Hey Guys. Starting my mk1 mr2 adventure.

[Willybob]

Finally past my driving test the other week. 10 years later than originally intended. Never had the time or the money before. So I sat down and had a good long think about what car to get. Tried the usual "first car" types and just didn't click with any of them.

But then I remember my next door neighbour getting a mk1 when I was a wee lad and how much I loved it. Been a fan of the cars ever since. So now it's my mission in life to get my hands on one as soon as possible. Problem is low low fundage and the scarcity of these little gems.

Finally thought I'd found one. Plan was to go see/buy today. Very excited... It sold before I could get there. Very sad indeed.

Now it would appear all the useable ones in my price range have disappeared from the world. I've been snooping around on this forum for months and decided it was time to make myself known, and appeal to the fine members of the club for assistance. If anyone, anytime, can point me in the right direction to start my journey, I'd be forever in your debt. And if there are those of you with cars you'd like to shift but not committed to it yet, let me know and I might give it a loving home!

That's about it for me and my story. Hope to become a car owning member of this community as soon as possible and potentially meet others in upcoming events!

[Johnso]

Hi
welcome and I hope you find a car soon.

I am not sure if you have seen this one, as it is not in the car section on Ebay. It has an MOT and will probably sell for less money than if it is parted out.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toyota-Mr2-Mk1-1990-G-Reg-Very-Nice-Classic-Car-Twincam-16v-12-Months-Mot-/291248427421?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item43cfc2519d

Based on the advert info, it might not be perfect but is will probably be very cheap.

[Johnso]

Also, I would recommend you join as a paid member, as it is about the best £10 you will ever spend if you are serious about Mk1's.

[Willybob]

Thanks Johnso. I am very serious about Mk1's. Just got my wallet out too :)

I hadn't seen the yellow one tbf. That slipped by me. Had a look at it. Problem is, despite my profession, I'm not very mechanically minded or proficient. So I need something mechanically sound to get me started. And its yellow XD
Thanks for the pointer though. I really appreciate it.

[Master-B]

Hi, welcome & congratulations on passing your test! What a great choice for a first car. What exactly is your budget? mk1 dal (Gary) is prepping his white G plate sunroof car for sale, its a fantastic low miles example and he is one the most capable, honest members you could wish to buy from. It will not be the cheapest out there, I am sure of that, BUT heres the thing: in my eyes most mk1s can still be defined as cheap cars (afterall we live in a world where some brand new fiestas cost £17k+) but its all relative to how you want to benchmark it I suppose. http://www.mr2mk1club.com/showthread.php?15400-picked-up-new-tonight-and-its-a-belter/page4

[Master-B]

Also, the sherwood car that came up in the ebay thread looked a bargain on the face of it!

[Willybob]

Thanks KGB. My budget is very restricted at the minute. £1500 maximum so I realise that limits my options quite a lot. Just to give you an example, here's the one I missed out on...

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=361061529530&alt=web

Gary's car looks amazing. I would happily sacrifice an appendage if it meant I could afford something like that, but it'll be a couple of years before I have that sort of money. Really appreciate the help though. Thanks :D

[Master-B]

Prices are going up, but £1500 should still find you something half decent if you are patient. I bet the sherwood one on ebay would sell for that. If one comes up in Merseyside you are interested in, drop me a pm & ill go take a look for you.

[Vistalite]

Hi and welcome Willybob, I concur with Kris (KGB603) that values are on the rise, but you should carefully reconsider your budget if you intend it to be your daily drive. £1500 is effectively a decent laptop and an equivalent MR2 would likely to need a few £k more to remedy ingrained rust etc, etc. You really need to spend as much as you can afford, and if that isn't enough at the mo, then perhaps wait a little while and save your pennies.

Gary's motor will undoubtably be a great buy with only around 50k on the clock I believe, a real low miler, for probably only a little more than double your budget, but you will have a reliable car that you will be able to keep for a good while and be proud to show off at the events the club organises over the year.

Good luck with your search.

