Engine Carnage Revealed

Recall my recent post about the untimely demise of my MR2 Spyder’s engine during a brief track weekend.  A recent visit to the guys down at DDPR gave me an opportunity to see exactly how bad the engine was damaged.  I’ll let the photos do the talking.

Damaged cylinder head  Damaged piston top Damaged cylinder wallBroken valve stem tipIn this last photo you see the broken off tip of an exhaust valve from the #1 cylinder.  It broke right at the retainer and looks as though it was a material failure.  Lesson: probably shouldn’t rely on used OEM parts in an engine producing 310hp to the wheels out of 1.8L.

The cylinder wall, close to the top of the deck is damaged from the loose valve head.  There’s also some scoring in another cylinder, could possibly be from particulates being injected into the oil during the destruction going on in cylinder #1.  Obviously the combustion chamber of the guilty cylinder is badly damaged on both the head and piston sides.  Looks like a set of 10.5:1 pistons are in order, which should also help to reduce EGTs and also allow running slightly leaner mix as detonation wouldn’t be as big a concern.

Supercharged Super Swap

12. Moving on to the transmission. After a bit of research and the help of Curt I decided to go with the European MR2 Spyder 6-speed with standard helical LSD. Since it is from a Spyder, all the linkage bolts up. It also already has the reverse block-out.
European MR2 6 Speed
Here are the gear ratios:
Ratios:
1st: 3.166
2nd: 1.904
3rd: 1.310
4th: 0.969
5th: 0.815
6th: 0.725
Final Drive: 3.941

13. Before I could the transmission on, I needed to swap over the Fidanza lightweight flywheel and ACT HD SS clutch. Both had less than 50 miles on them, not even broken in. I used new Toyota FW bolts this time instead of the ARP bolts, which no one could seem to decide on a torque value for. You can see the small red dots to measure that last quarter turn off of and the torque order written by the bolts:
ACT Aluminum Flywheel

And the ACT clutch mounted:
ACT Clutch

14. Since the Rotrex takes up the space previously occupied by the AC compressor, a special mount built by Corky is used to mount the compressor to the hot side. This is the first of its kind, because unlike before it is adjustable:
AC Compressor Mount

15. Now for the fueling. While a return setup is not necessary, I wanted to go the extra mile. So I ordered a billet rail from Smaay over at NewCelica.org. This would allow me to have a center feed, with two outlets on either end. It also has provisions for two 1/8″ NPT sending units. I also wanted to maintain the benefits of a fuel damper, like the stock rail. I used a Marren EFI fuel damper mounted on the driver’s side of the rail.
Marren Fuel Damper
In this photo you can see the damper (red) and the pigtails of the 700cc MWR injectors. The feed port is a 1/4″ NPT 90 degree to -6AN. All fittings are Earl’s Ano-tough Swivel Seal. You can also see how I had to run the wiring harness. I removed all the OEM electrical tape and loom completely from the entire harness to run my additional items and clean everything up.

16. To ensure I would have no leaks, all the AN lines and fittings were pressure checked using a Summit kit. I pressurized the rail to 50 psi and all the lines to 100 psi, which were submerged in water. I only had to re-do one line, and hopefully everything holds. In the following picture you can see the feed and return line. Please do not copy the return line. That 90 degree -6AN hose end will not fit between the crankcase vent and firewall, I’ll be changing that.
AN Line Pressure Check

17. For the feed side I connected directly to the OE 5/16″ hard line. I used an Earl’s crush collar -6AN fitting for this, followed by more Ano-tough -6AN hose ends and stainless braided hose.
Hard Line to AN Fuel Line
If you look closely below that relay box you can see the boost gauge sending unit. I failed to get pictures, but both it and the oil temp sender’s lines run parallel with the shift cables up to the cubby. If you pull out the large rubber insulator around the shift cables, there is a small area you can cut out in order to run wires. This is a much more direct shot than going through the wire harness holes on the left and right.

18. On the pump side I used an Earl’s 90 degree bulkhead fitting connected to a straight hose end.
Fuel Return Line
I failed to get photos of the lines to the Aeromotive Compact EFI Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator, but it is mounted next to the passenger side engine lid hinge. All the stainless lines are held secure using rubber isolated hose clasps bolted to nutserts.

19. Here’s a shot showing the belt’s path:
Rotrex 2ZZ Belt Configuration

20. As for the hose routing, it’s pretty straightforward… but there’s only so much you can do with the engine out of the car. Inevitably there will be interference issues. So I got everything as close to complete as reasonable before installing. Here you can see the basic layout:
2ZZ Intercooler Hoses
Please note that the coolant hoses will need tweaking, and a few of the T-bolt clamps had to be rotated for clearance purposes. I also machined down my Rotrex’s outlet neck to allow more clearance. Before it was machined, the first 90 degree bend was pressed into the bottom of the alternator (not a huge issue.) Now it doesn’t touch at all. Also note the Turbo Supra MAF which has been shortened by Web3.0 for more clearance for the IC.

In case you were wondering, the BOV is actually a recirculate valve. Heater hose runs from the BOV’s exhaust to this fitting on the intake side of the Rotrex:
BOV Recirculate Port
This should be a considerably quiet FI car.

21. And just for sh!ts and giggles.
Lotus 2ZZ Valve Cover
Before anyone goes off on me about being a Lotus wanabe; I’ll be sanding that down. Hopefully it turns out well, I’ve got some ideas for it. The valve cover was finished in wrinkle black powder coat by JNZ Finishing and the valve cover was bolted down using some stainless allen head bolts from McMaster with black anodized washers from Serina.

