1986 Toyota MR2 - an uncontrollable evacuation of the bowels

[Sweetpea]

“Well”, I hear you ask, “What did Santa bring you for the MR2 for Christmas then?”
“What treats have we got in store for the blog this year?”

What do you mean you weren’t asking? curse word. Must be the voices in my head then. I’m going to tell you anyway, you don’t have to read it.

He brought me a blue box.




With a clutch in it. Looks like the gear box is coming off then.

He brought me…




Some smelly chemicals. Looks like the attempt at GRP replica mud flaps is on. If I ever get round to finishing the plugs that is.

And, because I’d been a verrrry good boy…




New blubs for me lights…
However, this being me, and me being a bit mad, I wasn’t going to chuck them in and write some nonsense about how astonishingly bright they are. You can get that sort of blogging any-old-where. That’s your common or garden sort of writing. This blog is better than that. This blog pushes open the door of science and experimentation and runs through it with gay abandon. Oh no, I’m not going to chuck the new blubs in and claim they are outstanding…

I want proof.


So here’s the plan.
Park the car an arbitrary distance from the wall and tape a bit of kitchen towel at the brightest part.




Then I’ve found an app for my ‘dog and bone’ that gives me a light measurement. I don’t care if it’s accurate, I just want a comparison of readings.




I’m taking a measurement of reflected light ‘cos I figure shining the light directly up the phone might be a bit cruel and may well saturate the camera anyway. And I’m looking for the maximum figure, the brightest spot.
So, 7600 LUX with the original blubs fitted.

Install the Night Breakers and do it again.




10900 LUX! Gordon Bennett! I hadn’t expected that. I reckon that’s 143% of the old blub.

So what’s it like on the road?

Rubbish! (Compared to a modern car.) But much better than before. I can, at least, tell that I’ve got them turned on now. I can see a clear cut off as well now.
However I reckon they are pointing a little low and I can’t help wondering if relays to provide a fat local earth would make a difference. So I’ll make some relay boxes, refurbish the housings, and lift them a little. One day…




Hmmmm. Shiny!

James

[Tamber]

Surely if all you're after is a better earth point, there's no real need for relays; just a new chunky ground wire from the lamp to a convenient metal bit.

[Sweetpea]

Jan 1, 2019 22:33:20 GMT Tamber said:

Surely if all you're after is a better earth point, there's no real need for relays; just a new chunky ground wire from the lamp to a convenient metal bit.

The wiring isn't that simple. I'll draw it out at some point but the +ve feed from the battery (via a relay) goes to the common point of the filaments. The other side of the filaments goes via the switch gear in the cabin to earth.
So the plan would be to remote switch the earth and leave the +ve side untouched for the moment. It'll take a shed load of wiring out of the circuit and give the switch gear an easier life. And, if I'm really clever, I can do it without modifying the car's wiring. It can be a plug in box that can be removed to return the car to standard.

James

PS, You aren't the same "Tamber" who owns the Bedford on HMVF are you?

Edit, Oh, yes, you are. It's in your signature!

[tristanh]

Hold up... They're switched on earth?

[georgeb]

Jan 2, 2019 0:51:46 GMT tristanh said:

Hold up... They're switched on earth?

Quite a few systems on my P38 are as well.

[Sweetpea]

Jan 2, 2019 0:51:46 GMT tristanh said:

Hold up... They're switched on earth?

According to the manual... Yup.

The more complex answer is that there is a relay in the +ve feed that cuts power when the lights aren't on and the dip / main beam switching is done in the earth.
LHD MK1a cars appear to be wired differently. And MK1b cars are like RHD the MK1a but with an extra box, presumably for the silly dim dip lighting that we had for a while.

I'll draw it out later.

[Deleted]

Jan 1, 2019 21:14:51 GMT Sweetpea said:

So what’s it like on the road?

Rubbish! (Compared to a modern car.) But much better than before. I can, at least, tell that I’ve got them turned on now. I can see a clear cut off as well now.
However I reckon they are pointing a little low and I can’t help wondering if relays to provide a fat local earth would make a difference. So I’ll make some relay boxes, refurbish the housings, and lift them a little. One day…




Hmmmm. Shiny!

