1986 4WD SR5, Two owner, new-to-me Tercel

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Toyotise
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My tercel:: 1983 4WD DLX. 1986 4WD SR5
Location: Arizona

1986 4WD SR5, Two owner, new-to-me Tercel

Post by Toyotise »

Good morning the forum!
Allow me to make my introduction. My name is Eric. I’ve been lurking on this forum on and off, learning, and looking for a four-wheel-drive Tercel wagon since about 2010. Some years my search intensity has waxed or waned depending on life circumstances and practicalities of the time.

When I lived in Flagstaff I saw a lot of the old four-wheel-drive Subarus, a few of the old AWD Honda civic wagons, the all-tracs, and of course the ubiquitous Tercel. I knew I wanted a practical fuel efficient four or all wheel drive capable vehicle at some point. After doing a lot of my own research, (utilizing this site for much of it) I came to the conclusion that the Tercel four-wheel-drive wagon was the best choice for me.

I owned a 1986 Toyota MR2 from 2008 to 2011 and at every turn was impressed by the integrity of the build quality, and the well thought out practical, reliable engineering. Still to this day it is the best drivers car I’ve ever driven. The only other thing that comes close to how much fun I had with that MR2 was in a Scion FRS, but I digress. Growing up our family cars were late 1970s Toyota Corolla lift back sedans, early 90s Mazda sedan, and later early 2000’s Toyota Corolla’s. I had a brief foray into air cooled Volkswagen‘s owning and running two beetles over the course of 8 years. Peculiar little things, not particularly practical this day in age.

This last weekend I became the new owner of a 1986 SR5 Tercel Wagon. I found it for sale in a mountain community South of Prescott. I bought it from a couple, the second owners, who purchased the car back in 1998. They bought it in Tucson with about 85,000 miles on the clock. They used it for many adventures as far afield as the Maritime provinces of Canada. As recently as 2018 it was still being used regularly to go between Tucson, Santa Fe and Prescott. In the past two years it’s led a quieter life, setting in the shade next to some riparian trees, only putting about 2000 miles on it in the last two years, due to the slower pace of world circumstances.
Overall the vehicle is in above average condition for its age. The Couple replaced the vehicles original motor with a secondhand JDM motor at 160,000 miles. Currently the vehicle has 265,000 miles. The vehicle has a meticulous service history of very regular oil changes (no more than 4000 mile intervals, commonly 2500 to 3000 range.) along with regular expected repairs and service items. Timing belt done at 225,000 miles Along with water pump, camshaft, and crankshaft oil seals. Cruise Control works. Electric sunroof works. Paint fading some. A few dents and dings. Needs new shock absorbers all around. CV joints click in tight cornering. A/C needs gone through. First maintenance item on the list for me is transmission and differential gear oil changes. Overall the vehicle has been very thoughtfully used and cared for by the previous owners.

I’ve wanted a Tercel 4wd wagon for years and am so thankful to get to be a part of the community, and steward one of these practical, efficient vehicles.

My wife and I have some property back down a dirt road a ways with a creek crossing. It’s about 50 miles away from the nearest town with a grocery store. During the dry times its rough and washboarded. During the rainy season it gets very soggy. We had been discussing vehicle options as we don’t want to beat up our daily driver passenger commuter cars (1996+2000 Toyota Corollas) on the dirt road, and the only 4WD vehicle we have is a single cab pickup truck, more of a work truck. We wanted something with 4 or all wheel drive, at least 4 seatbelts, reasonable fuel economy, and some cargo capacity. The obvious options that came up in our consideration were, a Subaru wagon, Toyota RAV4, or Honda CRV. None of which are bad options, but none of which do the job as efficiently at the Tercel can. Realistically speaking the maintenance effort/ reliability ratio may be more favorable with a more modern, fuel injected vehicle the likes of a Rav4 or CRV, but the cost difference in Fuel economy and tire size expense difference still slightly favors the Tercel. The lifetime cost of an all-wheel-drive system versus a selectable four-wheel-drive system may further favor the Tercel. I’m well aware of the fact that a CRV or RAV4 may be ‘safer’ in a vehicle collision, but oh well. Love is not completely rational. Something special about these T4wd wagons. Something beyond the practical thought out engineering... is something endearing.

Many thanks to the forum community for its help and contribution over the years, I look forward to participating with helpfulness where I can in ensuring these little gems last along for a lot longer.

