New Tercel 4WD Owner in Washington State

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Abletobecain
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Posts: 415
Joined: Sun Dec 09, 2018 9:18 am
My tercel:: 1983 4WD DLX, 1986 4WD SR5, 1985 4WD SR5, 1983 4WD SR5
Location: Kitsap County
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Re: New Tercel 4WD Owner in Washington State

Post by Abletobecain »

Ah, darn...for whatever reason, my 86 lost a door panel somewhere before she came into my care. It's proving to be a hard piece to locate. The search continues. My seats are pretty shot too. I think I'm going to try and find some similar material, take apart the passenger seat, make a pattern and attempt to sew new seats. Well I'd love to snag the headrest from you...my foam is so deteriorated the cover is sagging everywhere and it looks like I have really bad yellow dandruff. hah.
1977 BMW R100S 1WD ("Brunhilda"/Summer Fun)
1983 DLX Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Charlie"/Daily Driver)
1987 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Sprocket"/Off-road-Camping)
1985 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Lucky"/Project)
1983 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Cadaver"/Parts Car)
1985 Ford F250 6.9IDI ("Franklin"/Hauler)
1987 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Ravensburger"/in a million pieces)
2006 BMW 530XI Wagon ("Inga"/Roadtripper)
1969 Mercury Montego MX Convertible ("Big Ed"/My Dad's Old Car)
1983 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Al"/for sale soon)
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NWMO
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Joined: Wed May 20, 2015 1:08 pm

Re: New Tercel 4WD Owner in Washington State

Post by NWMO »

A/C,

In your location, parts should be pretty easy to come by with a little patience. At least there are still T4s in the PNW, almost nothing here in the midwest.

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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Abletobecain
Top Notch Member
Posts: 415
Joined: Sun Dec 09, 2018 9:18 am
My tercel:: 1983 4WD DLX, 1986 4WD SR5, 1985 4WD SR5, 1983 4WD SR5
Location: Kitsap County
Contact:

Re: New Tercel 4WD Owner in Washington State

Post by Abletobecain »

I just wanted to thank you all for the help, how-to guides, advice, opinions...it's all been instrumental.

So I pulled my carb a couple of weeks ago and really cleaned it. She ran so much better after that. Then this last weekend I finally dropped a can of Seafoam in the tank and ran a can of spray through the carb. I also dropped my timing to -10. I am absolutely amazed at this little thing now! She quieted down a bunch, she's zipping up hills and through traffic, and (I know this is illogical) but she feels like she even shifts smoother. Finally did a compression test too and I'm at 173-180-180-174. From my understanding, that's pretty decent right? She's got over 250k miles. I also just got in 20 ft of blue silicone vacuum hose that I'm going to be installing this weekend. After that's done, I'm moving on to the 86!

Thank you all.
1977 BMW R100S 1WD ("Brunhilda"/Summer Fun)
1983 DLX Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Charlie"/Daily Driver)
1987 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Sprocket"/Off-road-Camping)
1985 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Lucky"/Project)
1983 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Cadaver"/Parts Car)
1985 Ford F250 6.9IDI ("Franklin"/Hauler)
1987 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Ravensburger"/in a million pieces)
2006 BMW 530XI Wagon ("Inga"/Roadtripper)
1969 Mercury Montego MX Convertible ("Big Ed"/My Dad's Old Car)
1983 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Al"/for sale soon)
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NWMO
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Joined: Wed May 20, 2015 1:08 pm

Re: New Tercel 4WD Owner in Washington State

Post by NWMO »

Great job, keep it up and post some pics of the new vac lines.

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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Abletobecain
Top Notch Member
Posts: 415
Joined: Sun Dec 09, 2018 9:18 am
My tercel:: 1983 4WD DLX, 1986 4WD SR5, 1985 4WD SR5, 1983 4WD SR5
Location: Kitsap County
Contact:

Re: New Tercel 4WD Owner in Washington State

Post by Abletobecain »

Well, I went to install the new vac lines and the silicone ones are slightly too big. Bummer. I thought they are 5mm but I guess I need to measure more accurately.

