Buyers Guide and year differences for the MK3

[toyota4555]

I would like to have this stickied seeing I will be taking the time to write it all out. We have seen alot of posts about buying a mk3 and what to look for well here it is!

Year of Production: 86.5 - 92

Chassis Codes: (US Models) MA70 - MA71

Versions: Turbo version (avaiable 87- 92) and Non-Turbo version

Non-Turbo Specs: (Thanks to Kirk_MK3 for the info)

TEMS: Toyota Electronically Modulated Suspension

Horsepower 200@6200
Torque 188
Weight 3400-3500
Engine 7M-GE 2954cc
Transmission W58
Injector Size 380cc
Spark Plugs NGK BCPR5EP-11
Compression 9.2:1
Cylinder Pressure 156
Fuel Pressure 33-40psi
Wheels 16x7 / 225-50-16

Turbo Specs:


Horsepower 230@5600 (232 h.p. 89+ models)
Torque 245 (256 89+ models)
Weight 3400-3500
Engine 7M-GTE 2954cc
Transmission R154
Boost 6.8psi
Turbo Toyota CT-26
Spark Plugs NGK BCPR6EP-N8
Injector Size 440cc
Compression 8.4:1
Cylinder Pressure 142
Fuel Pressure 33-40psi
Fuel Shutoff 11.4-13.7psi
Intercooler Efficiency 3psi drop@6.8psi
Wheels 16x7 / 225-50-16

Common Problems:

BHG: Yes the mk3 enigne (7M-G(T)E) are known for a BHG. This is due to the factory NOT torqueing the HG down enough. Once you put in a MHG or a stock headgasket retorqued you will be as good as gold.

86.5-88 Moldings: It is common for the little metal clips to rust up and for the molding to fall. 89+ have a redesigned molding.


Year Differences:

86.5: The first year. This model year only came with a non-turbo version. You could order a Targa Top in this year as well. There was something call a Sport Package which included: TEMS, Headlight washers, LSD.

87: First year the turbo is avaiable! The N/A recieves NO changes. The turbo adds: Turbocharged motor. Rear Decklid Spoiler, came with the sport package and also came with a 3.91 rear end gear versus the N/A's 4.30 gearing.

88: Things go mostly unchanged. Redesigned 3rd brakelight on the rear spoiler.

89: The MK3 recieves a update. This included the following:
Redesigned moldings
New tailights
New spoiler
New rear view mirrors
New sterring wheel
New front bumper
New climate controls
Turbo gets 3.73 rear end gears
Power goes up
Deletion of the headlight washers (i think)
Progressive Power steering.
Fluid filled engine mounts.


90: Nothing gets changed. Moldings now become body color. Power sunroof is now a option. Steering wheel redesigned to include SRS airbag.Supra emblem replaced with the Toyota emblem.

91: New 5-Spoke wheels replaced the old saw blades.

92: New stereo system available. Inludes more speakers. Also includes 6" spkrs. in the door panelsLast year of production.

Please add more, I know I did not cover everything, but I tried.

MODS: PLEASE SITCKY THIS! THIS IS GOOD INFO THAT IS NEEDED!

THanks,
joe

[punkybooster89t]

Off the top of my head: fluid filled engine mounts '89+, the toyota emblem was introduced in '90, not '91, progressive power steering from '89+, and drivers side airbag from '90+. And steering wheel changed again from '89 to '90+ to incorporate the airbag.

[SAS90T]

91-92 have 6" speakers in front door panels

[Notorious_8.7.T]

Originally posted by punkybooster89t
the toyota emblem was introduced in '90, not '91.


Errr nope..the 90's still had the square front badging..in 91' it was converted to the Toyota emblem :)

Mike

[Bishop92T]

86.5-88 had the Super Monitor option, most cars had the wiring for it even if the option wasn't purchased however early 86.5's didn't.

87 was the first year to get ABS, which was standard on turbo's and an option on N/A's.

88 got a slightly redesigned climate control panel and interior, it looks to be a cross b/w 86.5-87 and 89-92.

Middle to late 89's got the fluid filled mounts, early 89's didn't. Jeff S. is the original owner of his 89, no fluid filled mounts. Jeff Watson can do a VIN lookup and tell you if you have them or not. Somewhere around 89 the full power seats got an extra power assist. Speedo changed in 89 to show 160mph as the top speed.

91-92 have 6.5" speakers in the front doors. There was also a subwoofer option but I've never seen it, must be rare. Somewhere in between 90 and 92 there was a power steering cooler added as well as a lot of sound deadening material. For example the panel under the steering wheel is two piece on my 92 and has about 10lbs of metal in it and is fairly thick.

[punkybooster89t]

Originally posted by PearLyWhite_88T



Errr nope..the 90's still had the square front badging..in 91' it was converted to the Toyota emblem :)

Mike
Holy shit, you're right! I SWEAR my friend's '90 has a toyota emblem but the '90 members on the SOGI site all had the rectangle.

[DamN~Shazaam]

I have a '90t and can confirm that it has the square "supra" emblem and not the toyota emblem.

