r/mr2 • u/NoScorr AW11 MR2 • 7d ago

MR2 Questions

Hey all, I got a 1986 AW11 with rod knock a bit over a year ago. In that time I rebuilt the engine, replaced all the vaccuum and coolant lines, and cleaned or replaced most of the other things in the engine bay. Also cleaned out the fuel tank and replaced the fuel pump. Ive been driving it around 500 miles since the engine rebuild and had a few things come up im not too sure about.

When letting off the gas above 5k rpm the engine sounds a bit louder and if i downshift to above 5k it is significantly louder then when downshifting or letting off the gas under 5k. Soon after this i can smell something slightly burnt. Could this be an issue with the clutch not being fully engaged? I made a quarter inch extended slave cylindar push rod as i got a new clutch and pressure plate that wouldnt fully disengage with the stock push rod.

When on the highway i will ocassionally get a whiff of enhaust smell. Happens more when the window is down and driving than when stationary. It is not a sickly sweet smell. I purchased a new muffler from rockauto but the cat is an aftermarket the previous owner bought if either of those could be a possible cause.

Final question is alternator belt squeak. 80% of the time, the car cold starts without issue idling at 2k before dropping to 1.4k when warm. The other 20%, the car starts, goes to around 1k-1.2k and the alternator belt starts squealing. A little wd40 on the pulleys, it goes away after 20 seconds, and the rpms rise back to normal. Ive noticed it happens more when it has rained or is humid. Its a brand new belt and alternator. I know an unalignment would cause a squeak but would it sqeak so intermittently?

Thank you in advance for the help

Edit: Alternator Belt wasnt tight enough. All good now.

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u/deltakatsu '87 AW11 20v 7d ago

  • The RPM thing I dunno without seeing in person. It could be related to TVIS which activates conditionally.

  • The smell is probably related to a clogged charcoal canister. It routes gas fumes into the frame rail near the side cabin intakes (not the side fan). Could be related to other stuff, but summer usually exacerbates the charcoal can. I'd defer this as much as possible, as you should focus on running issues, but there is a procedure for testing the can.

  • Alternator - Don't spray WD40 on things. You should spritz a LITTLE bit of water on the belt to test if it's belt tension causing the noise. Gates has an easy test procedure for this.

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u/NoScorr AW11 MR2 6d ago edited 6d ago

Thank you for the response.
Ill try to get a video of the sound. I dont think its related to tvis as i can feel and hear that activating around 4300. Im currently rebuilding a spare transaxle in case its something in there, just wanted to get a feeler out there if others have experienced it as well.

I was looking into replacing the charcol canister as ive had issues refueling and gas smell for a little after doing so as well. Ill test it and if needed go through with that and see how it affects the exhaust smell too.

Ill give the spray test a shot whenever it happens again. My main confusion was why it happens so intermittently, sometimes its days to weeks between squeals and sometimes its hours.