I did, however, find one nasty cracked line that I was able to replace and I discovered that the line to my EGRM was disconnected. Running even better now. I even passed someone!!

On another note, I got my first "Tercel wave!" Although he was in an 80's Corolla Wagon...it was still cool. :)

I also took my Terc across the ferry on Monday and ran around Seattle for a bit...ended up going up some crazy steep hills but she performed great! I continue to be amazed by these cars!
1977 BMW R100S 1WD ("Brunhilda"/Summer Fun)
1983 DLX Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Charlie"/Daily Driver)
1987 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Sprocket"/Off-road-Camping)
1985 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Lucky"/Project)
1983 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Cadaver"/Parts Car)
1985 Ford F250 6.9IDI ("Franklin"/Hauler)
1987 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Ravensburger"/in a million pieces)
2006 BMW 530XI Wagon ("Inga"/Roadtripper)
1969 Mercury Montego MX Convertible ("Big Ed"/My Dad's Old Car)
1983 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Al"/for sale soon)
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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: New Tercel 4WD Owner in Washington State

Post by Petros »

I think most of the vac lines are 3 mm (1/8"), you might be able to use the 5 mm lines if you use small cable ties (tie wraps) like a hose clamp at each end (you can even by crazy color ones to contrast). you snug them down enough so it grips tightly, yet still allows you to slip them off when necessary.

I have done this on many of my stiff and brittle vac lines where they are not staying on by themselves. works well and allows me more time before I hunt down replacement vac line.
'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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Abletobecain
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Posts: 415
Joined: Sun Dec 09, 2018 9:18 am
My tercel:: 1983 4WD DLX, 1986 4WD SR5, 1985 4WD SR5, 1983 4WD SR5
Location: Kitsap County
Contact:

Re: New Tercel 4WD Owner in Washington State

Post by Abletobecain »

I was thinking about using some tiny hose clamps but there's so many vac lines in some tight spots that I don't think it would work. The zipties sound like a good option but I'd be a bit hesitant about snugging them down enough but not too much to snap any nipples.

Think I'm just going to order some new line...20 ft is about $12 on eBay.
1977 BMW R100S 1WD ("Brunhilda"/Summer Fun)
1983 DLX Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Charlie"/Daily Driver)
1987 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Sprocket"/Off-road-Camping)
1985 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Lucky"/Project)
1983 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Cadaver"/Parts Car)
1985 Ford F250 6.9IDI ("Franklin"/Hauler)
1987 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Ravensburger"/in a million pieces)
2006 BMW 530XI Wagon ("Inga"/Roadtripper)
1969 Mercury Montego MX Convertible ("Big Ed"/My Dad's Old Car)
1983 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Al"/for sale soon)
User avatar
Abletobecain
Top Notch Member
Posts: 415
Joined: Sun Dec 09, 2018 9:18 am
My tercel:: 1983 4WD DLX, 1986 4WD SR5, 1985 4WD SR5, 1983 4WD SR5
Location: Kitsap County
Contact:

Re: New Tercel 4WD Owner in Washington State

Post by Abletobecain »

Well I think it's fair to call it a fleet now.

Image

The new girl shall be called Lucky, on account of how I feel for getting such a deal but also thanks to the little mallard sticker on the dash, "lucky duck."

Image

Image

Factory AM/FM, inclinometer, intermittent wipers, A/C, 14" alloys, sunroof, but what I'm most excited about is that the seats aren't shredded!

Image

I'ts missing a dash panel, ashtray, rearview mirror, needs a good cleaning and there's some surface rust here and there but the only spot it's eaten up is the bottom of the rear gate...but I have a good gate from the parts car. Oh, and there's no keys so I'll be looking for a full set of all the locks.

