When:
Sunday, October 18, 2009
10:30 am Run Begins
3:30 pm BBQ Begins
Leave whenever you are full of smoked meat

Where:
The Start and End will be at my house in Wilton, NH, right on 101. We usually end up there anyway and half of the cars drive by on the way to the previous meets. The GPS address is 1175 Gibbons Hwy (101), turn on Victoria Lane then drive to the end of the road (700ft). PM me if you want more info.

What:
A 3.5 hour route through the twistiest foliage lined back roads in the Monadnocks. The map is here (subject to revision)
There will be some gathering and photo stops along the way.
As always a pile of que like: smoked ribs, wood grilled marinated chicken, and smoked brisket chili. There will also be pie.
I am working on gathering MR2 Trivia with prizes.

Rain Date:
October 25, 2009

Bring?: If you are hanging out for the BBQ you may want to bring folding chairs if you have some and have room. I have fridge space for beverages and anything else you want to bring for the BBQ.

We have sold many of these covers to spyderchat enthusiasts and will continue to do so, so please order your set today.

Ordering instructions

You can send payment of $16 to Keytechniques@hotmail.com

Important
In the message box please let us know the color code and that its for keyhole covers for the Spyder since we make different size covers for other makes and models.

Fuses

Tools required: None

Difficulty: If you can’t figure this out after reading my writeup.. Step away from the car.

Probably the easiest thing to check is the fuses.

First you need to get your fuse removal tool. Go to the engine compartment in the back and find the fuse box (as shown below). Note: The fuses you are looking for are NOT located back here. You just need the tool to remove the tiny fuses.

Now grab the white thing I’m pointing to in the picture below.

Neat huh?

Now go back up to the frunk and find the fuse box and take the cover off. On the underside of the cover you will find a diagram, situate it so the fuse pattern matches the fuses themselves (it’s easier then it sounds once you look at them). I included a picture of the diagram situated as though you were standing on the side of the car next to the fuse box. I also put two red arrows pointing to the fuses you will need to check.

Now take your tool and remove the fuses to inspect them.

What you’re looking for is a broken wire. This means the fuse is blown, I have a comparison below.

The one on the left as you can see has a solid wire all the way through. It is fine, but the one on the right has a break in the wire. That means it’s shot as was mentioned before.

If you do have a blown fuse fear not. Toyota thought of everything and included a couple of spare fuses of varying ratings. Make sure you pick the one with a 30 on it if you do end up having to replace one of the fan fuses otherwise you will just blow out your brand new fuse once the fan kicks in. I circled the spare fuses in the picture below.

Relays

Next up are the relays.

Tools required: A multimeter and probably some 14 gauge electrical wire.

Difficulty: Easy as pie.

This first picture is a well written set of instructions on how to do this. I am mostly guiding you on a few (very) basic points it doesn’t cover for this part of my how-to.

The relays are located in the same fuse block and the fuses were. I’ve put arrows going to the relays you need to check in the picture below.

Pull one out and set it upside down somewhere.

Next you will want to set your multimeter up so it is measuring resistance (ohms). This picture shows mine setup to do just that.

A little side note, I went to lowes to get a cheap multimeter and they had one for 15 bucks but there was only one left and it was opened. I’ve had that one before but lost it or something and it worked just fine. However the one shown in this picture was bought at advance autoparts for 16 dollars and I can say for sure it is of much higher quality.

Now you will want to connect the wires up to the electrodes as shown to check for continuity. If you do have continuity you will get a reading (for example 100) if there isn’t any you will just get a 1 like is shown in my picture above.

The motors themselves

Tools: Your hands.

Difficulty: Stupid easy

Another easy test is to see if the motors work. I want to make it clear this test isn’t going to give you a definitive answer but it can help to point you in the right direction. Basically all you have to do is spin the fan blades and see how long they keep spinning. If one spins a lot shorter ammount of time it could mean it’s either dead or on it’s way out. Here’s a video showing a aging motor.

http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b221/dar…es6-24-0830.flv

If the motor is bad here’s a writeup for replacing that.

