Driving for Distance

General discussion about our beloved Tercel 4WD cars
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swanterky
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Posts: 28
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 2:18 am
My tercel:: 86 FWD converted from auto to 5 spd; '87 DLX 4WD

Driving for Distance

Post by swanterky »

In 30+ years of Terceldom, I have learned many things; but these are very important to make your machine last:
The 5 speed:
1/If your synchros start to wear, and the shifting isn't smooth, try this: When shifting to 3rd is a rough shift: esp. from second or 4th: Clutch in; shift to neutral; clutch out & in; shift to third. This is called "double clutching", and if done properly, can make a rough shift smooth, which is easier on the 5 Spd. If the shifting problem is only in cold weather, and affects all the shifts, you may want to change out the transmission oil with the next lighter grade, or check the clutch adjustment, and the plastic gear assist on the clutch pedal. Mine has the right grade of oil, but shifts rough in cold weather, but only into third. I have babied it for years, and it hasn't gotten any worse, and the extra clutching is easier than having to change the transmission. Besides, it shifts fine when the car is warmed up and driven for a while.
2/If the shift from neutral to reverse is rough is difficult, shift to third first, then to reverse, It should be nice and smooth then. Never force the transmission into reverse if it grinds or catches roughly; you could chip a tooth and require an expensive transmission change! I sold a 84 Wagon to a fellow who thought it should be driven like a sports car, and warned him about the proper way to reach reverse. He didn't listen. In less than a year; he took reverse out completely, and had to push the car manually backwards, to get out of his parking stall!
3/Oil's cheaper than engine swaps; change yours when it appears to be dirty (not filthy). If the checkered pattern on the dipstick is becoming hard to see, it's past the time for a change.
Treat your Tercel well, and it will reward you with many miles of trouble-free driving. If you treat it rough, expect expensive and/or complicated repairs. Remember, It's not designed as a sports car, but as a car made to get you there reliably, time after time!
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Petros
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Posts: 11930
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:31 pm
My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: Driving for Distance

Post by Petros »

eventually the syncros wear out and they become less effective. double clutching, not so bad once you develope the habbit, is a good solution. I have also switched trans lub and tried a few things to help.

I tried the all synthetic gear lube, MTF, but it is so slippery it made my aging syncros act like they were non-existent, and it leaked out of every seal in the trans (which were all original). I drained it and than used half and half gear lube and MTF, made a difference,shifted okay and no more leaks. the low friction gear lube should reduce wear, but the design of the trans was never intended for that slippery of gear oil, the syncros depends on friction to operate properly.

As it ages (I think I have 400+k miles on the trans), on cold early morning winters, the trans did not want to shift into second or third at all, until the trans is warmed up after a bit of driving. so I thought I would try adding some ATF. ATF has a highly detergent quality to clean up sludge and metal particles build up in the trans, and doing an ATF flush can often improve shifting performance (use a 50/50 mix of cheap gear oil and ATF, drive it easy for a few days, up to freeway speeds to warm it up, than drain while warm, and refill with quality gear oil). ATF also has a very high film strength, despite the light 4-5 wt oil, and has been used for hydraulic oil in power steering and other hydraulic devices, and in some manual transmissions as the only lubrications. I had an old Mercedes diesel sedan that used ATF in the manual trans, worked great for many hundreds of thousands of miles.

So, as an experiment, this is my current gear oil mix in the 5 speed manual: 2 quarts of 75-90wt quality gear oil, one quart of MTF synthetic gear oil, and one quart of ATF (auto trans fluid). and it works great year round, no more issues with the syncros in freezing weather, shifts great, and it runs smooth and quite. if I did not have the problems with the shifting in cold weather would leave out the AFT, but so far it does not seem to harm it.

it should be changed every 30,000 miles or more to keep the trans in good condition. the reason these trans fail is no one remembers to service the trans, and the seals can get leaky, and than it is run low or out of gear oil. but with care, the trans should last indefinitly.
'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)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
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