[Willybob]

Hi Vistalite. Thanks for the input. In fact, thanks everyone so far. It's been great having such good feedback and advice. I concur with your point. I wish I wasn't on such I tight budget. I really do. But saving any more will prove to be difficult. By the time I've saved enough to buy something of that calibre, chances are the prices will rise even further. It's kind of a catch 22. I suppose your right of course. Patience is key. I'll have to keep my finger on the pulse and my eyes open. Hope for some luck. In a couple of years (and a nice promotion) money will be less of an issue. Just need the car to see me through till then and I can give it all the love, TLC and £££ it needs. It's probably silly to say so now, but I forsee this love affair continuing for years to come :)

[Willybob]

As for the Sherwood one... The more I look at it the more I'm tempted. Be a ballache to get to but maybe. Has anyone on here had a look at it yet? Think it'll be worth a trip?

[Master-B]

Its definitely got to be worth a phone call!

[Willybob]

Indeed. The dealers closed Sunday. I'll give 'em a shout first thing Monday. Fingers crossed....

[Willybob]

Found a mobile number for em. They've already taken a deposit on it. Pipped to the post again. The search continues...

[Vistalite]

Bad luck Billybob, I hate it when that happens. Remember that you may get more of a bargain over the winter months.

[Willybob]

I hope you're right. The last few days have involved many disappointing phone calls and put me in a bit of a rutt. Other than the Sherwood I've inquired about 4 others, only to find they're sold or "not as advertised" so to speak. I'll keep on it. Persistence and patience have been my lessons learnt this weekend XD

[mk1 dal]

I have pm'ed you my number mate to advise you what to look for when buying a mk1 . :thumbup:

[Willybob]

Got your message. Cheers for that. Avoiding a money pit, at least for a couple of years, would be great XD

[Willybob]

I know what I said about patience... But this JUST popped up on Autotrader...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201409287773808

I'm gonna beg, borrow, steal all I can if this gets the seal of approval from you gents. Based in Stoke on Trent.

[Master-B]

Seems to have been well looked after on the face of it. Engine bay looks nice and honest. Bodywise its had new front wings and there is something odd going on on all four arches, they appear to be painted black on the outer edges. The mudflaps have been painted black too. Overall, probably worth a look.

[cchrysos]

Seems to have been well looked after on the face of it. Engine bay looks nice and honest. Bodywise its had new front wings and there is something odd going on on all four arches, they appear to be painted black on the outer edges. The mudflaps have been painted black too. Overall, probably worth a look.

All good spots. It's such a minefield for first time buyers isn't it!

[Willybob]

I see what you mean about the arches. I wonder what it could be? Some rustproofing perhaps. I'll have to see. Got my mechanic chum coming with me Wednesday morning to have a look at it. If were lucky we can push the price down a bit.

[Master-B]

Absolutely, use all of the above and everything you and your mate find to push the price down. My bet is on a bit of wob being hidden by underseal on the arch edges. Im sure Gary has told you what to check... with it being a tbar make sure you get the carpets up for a look at the floorpan. Good luck!

[Willybob]

Indeed. Don't want to get stung with a shed for my first car. PM'd Gary. I'm sure I'll have more questions in the run up to Wednesday. Fingers crossed...

[Master-B]

Well in your case its the cash more than the shed aspect you need to be careful with. As the newest mk1s are 24, every single one you see will have something "wrong", the trick is to find one with as little wrong as possible or with stuff that is fixable within your skillset. As long as you or your mate know your way round older stuff I am sure you will be fine, just take your time and dont be pressured into making a decision on the day - if something doesnt seem right you can always take pics and/or ask here if you need a 3rd opinion before making a decision.

[Willybob]

Excellent advice. And as always, very appreciative of the fonts of knowledge you seem to be!

I'll do my best to be as conservative as possible. This is a one shot deal for me. Can't afford to make a big mistake. Must go in with my head switched on and eyes open. Heart pushed waaaay down out of sight and mind! XD

[Master-B]

Aye. Make sure you control buyers fever! :-D

[mk1 dal]

Had a look at the pics and the car does seem straight apart from the arches on the rear , they could be plastic protectors on the arch but if its under seal that high up its hiding something . you always look ground up on a mk1 if the floors and front chassis are solid you are off to a good start , the rear arches look original in pics but if you think there is corrosion check the inner arch this is more important than the outer but budget 500-1200 pound to have the rear arches repaired . The pic showing the seat looks like the b post has corrosion on the lower edge but it might be dirt . The main things to check front crash bar (150 pounds to buy if you can get one ) A posts and B posts , front chassis , sills , arches ( rear) ,top of window screen edge , check for t bar leaks and lift the carpet around the front to see if its wet . There is more but ring me if your stuck . when are you looking at it , its only 21 miles from me .