22. Back in the engine goes. This is the third method I’ve used to remove/install an engine, and it’s not quite there. I really needed a better wooden stand for the engine, and that motorcycle lift really could have used casters on all four corners.
Installing Engine

Lots more to come… But I’ll be taking a short break to ready a truck for sale.

Apex’i PFC installed

[B]And behold my Cyborg Swapped 2ZZ Spyder[/B]…. okay not even close.

PFC secured on top of fuel tank cover using industrial Velcro. The two black wires on the lower right are from the Innovate LC-1. The serial output runs to a Radio Shack serial to USB converter. The black box Datalogit can be seen below the PFC, also running to a USB converter. LR’s wiring harness adapter is the pack of green wires.
2ZZ Apex'i PFC

Here’s the PFC Commander. I wanted it accessible, but also neatly out of the way when not in use. The extra wire is stored up under the storage compartment end caps, and the Commander is attached using Velcro.
PFC Under Cubby Plastic

So where do those USB lines from the PFC Datalogit and LC-1 run to? I extended them both 6ft, wrapped them with wire loom and electrical tap, then ran them under the passenger dash. When not in use the cables are easily tucked behind the glove box. The LC-1 USB cable is distinguished with a small red zip-tie.
PFC USB Connection

Now I just need to figure out how to Autotune with Copilot.

2zz intstalled, beginining exhaust work

Well I suppose it’s time for another update. I’ve been working diligently every night. As always, this will be a photo rich post. Hopefully any folks planning to do a 2ZZ swap themselves can use them for reference or see what it entails.

First of all, working in a garage with a TV has it’s advantages, especially at 2am. Family Guy on Adult Swim keeps me motivated:
[IMG]http://www.strikewarn.com/uploads/spyder/images/2ZZ/family_guy.jpg[/IMG]

After much swearing, bleeding, having the engine slip off the wood blocks and crush my thumb, we finally got it in:
[IMG]http://www.strikewarn.com/uploads/spyder/images/2ZZ/engine_intalled_top.jpg[/IMG]

Another member brought up a concern about clearance between the RLCB and the Moroso pan. Well after much worrying myself, it all worked out. There is a minimum of 3/4″ wiggle room between the pan and bar. It’s tight due to the A/C compressor lines and the oil cooler lines, but it worked:
[IMG]http://www.strikewarn.com/uploads/spyder/images/2ZZ/RLCB_Moroso.jpg[/IMG]

And here’s the cooler installed. The little brace required a little tweaking in the vise, but it’s mounted solid:
[IMG]http://www.strikewarn.com/uploads/spyder/images/2ZZ/MWR_oil_cooler.jpg[/IMG]

And now the next step in the project:
[IMG]http://www.strikewarn.com/uploads/spyder/images/2ZZ/Borla_mock_up.jpg[/IMG]

That’s a Borla transverse flow dual out muffler. It’s a good bit bigger than the TM Magnaflow single, so it’ll require a bit of maneuvering to fit. I got mandrel bent 304 stainless J-pipes and have cut them into 90 degree bends. I should have a welder here tomorrow to tack it together.

2zz swaped shifter, painting complete

BTW, got the shifter shaft all finished up. Would you believe that after all the help I received on here, I still installed it upside down? That’s what I get for working this late. So back apart it came:

[IMG]http://strikewarn.com/uploads/spyder/images/2ZZ/shifter_shafts.jpg[/IMG]
Obligatory BFH in the shot.

And I suppose I owe a little update, this being my thread and all. I hope everyone likes pictures as much as I do.

LSD is installed, with new seals. Just waiting to mate the two halves, hence my questions regarding the FIPG earlier:
[IMG]http://strikewarn.com/uploads/spyder/images/2ZZ/LSD_installed.jpg[/IMG]

Engine taped up, cleaned, and ready for paint:
[IMG]http://strikewarn.com/uploads/spyder/images/2ZZ/engine_painting_01.jpg[/IMG]

Another shot:
[IMG]http://strikewarn.com/uploads/spyder/images/2ZZ/engine_painting_02.jpg[/IMG]

Primed:
[IMG]http://strikewarn.com/uploads/spyder/images/2ZZ/engine_primed_01.jpg[/IMG]

Manifold primed:
[IMG]http://strikewarn.com/uploads/spyder/images/2ZZ/manifold_primed_01.jpg[/IMG]

Manifold painted:
[IMG]http://strikewarn.com/uploads/spyder/images/2ZZ/manifold_black_01.jpg[/IMG]

Manifold again:
[IMG]http://strikewarn.com/uploads/spyder/images/2ZZ/manifold_black_02.jpg[/IMG]

Valve cover painted:
[IMG]http://strikewarn.com/uploads/spyder/images/2ZZ/painted_valve_cover.jpg[/IMG]

Picts of engine all painted and mostly reassembled:
[IMG]http://strikewarn.com/uploads/spyder/images/2ZZ/engine_finished_01.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://strikewarn.com/uploads/spyder/images/2ZZ/engine_finished_02.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://strikewarn.com/uploads/spyder/images/2ZZ/engine_finished_03.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://strikewarn.com/uploads/spyder/images/2ZZ/engine_finished_04.jpg[/IMG]

Still need to grind down the water pump pulley bolts, as they contact the pump. Also the hoses as mentioned, new IAC valve, flywheel, clutch, and bridge mount. Speaking of bridge mount, are most of you just using hardware store bolts/nuts to attach it to the block?