Member Profiles

Post about yourself, your Tercel, or your Tercel projects in here, share pictures of your Tercel, or post trip threads!
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autofix4u
Newbie
Posts: 12
Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2011 5:15 pm
My tercel:: 84 2door, 85 sr5 4x4, 86 4x4 dlx

Re: Member Profiles

Post by autofix4u »

deejay1272 wrote:
autofix4u wrote:'85 F250 6.9l IDI 790K
Huh? You have a Ford with almost a million miles on it? That's crazy! You should be featured in an advertisement or something...

Yep, 790k and counting. I bought it in '93 with 175k well documented miles and full service records of all of them. I have kept detailed records of all maint and repairs as well as fuel burned and cost with fuel milage log. It has a life average of 21.2 mpg!!
Ford does know about my F250, ( I worked at a Ford dealer for a while). They came and took some pics at 500k, and Paid for new paint at 600k. They told me to call when I got a million miles.. I sure wish I could buy diesel fuel for what i paid in '93
User avatar
Petros
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 11930
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:31 pm
My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: Member Profiles

Post by Petros »

I have heard you have to keep adding diesel fuel additive to keep the older diesels running on the new formulation fuel, or you will damage the injector pump and the injectors. If you expect to make to a million miles you might consider the fuel additive.
'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)
lurvemytercel
Newbie
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2011 4:22 pm
My tercel:: 1988 Tercel Wagon AutoTrans 4wd
Location: Los Angels, CA

Re: Member Profiles

Post by lurvemytercel »

Hello:

Just found this forum today.

I have a 1988 Toyota Tercel Wagon with auto trans and 4WD. I believe the color is called "champagne" which is funny since it's a lofty color choice for such a simple car. I think beige would have been more appropo. :-)

People are astounded when they find out I bought the car new in 1988 and am still driving it today. :-)

Unless you've owned one of these cars, hard to explain how awesome they are. Besides having the best mileage of almost any other car around at the time (1988), the car feels solid.

I've owned a VW bug (first car). I briefly had a Chevette that was new when I got it and it deconstructed itself in less than a few years - what a craptacular mess that thing was. After that, had two Volvo station wagons (a 63 with dual carbs and a 76 which I bought in early 80's) until I bought this car in 1988. I think my Tercel was one of the very last ones around for sale at the Toyota dealerships.

I bought my Tercel because a friend of mine was dating a guy who was over 6 feet tall and he said it was the only small car he could fit in. I was looking to buy a new car at the time and he took me for a test drive and I fell in love with the car.

I also loved that it's very simple looking -- kind of like a box on wheels -- and figured it would go relatively unnoticed in the car theft capital of the world (Los Angeles) but someone did try to steal it once. Luckily they were amateurs and just messed up the ignition and smashed a a couple of windows.

My Tercel has been the most practical and reliable car I've ever owned. I did have an issue with the transmission which borked itself while still under warranty so that was replaced but since then, nothing major until I blew the engine.

Blew the engine at around 140K and found another one -- AUC version from Japan with guaranteed 40K or less -- was installed in 2007 and have only put about 11K on it since.

Unfortunately, I reside in an "enhanced" emissions testing area in CA. I passed the smog test two years ago but since then, CA raised emission standards again and am struggling to pass smog test. My mechanic, who put the engine in for me and has done all my work since, is working with me on trying to tune it up so it will pass.

First smog pretest, Hydrocarbons, Carbon Monoxide and NO were too high and the oygen level was 4.0% -- we tackled the oxygen issue and on next test (below) the oxygen dropped to 0.1% (some hoses to the carb were cracked and needed to be replaced which fixed this problem) but a second pretest still shows a potential fail.

The second pretests values were:
@ 15.5 MPH & 17.7 HP
Hydrocarbons 144 (max is 100) fail
Carbon Monoixide 2.6% (max is .86%) fail
NO (HCF and DCF) 683 (max is 812) so okay here

@ 24.9 MPH & 15.5 HP
Hydrocarbons 88 (max is 82) fail
Carbon Monoxide at .75 (max is 1.1%) fail
NO (HCF and DCF) 388 (max is 873) so okay here

I've been tracking down at various auto parts stores a carb cap & rotor, wire set, spark plugs and fuel filter, all of which I've found. After we do the tune up, my mechanic suggested putting in good quality gas (I've always used cheapest) and maybe a cleaning additive and then driving it on the freeway for 30-40 mins to blow out the crud.

