What have you done to your wagon lately?

General discussion about our beloved Tercel 4WD cars
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4wdEconoBox
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My tercel:: 1985 Toyota Tercel SR5 4WD
Location: Talladega, Alabama

Re: What have you done to your wagon lately?

Post by 4wdEconoBox »

Ohhhh babyyy, I still get hyper and fall in love with your car every time I see a picture of it Bailey! haha I'm so tempted to blow all of my money on a bag setup for one of my wagons, but then I get reminded that bills aren't gonna pay themselves :(.....hahahah
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BaileySims
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Re: What have you done to your wagon lately?

Post by BaileySims »

Haha! Thank you brotha! Yeah, I feel you on that. If I didn't have a motorcycle to sell then I don't even think putting bags on the car would be possible. I'm glad I did though. I was planning on snagging the motor from the wrecking yard and setting up a small turbo build but I'd rather pay off my tickets and other nonsense so I can register my car and drive it legally. There's always next year, if it's still there. :/
WAGON MAFIA.
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4wdEconoBox
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My tercel:: 1985 Toyota Tercel SR5 4WD
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Re: What have you done to your wagon lately?

Post by 4wdEconoBox »

Heck yeah, I've got a few other vehicles I could sell, but I'm too lazy to deal with anyone right now hahahaha. Bags are definitely a plan for the future for me. I need to start snagging all the less expensive stuff, but the front struts are gonna take a little longer :/ haha. Yeah, that's always important to get rid of all that bullcrap first. Surely it'll still be there! Don't get rid of her man! haha
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lannvouivre
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My tercel:: 2006 Pontiac Vibe
Location: Odessa, TX

Re: What have you done to your wagon lately?

Post by lannvouivre »

One thing to keep in mind about turbo and other F/I builds is that combustion temperatures would be much hotter. My Vibe's "factory" supercharger setup includes a cooler thermostat. I can't say whether or not the Petros headgasket mods would sufficiently mitigate the issues with cooling that the 3A has if it also is dealing with forced induction.

EDIT: Also worth mentioning that if the exhaust valves are delicate now, you may need to see about finding someone who will make better performance ones. Monkeywrenchracing makes some for the 1ZZ engines at $19 per valve, which isn't bad when you only have 8 valves total on the engine. If you can find someone willing to make some for a 3A or 4A, they'd probably be more, though.
But...did you try hitting it with a hammer?
The Professor
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My tercel:: 1987 Tercel SR5 4WD wagon
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Re: What have you done to your wagon lately?

Post by The Professor »

lannvouivre wrote:If you can find someone willing to make some for a 3A or 4A, they'd probably be more, though.
http://www.paeco.com/

Doesn't look like they have much for the 3A/4A, but they would be happy to make some!
1975 Subaru SuperStar wagon
1984 Subaru Turbo-Traction wagon & hardtop
1987 Subaru RX 3-door
1987 Subaru RX Type-RA 3-door
1987 Toyota Tercel SR5 wagon
1999 Subaru Forester S
2002 Subaru WRX sedan
2019 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited
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BaileySims
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Re: What have you done to your wagon lately?

Post by BaileySims »

Digging this information. Thank you both. Also, when I joined the forum, there was talk of someone boosting 13psi in a terc. Not sure what was actually done with the motor but did anyone ever get any more information on that?
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Petros
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Re: What have you done to your wagon lately?

Post by Petros »

the 3a engine is not suitable for tweaking, you are wasting your time with it if you are trying to get much more than factory horsepower.

you will have much less problems to start out with a better engine like a 4age or 4afe, or even a 4ac. The 3a head design is obsolete and does not tolerate generating much more hp than stock. A better head gasket will not help, the 3ac head does not cool evenly. Swap the engine as your first step to getting more HP, otherwise you are wasting your time.

I and other forum members have tried getting more reliable hp out of the 3a, you will have to pull it out once it fails.

Your first step in getting significantly more hp is decided which engine you will be swapping out. That would depend on how much more power you want, and what your budget for it will be.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
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BaileySims
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Re: What have you done to your wagon lately?

Post by BaileySims »

WAGON MAFIA.
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BaileySims
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Re: What have you done to your wagon lately?

Post by BaileySims »

Incorporated a little GM into this bad boy.
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BaileySims
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Re: What have you done to your wagon lately?

Post by BaileySims »

Gotta have that sweet limo lighting. Hahaha.
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4wdEconoBox
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Re: What have you done to your wagon lately?

Post by 4wdEconoBox »

Thats actually not a bad idea! I like it!!! Got anymore details on it?!?! haha
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lannvouivre
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Re: What have you done to your wagon lately?

Post by lannvouivre »

It's got a new battery and handmade aluminum battery tray with a steel cargo strap.
But...did you try hitting it with a hammer?
jimcrazy
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Re: What have you done to your wagon lately?

Post by jimcrazy »

I finally got around to putting my 4a in yesterday
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4wdEconoBox
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Re: What have you done to your wagon lately?

Post by 4wdEconoBox »

I fixed my sticking 5th gear/reverse pin piston thing, it started earlier where it was a big pain to shift into 5 while I was driving kind of like it was binding up, so I searched the forums and found out where this mystical part was, when I removed it, it was all rusty and kind of caught when i tried to push it in. So I soaked it in penetrating oil and pushed it in and it so that it would soak up some, and I put it back in after it was moving freely. Then I greased to my shifter bushings and everything else down there, seems to be much more easier to get in and out if gears, I'll know for sure after driving it tomorrow! Shout out to xirdneh's write up for showing me where it was and how to fix it!!
timothygodden
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My tercel:: 84 tercel 4wd sr5 lifted, modified head, delta cam, 2" exhaust
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Re: What have you done to your wagon lately?

Post by timothygodden »

4wdEconoBox wrote:I fixed my sticking 5th gear/reverse pin piston thing, it started earlier where it was a big pain to shift into 5 while I was driving kind of like it was binding up, so I searched the forums and found out where this mystical part was, when I removed it, it was all rusty and kind of caught when i tried to push it in. So I soaked it in penetrating oil and pushed it in and it so that it would soak up some, and I put it back in after it was moving freely. Then I greased to my shifter bushings and everything else down there, seems to be much more easier to get in and out if gears, I'll know for sure after driving it tomorrow! Shout out to xirdneh's write up for showing me where it was and how to fix it!!
Synthdesign and I came across this issue the other day when digging threw his stored transaxles, found the same problem on his running rigs as well. I would recommend every member check the reverse restriction pin on the cars (the part has been discontinued by Toyota) not sure what kind of damage it could cause long term but it can't be good for it. I sprayed some lube into mine as soon as I got home as a preventive measure, lucky for me mine is in good shape.
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