[stonedworm]

I have a 86.5 and it has the sport package. The sport package did not include TEMS. It does have headlight washers, and a LSD.

[dbsupra]

headlight washers were deleted in 89, altho the canadian models carried it thru 92.

shift points on auto tranny were revised in 92.
progressive power steering was revised in 90.
airbag was optional in 89, made standard in 90.
the power steering cooler was changed from the rail type to a real cooler in 91.

im sure there is more.

Dave

[Notorious_8.7.T]

oh yeah...86.5-88 foglights arent interchangeable with the 89-92 fogs :) redesigned air dam





Originally posted by stonedworm
I have a 86.5 and it has the sport package. The sport package did not include TEMS. It does have headlight washers, and a LSD.

errr most of the articles i've read about the sports package say that TEMS was part of said package :)

Mike

[NashMan]

well my car has the wing and it has an lsd and head light washer

i think the washer were standered

i think my car when the frist owner bought it got he oti9on of wing and lsd


and no my car is not an na it turbo now ( :

[MrBoost]

Well, we can't have stickys for every FAQ writeup, make a webpage for it. Maybe Larry could include it at old-school. I thought we had allot of this info at supras.com?

[stonedworm]

Originally posted by PearLyWhite_88T


errr most of the articles i've read about the sports package say that TEMS was part of said package :)

Mike

I think TEMS was introduced in 87. I have LSD and headlight washers but there is no TEMS display anywhere on my dash.hmm...

[Bishop92T]

TEMS was part of the sports package at least for 86.5 and yes it was available in 86.5 Non-TEMS cars don't get the buttons or display. This has been confirmed via 86.5 brochure and dealer records.

[tsupra]

f.y.i. there is a denver sogi member that i know that has a 88 turbo hard top without abs but has tems. so abs doesn't look like it was standard on turbos.

[MKIIISupraGuy]

damn i wonder if my 89 has the fluid filled mounts... that's what a 1jz or 2jz would need to bolt up in there right?

[Notorious_8.7.T]

Originally posted by MKIIISupraGuy
damn i wonder if my 89 has the fluid filled mounts... that's what a 1jz or 2jz would need to bolt up in there right?

I think its the cross member thats needed......

Mike

[Bishop92T]

The fluid filled mounts is what makes the 1jz/2jz bolt in much easier. However it is possible without those mounts.


Originally posted by tsupra
f.y.i. there is a denver sogi member that i know that has a 88 turbo hard top without abs but has tems. so abs doesn't look like it was standard on turbos.

Every once in a while Toyota would do something strange like put on headlight washers and LSD but no TEMS, or make a turbo with no ABS, or a turbo with no TEMS. ABS, TEMS and LSD were standard on turbo's, but there are exceptions.

[MK3Hazards]

i have an 86.5 with lsd, no tems, no spoiler, and no headlight washers

[MK3Hazards]

and can i get it confirmed that 86.5's has 4.3?

[Bishop92T]

All N/A's had the 4.30. 86.5 had no turbo models.

[supraNa1990]

will the interior panels from a 86-88 fit a 90 supra?
i messed up the panels from trying to paint it.

[Bishop92T]

That depends on what panels you're replacing. Some transplant some don't.

[supraracer01]

86.5 does have TEMS. and it was included in the sport package. but could be added as an option. does anybody know the first month the 86.5 was produced. mine was made in april. i jsut want to know how early my car was made in the 86 year.

[fred794]

the color of the moldings where not changed to match the car in 90. I got an 89 with moldings that are the same color as the car.

[SupraGuy88T]

My 88T doesn't have ABS but does have the LSD and had the headlight washers but I shaved them off. maybe they forgot it? oh well I'm upgrading to Z32/MKIV big brakes anyway :)

[jbridgett]

And I have a 90 that does not have matching moldings. 91 was the year color matched moldings became standard.

[Freedy89T]

doesnt have tems

[RearWheelKilla]

86.5 Supras were available as turbo models, I know this because I have one. On the vin plate by the door jam it says September of 86.5 and is a turbo with headlight washers, TEMS, five speed and no ABS. Unless one of the prebious owners did a FULL SWAP with EVERY TURBO component which I highly doubt.

[86SUPRA7mgte]

i wish my 86.5 had the door moldings...they have to fall off to piss me off...
o yea my 86.5 has the sport package..and yes it has everything you guys listed...except that piece of crap whistling noise you guys call a turbo
<jk>:p

[Mike 92LX]

"86.5 Supras were available as turbo models, I know this because I have one. On the vin plate by the door jam it says September of 86.5 and is a turbo with headlight washers, TEMS, five speed and no ABS. Unless one of the prebious owners did a FULL SWAP with EVERY TURBO component which I highly doubt"

86.s could not be a turbo. Door plate would never say 86.5 as a year. If the car was made in September of 1986 its an 87 car-cut off of production of 86s was in August of 1986. Post your VIN-I assure you if its a real turbo it will have an 87 VIN. I can break down the vin for you.

ABS was optional in 1988. 89 and up it became standard.