Gary

[Willybob]

Thanks Gary. Good stuff to work with. I'll forward all this info on to my friend so he's more aware of these areas. I'll try and get more information from the seller in the meantime.

[dc399uk]

Willy Bob

Welcome and great to hear you are a fan of the Mk1 MR2. Wonderful to hear you are keen to invest in one!

A couple of further things to consider.

1 - As has been pointed out by many these cars are a quarter of a century old. With your budget you are definitely going to have some work to do.

2 - I note you say you have recently passed your test -Congratulations! However, do be aware of the handling characteristics of these cars. The mid engine rear wheel drive set up is wonderful on a fine day but can be harder to control in slippery conditions. There are no driver aids to help you out! If you are going to be using your car as a daily drive I would recommend some skid control training. I learnt the hard way - my first Mk1 12 years ago ended up in a lamp post after a month of owning! I repaired it and sold it on, as realised it was not the right car for my life at the time. I have only recently re-entered the Mk1 world now that I can afford one as a second car that is kept in the garage on a wet day!

So happy hunting - and when you find 'the one' happy driving!

Dave

[Gilles27]

The handling I have found is pretty neutral. You really need to push it to lose grip. However I have scared myself a couple of times as the car doesn't have ABS. This is made more worrying when you realise that most other cars do have ABS, so when they stop they stop much quicker than you can. So, be careful on roads you don't know as an unexpected bend can catch you out and give other road users plenty of room as in an emergency they will stop and you will skid!

[Willybob]

All very valid points. I'm not going to lie, getting into a sticky situation in one of these cars does give me cause for concern. Never driven RWD without ABS and other aids. As soon as I've got the car and recovered from the wallet pounding, I'm going to enrol the car and me in the Lincolnshire road safety partnership training scheme. Got skid pan training and all the other bells and whistles.

Its not going to be my daily. For your average stuff I'll be using the wife's car. But I will have to use the mk1 over the winter months so I'd like to be as prepared as possible.

[Johnso]

If you are going to use it over winter then I would recommend winter tyres. You get much better grip and breaking when it is cold even if it is not wet/snow/ice. You can get a spare set of standard alloys cheaply and run a summer and winter set of wheels tyres. Again this is extra expense but it would be about £40 per tyre so much cheaper than hitting things in your car!

[Willybob]

You must be some kind of mind reader/wizard...

Already looked into it and agree wholeheartedly. The seller is offering the original wheels as part of the sale. Twas my plan to do just that. If all goes well of course.

[Johnso]

You are just in the right club!

[Willybob]

Well I went to look at the car yesterday. Was pretty satisfied with it. Had a couple of minor jobs to do on it. But underneath was solid, as were the arches and usual places. My friend assured me it was mechanically sound. Made the guy an offer, and was soon driving home in my new car!

Fell in love straight away. I completely understand now why people say the things they do about the way the car drives. 5 miles in and I was in love.

Then it all went wrong. 70 miles into my 100 mile trip home, the engine temp shot up. Then slowly crept down again. That's odd, thought I. Until it happened again. This time the temp stayed high. Managed to find a place to pull over, and found coolant pissing out. Got RAC, so instead of doing anything I might regret, I waited patiently for his arrival.

When he arrived, he looked the car over and proceeded to re-fill my coolant. (Which had all but disappeared) and we ran the car for a bit to try and spot a leak. After 20 mins or so, the engine temp was stable and the whole cooling system seemed to be working fine. So I gingerly got back in the car and carried on home.

Everything seemed fine once more, till 5 miles from home. Heard a squeal from the back and a meaty "thunk". Battery warning, and engine warning light came up and the temperature started to shoot up rapidly. Managed to pull into the driveway of a remote farm house before the temp got to high and killed the engine.

Feeling near suicidal at this point, I awaited the arrival of the recovery truck. Furnished with a cup of tea offered to me by the farmers wife and a torch, I began a small investigation. It would appear, the car shed ALL of it's auxiliary belts. And if that didn't do enough to sour me, the drivers side door lock chose that moment to give up the ghost too.

Got towed home and spent the night wallowing in self pity and I await a truck to take my car to the local garage. I hope to god they can mend the car. Perhaps more importantly, I hope I can afford the repairs. So begins my adventure with the mk1 mr2. Perhaps I got all my bad luck out of the way early. I certainly hope so....