-Eric in AZ

P.S. -Does the rear driveshaft have any grease points?
-What motor oil weight do you run, And what is your peak summer outside air temperature?
Maintenance records indicate this one was mostly run 10-30, a couple 5-30 changes. I’m leaning towards a 10-30 with half to a whole bottle of STP oil additive with zddp. Outside air temperature peaks to about 105 Fahrenheit here during the summer.
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ALiveSR5
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My tercel:: Was a stock 1985, SR5, 4WD, 6-speed manual, Wagon.
Location: Pennsylvania USA

Re: 1986 4WD SR5, Two owner, new-to-me Tercel

Post by ALiveSR5 »

Cheers for you! \O/ Tercel 4WDs are awesome little beasts.

As for your questions:
There are no grease fittings for the rear drive shaft. My 1985 had 254,000 miles on the original drive shaft and it is still running quiet.

The last oil that I used was Castrol GTX High Mileage 10W-40 Synthetic-Blend, along with Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Conditioner. I did not do any research or ask for recommendations - I just decided to try those and they seemed to work well together. Those who have more knowledge and experience with Tercel engines and/or with rebuilding them may offer more educated recommendations. In eastern PA, the highest summer temperatures can get into the mid-90s.

Congratulations. Have fun with your Tercel!
No other vehicle that I have ever owned had a heart and soul like my 1985 Tercel SR5 4WD Wagon. :D
~
Great minds may think alike but it is the doers who see their visions become reality. :?
Jarf
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My tercel:: Currently without
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Re: 1986 4WD SR5, Two owner, new-to-me Tercel

Post by Jarf »

STP isn't part of a healthy diet, its a very temporary band-aide for a very tired motor and RESTORE is probably a better product, for that scenario.

Give it a crankcase flush, instal a quality oil filter and fresh oil (10w30), then monitor the results.
If the oil gets black really fast, do another flush.
Monitor your oil mileage and be watchful for leaks.
After you've put some miles down (2-3 oil changes) you'll have a better idea of its internal health and if anything needs actioning.
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NWMO
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Re: 1986 4WD SR5, Two owner, new-to-me Tercel

Post by NWMO »

Eric,

Welcome to the site! I run 15W40 on the engine oil and typical 80W90 gear oil in the trans and rear diff now. There is a lot of info on what folks like and dislike for the transmission gear oil. I used a more expensive Amsoil 75W90 GL-4 gear oil for the first 50k miles or so and then the main idler bearing went out. When I put the parts car transmission in my driver, I switched to using typical gear oil. It does take a bit to warm up in the winter and the first shift or two are notchy, but after that all is good.

Chris
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: 1986 4WD SR5, Two owner, new-to-me Tercel

Post by Petros »

you can speed the crankcase flush by adding Seafoam to the oil before you change it, allow it to disolve the deposits and build up, than drain it (oil will be very black). than add fresh oil. often is will clean sludge out of the rings and improve compression and reduce oil consumption.

the STP is acutally useful to replace the zinc that motor oil used to have with it for older engines. or you can use diesel rated motor oil like Rotella, or synthetic oil (usually not a good idea in high mile engines, it can seep past the seals). Restore is good for worn rings and bearings, it has fine metal patricalls that will reseal the rings, works remarkably well for engines with worn out rings. I drove a "rescue" tercel across the country that was burning a quart of oil every 300 miles, and fouling the plugs (each gas stop I had to add oil and change out the spark plugs). In desperation I tried the Restore I got at an Autozone in El Paso. I added it and drove it over 2000 miles to get home, and did not burn another quart, nor foul any more spark plugs.
'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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Toyotise
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Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2021 9:16 pm
My tercel:: 1983 4WD DLX. 1986 4WD SR5
Location: Arizona

Re: 1986 4WD SR5, Two owner, new-to-me Tercel

Post by Toyotise »

Yeah, the idea behind the STP was more for zinc than anything else. I figured if I started with a 10-30 oil after adding the STP it would still be between that and the 10-40 viscosity range. I put in half a 15 oz bottle, that works out to about a quarter of one quart.

I don’t think I am going to do an aggressive flush of the crankcase oil (seafoam). I don’t think it needs it. I changed the oil right before I drove it 400 miles home. Generic Walmart 10-30 conventional and a Toyota filter. The oil in it had about 2000 miles on it over the course of the last two years. It was dark and smelled gassy, which was from running rich at altitude (6200 ft). I put about 4oz of Marvel Mystery Oil with fresh gasoline for the fuel system. I’ve driven it another 100 miles around town. It runs slightly rough from a cold start but once it warms up it runs perfectly smooth.