[KevinM]

What about info on the Alarm upgrade?? Remote keyless entry option... I'll have to ask Keith, but I think it was on the 91-92's as an option.

Kevin

[NeverNZ]

werent there more slight engine changes in 89?

i mean didnt they get rid of the coolant bypass tube thing in the back of the engine in 89?

[RearWheelKilla]

Hmmmm I my mistake, I don't know why I keep believing its says 86.5 on the plate. Your right though it says SEP. 1986 so I guess its a 87. My apologies, it is also a true turbo cuz on the c/tr/a/tm it says r154 at the end. Next time before i put my foot in my mouth I'll double check.

BTW I just got the turbo emblem yesterday in the mail. Thanks again

[iwantboost]

About the head gasket problem, someone told me that torquing it down to 72lbft is good.

[damone6969]

Its best to torque them down in two stages.. first torque them all to factory specs, then go back and torque them all down to about 72 ft.lbs and youve got yourself a bullet proof head

[stonedworm]

I owned a 86.5 NA with teh sports package and NO TEMS. I also dont think the 86.5 was ever available with a targa roof.

[ChangSta]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Toyota4555

90: Nothing gets changed. Moldings now become body color. Power sunroof is now a option. Steering wheel redesigned to include SRS airbag.Supra emblem replaced with the Toyota emblem.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by fred794

the color of the moldings where not changed to match the car in 90. I got an 89 with moldings that are the same color as the car.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jbridgett

And I have a 90 that does not have matching moldings. 91 was the year color matched moldings became standard.


Like the other guys said --> 90 moldings don't match the body color. In 89 and 90 there was something called the "white package" that came with color matched side moldings; that is what I am told anyways. The wheels where white as well. I have one of these.

[BlackWidTan]

IIRC, the hp change for the turbo models was changed from 230=> 232 because of the wastegate being redisigned.

[87TurboB]

Will the ecu to engine wiring harness and ecu from an '89 turbo 5 speed work with my '87 turbo 5 speed or is completely redesigned. I have an 87 and the harness has been completely cut, ive got a line on a complete ecu to engine harness as well as the ecu itself but its from an 89. I just wanna make sure its going to work before buying it. Thanks.

[Jeff Lange]

As far as I can remember, 89 had it's own wiring harness, with some parts from 86.5-88 and some from 90-92.

I know from the 1990 brochure that the TEMS and Sport Package were seperate, not sure how it was in other years though.

I've seen some 1990's with colour matched trim, and some without, I guess the guy could have painted them, but I'm pretty sure it was stock, and it was a red car, not one with the white package. Maybe it was an option, who knows.

[eonflux]

how can i tell if my car has abs and lsd?87 NA w/ headlight washers

[Jeff Lange]

If it has ABS it will have an ABS light on the dash and a goldish coloured "thing" at the back of the engine bay on the passenger side with a bunch of metal pipes going into and out of it, I'll post a pic I guess...

If your car has LSD there are 3 ways to tell.

1. The diff will say "LSD Lubricant Only" or similar.
2. If you jack up the car and turn one wheel the other turns the same direction.
3. Check the VIN plate, it will look similar to this:

http://www.brian894x4.com/sitebuilder/images/4X2vinplate-447x271.jpg

Note where it says G662, on Toyota VINs if the last number is odd it's LSD, and if it's even it's not LSD, yours should be (I *think*) G285 - meaning 8.0" 4.30:1 4-pinion LSD.

If it's not LSD it will be G282 or G284.

[GhostyMKIII]

couple things of note about my 90... Did not come with TEMS, does not have airbar, does not have colored moldings. Has rectangle Toyota supra badge. Has headlight washers....

[Jeff Lange]

Originally posted by GhostyMKIII
couple things of note about my 90... Did not come with TEMS, does not have airbar, does not have colored moldings. Has rectangle Toyota supra badge. Has headlight washers....

TEMS was an option on 89+ cars, Canada got the airbag in 1992, body coloured mouldings came in 1991 too, though all white package cars have white trim. Toyota logo replaced the rectangular supra logo in 1991 as well. Headlight washers were Canada only in 1989+.

Of course this is all with regards to North American cars. Japanese cars and European cars had different changes. :)

[Robbman]

LSD's were also a separate option ... I have an 87 NA that has a LSD, and no TEMS, Super Monitor, ABS, Targa, headlight washers, etc...

[Jeff Lange]

Yeah I think LSD was available by itself, as well as being included if you got the sport package. :)

[boost PSSH boost]

my 87T has the sport package.

My 90 NA has LSD, ABS, the trim does not match the car color, and I have the elusive airbag.

[Jeff Lange]

Sport Package wasn't really an option on Turbos, only N/A's.

1990 didn't have matching trim yet, it was changed in 1991, and the airbag was on all 1990 US models, Canada got it in 1992.

[BlackMatter]

I have a question. Do the speaker brackets for the front doors in a 91-92 fit in an 89? Also, how can I order them (I've seen the JDM 6" Speaker Brakets on Ebay, but I'd like other options)?