James

James - I'd be very happy with your bulb conversion when compared to the headlamps to that of my 1952 Jowett Javelin fitted with British Pre Focus (converted to halogen) but they are still only circa 2.5 candlestick in brightness - I could go down the digital led route but it's not really a car that you want to be driving on an evening and led's look awful on a car of this era when illuminated - the rear lamps are quite small too so it's just better to plan daylight trips - Your MR2 however - ideal now for heading out to the 80's revival disco (once you have dug out your flared trousers & kippered collared shirt)

[Tamber]

Jan 1, 2019 23:03:22 GMT Sweetpea said:

The wiring isn't that simple. I'll draw it out at some point but the +ve feed from the battery (via a relay) goes to the common point of the filaments. The other side of the filaments goes via the switch gear in the cabin to earth.

Should've figured it wasn't going to be that easy, otherwise you would've already done that...

Jan 1, 2019 23:03:22 GMT Sweetpea said:

So the plan would be to remote switch the earth and leave the +ve side untouched for the moment. It'll take a shed load of wiring out of the circuit and give the switch gear an easier life. And, if I'm really clever, I can do it without modifying the car's wiring. It can be a plug in box that can be removed to return the car to standard.

That makes a lot more sense. ...well, as much sense as that OEM arrangement can ever make, anyway.

Jan 1, 2019 23:03:22 GMT @sweetpeajh said:

PS, You aren't the same "Tamber" who owns the Bedford on HMVF are you?

Edit, Oh, yes, you are. It's in your signature!

[jpsmit]

I hadn't made the connection either - love watching the Bedford project as well as this!

[Sweetpea]

Jan 2, 2019 9:56:26 GMT @grumpynorthener said:

James - I'd be very happy with your bulb conversion when compared to the headlamps to that of my 1952 Jowett Javelin fitted with British Pre Focus (converted to halogen) but they are still only circa 2.5 candlestick in brightness - I could go down the digital led route but it's not really a car that you want to be driving on an evening and led's look awful on a car of this era when illuminated - the rear lamps are quite small too so it's just better to plan daylight trips - Your MR2 however - ideal now for heading out to the 80's revival disco (once you have dug out your flared trousers & kippered collared shirt)

Yeah, I'm not complaining, Just think they could be better yet. As for the disco, I was too much of an engineer back in those days to go to discos, but now...
Now I'm old enough to not care a toss. Maybe I should! I'm just off to see if the little hair I currently have can be 'bigged up' 80s stylee!

Jan 2, 2019 11:25:15 GMT Tamber said:

Oh yes, that's the beasty. (Hello Tamber!)
It's a good job I don't have space for such a thing or I'd have something like that. Possibly a Matador.
It's a damn good job I don't have space.



Anyway, drawings as promised.
Currently it's something like this according to the manual.




And measurements I made seem to confirm it.
So the problem is, being mid engined, the battery is in the wrong end of the car so there is a bit of voltage lost in the feed side. But more is lost taking the earth back into the cabin where it ultimately shares a wire with all sorts of other stuff.

My intention would be...



To remote switch the lamps and go directly onto the chassis right at the front of the car with a big fat cable.
If I wanted to beef up the +ve side too the best way would be to double up the existing cables but to do that tidily would mean lifting the loom out and I have better things to waste my time on. Like dreaming...

A Bristol Lodekka. That's what I'd have. A Bristol Lodekka.
(You didn't see that coming did you?)

James

[Tamber]

Jan 2, 2019 21:58:16 GMT Sweetpea said:

Oh yes, that's the beasty. (Hello Tamber!)
It's a good job I don't have space for such a thing or I'd have something like that. Possibly a Matador.
It's a damn good job I don't have space.

Hoi!

I don't have the space for it either, it's been living in my (now former) employer's yard since I got it; and the whole estate is slowly being bulldozed for houses. Cue the mad panic.

Jan 2, 2019 21:58:16 GMT Sweetpea said:

Anyway, drawings as promised.
Currently it's something like this according to the manual.