The drive home was a mix of backroads, mountain, and long stretches of flat highway driving. 55 mph “blue highways”, 3rd gear pulls up long grades, and 65-70mph on the interstate. It averaged about 28 mpg which seems just about right. No observable oil consumption in those 500 miles. I just changed the oil again yesterday as a precautionary. It was just beginning to turn a dark color. The gassy smell in oil is much reduced, not out of line with a carbureted car. The previous owner was pretty consistent on doing oil changes, receipts indicate anywhere from 2 to 4 thousand miles. All that leads me to conclude that the engine is in pretty good health.

I may do A few shorter change intervals, but I don’t think I need to take any drastic measures with crank case flush products. The front engine seals have been done fairly recently, in the last 20 or 40,000 miles. The rear main seal has a noticeable a seep, (or maybe the transmission input shaft seal) I don’t wanna make it worse so I’m reluctant to run synthetic oil, or any aggressive crank case flushing products.

I am a big fan of high quality full synthetic gear oils (AMS oil, royal purple, Lucas). I’ve always got very good results from using them. Consistently an increase of at least 5-7% in fuel economy. However there are some oil weeps coming from the transmission and I don’t think it will hold onto synthetic very well.

Pretty amazing testimonial on that Restore product @Petros. If I am ever in an emergency of last resort situation I’ll keep that in mind.
Keep it Stock; Live Long.
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Toyotise
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My tercel:: 1983 4WD DLX. 1986 4WD SR5
Location: Arizona

Re: 1986 4WD SR5, Two owner, new-to-me Tercel

Post by Toyotise »

Jarf wrote: Fri Jun 04, 2021 6:33 am STP isn't part of a healthy diet, its a very temporary band-aide for a very tired motor and RESTORE is probably a better product, for that scenario.

Give it a crankcase flush, instal a quality oil filter and fresh oil (10w30), then monitor the results.
If the oil gets black really fast, do another flush.
Monitor your oil mileage and be watchful for leaks.
After you've put some miles down (2-3 oil changes) you'll have a better idea of its internal health and if anything needs actioning.
Well! you really cannot trust the manufacturers of these oil additive products:
https://youtu.be/mqiUFklL_XIo?t=10m48s
Looks like STP oil additive with zinc is basically just thick base stock. It has less zinc than your run of the mill motor oil....buyer beware...disappointed.

Independent oil analysis is the only thing you can really trust with the oil additive products
Keep it Stock; Live Long.
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Toyotise
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My tercel:: 1983 4WD DLX. 1986 4WD SR5
Location: Arizona

Re: 1986 4WD SR5, Two owner, new-to-me Tercel

Post by Toyotise »

The Tercel is refreshed, sitting on its own feet again, and pending a front end alignment at the local alignment shop, ready to hit the road!
DDD87BCF-355B-45B2-A012-380F523A2644.jpeg
Went through almost everything serviceable on the front end. Ball Joints, Tie rod ends, wheel bearings, oil seals, drive axles, bushings, brake pads, front and rear brake hoses, front and rear shocks. I detailed all the parts and my impressions of them here for ongoing documentation.

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=15558

Flushed and bled brake system. New differential oil, New transmission oil, some NAPA 80w90 for a few miles to flush them out then a quality gl5 for the differential and a GL4 for the transmission.

What a fun project! Always challenges tooling on old cars but compared to some Toyota’s are a delight. Admittedly it helps a great deal that is a largely rust free car and worked on my quality mechanics in the past.

Soon enough (but nothing at a critical point) on to an engine ignition and drive belt freshening. Most of the critical engine maintenance (water pump timing belt ) done recently by PO. Probably due for a valve clearance checkup.
9CE218B4-248F-4442-9E29-55C6F9DCEFEF.jpeg
It feels so much better with new shocks all around, and I’m hopeful about the made in China ball joints with serviceable grease points (longevity on the dirt roads?).

Thanks everyone for helping make this place a great resource with all the content over the years. The archives here are a treasure trove for whatever you need to search.

Looking forward to sharing adventure stories in due course.
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NWMO
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Re: 1986 4WD SR5, Two owner, new-to-me Tercel

Post by NWMO »

Looks great Toyotise! Now the fun times begin!

Chris
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
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