1984 FWD abused

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Tercel
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My tercel:: 1984 FWD DLX
Location: Houston TX

1984 FWD abused

Post by Tercel »

Well not sure how much interest there would be but I've been working on a project Tercel.
I bought an abused 1984 FWD auto trans 4D Wagon DLX. It was apparently used on a deer lease, and was probably going to be scrapped soon if I hadn't bought it.
It came with an array of problems including overheating, broken strut mount, camo spray paint job, trashed interior, dents and holes in the outside. And of course title issues.
I have not worked on cars before so this is meant to be fun and help me learn.
So far, I have removed all the seats, replaced the broken strut mount, replaced thermostat, worked a lot on cleaning but there is a long way to go. A lot of purple tint to remove. For some reason, the two front seats have been replaced with ones that only fit in 3 out of the 4 bolts. Spark plugs and oil are ready to go. I also began sanding down the paint to redo it in one color.

Overall it is a mess and doesn't seem to fit in next to all the pristine 4WD Tercels. So, are FWD Tercels welcome here? And dirty dented projects? I can post pictures if anyone would like to see.
Thanks
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ARCHINSTL
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My tercel:: Goldie is a 1986 SR5 attualmente con Weber/also owned the first T4WD in STL in late '82
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Re: 1984 FWD abused

Post by ARCHINSTL »

Welcome!
Of course 2WD's are Welcome!
They are just a sibling to the 4WD's!
To paraphrase Gertrude Stein - "A T-Wagon is a T-Wagon is a T-Wagon!" I will add: Regardless of drivetrain!
Tom M.
T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
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irowiki
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Location: Farmington, NM

Re: 1984 FWD abused

Post by irowiki »

I only have a FWD wagon at the moment!
Former Tercel Enthusiast (not a practical family car anymore but they still have a place in my heart)

Site administrator, if something is broken, PM me!

87 Corolla FX16, 105k
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95 Camry Wagon, 170k
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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
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Re: 1984 FWD abused

Post by dlb »

very welcome. post pics!
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: 1984 FWD abused

Post by Petros »

welcome!

sounds like a big project. we can assist you in just about all of your repairs, most of the systems and parts are the same as the 4wd version. one word of caution: if you are doing this for fun and your own entertainment/education, that is fine, but the fwd version of these cars does not have much resale value, so do not expect any return on your investment if you plan on selling it later. Though most of the cost will be labor, which you are doing yourself, it is a lot of work to do for free if you have plans to sell it later. OTOH, the 4wd is very desirable and good running examples are getting remarkably good money for such simple little 4wd econo-boxes form the '80's. The 4wd version is worth fixing up if your plan is to resale it later when you want to look for another project car.

welcome again and 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)
Notmikeb
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My tercel:: 85 Tercel 5dr FWD
Location: Laurel, MD

Re: 1984 FWD abused

Post by Notmikeb »

I don't have the 4WD either. Mine is the hatchback version so I don't even have the wagon! The folks on this forum have never once held that against me or made me feel like my questions or car weren't worth helping.

Seriously, you'll be hard pressed to find a more welcoming and helpful group of people on any forum on the Internet.

Good luck with the project! If you haven't yet, check out the Service Manual you can download in the FAQ thread. Between that and the group of Tercel gurus on this site you'll be able to tackle any issue on these easy to work on cars.
-------------
1985 Tercel 5dr Hatchback
2003 Chevy Suburban
2014 Ford Flex

"I don't get it! I've cut this thing FIVE times now and it's STILL too SHORT!"
Tercel
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Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2016 10:52 pm
My tercel:: 1984 FWD DLX
Location: Houston TX

Re: 1984 FWD abused

Post by Tercel »

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the posts I should have known there was nothing to worry about. :lol:
And I definitely won't be profiting, I have spent a good amount on parts already but it's more about the learning experience. The car is beat up and I do plan to paint it myself with Rustoleum at this point. There are some amazing looking 4WDs and Tercels on the forum for sure though!
Currently mine only has 1 seat inside and I've begun a very long process of sanding the paint down to silver/primer while trying to figure the car out mechanically. I probably need to slow down a bit and research more but it has been exciting to learn and work through problems.
Here are a few initial pictures of the damage..

