looking at getting a 83 need some input.

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dirtlord420
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Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2019 4:34 pm
My tercel:: 83

looking at getting a 83 need some input.

Post by dirtlord420 »

im new here. im looking at getting a 83 4x4. i think the transmission maybe shot. guy says its needs a clutch, and for some reason drained the fluid. that makes me worried.

the car is in good shape no rust. passenger door is a little messed up. it has 200,000 miles on it. interior a little rough.

what im worried about is it need a new transmission. how hard is it to find one and what would it cost? i forgot its a 5spd. i did do a little research on the site and found out i can only use a 83 and 84 right?

the motor not too worried about i can rebuild it if need be. i can do all the work myself, but worried about finding parts.

also what else should i look for?

dont worry about the screen name.
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LowBuckCanuck
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Posts: 395
Joined: Sun Apr 02, 2017 12:32 am
My tercel:: 1986 DLX 4wd Wagon "Jenny"

Re: looking at getting a 83 need some input.

Post by LowBuckCanuck »

dirtlord420 wrote: Wed Feb 06, 2019 5:44 pm im new here. im looking at getting a 83 4x4. i think the transmission maybe shot. guy says its needs a clutch, and for some reason drained the fluid. that makes me worried.

the car is in good shape no rust. passenger door is a little messed up. it has 200,000 miles on it. interior a little rough.

what im worried about is it need a new transmission. how hard is it to find one and what would it cost? i forgot its a 5spd. i did do a little research on the site and found out i can only use a 83 and 84 right?

the motor not too worried about i can rebuild it if need be. i can do all the work myself, but worried about finding parts.

also what else should i look for?

dont worry about the screen name.
Unfortunately, the transmissions are usually one of the hardest parts to source for our cars as it was completely unique to the tercel. They have to be found at scrap yards or off of generous forum members. However, you could use a transmission from an '85-'88 4wd tercel as well, provided you swap in the front differential from your '83 tranny.
dirtlord420
Newbie
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2019 4:34 pm
My tercel:: 83

Re: looking at getting a 83 need some input.

Post by dirtlord420 »

ok thanks for the replies.

is the '85-'88 4wd tercel transmission easier to find? is there a thread on the swap?

at this point i guess im going to buy it and check to see how the clutch and stuff looks. and go from there. its cheap enough were i wouldnt care to let it sit till i find one.

i almost forgot. i have to tow it home using my dolly. the transmission fluid is drained. will this be a problem? or seeing how its fwd it shouldnt matter? its about 40 miles from the house.
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splatterdog
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Location: Minnesota, USA

Re: looking at getting a 83 need some input.

Post by splatterdog »

You will need to disconnect the rear driveshaft and carefully suspend it out of the way or completely remove it. Very little oil should spill at this point. 12mm bolts/nuts
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LowBuckCanuck
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Posts: 395
Joined: Sun Apr 02, 2017 12:32 am
My tercel:: 1986 DLX 4wd Wagon "Jenny"

Re: looking at getting a 83 need some input.

Post by LowBuckCanuck »

dirtlord420 wrote: Thu Feb 07, 2019 4:17 am ok thanks for the replies.

is the '85-'88 4wd tercel transmission easier to find? is there a thread on the swap?

at this point i guess im going to buy it and check to see how the clutch and stuff looks. and go from there. its cheap enough were i wouldnt care to let it sit till i find one.

i almost forgot. i have to tow it home using my dolly. the transmission fluid is drained. will this be a problem? or seeing how its fwd it shouldnt matter? its about 40 miles from the house.
All 4wd tercel transmissions are identical*, and thus are all the same rarity. The only difference is that the '83-'84 used a different final drive ratio than the '85-'88, so you would have to swap the front differential from your current transmission into your new transmission if you got one from a '85-'88. If the replacement tranny you source is from a '83-'84, you can skip this step.

*Note: You can source some parts from the 2wd models as well, they are mostly the same but lack the 6th "EL" gear and the rear output shaft.

Hope this clears things up a bit.
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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: looking at getting a 83 need some input.

Post by Petros »

welcome to the forum!

transmissions are hard to find, but they are out there to get, you just need patients. You can buy good transmissions from $150 to $400, depending who is selling it (private party, junk yard, etc).

often the the trans can be fixed without too much trouble. Get the car home and pull the trans to see what is actually wrong with it. If the trans is not trashed, you can get bearings, seals and similar parts to make it work well. If just the input shaft is bad, that is a fairly easy replacement. I have also seen bad clutch be diagnosed as a blown trans, and the car got junked. It was a shame too, car was in decent condition.

You want to diagnose the problem before you try and fix it.

Way to save one of these great little cars from going to the crusher.
'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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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: looking at getting a 83 need some input.

Post by Petros »

LowBuckCanuck wrote: Thu Feb 07, 2019 3:07 pm
All 4wd tercel transmissions are identical
not quite true. Mostly true; the '83-84, and the '85-'88 T4wd can be interchanged if you change the front diff assy. and the housing will bolt up, as will the spline shafts all fit properly. but there are a number of differences: the first and second gear ratio is slightly different between the early and later years, the shift forks are diffident (early are steel, later are aluminum and tend to wear out faster), I think the fifth gear is different as well.

Changing over the whole trans assembly will not matter with the above differences, but the electrical connectors on the two year range trans are different. the earlier trans only have a reverse indicator contact (for the back up light) and the "4wd" indicator for the dash. But the later ones also have a third contact, an "EL" indicator that shows up on the instrument cluster when in the Extra Low gear (in 4wd only). it is easy enough to change the connectors, but if you did not know what went where, you will be confused when you swap over a different year trans. I do not know if it is possible to if you have a later car with the EL indicator, to swap in the indicator contact sensor into an earlier trans. Or you will have to live with out the "EL" showing on your dash when you are in extra low gear.
'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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