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I've bought several thermostats over the years. I've learned to ignore the name brand on the box and look at the name brand on the thermostat itself. It seems that the brand name on the box and the brand name on the thermostat hardly ever match.

There is a small wire going to the starter that is connected with a slide-on type (I don't know of a better term for it) of connector. Mine kept falling off and producing the symptoms you describe.

Congratulations! -Probably the best condition Tercel wagon in the world right now, and probably the one with the best story behind it too.

Another check if you don't have a volt meter is to start the car and turn on the windshield wipers. Get an idea of how fast they move. Then turn off the car and turn on the windshield wipers again. They should move noticeably slower. If they move at the same slower speed regardless of if the car is ...

When the alternator goes bad, the brake light comes on too on every Tercel (and old Camry) I've ever had. The difference is, the brake light comes on a bit dimmer than it would if there was a brake problem, if that makes sense. The brake light looks about half as bright as the battery light. If you ...

I replaced the thermostat again today and now everything is back to normal.

I'm trying to wrap my head around how a radiator that's not pressurized enough can cause a too-cold cooling system. I always assumed it would cause overheating?

No, no coolant loss. I haven't had the time to do much investigating this weekend, but maybe today or tomorrow I'll take it for a run on the highway and see if the temperature still drops with all the extra airflow across the radiator. If so, I'll just try changing the thermostat again.

The reason I'm leaning towards a thermostat issue is that the temperature on the gauge drops to low gradually when I'm driving on the highway, just like as if there was flow through the radiator. I don't think a bad sender or gauge would act like this. I wonder if the spring is weak allowing coolant...

I just used a laser thermometer to check temperatures in the cooling system. The temps started at around 35 degrees everywhere. As I idled the engine the temps very gradually warmed up everywhere equally (the upper hose/lower hose/radiator/thermostat housing/etc.). There wasn't the sudden temperatur...

I thought about it being a sensor/gauge issue, but the flow through the radiator even at low temps is what is confusing me. I'm still going to check the wire run from the sensor and see if there is a partial ground somewhere. I might borrow a laser thermometer and verify temps as well.

I've been having a problem with the cooling system on my '81 sedan in the last few days. I was driving on the highway, when the temperature gauge started dropping like the thermostat was stuck open. It eventually went all the way to the bottom of the gauge. When I stopped at a light for awhile the g...

Ha! I do that drive several times a year in mine. The steep Malahat is the initiation for that highway. Especially with all the construction and Summer tourist traffic, there can be a risk of overheating if the cooling system isn't running well. I carry a spare timing belt and alternator belt. I thi...

slimdude85 wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 05, 2018 3:03 pm

Is yours the hatch or sedan? I'm looking forward to getting mine on the road.

It's a sedan. My favourite is the hatchback, but they are harder to find around here. These are some old pics from when I bought it: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9413

Nice! Same colour as my '81 2-door.