New to this Tercel stuff

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tsolomon03
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My tercel:: 1984 4WD Wagon

New to this Tercel stuff

Post by tsolomon03 »

Hello i recently bought a 84 wagon it has some blowby and almost no hp i plan to re build the motor in summer when its not -30 with wind chill i have been doing small stuff like new tires and i changed the oil and trans fluid new plugs, wires, and cap but i would like to know the best things to do to get it running like the beast it is.

Thanks
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irowiki
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Re: New to this Tercel stuff

Post by irowiki »

Try some Restore in the engine oil.
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tsolomon03
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Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2015 9:27 pm
My tercel:: 1984 4WD Wagon

Re: New to this Tercel stuff

Post by tsolomon03 »

will do
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
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Re: New to this Tercel stuff

Post by Petros »

welcome to the forum!

where are you at? There are a number of things you can do to improve the power a bit without a rebuild, have you checked the compression? You might try a few things even if compression is low, do a Seafoam engine treatement, and than a Restore treatment. The Seafoam is a strong solvent that is supposed to degum the rings, often it works to reduce oil consumption. the Restore also can cut down on oil consumption, I used it once on a beat engine that burned through a quart every 300 miles (fouling the spark plugs in the process), after the Restore oil consumption went down to 1 quart in 4000 miles and no more spark plug fouling. It does not always work, but I found it works best if you can put it in right before a long drive, there are particles in suspenion in the additive than can settle out (so shake the can really really well before you pour it in), and I suspect when you shut the engine off they may settle out of the oil and into the bottom of the pan. putting it in on a long drive keeps it in cirulation long enough to help seal up the rings and add material to the bearings.

also, if it is your valve stem seals that are causing the loss of oil, these can be replaced in an afternoon with the right valve spring tool, and of course seals and valve cover gaskets should also be examined for sourse of oil loss.

If you are looking for more power, first thing to do is make sure what you have is running properly. Check for vacuum leaks in all of those hoses, make sure they are all routed problerly, the vale lines have no cracks or spilts, and the mainfold and carbs are on tight (which could be another source of vac leak). Check your timing and set it to 10 deg BTDC (rather than the factory 5 deg), and make sure the distributor cap, wires and spark plugs are all in good condition.

Once you do all that and still want more power, consider buying a 4ac from a wrecking yard (same engine as the 3ac in your tercel, but larger), and than rebuild that engine, and when ready install it in your car over the weekend. It is a bolt in engine swap and much more reliable way to get more power than tweaking a 3ac.

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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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
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Re: New to this Tercel stuff

Post by dlb »

first off, remember that tercels have 62 hp, so if you are used to driving new cars (even the cheapest modern entry level car feels like a sports coupe compared to a tercel) you may need to temper your expectations.

that being said, i think it's important to check out all the basics on any car this old. check the timing, check for vacuum leaks everywhere, check the compression, change the fuel filter, etc. i also personally like to do a seafoam engine oil treatment on any old vehicle, i have found it really helps cleaning carbon deposits from oil scraper rings. so i would do that, change the oil again and add a can of restore if you find the compression results are low. i have had good results with both seafoam and restore a few times now. both times i have used restore, it has improved compression and reduced oil consumption. like peter points out above though, if you are burning oil due to worn valve stem seals, additives will not help. you just need to replace them.

where do you live, tsolomon03?
tsolomon03
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Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2015 9:27 pm
My tercel:: 1984 4WD Wagon

Re: New to this Tercel stuff

Post by tsolomon03 »

i am located in New Hampshire and i may have some more seafoam in the garage from my samurai i will try what you both stated and post the results :) thank you both
tsolomon03
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Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2015 9:27 pm
My tercel:: 1984 4WD Wagon

Re: New to this Tercel stuff

Post by tsolomon03 »

Update, i have done the seafoam, restore, and a new PCV valve seems to have cleared up a lot of the blowby thanks for the advice i have talked to local salvage yards but not found a 4ac in the shape i would like but still looking. i have seen pictures of tercels with plows did the owners make them or was that something made for them?
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Gottolovem
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My tercel:: 1985 SR5 with snow plow,1987 auto 1984 parts car,1987 FX-16 GTS
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Re: New to this Tercel stuff

Post by Gottolovem »

I have a plow on one of my T4's, it's the reason I bought the car in the first place.
keep in mind the car was never intended to have a 250 pound lump of steel hanging off the front of it!
The few times i have used the plow i have appreciated it but the car has paid the price the front end is sloppy and needs attention now.
tsolomon03
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Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2015 9:27 pm
My tercel:: 1984 4WD Wagon

Re: New to this Tercel stuff

Post by tsolomon03 »

i see i figured as much thanks for the information
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
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Re: New to this Tercel stuff

Post by Petros »

the car is not very heavy and does not have a lot of power, even with a 4ac swap it might get 90 hp. So even if you adapt or make a small plow for it, you will have to take a number of light passes to move much snow. You will also need some aggressive studded snow tires or 4 wheel tire chains on it too. Of course if you have fresh powder snow, it will not take much to move it. But you can make it work, understanding these limitations. And as Gottolovem pointed out, it would put a lot of wear and tear on the car. You will need to be espcailly careful with the transmission, it is reliable, but it will not take a lot of abuse. Good ones, and spare parts for the trans are getting hard to find.
'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)
terceldude
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Re: New to this Tercel stuff

Post by terceldude »

K-Business
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