now you can bring your shiny new(er(ish)) GM6 to play with us at Gellert SBux again soon

 

Good going Joel!

 

yeah... very busy few days to say the least. heh. literally 37 hours after it blew up, it was running... there are 2 minor details i still have to take care of... 2 zip ties for underneath and the rubber boot that covers the clutch/flywheel on the engine. once those 3 items are in place, it is officially done.

yep... i have to change my driving style.

everyone will see LESS of the maniac driver, and more of the 'gosh, this is my daily driver for work car' driver. that does not mean that my nuts have been chopped off... i just have to be slightly more sensible about my driving.

although, once i get my Mr2 back and the engine is broken it... that car will screamed like a raped ape.

 

care to share your driving habits? haha.

I hardly ever redline unless in an event. I ebrake often :/ ha oops but only in the wet or dirt. Other than that the only thing going out on mine is clutch, and i'd say it goes thru a quart or 2 between changes.

did you notice the engine performing better than your old one accel wise?

 

Joel's the only guy who told me, "Buddy, do nothing to your car except for a sway bar, then drive the hell out of it. You really don't need much else for an RS." Not those exact words, but the meaning was more or less the same.

 

and brakes...i have a long PM about brakes lol. but yeah basic stuff only

 

my basic philosophy is to leave the engine alone, except for MINOR modifications like a cold air intake, and maybe a straight pipe. beyond that, bone stock.

brakes... wow. yeah. i hate the stock pads on most cars that i've driven. ok cold bite, ho-hum mid temp range and garbage high heat range. i do put more aggressive pads and much better brake fluid in my cars, because i know that i will use them. again, just shifting the usable range higher, without destroying the low temp range usability.

my opinion on brakes is not a commonly used one either. i get the more aggressive pads for the rear. upgrade the fronts by 1 level, but the rears by 2 or 3 levels if you can. this helps to negate nose dive and makes it easier to steer and balance under braking. but its all preference. some people prefer heavy nose dive, others dont.

the 'need' for gross amounts of power beyond the factory setup just makes me think the person has a HUGE ego and/or small genitalia. anyone with 1000hp can go fast in a straight line, but try to go fast through a twisty road with 90hp... now THAT is tough.

though, getting an engine to respond better is something else entirely. i'd LOVE for my RS to respond to throttle inputs even better than it does already... lightweight crank, flywheel, rods, crank pulley, etc... it wouldnt really alter the power output - it'd just shift the powerband.

my driving habits... unnecessarily aggressive. this does NOT mean that i am a fast or good driver. it just means that i'm aggressive.

my preference is underpowered cars (ie. see 1982 Toyota Starlet & 1986 Toyota Mr2). no driving aids to save your ****. just luck, skill and the willingness to keep on pushing.

 

Hey Joel, this is Rob from MR2OC. haha Good to see a fellow MR2er on here... even though i don't have an MR2 anymore.