The grounds

Tools: Wire stripper/cutter

Difficulty: Easy but not necessarily for the total idiot.

I don’t have any pictures of this but I can tell you how to do it. Basically you just need to cut the ground wire of your motor and try to ground it to the chasis of your spyder by stripping the insulation off and attaching it to some piece of metal on the car. To attach it you can just tape it and I’ve heard using liquid tape can be a good idea as well.

Your company can now advertise on Midship Runabout and directly target more MR2 owners worldwide.

Not only is advertising on our website great for your company, it also helps to pay for the server and software necessary to run this site. This will ensure that we will continue to be able to offer access for free to motor enthusiasts around the world.

Plans so far…

Friday is arrival day, get there early and we’ll run some twisties. But mainly just get there the MAIN EVENT is Saturday’s Run.

Saturday we’ll run all the best roads in the Hill Country(335, 336, 337) aka the 3 twisted sisters. 27 aka the River Road. 16 aka sweet 16. With a 9am start we’ll be running twisties all day Saturday finishing up about 4pm at the motel. If you don’t need to rush home we always have a good time painting the town red Saturday night.

Sunday, breakfast and goodbyes.

Info on the area…
http://www.hillcountrycruising.com/the3s.html

Tools needed:
10mm socket for battery removal
12mm socket for (-) battery cable flip
14mm socket to remove rear strut crossbrace
Dremmel with small cone grinder and small cutting bit (comes with most Dremmels)
3-5 zip ties to attach any loose hoses and wires
Pliers, to bend (+) positive battery bracket
Box cutter, or sharp knife to notch Red plastic (+) positive battery cover & white plastic battery tray
Rustoleum paint

Remove rear strut crossbrace 14mm
Disconnect the (-) battery terminal
Disconnect the (+) battery terminal
Unbolt battery hold down nut 10mm

Remove battery from car

This is the diagonal brace thats just behind the muffler and leads down to the rear lower brace.
Next #1 in pic snap off tab with pliers. I just bent it back n forth until it came off.
#2 use Dremmel with cone grinder to enlarge the hole so the stock battery hold down bracket tab will fit in the hole. Just need to open the hole a little.

Next take the white plastic battery tray trim off the corner as seen in #2 so it can fit in to the space.
Then with the Dremmel cone grinder or a large drill bit make the hole as seen by #1 in this pic. This hole is for the J-Bolt to hold down the battery to the rear crossbrace

Looking down you want to line up / mock up the battery top tie down brace with the hole you enlarged and drop down the J-Bolt to get an idea where to make your hole for the J-Bolt to go.

Look at this as your mock up, see how the battery will set in the space.

Looking down Use the dremmel with the cutting bit (looks like a small metal circle ball with fins) The space is tight, at a 45* angle to drill a hole large enough so the J-Bolt will fit. You don’t need to go to low just about 1/2 inch from the top of the rear member.

I painted the hole, using Black Rustoleum to prevent rust
After you make the hole place the J-Bolt thru the white plastic battery tray and into the new hole as seen in this pic

Bend the (+) positive battery connector as seen in this pic

Next flip the (-) battery terminal cable ( unbolt 12mm and flip over)

Next unbolt and turn this (-) battery terminal cable body ground as seen in this pic, then re-bolt

Place the battery into its new location with the terminals being closest to the tranny/old battery location. Next #1 slide the battery hold down bracket into the hole, then #2 attach the J-Bolt to the battery hold down bracket and tighten bolt 10mm so battery is held into place. When done the battery will not move at all. #3 zip tie the wires to this spot.

Bolt on the straighten (+) positive battery cable to the (+) positive post on the battery. Next cut/notch the L-shaped Red plastic (+) positive battery cover and snap into place as seen in this pic

Next attach the (-) battery cable to the (-) battery post as seen in this pic

Top view when done, Zip tie any loose hoses & wires

After rear strut cross bar is reinstalled & I put a piece of aluminum diamond plate in to old battery space for a home made cold air box.