[sTuArT]

Sorry to hear of your bad experience.

Which car did you buy in the end?

I hope you get it fixed at a reasonable cost.

[Master-B]

What a nightmare - I suppose its no comfort to suggest thats the risk we all take from time to time when buying a used car.

Its not unheard of for mk1's to drop their coolant & then carry on as normal once re-filled. Ive certainly seen it happen a couple of times on club runs. Hopefully it will just be a one off... :shh: Where did it lose it from?

The 2nd incident sounds a lot like the alternator may have seized, if so then thats not too expensive to replace but a bit fiddly to fit.

Let us know how you get on :D

Oh, and what is that black stuff on the arches?

[Gilles27]

My first mr2 wouldn't start the day after I bought it. Owning an old car is like being in an abusive relationship sometimes. Everything seems great until, out of the blue, it does something to make you instantly lose all faith. You promise yourself that you'll leave it. Your friends all tell you it's doing you no good, but then it's fixed and you think "I know it'll be different this time". You convince yourself that actually it was probably your fault anyway and you provoked it. You defend it to your friends and tell them they don't understand. And the cycle goes on....

I've just got my car back after it being off the road for a week and costing me £130. I'd never part with it. Hang in there. At least you have this 'self-help group' and you can share your woes with other victims! ;)

[superwhite90]

My MK1 overheated out of the blue while I was on 1 mile into my 210 mile return journey home from a site for work. Must have had a air bubble in the system somewhere as it pissed out of the reservoir when I gingerly removed the cap. Topped it back up and it was then a very slow drive home to make sure nothing else was to occur. It didn't happen again though.

Unfortunately the alternator belt powers the water pump, but if you pulled over before the temperature gauge shot up (hopefully you did) you may get away with it.

The alternator belt is a 5min job. I bought a brand new alternator from a place on eBay and it came with a 12 month warranty for £125 if you need one - i'll give you contact details - will probably be cheaper than a garage sourcing one for you. As said about the alternator fitment is a bit of a pain as the driveshaft gets in the way, but it's okay once you get it passed that.

I believe you do have rights regarding the previous owner mis-selling you the car saying it was okay. I'm sure that's the case as I bought my daily driver (pug 206 DPF), test drive was fine, then 1 day later the dreaded DPF light came out. £450 later and the whole lot was removed, but if the guy didnt live so far away I would have gone about getting a refund - but I may be wrong lol

[Willybob]

Went with the white one on Autotrader. The black stuff round the arches appears to be some sort of stone chip/rust protection. Looks easy enough to remove if I wanted, but its at the bottom of my priority list at the minute. I think I saved the car before it got too hot. I'll get the mechanics quote tomorrow to fix my various woes. I'll just have to beg/borrow/steal all I can to get it up and running again. Then I can start making plans to sort out the niggly stuff. I'm determined to keep the car, simply because of the solidity of it. (And GOD I was having fun before it popped!) I'm nothing if not stubborn. No idea where the coolant leaked from. But there was a lot of air in the system when it was topped up and bled. Once I get some prices from the mech, I'll shop around for the bits I need to try and save the pennies.

Thanks for the interest and sympathy. Helps a lot strangely. I'll keep you posted with the doctors verdict tomorrow....

Fingers crossed....

[SteveX]

Sorry to hear of your experience, I looked at the same one on car and classic the other day and was tempted to go and have a look, I dropped the chap an email but no response. It seems you already purchased it.

Hopefully nothing too serious re the coolant, odd that the belts decided to go, but once one goes it can easily catch around others and cause problems.

I am sure it will be sorted :)

[celica1600gt]

Having read the circumstances of your woes , i think it is the water pump that may be the problem . It appears that if it was starting to seize then circulation of water round the system starts to slow down in turn the drivers side of the engine starts to get hot and it starts to boil in the expansion bottle and then it blows it out the overflow or underneath the pressure cap. I had exactly the same problem due to stuck closed thermostat on mine. after a short distance the water was boiling in the expansion bottle and once it started to get hot on the gauge it came up pretty quick.
If the water pump then seized your belt ended up getting shredded. Hopefully its only a water pump and as you have got to put fresh antifreeze in it, its worth putting a new thermostat in for the small cost.
If its the alternator thats seized then you don't have to change it from the bottom, you can change it from the top easily by taking the expansion bottle out and it will come out through there. You do need to get it up on axle stands to get the bottom bolt in on the alternator.
Hopefully the final outcome will not be to painful.

