84 tercel sr5

[natemitch]

I recently bought an 84 tercel sr5 wagon for a great price of 620$ it was running and driving but obviously needed work first i replaced all the brakes all around and the rear wheel cylinders, the i had to replace the pcv valve on top of the valve cover and the car ran great for a few weeks until i started letting my roommate drive it and now he ran it out of gas ever since the car has no power and trouble starting and staying running. I replaced the fuel filter and that really did nothing and now i suspect the head gasket has gone but i check the oil over and over again and never seen and bubbles or residue or anything but regular oil, however upon checking the coolent i found oil in the coolent. My question is am i losing power because of this and does it mean in fact that my head gasket has gone out or could it be a timing issue or perhaps something with the carb i know my carb is not working correctly but it ran great for a few weeks like that, i really love this car i chose it over a 99 mustang gt because my favorite aunt growning up had the same year and same color and hers made it 3 million miles before she sold it still running so i'd really like to just fix it.

[irowiki]

If he ran it out of gas and it runs like crap, that means he sucked a bunch of dirt up that either plugged your fuel pick up, or clogged the carb internals (if your filter was pretty plugged, stuff tends to start to bypass it.

[dlb]

if your filter was pretty plugged, stuff tends to start to bypass it.

that doesn't really make sense, since the fine holes of the filter would be blocked by larger crud. if a filter is clogged, that means LESS stuff -- both good and bad -- can get through.

but i agree that the fuel pickup or something else in the fuel system is plugged, based on the fact your 'friend' ran it out of gas. i wouldn't suspect a head gasket unless your 'friend' overheated the engine. so with an almost empty tank of gas, i would disconnect the inlet hose from the fuel filter, remove the gas tank filler cap, and use compressed air to blow back through the fuel line. if something is clogging the fuel pickup, that should dislodge it.

be sure to remove the gas cap or you will pressurize the gas tank, which you don't want to do. and don't do it with a full tank because it will get messy.

and don't smoke while doing any of this.

and don't let your 'friend' drive you car anymore.

[marlinh]

Agree with dlb, but you also said you have oil in the coolant. Does it look like a brown milkshake?

[larry mcgrath]

Best way to detect water in the oil is with a cigarette lighter, remove the dip stick, place the flame under the stick, if there is water in the oil the oil will start to spatter. The water heats ,evaorates at a lower temp than the oil burnes causing the oil on the dip stick to spatter. dlb is right about the fuel filter. Larry

[Petros]

the only way to damage a head gasket is to allow it to overheat, running out of fuel will not damage the head gasket.

slimy oil in the coolant is almost certainly sign of compromised head gasket. running on 3 cylinders is another. though it may run okay, but you have to add coolant every few days, is almost certanly sign of leaky head gasket. Note that a compression test may not show low compression in one cylinder until it is really bad.

Confirm you have a leaky head gasket before you replace it (losing coolant, running on 3 cyclinders, etc). I wrote up a head gasket replacement procedure in the Repair Guides section. It is a big job, but not too bad if you are prepared, it can be done in a saturday afternoon. All tools, parts and material needed are listed in the head gasket replacement thread.

[keith]

Three million miles? Can you document that?

[ARCHINSTL]

Driving about 64K miles per year, it took Irv Gordon 47 years to drive his '66 P1800 to hit 3M.
If the '84 Terc were still running through 2014, it would have to be driven about 100K per year - or about 273 miles per day, every single day of each year - and more if it were not running in 2014.
Tom M.

[natemitch]

ok awesome i finally have some free time so im gonna work on the toyota today, im gonna do the spark plugs the wires and and oil change and maybe the timing and cam seals today too if i find the time, im gonna try this power test and see if my cars running all cylinders but im thinking its a vacuum leak somehwhere since ive fixed a few already im sure there is more but thank you all for your advice i think ill try the carb cleaner trick to find all the vacuum leaks . also any idea on why the back of the block would leak oil i almost feel like bell housing is coming apart but i havent dug deep into the car yet just havent had much time

[xirdneh]

back of the block oil leak
try to pin it down first
dry everything up by cleaning or wiping it down
drive it and check for fresh oil
there is an additive you can put in oil that will glow green with special glasses at local parts stores
but i would just wipe it dry and drive and check
could be valve cover gasket (very likely as they get hard and will crack when bent)
could be "o" ring in distributor (have to pull dist to replace)
if its coming out on top of differential / tranny housing could be rear main seal or tranny input shaft seal (have to pull tranny/transaxle

[marlinh]

There is also a half moon seal at the back of the valve cover also that may be leaking.

