Oops!

General discussion about our beloved Tercel 4WD cars
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tercel4wdrules
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My tercel:: None
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Post by tercel4wdrules »

:shock:

Well, this is what happens when you have a million things on your mind, including how the heck you're going to get the money to replace the clutch:

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I had to buy another fender from an '84 Deluxe wagon. I bought the clips to mount my SR5 molding from the dealer, but I'm just going to save them because I want to buy a new fender and then maybe get the whole car painted after fixing the mechanical issues.

After replacing the spark plugs, NGK plug wires, distributor cap & rotor, and the oxygen sensor my highway average went from 20 MPG to 26 MPG (driving 55-62 mph on the freeway). I paid to have the valves adjusted and the timing is okay, although I have been getting some pinging lately. When it's time to fill the tank again I'll put some Seafoam in. I hope that when the new clutch goes in it will go up to 30 MPG. I was just amazed what replacing that stuff did for the car, it was a lot faster afterwards. Supposedly, the catalytic converter is plugged, so maybe it's capable of better mileage.

Lesson learned: "Always watch out for thin yellow poles!" I just forgot about it and then when I got in the car I couldn't see it because it was behind my mirror so I backed into it. Ouch! The old fender is just sitting in my living room to remind me to watch out...
2015 Honda Fit EX "Malachi"
2001 Toyota Corolla CE "Eugene"
takza
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Post by takza »

You're lucky it missed the door...the fender is easy. Looks like you are driving it now. Need to try and avoid objects in the wrong places? :shock:
Give a boy a gun-give a biatch a cell phone-and pretty soon you almost got yourself a police state.

Orwell said: War is peace! Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength...

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Typrus
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Post by Typrus »

We call those things- Newbie mistakes.
Like me backing out into the tire of a passing lifted F-350. I go to back out kind quick and feel the dreaded WHUMPH.. I figure I'm dead. I get out, the 5 foot tall guy hops out of his massive 350 (how he got in to start I'm not sure) and just looks, sees I hit his tire, asks if my car is alright, then before I can see how he does it, hops back in and takes off. I got lucky.
That was back in the days of Blue.
(sigh...)

If the cat is plugged, truly, expect to fry your valves soon. No joke. Just get a replacement cat and have a good muffler shop attach it. Shouldn't cost much to have them attach it, especially if you bring them the cat and the flanges (or a flanged cat) to take care of it. If, truly, the cat is plugged, expect it to feel like a rocket after it gets taken care of.
Good luck!

BTW, unless the clutch is slipping all the time, a new one shouldn't affect mileage. However, if it slips a lot, thats wasted energy which translates to wasted fuel.
RIP 10-07- 1984 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed

RIP 04-05- 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed

1st Terc- 1987 Tercel SR5 4wd Wagon 6-speed, Sadly cubed

1985 Tercel Standard 4wd Wagon w/ 3-speed auto, Living a happy life in Boulder last I knew
Gasoline Fumes
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Post by Gasoline Fumes »

If you're replacing your cat, stick the old one on eBay. They're worth about $140 in scrap platinum. :shock:
I sold a pair of Tercel cats for $285. :twisted:
takza
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Post by takza »

Gasoline Fumes wrote:If you're replacing your cat, stick the old one on eBay. They're worth about $140 in scrap platinum. :shock:
I sold a pair of Tercel cats for $285. :twisted:
On Ebay they will sell you a new one for $25 plus a $35 core charge. :lol:

Guess you are talking about the Toyota OEM converter? Used more platinum?

Think somebody got mine for free.... :x

How can you find out the recycling value of older cats????
Give a boy a gun-give a biatch a cell phone-and pretty soon you almost got yourself a police state.

Orwell said: War is peace! Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength...

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ARCHINSTL
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My tercel:: Goldie is a 1986 SR5 attualmente con Weber/also owned the first T4WD in STL in late '82
Location: Kirkwood, a 'burb of St. Louis

Post by ARCHINSTL »

Amazing!
I just went to eBay and searched for "Catalytic scrap."
An example was a Camry for $40+. The prices ranged from $30 to $100+.
Guess it depends on size and OE or ? ? ?
Now I am really pissed at the place that replaced the motor on my '88 Dodge/Mitsu back in '03 - it replaced the convertor, and said nada about any scrap/recovery value on the old one..."Gee, I wonder why?"
Do muffler shops tell people about this?
Do salvage yards cut these from cars as a matter of course? It would seem logical, as those are some considerable bucks, if someone is running a yard and gets them in quantity.
Tom M.
T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"
"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
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splatterdog
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Post by splatterdog »

Back in my muffler shop days the EPA required them to be held by the shop to be available for inspection. I don't remember exactly how long. 15 days or 3 months comes to mind.

Usually bigger the better as far as value. Don't know of any differences between makes. The big pellet style from older GM's are the best. If it's a non OE replacement it's worth the least.
tercel4wdrules
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My tercel:: None
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Post by tercel4wdrules »

My car has a generic style cat converter which seriously should of been replaced a long time ago. I didn't know that cats were worth anything, but I'll just get this fixed as I do not want to deal with having to replace the valves. Meanwhile, I'll try not to run into things...
2015 Honda Fit EX "Malachi"
2001 Toyota Corolla CE "Eugene"
takza
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Post by takza »

I did the Ebay search...5 pages worth. I'm going to be replacing another one eventually...scrap value for a similar one on Ebay....3 bids now at $130 and $20 shipping.

The one on the Tercel was the first I'd ever replaced. I knew they contained platinum...but didn't think about the value.... :roll:
Give a boy a gun-give a biatch a cell phone-and pretty soon you almost got yourself a police state.

Orwell said: War is peace! Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength...

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Gasoline Fumes
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Post by Gasoline Fumes »

Here's my 3A-C cat auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 0144109765
It's hard to find the exact value of them. I just start them all at $9.99. I think the BMW and Mercedes cats are worth the most, around $200 each. Aftermarket cats are worth $10-$15. My favorite pick and pull junkyard cuts most of them out before they hit the yard. Sometimes they miss one, but they won't sell them. But they will pay me $5 for one if I bring it in. :roll:

It's illegal to sell them for reuse in a car, but selling them for scrap is OK. Going around parking lots with a cordless sawzall to collect them is also illegal, by the way. :lol:

I wish I had more to sell, it's like free money. :D
jetswim
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My tercel:: 1987 Tercel SR5 4WD Wagon
Location: Ontario, Canada

Post by jetswim »

Wow! That's cool. I just bought 3 parts cars all with catalytic's on them! On Ebay they goooooo....
Current rides: 1987 SR5 4WD wagon, 1989 xtra cab pickup 22RE 5spd 4X4
Typrus
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Post by Typrus »

Not cool.... Both my cats fell apart internally and are laying in small pieces on the road in various locations...
There goes a few $$....
RIP 10-07- 1984 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed

RIP 04-05- 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed

1st Terc- 1987 Tercel SR5 4wd Wagon 6-speed, Sadly cubed

1985 Tercel Standard 4wd Wagon w/ 3-speed auto, Living a happy life in Boulder last I knew
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