[Willybob]

SHE LIVES!!! :D

Thank god. Alternator and water pump are fine. Had new belts on it, coolant flush and top up. And all seems to be fine. Took it out for about 20 miles and everything seems to be hunky dory. So relived. And it only cost me £80.

Fixed the drivers side door lock too. Next job, (next payday) get it in for a full service and get the crappy aftermarket electrics taken out. They've leeched into the car like a cancer. Want em out. But for now, a very happy bunny indeed. Thanks for all your help and support fellas. Guess I'm part of the club proper now! :)

[Master-B]

Great news :-D

[cchrysos]

Great news. Any idea what the problem was?

[Willybob]

Seems like it was just a crappy belt. Broke and took the others with it. I'm glad I managed to stop the car before it turned into something more serious

[sTuArT]

Great news and £80 a good price for the work you had done.

[julianw]

Hi and welcome to the club. And what a baptism of fire you've had! Well done for surviving that one.

My twopenneth:

Now that you've had a new bunch of coolant in and hopefully all the air out, just a note regarding water temperature and thermostats. If the temp. gauge varies AT ALL once the engine has warmed up, it's probably the wrong thermostat. There's at least a couple that fit in, but some have an opening temperature that is too low and this causes the temp to fall at moderate cruising speeds, when the engine's not working that hard and there's lots of cooling airflow. It's not engine-threatening as far as I know, but is bound to hit performance to some extent. Me, I just find it annoying, when there's also three fans and a radiator in the car to manage the engine's temperature but the stat is letting it all down!

Enjoy the journey

[Willybob]

Well I believe the plan next is to give the car a thorough servicing. To keep costs down, I shall attempt to undertake it myself. With the aid of a couple of friends of course. Need to start my education. This will have to wait till next payday of course. Till then I'm going to make a start on some of the niggly annoying stuff....

1. Passenger side mudflap is hanging on by a thread. Get it re-painted and back on. Turns out they were red and painted black for some reason...

2. The interior door triangle things are also on the way out. I know they are prone to falling off and it would appear some previous owner has glued them back on. (Badly.) Might try and source a pair instead of bodging...

3. Try and tart up the leather a bit. Its not in bad condition by any means, but the seats could do with a treatment and buff up.

4. New wipers. The ones on it are a bit kack.

That should keep me busy till payday. Any input in the meantime would be great, and if anyone knows where I can find me some triangle things, let me know :)

[Vistalite]

Hi Willybob, got the name right this time ;-)

Glad youve got her back on her feet. You can get the passenger triangle from here:

http://www.tandnmr2mk1carparts.com/our-products/mk1-interior/

Why you can only get the one side from them, God only knows.

They also do a pair of Toyota wiper blades at a steal. Wish I'd seen them before I purchased mine, lol.



Well I believe the plan next is to give the car a thorough servicing. To keep costs down, I shall attempt to undertake it myself. With the aid of a couple of friends of course. Need to start my education. This will have to wait till next payday of course. Till then I'm going to make a start on some of the niggly annoying stuff....

1. Passenger side mudflap is hanging on by a thread. Get it re-painted and back on. Turns out they were red and painted black for some reason...

2. The interior door triangle things are also on the way out. I know they are prone to falling off and it would appear some previous owner has glued them back on. (Badly.) Might try and source a pair instead of bodging...

3. Try and tart up the leather a bit. Its not in bad condition by any means, but the seats could do with a treatment and buff up.

4. New wipers. The ones on it are a bit kack.

That should keep me busy till payday. Any input in the meantime would be great, and if anyone knows where I can find me some triangle things, let me know :)

[Willybob]

Excellent. Thanks for that. I've also discovered there's a scrap yard less than 5 mins down the road from me and apparently, he's got 3 Mk1's in there somewhere. Gonna grab me overalls and boots and take a look in a couple of days. See if there's anything worth saving!

