CV Axles And Other Questions

[ReverendRadical]

Hello, I am planning on buying a tercel wagon next weekend, I know that it needs front CV axles and I have seen that some of the new ones don't fit. Does anybody have recommendations on ones that actually will fit?
I have never owned a tercel before or even any car this old. This will be my project car as I am a broke college student who needs something to work on throughout the year lol. I know this car needs carb work as well, and of course I have never worked on a carburetor. How hard would it be to switch over to the weber carb I hear so much about and is there any power gain from doing so? Any other thoughts or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

[NWMO]

RR,

Trakmotive half shafts are reportedly best and I tend to prefer the stock Aisan carb.

Chris

[dlb]

Welcome, Reverend Radical. I also prefer the stock carb. The weber is fine but it comes with its own issues, and they aren't super cheap either.

I recently had a bad experience with a Trakmotive axle. The clip got jammed in the diff on my '91 corolla and it took a lot of creative messing around to get it out, and once I did so the clip was in shards in the diff. I managed to pick it out and all has been fine since but it was a real PITA so I will be avoiding Trakmotive axles if possible in the future.

#1 thing to do with a tercel is check the gear oil level. If it runs too low (which is common due to old seals leaking) it will wreck the trans, and they are unique to this car and thus hard to find replacements for. So be sure to do that before anything else. #2 thing I do is check the sway bar ends and replace the bushings and collar there as necessary. Those are the two achilles heel of tercels, IMO.

[Petros]

likely the factory carb is working fine, before you replace it, or even attempt to rebuild it, go though a service check as outlined in the factory service manual available for free down load on this forum.

I have owned many old tercels, and whenever the seller said it needed a carb rebuild, I got it running good without a carb rebuild. first you check all of the vac lines, follow each one from start to end per the vac diagram to make sure there are no cracks/leaks, and they are routed properly (careless but well meaning mechanics often get them plugged in at the wrong places). 90 percent of the problem with the fuel system is a vacuum leak. usually from a bad vac line or a misrouted vac line. also check the manifold, intake gaskets, and all the vac operated devices for a vac leak (easiest is to puff carb clear spray at various places with the engine running, if the speed changes, you found the source of leak). Than go though the various fuel system checks and adjustments in the service manual, most are quick easy tests that do not require special tools. None of the adjustments are difficult, but you MUST do them in the proper sequence, do not short cut it. Usually once you get it adjusted, all vac leaks corrected, it will run good.

One last thing I have found can help, while it is running, spray large amounts of carb cleaner down the carb, and all over the linkage on the outside. than spray a light lubricant like wd40 or LPS all over the linkage, and throttle cable, to prevent it from sticking.

if it is running too rich, a common problem is a leaky Auxiliary Acceleration Pump (AAP), on the front of the carb with a vac line coming from it. if they get leaky it will allow fuel to get sucked into the intake manifold making it too rich, get poor economy and run poorly. simple check, pull the vac line to it off, and see if there is fuel in it. if it is wet with fuel, cap off both ends of the vac line. the car will run fine without it. you only need it for cold starts, it prevents flat spot off of idle until it warms up. no worries, just drive it carefully until warm, and you will never miss the AAP. if you get a carb rebuild kit, it will have a new AAP diaphragm that you can replace without removing the carb. of course if the vac line to the AAP is dry inside, it is good and just replace it.

Doing these steps will always improve the way it runs. if after these simple maintenance checks/adjustments, it still has trouble, than go back to the fuel system chapter and look in the trouble shooting section that lists symptoms, and where to check and correct it.

It may seem complicated at first, but once you get to know the fuel system, and it weak points, you can keep it running well with minor checks and adjustments. It is a fairly durable and reliable fuel system, despite its complexity.

good luck.