Since all mk2 MR2s were built in Japan, they had a long trip ahead when destined for the US market. The factory installed rubber “shipping blocks” on the front shocks, presumably to stop the cars bouncing around too much on their suspension in the tightly-packed confines of a cargo ship. These were apparently meant to be removed at the port of entry by the distributor, and checked again by the dealership during the car's pre-delivery inspection. Even though Toyota documented this fact, it seems to be fairly common to find that this was not done.
These blocks are about three inches long and made of hard rubber. The Toyota part number (on one the one I have, anyway) is 48133-17010. They are somewhat cylindrical, with a slot down the middle shaped such that the block will clip onto the shock absorber (damper) piston rod inside the rubber boot that can be seen on the strut behind each wheel. If the blocks are left in place, the ride of the car will most likely be incredibly hard and/or bouncy. However, since the MR2 has a firm ride anyway, many people probably don't realize. Another consequence is that eventually the block will become dislodged from the shock and tear up the rubber boot surrounding the shock. It could also fall out altogether, possibly jamming some other suspension/steering component on the way.
If you have a mk2 MR2 and haven't already checked that your shipping blocks have been removed, I'd advise you to go and do it now. Just put your hand up behind each wheel and feel inside the rubber strut boot. The only thing inside the strut boot should be the silver-colored shock absorber piston rod. From what I've read it seems that the blocks were only fitted to the front shocks, but it doesn't hurt to check all four at the same time.
My 93 MR2 Turbo obviously had the shipping blocks left in place when it was handed over to the original owner, since the front strut boots are badly torn. When I first learned about this topic from the MR2 Mailing List I checked my car and found one shipping block still in place, although not clipped to the shock. The block was being held in place by the rubber boot, as it presumably had been for the last eight years. Note that some people on the mailing list have reported success in taking their car back to the original dealership and asking for replacement shock boots to be fitted at no charge, although this will probably only work if you're the original owner.
A few people have asked how to recognize these shipping blocks. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are five pictures of the one I retrieved from my MR2:
If you have any comments about this article, or you just want to tell me that you found the shipping blocks on your car too, feel free to email me at: cars [at] noegruts [dot] com.
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