Hoping this will drop the Hydrocarbons and CM below the max limits.

I love this car. I call it the world's biggest small car -- it looks small from the outside but inside, it's massively roomy. I love that the engine parts are visible and that it doesn't have a lot of unnecessary junk. And with this relatively new used engine, I should be able to keep it going another 100,000 + miles (as long as other parts hold out or I can replace them and keep it within the CA emmission standards).

Was wondering if there's anything else I should know about to get the car to run cleaner and more fuel efficient. I don't want to have to pop for a new catalytic converter and I don't want to buy another car - can't afford one anyway. Can barely afford the tune-up.

Was wondering if there are any other CA Tercel Wagon owners who have hit the "smog test" wall and if so, if you have any advice.

And I certainly welcome advice from anyone else.

Thanks and glad to have found this forum.
User avatar
ARCHINSTL
Goldie Forever
Posts: 6369
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2005 1:52 pm
My tercel:: Goldie is a 1986 SR5 attualmente con Weber/also owned the first T4WD in STL in late '82
Location: Kirkwood, a 'burb of St. Louis

Re: Member Profiles

Post by ARCHINSTL »

Hi and Welcome to the Club!
You will find this is a very helpful group with very helpful and quite knowledgeable members.
I'm not aware of any other members with cars they've had since new - but maybe I've just forgotten...
I owned a new '83 in late '82, so almost qualify. Re-entered the fold in 2005 (after 20 years) with Goldie.
It's interesting that you owned a '63 Volvo wagon; member Petros and I each owned that era 122S (aka Amazon), albeit sedans. Or did you have the rare P210 Duett wagon? The latter had a PV544 front end ('46-8 Ford kinda look), but was built on a ladder frame.
Member 4wdchico may have some pertinent advice, as he is in CA and is/was a qualified emissions guru.
Tom M.
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
lurvemytercel
Newbie
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2011 4:22 pm
My tercel:: 1988 Tercel Wagon AutoTrans 4wd
Location: Los Angels, CA

Re: Member Profiles

Post by lurvemytercel »

Thanks Archinstl -- Appreciate the info. Not sure what model the old Volvo was. I sold it to a friend and sadly, someone totalled it while it was parked on the street. Both my my 60's era VW and Volvo were amazing cars -- simple straight forward engines. If I still had either one of them in working condition, they'd be exempt from smog checks. May need to find a pre 75 vehicle (those are smog cert exempt) as 2nd vehicle to drive while I sort out my Tercel's smog stuff. :-)
User avatar
Petros
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 11930
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:31 pm
My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: Member Profiles

Post by Petros »

Welcome to the list!

You will find list member Tercel4wdrules lives in your area and has a lot of experience with CA emissions testing, he owns 5 of them! he has a similar go around with his cars so he might be able to help you with the emissions readings. But first thing you need to do is just make sure the engine is running properly and everything is on it working (vac lines, set timing to 5 deg, etc.).
'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)
lurvemytercel
Newbie
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2011 4:22 pm
My tercel:: 1988 Tercel Wagon AutoTrans 4wd
Location: Los Angels, CA

Re: Member Profiles

Post by lurvemytercel »

Thanks Petros!
SuperDave769
Newbie
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:05 pm
My tercel:: 1986 tercel 4WD. new hella driving lights, good mud and snow pizza cutters, driven by a Jedi!

