Tercel4WD.com

Mine has worked very briefly (and who knows how accurately), and seems dead for the most part. I changed the sending unit to no avail. Is the next step a disassembly of the dash?

Update:

I changed the radiator sensor a second time. And now it is coming on (although infrequently). Hopefully it's operating normally. It is rather stressful not having a functioning display in the dash.

I also changed out the two sensors on the front of the engine. One connects to a wire via a ...

Wonderful, thanks for the advice. Since I may see 80s and the occasional 90 I think I'll go with a 15w-40. Just to be safe.

My radiator fan isn't coming on.

This is compounded by the fact that the coolant temp display isn't working. Well, it worked temporarily this morning (after I banged on the plastic display cover), and showed temp at the top of the white while idling. I shut it off.

So, I read up here on the fan ...

Very interesting Petros. Thanks for posting that explanation.

It is interesting to hear how different demands affect oil temp. And, that temp is independent of coolant. I feel I learned something today.

Would you say that 10w-30 is simply too thin for a general application (in any warm weather) 3A ...

Thanks for the replies.

I was just reviewing the owners manual which came with the vehicle (photos below). On the back, it lists 10w-30 or 10w-40 as what to use under 'normal' temperatures. Then inside, it has the viscosity matrix that Petros posted above. So, is over 50 degrees not 'normal ...

irowiki wrote:There's nicer higher viscosity synthetics too.

What are your thoughts on switching a 278k Tercel over to synthetic? Might clean out crud around the seals and make any existing leaks worse?

for operating in temps 50 deg F and below it is 5W-30 or 10W-30;
for operating in temps about 30 to 70 deg F, 10w-40 or 20W-40;
for operating in temps 80 deg F and above, 10W-50 or 20W-50.

Wow, 20w-50 for any operation over 80 degrees? That seems really thick. I'm not very familiar with the 3A ...

Hello everyone,

I was googling and came across this board. I am a new owner of a 1983 4WD Tercel with 278k miles .

I am wondering whether go to with the default 10w-30, or to bump it up to a thicker oil. I am in California.

Thanks!