5th gear inspection window?

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GLet71
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Posts: 608
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2012 11:09 pm
My tercel:: '87 6-spd SR5 4wd Wagon
Location: Nelson, BC Canada

5th gear inspection window?

Post by GLet71 »

I've lost fifth gear, and have searched the forum looking to see if there is a 5th gear inspection window which can be examined while the transmission is still in the vehicle. All the other gears work fine, and yes, I was towing a small trailer 110km/hr when it happened. I've read some responses saying the other gears are soon to follow, but I also read someone's post who claimed they were able to repair it without removing the trans from the car.
Currently:
Majorette France Tercel 4WD - Fini
Formerly:
'87 6spd SR5 4WD modified Wagon (Ron, the post-apocalyptic summer ride)
'87 6spd dlx 4wd Wagon (Pinkman Got Nuthin', aka Pinky)
'87 Auto dlx 4WD Wagon (Otto, temporary parts car)
'88 6spd SR5 4WD Wagon (Perry, the parts car)
xirdneh
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Posts: 2121
Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2005 11:38 am
My tercel:: 87 tercel 4x4 wagon w/reringed engine, 83 tercel 4x4 wagon w/salvaged engine and 4.1 Diff's
Location: seabeck, washington, USA

Re: 5th gear inspection window?

Post by xirdneh »

there is no way to inspect 5th gear with tranny in car
tranny has to come out
if you do it, remove tranny only leaving differential (transaxle) in car
when you drain the gear oil measure the amount, if its less than 2 quarts (should be 4 qts) that may be the reason 5th gear is bad. the small 5th gear (on output shaft) usually is the first to go when low on oil
i have seen several where the keeper (snap ring) for the large 5th gear (on countershaft) is loose or fallen off. the stress on the snap ring from pulling a trailer in 5th gear enlarges the slot for the snap ring (slot cut in countershaft)
those are some of the things i have seen but ya never know until ya take tranny out
5th gear is on outside of tranny so once you get tranny out its easy to get at
there are tercel 4wd tranny disassemble videos on youtube
i have tranny spare parts and may be able to help with that (since small 5th gear is the most common failure i do not have them) so if its something other than that i may have the part
Love those Tercell 4x4 wagons but they sure suffer from road noise.
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Petros
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Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:31 pm
My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: 5th gear inspection window?

Post by Petros »

you can still drive it without the fifth gear, but best you get all the broken metal cleaned out first. there is no reason for any other gear to fail except the metal fragments from the broken 5th will eventually make their way to the rest of the trans, and than it will destroy itself fairly fast.

It can be fixed now, if you keep driving it the trans will become scrap metal. as Xirdneh writes, the trans has to come out, and the front diff assembly removed the main trans housing. that exposes the fifth gear assembly. you do not have to dismantle the whole trans/gear box, but it still has to come out of the car.

good luck.
'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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