Re: Member Profiles

Post by SuperDave769 »

really awesome forum you have here. can't wait to look at the tonnes of info for a new tercel owner. just bought it a few months ago and its easily the best car I've driven

<span style='color:blue'>Handle:</span>
SuperDave

<span style='color:blue'>Location (City, State/Prov, Country):</span>
Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada

<span style='color:blue'>Tercel(s) owned and modifications done, pictures of Tercel(s) owned (with license plate blurred out):</span>
1986 tercel 4WD Wagon, mat Canadian army green. driving lights and good rubber for now. lift and engine upgrades to come soon

<span style='color:blue'>Other cars currently owned:</span>
1982 honda 250 XL
User avatar
dlb
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 7305
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:03 pm
My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
Location: bc, canada

Re: Member Profiles

Post by dlb »

saltspring, you're just a stone's throw from me! welcome! where'd you pick yours up from?
SuperDave769
Newbie
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:05 pm
My tercel:: 1986 tercel 4WD. new hella driving lights, good mud and snow pizza cutters, driven by a Jedi!

Re: Member Profiles

Post by SuperDave769 »

thanks man. picked it up on the island, $500.
Escarbo70
Member
Posts: 37
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2012 2:43 pm
My tercel:: Still looking, 1995 nissan 200sx, 1976 Chevy El Camino
Location: Athens, GA

Re: Member Profiles

Post by Escarbo70 »

Found this site on google and figured it'd be a good idea if I needed some help with my new(to me) car. Just picked up an 86 Tercel sr5 for $600. 5 speed (minus 1st gear). Interior is intact to say the least. It's gonna need a lot of work but the smoothness of the engine gave me no choice. Had to get it. I'll have pics up afterwhile
1985-SR5
Newbie
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Dec 30, 2012 9:15 pm
My tercel:: 1985 SR5 4x4 Wagon 5-speed

Re: Member Profiles

Post by 1985-SR5 »

<span style='color:blue'>Handle:</span>
1985-SR5

<span style='color:blue'>Location (City, State/Prov, Country):</span>
Vallican, BC, Sinixt Nation Territory

<span style='color:blue'>Tercel(s) owned and modifications done, pictures of Tercel(s) owned (with license plate blurred out):</span>
First T4wd - 1987 4x4 5-speed wagon, color champagne (parked: needs front axle hub work)
Current- 1985 SR5 4x4 5-speed wagon, color silver

<span style='color:blue'>Other cars currently owned:</span>
1988 Ford F250 5 speed 4x4 -extended cab
1999 Ford F150 ext cab long box 4x4
Dumpo Lina
Newbie
Posts: 12
Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 1:25 pm
My tercel:: 1987 Tercel 4WD Deluxe

Re: Member Profiles

Post by Dumpo Lina »

Handle: Dumpo Lina

Location (City, State/Prov, Country): Everett, WA, USA

Tercel(s) owned and modifications done: 1987 Tercel 4WD Deluxe, AKA "neglectorino". Completely stock.

Other cars currently owned: Toyota ex cab 4wd truck, VW Sportswagon TDI

Just acquired this one owner car for use as a hiking transport instead of the TDI my wife drives. Thank you for this great online resource/community :)
User avatar
Petros
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 11930
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:31 pm
My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: Member Profiles

Post by Petros »

welcome aboard, what this forum for PNW meets, we usually get together once or twice a year to go on a drive and have a BBQ.
'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)
User avatar
Yarrow Creek
Member
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2013 1:45 pm
My tercel:: 1985, tercel wagon 4wd
Location: Calgary, Ab

Re: Member Profiles

Post by Yarrow Creek »

Handle: Yarrow Creek

Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Car: 1985 Tercel SR5, Silver, just picked it up yesterday with absolutely zero mods. My project/commuter car. Needs a couple easy fixes. But so far it's great.

Other Cars: 1972 Ford F250 (Gone)
1984 Dodge Lazer turbo (Smashed)
1984 Chevrolet S10 (Praise the stars it's gone)
1987 Ford Tempo GL (Gone)
1988 Ford Bronco (Smashed)
1990 Eagle Talon TSi (Gone)
1994 Ford Bronco (Gone)
1985 Nissan Micra (Gone)
2007 Toyota Tacoma TRD (Gone)
2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GT (Thank Jeebus it's gone)
2007 Ford F-150 Lariat (Gone)
1998 Ford Escort (Gone)
2005 Audi A4 Avant (Gone)
2013 Ford F-150 XTR ecoboost (current family travel rig)
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