A frunksaver is a tire hold that has the threads extended a few more inches. What this means is you can now flip your spare tire upside down and use that space which was going unused for storage. Use it for an extra bag on long trips, when going grocery shopping, or just throw a roadside emergency kit in there. Take a look for yourself, go out and flip your spare tire upside down now and see all of the space you can gain by buying one of these.

But why do I need to have this in order to flip my spare?

If you use a unmodified hold down the threads will not be long enough and you will not be able to tighten the hold down enough to prevent the spare from moving. As you can imagine if you even brake hard without the spare properly secured it could cause some serious damage to the underside of the front trunk lid, a costly repair to say the least.

Here are some before and after pictures of the space gained.

Normal 2003+:

Inverted 2003+:

Normal 2000-2002:

Inverted 2000-2002:

Cost:

Cost is $25 shipped to anywhere in the continental US. The ones which are being sold now are made from used tire holds and as a result I can lower the price. The quality is still there and they are in good condition save for a few nicks on the underside of the handle. International orders please PM me for additional shipping cost. My paypal address is spydersrus@hotmail.com thanks.

Note: One size fits all.

List of tools:

30 mm 12 point socket to remove the drive shaft nut (Ace Hardware)
14 mm 6 point socket to remove most bolts on tranny, engine mounts
17 mm 6 point socket to remove the two top tranny bolts and control arms
12 mm 6 point socket to remove battery tray, top engine mount bracket, ground wire to tranny
10mm 6 point socket to remove neg on battery etc
22 or 24mm 6 point to remove oil drain plug
Different length
extenders for sockets and universal joints for some angles to get socket on the bolts
1 Large flat head screw driver or small “pry bar” to pop off driver side axle
1 Jack two is better
3 Jack stands, two to hold up car one for engine when tranny is out (or jack to hold engine up)
Braker bar ( most tranny bolts are on with 50 ft lbs or less) not to bad
*2 cargo straps one with ratcheting ( time saver and makes removing / installing the tranny SO MUCH EASIER)
Dremmel or small hack saw to cut out small piece of the front engine mount to access the clutch release cylinder (so you don’t have to disconnect and bleed the clutch system)
1 Step stool
1 funnel
1 roll of paper towels

Now for the fun.

While the car is on the ground loosen the 30mm bolt holding the axle shaft. Make sure you bend up the locking tab on the nut I used a hole punch then a screw driver.

Remove the rear crossbrace (14mm) then battery and air box all the way up to the intake.

Remove the battery tray assembly 12mm

Remove the two pins holding the shift cables make sure to mark one of the cables to know which one goes to which pin. I use a paper towel and wire to mark the longest cable.

Remove the back up plug, bolt to ground wire 12mm

Remove the bolt holding down the wire harness to the transmission 12mm

Remove the top tranny bolt 17mm closest to the rear of the car

Remove the top tranny bolt 17mm closest to the front of the car. Its not easy to see but with a long screw driver or pry bar you can move around the engine hoses & wire harness to put on the socket

Now jack up the car and make sure you use jack stands. I have the smaller type 2 ton, you’ll need to raise the car high enough to slide the tranny out. I went three or four exposed notches.

When under the the car I started with the starter bolts 14mm

Then the two bolt holding the clutch cylinder 12mm

Then remove the the engine long bolt 14mm or 17mm and the three bolts 14mm holding the mount to the car and the bolt at the rear lower transmission 14mm

Remove the holding clip and then cut out a notch with a dremmel to slide the clutch cylinder out

Remove the two 14mm bolts behind the header. You might need extensions and universal joint with the scoket & ratchet.

Remove the lower tranny bolts 14mm

Remove the lower control arms bolts 17mm. The nut with the dial remove. The other control arms you must turn the bolt not the nuts. The nuts have a spike on back of them that will not let it turn. The bolts are the way to go.