Took a ferry over to Duval, WA early yesterday and on the way the fella told me the starter siezed when he tried to get it started after sitting for a while. After a little push start and a test drive I parked it on a decline to make the next push start easier, bought her, and tried to coast out to start her up but then the ebrake siezed! Loosened the tension on the cable and drug her uphill for a few feet with my truck and it popped out. We couldn't take the ferry back since I'd either have to let her run the whole time or I'd have to get pushed off so we drove around through Tacoma and back up to Keyport. She felt great the whole way but I kept her around 60 at the max just to be safe.

On another note!! I took my 83 DLX (who's named Charlie) over Snoqualmie Pass to Ellensburg on Friday. I was stunned at how well she held the road but mostly at my gas mileage!! I got 38.4 MPG and that was with a good 200 lbs of dog and tools riding with! On the way home I "only" got 34 MPG and was wondering what the deal was...although I did max the speedo out a few times without even noticing. So i'm unloading all my stuff and staging it on the roof of Charlie and that's when I notice my gas cap just sitting there leaning (not wedged!) against my roof rack! I just started laughing...I filled up in Ellensburg! I made it a good 170ish miles over the pass, hit 85 MPH, had to hit the brakes pretty hard a couple times thanks to some less than courteous drivers, and it was still there when I got home! This car just wants to stay together with all of its pieces. :)
1977 BMW R100S 1WD ("Brunhilda"/Summer Fun)
1983 DLX Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Charlie"/Daily Driver)
1987 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Sprocket"/Off-road-Camping)
1985 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Lucky"/Project)
1983 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Cadaver"/Parts Car)
1985 Ford F250 6.9IDI ("Franklin"/Hauler)
1987 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Ravensburger"/in a million pieces)
2006 BMW 530XI Wagon ("Inga"/Roadtripper)
1969 Mercury Montego MX Convertible ("Big Ed"/My Dad's Old Car)
1983 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Al"/for sale soon)
The Professor
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Posts: 650
Joined: Wed May 12, 2010 6:38 pm
My tercel:: 1987 Tercel SR5 4WD wagon
Location: Western Washington
Contact:

Re: New Tercel 4WD Owner in Washington State

Post by The Professor »

Oh, you probably drove past my house a few times! Next time you're on the mainland give me a shout and we can grab a beer and talk Tercels!
1975 Subaru SuperStar wagon
1984 Subaru Turbo-Traction wagon & hardtop
1987 Subaru RX 3-door
1987 Subaru RX Type-RA 3-door
1987 Toyota Tercel SR5 wagon
1999 Subaru Forester S
2002 Subaru WRX sedan
2019 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited
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splatterdog
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Location: Minnesota, USA

Re: New Tercel 4WD Owner in Washington State

Post by splatterdog »

Abletobecain wrote: Sun Jan 27, 2019 8:48 am Well I think it's fair to call it a fleet now.
I would call it a comfort zone. I'm at 2.5 runners right now. The .5 car is due to a running, but very tired 400k engine.
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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: New Tercel 4WD Owner in Washington State

Post by Petros »

there is a code on the (?) passenger door lock you can see from inside the door that can be used to have the dealer make you a key from that code. you also might need the DIN number of the car as well. that way all the locks will work with your correct key, and a lot easier than changing all the locks out.

I have made a key for a car I had with no key, time consuming and tedious, but it can be done with a key blank and a small file...if you know how.
'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)
The Professor
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 650
Joined: Wed May 12, 2010 6:38 pm
My tercel:: 1987 Tercel SR5 4WD wagon
Location: Western Washington
Contact:

Re: New Tercel 4WD Owner in Washington State

Post by The Professor »

I recently met a guy on one of the vintage Subaru forums who will re-key your locks or match lock sets, etc. I think he only wanted $30 and a week's turnaround or something. Sounds reasonable to me and I have a few cars who use two different keys...
1975 Subaru SuperStar wagon
1984 Subaru Turbo-Traction wagon & hardtop
1987 Subaru RX 3-door
1987 Subaru RX Type-RA 3-door
1987 Toyota Tercel SR5 wagon
1999 Subaru Forester S
2002 Subaru WRX sedan
2019 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited
User avatar
Abletobecain
Top Notch Member
Posts: 415
Joined: Sun Dec 09, 2018 9:18 am
My tercel:: 1983 4WD DLX, 1986 4WD SR5, 1985 4WD SR5, 1983 4WD SR5
Location: Kitsap County
Contact:

Re: New Tercel 4WD Owner in Washington State

Post by Abletobecain »

Professor...I will definitely let you know next time I'm over that way. I'd love to have a sympathetic "Tercel ear" to converse with as I see the eye rolls my friends make as I carry on about them. :)

splatterdog...comfort zone works too but I'm going with fleet. They all run but one's a daily, one's a backup, and one's a project. Sure is fun!

Petros...thanks for the tip. I'll be looking into that. I'm hoping the yard still has the key to the parts car...then it'll probably be cheaper to swap all the locks since I have the whole interior stripped anyway.

Professor...you have to find and share that guys contact info...that sounds like the way to go!
1977 BMW R100S 1WD ("Brunhilda"/Summer Fun)
1983 DLX Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Charlie"/Daily Driver)
1987 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Sprocket"/Off-road-Camping)
1985 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Lucky"/Project)
1983 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Cadaver"/Parts Car)
1985 Ford F250 6.9IDI ("Franklin"/Hauler)
1987 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Ravensburger"/in a million pieces)
2006 BMW 530XI Wagon ("Inga"/Roadtripper)
1969 Mercury Montego MX Convertible ("Big Ed"/My Dad's Old Car)
1983 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Al"/for sale soon)
The Professor
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 650
Joined: Wed May 12, 2010 6:38 pm
My tercel:: 1987 Tercel SR5 4WD wagon
Location: Western Washington
Contact:

Re: New Tercel 4WD Owner in Washington State

Post by The Professor »

Abletobecain wrote: Tue Jan 29, 2019 3:33 pmProfessor...you have to find and share that guys contact info...that sounds like the way to go!
I'll send him a message to get his contact information. Here's his thread: https://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/to ... nt-1395222
1975 Subaru SuperStar wagon
1984 Subaru Turbo-Traction wagon & hardtop
1987 Subaru RX 3-door
1987 Subaru RX Type-RA 3-door
1987 Toyota Tercel SR5 wagon
1999 Subaru Forester S
2002 Subaru WRX sedan
2019 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited
User avatar
Abletobecain
Top Notch Member
Posts: 415
Joined: Sun Dec 09, 2018 9:18 am
My tercel:: 1983 4WD DLX, 1986 4WD SR5, 1985 4WD SR5, 1983 4WD SR5
Location: Kitsap County
Contact:

Re: New Tercel 4WD Owner in Washington State

Post by Abletobecain »

NWMO wrote: Tue Jan 15, 2019 9:53 pm Great job, keep it up and post some pics of the new vac lines.
Finally got them done...3.5 mm was the ticket.

It's like I have a new car...the engine is quieter, smoother, more powerful...really incredible. I only found one hose that had widened out around the nipple too.

After the new hoses my timing went from -10 to -20 so I fixed that and I had to adjust the idle and fast idle too. Once that was set right...no more dieseling whatsoever.

Image

I also scored a seat for the 87 that just needed a good cleaning so I got to it...pretty happy with the result.

Image
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1977 BMW R100S 1WD ("Brunhilda"/Summer Fun)
1983 DLX Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Charlie"/Daily Driver)
1987 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Sprocket"/Off-road-Camping)
1985 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Lucky"/Project)
1983 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Cadaver"/Parts Car)
1985 Ford F250 6.9IDI ("Franklin"/Hauler)
1987 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Ravensburger"/in a million pieces)
2006 BMW 530XI Wagon ("Inga"/Roadtripper)
1969 Mercury Montego MX Convertible ("Big Ed"/My Dad's Old Car)
1983 SR5 Tercel Wagon 4WD ("Al"/for sale soon)
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