So I have got my car at a workshop in Dubbo, Trying to get to work last week the car heated up very quickly and began making a knocking noise. The car lost power so i pulled it up and shut it down and had the car towed back to Dubbo. the noise sounds distinctly top end according to the mechanic. Does anyone have any experience with top end failures? if so what components were they and were you able to upgrade them to higher quality components as i'd prefer to make the engine better anytime i need to do work on it. Were there any variations in the Head designs from mine? (mine is Gen2)
 
Car will not be getting done til after Monday when the exhaust can be fixed up. If he has to remove the head I'll get it cleaned up and reco'd and have ARP head studs put in and upgrade the valve springs at the very least.
 
If anyone can offer any experience and tips that would be great as Im sure this new mechanic I am using this time round has zero experience on MR2's.
 
Cheers.

To over heat quickly and loose power id think either bhg, or running very lean somehow and melting piston and damaging valves....

But its all guess work really...best of luck. Hopefully nothing terminal.

Hmmm, hole in piston... that would just top my day off haha.
 
Cheers for your thoughts, I cant wait to find out and get this issue nailed down. 

just a thought, your waterpump hasnt carked it or snapped a belt, and caused it to overheat?
but i would say could be a bhg, or could have possibly dropped a valve and that could be knocking? Im sure a quick compression test could give you a better idea whether its a bhg or metled piston,

If the timing belt snapped the engine would stop, not just loose power.

I know that,
However I was talking about the wp drive belt breaking,
Causing the pump to stop and overheating the engine
Not the timing belt

The water pump is driven by the timing belt.

oh,it is isnt it. 
sorry ace, my bad on that

Treay81
 
Car will not be getting done til after Monday when the exhaust can be fixed up. If he has to remove the head I'll get it cleaned up and reco'd and have ARP head studs put in and upgrade the valve springs at the very least.
 
If anyone can offer any experience and tips that would be great as Im sure this new mechanic I am using this time round has zero experience on MR2's.
 

 
On a 3SGE NA motor the stock valve springs should be fine, unless you are updating cams.
You'll need new head bolts anyway, and the stock items should be fine as well if you torque them up strictly according to the service manual.
 
If the head needs recoing, first get it crack tested before any other work.
Then get the gasket surface dressed straight, check valve guides, valves, seals etc.  
 
Good luck
 

My 2 is running the 3SGTE engine, does this vary the strength of the head studs and valve springs?. (My sig wont change for me for some reason so I appear to still own my neat little NA which never broke down or faulted on me!)
 
Thanks for the heads up.