*back-of-the-envelope scribblings*

And measurements I made seem to confirm it.
So the problem is, being mid engined, the battery is in the wrong end of the car so there is a bit of voltage lost in the feed side. But more is lost taking the earth back into the cabin where it ultimately shares a wire with all sorts of other stuff.

Oh, that does make things a bit trickier.

Jan 2, 2019 21:58:16 GMT Sweetpea said:

My intention would be...

*more envelopes and fag-packets*

To remote switch the lamps and go directly onto the chassis right at the front of the car with a big fat cable.
If I wanted to beef up the +ve side too the best way would be to double up the existing cables but to do that tidily would mean lifting the loom out and I have better things to waste my time on. Like dreaming...

That makes sense, and is probably the best way to go without seriously having to chop stuff about. The relays are a good idea, too.

[toast00]

Isn't it depressing that at 16:26 it is dark enough to be able to experiment outside with flashing and using paper towel. Roll on the warmer months for outdoors experiments!

[Sweetpea]

Jan 8, 2019 13:51:49 GMT toast00 said:

Isn't it depressing that at 16:26 it is dark enough to be able to experiment outside with flashing and using paper towel. Roll on the warmer months for outdoors experiments!

I thought exactly that.
To be fair it wasn't real dark, sort of properly dusk. But dark enough.

I probably should do the relay thing before it gets too light in the evenings to test it. Hmmm. How do I tell the missus the stairs aren't getting done?

[jamesd1972]

In a mumble as she's heading out ?

James

[johnthesparky]

Bottle of wine, Barry White* on the CD player.... and right when she’s most anxious about you trying to ‘be with her in a manly way’.....

Bam.... can I fix my car tomorrow?..... if I don’t bother you tonight?


(Well it works for me )


*the more contemporary may prefer Peter Cetera

[Deleted]

Jan 10, 2019 18:15:34 GMT johnthesparky said:

Bottle of wine, Barry White* on the CD player.... and right when she’s most anxious about you trying to ‘be with her in a manly way’.....

Bam.... can I fix my car tomorrow?..... if I don’t bother you tonight?


(Well it works for me )


*the more contemporary may prefer Peter Cetera

Peter Etc ? didn't he star in Chicago ?

[Sweetpea]

It's ok! The stairs aren't happening this weekend. I wear the trousers in my house.












Besides, she wants me to fix the Christmas lights ready for next year...



Some idiot journalist once asked Denis Thatcher who wore the trousers in his house. "I do" he replied. "And I wash and iron them too."

[Sweetpea]

So what is it with old cars? You go and do one fiddling little job and find something else is dropping off.

The little job… I noticed a couple of drips under the front. Cooling water. Another spring hose clip that’s lost tension. Yeah, I know, I should have changed them all as a matter of course.




Clamp a new one on and then spend 15 mins fighting with the old one. Although it wasn’t gripping the pipe properly I really struggled to bend it open enough to get it over the hose. Didn’t want to take the hose off ‘cos that’d mean dumping the coolant on the drive.

The other little job?

Found that most of the bolts that hold the chin spoiler on had escaped.




It doesn’t look terrible in this photo but it was literally hanging on at each end.

So a new line of stainless steel bolts now hold it on.




I think there is supposed to be a metal strip that runs along the bottom. I think I might even have the rusted remains of it somewhere. Never mind.

The only other thing… The old Toyota and I went for a ride to Halfords on Friday.




Relays and wires for remote switching the head lights.
This isn’t going to be a quick job. I need a way of mounting the whole contrivance on the back of the light unit. That means making a bracket of some sort, and that probably means I should get back to doing things properly and refurbish the popup mech and lamp unit.

Oh, and the spoiler on the boot lid is full of water.

James

[vulgalour]

You have to pick your battles. For every item you fix, you run the risk of something else breaking, often not even a related thing!

[Sweetpea]

I have a plan for this years battles. Roughly, big end bearings and clutch.
That said the big ends were on the list for last year too and didn't happen. So don't hold me to it! That's all I ask, don't hold me to my promises. Think of me as an automotive politician...

Edit... Draining my spoiler - lets add that to the list. And, no, it's not a euphemism. Stop giggling at the back!