Remove the three amigo header bolts and pop off the down pipe (you don’t need to remove the down pipe)

Place a oil pan under the tranny then remove the oil drain nut 22mm or 24mm. drain the oil.

I used an air chisel fork to pop off the axle a large flat head screw driver or small prybar will work (the air chisel fork was used as a pry bar only not hooked up to an air source, the bit has a turned up side like a fork has and that gives it a little more leverage). Turn the other wheel a little at a time until it just pops off. Don’t force it, keep turning the other wheel a little at a time until it comes off there is a C-clip that needs to slip down so the shaft slides out.

Remove the engine mount nut and bolt 17mm, then the 4 bolts 14mm to the car.

This part you’ll need a jack to support the engine and lower it a little to slide out the tranny (only one engine mount will be attached) don’t drop it to low. Also, I used a jack stand as add comfort, I placed it an inch lower (just in case)

First replace the strut crossmember brace, then tie off one end of the cargo strap to it and wrap it around the bell housing through the engine mount brackets and hook or tie off ( leave slack to lower the engine two to three inches) Then place the jack under the oil pan closet to the bell housing, I used the first rib line. Don’t place it under the lowest widest part of the oil pan, that is where the oil pick up is and you don’t want to damage it. Depending on how high your jack goes, up I used a 4×4 the same length as my jack, my jack is small 2 ton. Jack up the engine just to take the load off the mount.
Remove the engine mount nut and bolt 17mm, then the 3 bolts 14mm to the tranny

The arrow pointing to the left it where I place my flat head screw driver to pry the bell housing a little.

At this point slide under the car and slide the tranny to the wheel side. All its wight will be supported by the cargo strap. FYI the tranny weighs around 65 or 70 lbs. not to heavy

Go back up and lower the tranny using the strap to the ground, slide it out.

Putting it back

Slide the tranny back under the car wrap one of the cargo straps back around the bell housing through engine mount brackets over the strut crossbrace like before.

New part: next place the ratcheting cargo strap around the small end of the tranny. You want to angle the transmission up into place parallel to the engine. You want to zig zag the straps up.

Rotate the tranny in the straps to align the tranny up. I was turning the tranny counter clockwise a few times when I was ratcheting it up.

When you have the tranny line up with the straps slide back under the car and push the tranny up and towards the engine. If its aligned up it will slide into place fairly easy. When you feel the drive shaft slide into the clutch your all most home. Make sure the bolt holes line up and the two pins and it should pop into place. I hand tightened the bolt just under the “pin” next to the header and the lower bolt closer to the firewall, then snug them down. Then put in the top two bolts and work your way around. Do the starter bolts after the Driver side tranny mount is installed.

At this point you should have 5 bolts holding the tranny to the engine. Two large 17mm bolts on top two 14mm on the bottom and one 14mm bolt by the header. reattach the driver top engine mount bracket 3 12mm or 14mm bolts to the tranny then jack the engine/tranny up so you can slide the thru bolt to hold the tranny and engine mount together. The jack under the engine can come out the engine is supported by the two mounts. Then do everything in reverse and don’t forget to fill with gear oil.

Best of all we can use this cap (12mm bolt) at the top of the transmittion to fill with oil (no mess), unbolt and turn, its held in with a gasket

The final step filling with a funnel.

** IF YOU DON”T GET THE PINS TO LINE UP WITH THE BOLT HOLES SOMETHING IS MISS ALIGNED.** most likely the clutch is not centered after a clutch change. Don’t force the tranny in, just lower and check the clutch by loosing a few bolts on the housing and recenter the clutch and tighten it back to spec

This morning I taped off the parts and started to coat the calipers.
Rear Before & After two coats

Front Before & After two coats

After waiting three hours I applied the LT SPYDER decals.
Front

Rear

All done and wheels on.
Rear

Front