[Johnso]

4. New wipers. The ones on it are a bit kack :)

If you wiper arms are original, so have two little screws to hold the blade on, then you can get replacement wipers from toyota for about £5 and that includes new screws. You can get the part number on a forum post here. If some one has put adapters on the you should be able to get standard wipers. The adapters are often a bit rubbish and break/bend easily, so if the screen is not clearing well then it could be them rather than the blade.
If you have not been to your local toyota dealer it is worth it for some things, as cost the same as other places but you know they are right. They will need your chassis number ( long number on the bulkhead in your frunk). If you look through the forums you will get a feel for it. You can often get a discount as the prices are set by the dealer not centrally.

[Willybob]

Got the mudflap back on. Bad weather means the paint will have to wait. Wipers sorted too, thanks. The triangle thingys are a bit dear, especially considering all my recent outlays. And unfortunately the scrap yard was a bust. He had 2 but they were PICKED CLEAN! Nothing really left. Sad times. But hey... I've got a working car! And I love it :D

[Willybob]

One month in, and the car's still going strong. Decided now's the time for a good servicing. Got access to my local motor club, with all the tools and ramps I could need. Just need to do some shopping for all the required bits. This seems like a good site...

http://www.mr2-ben.co.uk.

Any other good places on the interwebs you guys reccomend?

[jimi]

http://www.tcbparts.co.uk/ Trevor is very helpful and knowledgeable about MR2's, highly recommended :thumbup:

[Willybob]

Well tonight after work, I took the car to the motor club and had my first attempt at servicing! Replaced the old plugs, (rusty and beyond fooked), air filter, (black as hell) oil filter, (just disgusting), oil, (even worse) and had my first proper look under the car.

Pleasantly surprised by the overall condition underneath. It's not perfect, by any means. But nothing gave me a heart attack either. When I was finished I took her out for 20 miles or so. That's how far I have to go to get a Big Mac. Now I don't know how much of this is placebo effect, but...

OH MY GOD!! It feels and sounds completely different! The throttle response is soooo much better, it sounds throaghtier and pulls better. Overrun is smooth and it all just feels wonderful. I went into this thinking it wouldn't make much difference. I was only doing it for the health of the car. Needless to say, pleasant surprise is an understatement!

Big thanks to those who have helped me get this far. Falling in love with her all over again. Can't wait to get the next few jobs done in the coming months. Looking forward to some more pleasant surprises!

[Willybob]

Aaaaaand were on a downer again...

I don't know if its my fault or not, but the car's started giving me jip again.

Got an intermittent engine rattle at just under 2000 rpm. Every 2 seconds weirdly...

And I've got a nice layer of brownish mayonnaise inside my oil filler cap. And what appears to be a minor oil leak somewhere at the back of the block. Can't identity the source. AND a nice cloud of white/blue smoke on start-up.

Any advice on the above? I'm assuming head gasket problems for some/all of it, but I defer to your better knowledge.

:(

[sTuArT]

Oil leak at the back of the block is usually a Dizzy o-ring seal. Seems to go on all mk1s. Had mine replaced at Pacific Works this year. Mayonnaise indeed sounds like head gasket.

[Willybob]

Cheers Stuart. How much did it set you back, getting the dizzy seal sorted? For that matter, what's a ballpark figure for a head gasket replacement? I haven't got a clue...

[sTuArT]

A couple of pounds for the seal and about 30-60mins labour should do it.

Maybe somebody else knows the price of a head gasket replacement?

[superwhite90]

It's a pretty reasonable job to do yourself to be honest.

It would take a garage 2-3 hours to get the head off, clean up block deck if necessary, they'll probably tell you the head needs skimming to screw you over even more, then couple of hours to put all back together. Then then charge you for oil change etc

[mk1 dal]

If you get a proper garage to do it i would budget 500 to 600 pounds for a proper job , the head will need skimming and pressure testing ( any self respecting garage wont do the job if it isn't tested and can lead to the job back firing ). The cam belt will need changing + water pump all related gaskets , water and oil . if the cast iron block has corroded and pitted badly it will need decking this will put the cost up even more and it will be cheaper to put another engine in . Get a proper test done first to see if the hg has failed , if your only doing short runs in the car and never getting it up to temp this can cause sludging on the cap .

[Willybob]

Wow. OK then. That's a ton of info. Thanks fellas. I've been making A LOT of short runs lately due to necessity. Perhaps I'm jumping the gun a little and assuming the worst. I'll book it in somewhere local and get it tested before I full on panic and throw money at it. Gonna start looking for somewhere close to home...

I'll be in touch...

:-l