[Petros]

the only place it can leak oil from the back of the head or block area is: 1) most likely the valve cover gasket or the half moon rubber plug at the back of the head. If both are in decent condition you can clean them up and "glue" them into place with Permatex form-a-gasket sealant. Usually they are reusable if not cracked or dried out (hard and brittle). Or you can just replace both gasket and half moon plug with a new pliable rubber gasket.

Other common place leaks are the 2) large O-ring on the distributor base, and 3) the fuel pump gasket.

there are several gaskets under the fuel pump with plastic isolator block, I guess the temperature cycling wipes these gasket out and cause them to leak (cool fuel coming from the fuel tank on one side and the hot aluminum head on the other). new paper gaskets are cheap, but clean off the old goop good and use non-hardening and oil resistant Permatex form a gasket on both sides of both gaskets to get the fuel pump to seal up.

Good luck.

[zucabird]

I have been wondering how to find the leaks that leave my engine covered in oil. I had been doing my own oil changes but recently had a shop do one since I had no time before a trip to Seattle. Needless to say, 1300 miles later I am leaking oil and smoking. I'm thinking it is the head gasket but do not know enough about engines to figure it out on my own. From what I have read here I am positive I could figure it out with a little help. There are three distinct drips under the car. Would you recommend new valve/head/oil pan gaskets or should I swap the engine out and rebuild? I was told I should not drive it until I figure it out because to do so would ruin any chance of repair. I am a complete newbie to auto repair yet have the confidence and drive to restore this car...she is amazing.

[Petros]

You can fix it, no problem. you just need to get over getting your hands dirty, and get yourself a few basic tools, and follow the guidance from us here on the forum. Most oil leaks are fairly easy to fix, finding them becomes sometimes a problem, so diagnose it properly BEFORE you try and fix it or you waste time and money.

first off a bad head gasket almost NEVER leaks oil, it would loose coolant through the combustion chamber (goes out the exhaust as steam). And the oil pan gasket almost never leaks (unless someone botched an installation, but not likely). so, most likely source of oil leak is the valve cover gasket, or the half moon plug at the back of the valve cover. this is on top of the head, and fairly easy to replace. Leaking oil will run down the outside of the engine and run around the oil pan lip and appear to be coming from the oil pan gasket. It is really rare that it leaks, so save that until you know it is the pan gasket, it is also a PIA to replace, so do not hurry to replace it unless you know that it is leaking.

Other common sources of oil leaks are the o-ring around the distributor mount (you have to remove the distributor to see it, but do not remove it unless you know that is what is leaking). also the front main or cam seals under the front plastic cover of the engine (looks like it is leaking out the bottom of these covers), the oil pressure sender (behind the alternator on the side of the engine block), and the fuel pump gasket at the back of the head on the right side (passengers side). Also, the oil filter can leak, and the rear main seal, but that one you have to remove the transaxle to replace it, a big job so hold off on that until you eliminated everything else.

Go to a coin operated pressure wash place, soap up the engine pay (I find that Purple Power cleaning fluid works well), and than use the spray handle to clean off all of the grim, dirt and old oil (leave the engine runnign or you may not get it started if you get water in the distributor). After you drive it a few days check the engine carefully to locate the source of new oil stains.

You likely only have one leak, and it gets spray over other parts of the engine and than drips on to the ground. It is possible you may have more than one leak, but fix all that you find until you solve the problem.

The biggest issue with driving with an oil leak is you may inadvertently drive it dry and do very severe damage to the engine and bearings, meaning a new engine or a complete rebuild of the old one. So it is okay to drive as long as you ALWAYS check before you start it that you have oil showing on the dip stick.

I hope this helps. good luck.

[natemitch]

ok guys so an update i have replaced my fuel pump and the gaskets and the plactic spacer as well and now i'm replacing all the vacuum lines and fuel lines because replacing the fuel pump did not solve my cars huge loss of power im still trying to track the problem down but i have done the "power test" and when i pulled each plug the car bogged way down then after a sec or two the idle went back up and it did that on all cylinders so im pretty sure i have all 4 cylinders working at least somewhat. my next step i think will be to replace the half moon plug and the valve cover gasket and to also redo the timing belt and gaskets and the cam gaskets as well and most likely i'll go ahead and replace the water pump and gaskets of coarse as well. i'm also going to borrow my bosses power washer and try to clean every part of the engine compartment and block and etc so i will be able to track down any other leaks. thanks again everybody for all your input!!