http://i.imgur.com/vMkTa0S.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/iD05ieG.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/PGTdNMi.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/M6l5qz6.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/OwANVVI.jpg
Last edited by Tercel on Mon Apr 18, 2016 6:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: 1984 FWD abused

Post by Petros »

that is a great paint job! but if you do not like it, bad paint is an opportunity to turn it into an "art" car. pant any way you want!
'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)
Tercel
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Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2016 10:52 pm
My tercel:: 1984 FWD DLX
Location: Houston TX

Re: 1984 FWD abused

Post by Tercel »

Progress is slow but the car is improving. A lot of parts are discontinued unfortunately.. I need to find a replacement ported vacuum switch and may also need a wire and socket for the license plate light that's missing.

Replaced the radiator and need a new alternator. It will all be worth it once it drives..
2016-02-17 15.35.48.jpg
2016-02-17 15.39.59.jpg
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BaileySims
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My tercel:: 1983 Tercel SR5 4WD
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Re: 1984 FWD abused

Post by BaileySims »

I have an extra reverse light.
WAGON MAFIA.
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: 1984 FWD abused

Post by Petros »

that is not a ported vacuum switch, it is a TVSV (toyota vacuum switch valve, or some such name). it is vacuum switch that changes which lines get engine vacuum at different operating temperatures. during cold start, intermediate warm up, and normal warm running conditions.

You can still buy them on amazon and some other after market suppliers, there were lots of models of Toyotas that used them in the same years they still had carburetors. They are kind of costly, sometimes you can get them at close out prices.

It also might be possible to by pass it, you have to study each of the vac systems affected by the TVSV, and rig it to run without the temperature adjusted features. Mostly this is for cold start and running, after warm up it does not have any function.
'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
Location: bc, canada

Re: 1984 FWD abused

Post by dlb »

i haven't been able to find the correct type of TVSV's for a long time, on ebay, amazon, etc. there were a few on alibaba.com but that site is a scam. 4doorvip had his credit card # stolen after buying some TVSV's off of there. so new ones are tough to come by.

unless you're willing to shell out the $200 or whatever it is that toyota wants for the few they have left.
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rer233
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Re: 1984 FWD abused

Post by rer233 »

dlb- Check out my post from a year and a half ago (I'd post a link, but can't- too stupid.) Just do a search on "MB switchover valve" and it'll come up. Sorry I never posted pics, but don't know how to do that either!
if it aint there, there's a good chance it won't break!
83 SR5 Silver/Blue (Snowmobile/work beater)-totaled but drivable
85 SR5 Blue
88 SR5 White (the 'good' one)-not anymore-totaled
87 fwd silver wagon a/t
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dlb
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Re: 1984 FWD abused

Post by dlb »

is this the post you're talking about, rich?

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4534&p=79567&hilit= ... ver#p79567

i remember you talking about creating a manually controlled TVSV so i assume that's the same one. you must post pics of it sometime!
Tercel
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My tercel:: 1984 FWD DLX
Location: Houston TX

Re: 1984 FWD abused

Post by Tercel »

This makes sense.. and explains why I couldn't find it. I had an old school mechanic from Craigslist come look at the car and he helped out finding the vacuum problem. He also helped adjust the carb and get it to stop spitting black smoke! If it can be bypassed that may end up being my best bet, or perhaps just tying the broken piece on. It hasn't affected anything so far.

BaileySims wrote:I have an extra reverse light.
Is that the wire that goes into a clip on the hatch and into the plastic housing to light up the license plate? I would definitely buy that from you. I feel like I won't pass inspection without 2 lights on the hatch. I'll get pics up in the next few days
Last edited by Tercel on Wed Feb 17, 2016 8:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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