Oil Options?

General discussion about our beloved Tercel 4WD cars
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Kozuto_98
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My tercel:: 1987 SR5 Wagon
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Oil Options?

Post by Kozuto_98 »

I'm not sure how sensitive the 3A-C motor, transmission, and rear end are in these wagons to certain oils, so I'd like some advice!

I've generally always run Castrol & Valvoline oils in Toyotas I've owned in the past for the motor, and Pennzoil syncromesh for transmission oils and I've always been happy with that. Most Hondas I've owned generally get Liquimolly and Pennzoil syncromesh. Recently I tried Amsoil's take on syncromesh in my Civic and the results are really good. I should also point out all oils were synthetic.

I've been considering trying a 10w30 Liquimolly oil + Amsoil syncromesh for the motor and transmission. I'm not entirely sure what would work best for the rear end. (All my previous cars have been FWD)

What would be best for the rear end? Has anyone tried the Amsoil syncromesh and Liquimolly oils in these wagons?
1987 Tercel Wagon SR5 4WD
1998 Honda Accord Coupe V6 J35 swap
1997 Acura CL (Sold for 4A-GE money)
RIP 2016 Civic (wrist pin recall)
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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
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Re: Oil Options?

Post by dlb »

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9667

It's a long thread with a lot of different opinions so give it a read and make your own informed decision. I would say the most important detail to keep in mind is that the trans oil should be suitable for GL-4 or GL-5 and hypoid gear applications.

Regarding engine oils, everyone here is just as varied in what they use but I think we are all a little less opinionated on the topic for some reason.
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splatterdog
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Re: Oil Options?

Post by splatterdog »

Syncromesh is waaay too light for these.
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Kozuto_98
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My tercel:: 1987 SR5 Wagon
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Re: Oil Options?

Post by Kozuto_98 »

splatterdog wrote: Mon Jul 13, 2020 10:50 am Syncromesh is waaay too light for these.
Alright. What would you recommend? I need something to help smooth out some shifting problems but also does well in the cold.
1987 Tercel Wagon SR5 4WD
1998 Honda Accord Coupe V6 J35 swap
1997 Acura CL (Sold for 4A-GE money)
RIP 2016 Civic (wrist pin recall)
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splatterdog
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Re: Oil Options?

Post by splatterdog »

Lots of prior debate on this one. I've been running Redline 75W90NS for a while and have no complaints. If your current oil looks nasty, flushing out with cheap oil first never hurts.
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
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Re: Oil Options?

Post by Petros »

something I do that you may want to try: my current trans has almost 400k miles on it, syncros are worn and tired, and make it difficult to shift on really cold winter mornings, but work okay after the gear oil warms up after some driving.

there is sludge and metal partials that can build up on the parts, an ATF flush usually will clean that up: 50/50 mix of cheap ATF (automatic transmission fluid) and cheap gear oil, drive it for a day or two, get it up to highways speeds to warm it up, than drain it all and discard it. Go easy on it, this gear oil mix is not designed for your trans. When you drain it, you will likely see fine metal partials in it. than you can fill with a 50/50 mix of synthetic gear oil and quality conventional gear lube. in mine I used 2 quarts of multi-vis gear oil, one quart synthetic gear lube, and one quart ATF. the AFT is not only highly detergent, but also allows the synros to grip better especially when very cold.

I tried using all synthetic in my worn trans, but it leaked out the seals and made my trans act like the syncros were completely worn out, the gears would clash between shifts without double clutching. I figured the trans was not designed for synthetic gear oil, and than tried the 50/50 mix, that made a difference and it performed well without leaking out the seals. But as my trans worn as it aged, I noticed on cold winter mornings (below freezing) getting into first and second gear was very difficult, so I added the one quart of AFT.

I have been running that mix for about 3 years now and am happy with it. the synthetic gear lube will protect it from further wear, the heavy gear oil will keep it from leaking out, and the AFT will help the syncros function, and keep the sludge and metal partials out of the gears.
'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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Kozuto_98
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My tercel:: 1987 SR5 Wagon
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Re: Oil Options?

Post by Kozuto_98 »

splatterdog wrote: Tue Jul 14, 2020 5:37 pm Lots of prior debate on this one. I've been running Redline 75W90NS for a while and have no complaints. If your current oil looks nasty, flushing out with cheap oil first never hurts.
Alright, I'll look into it. Thanks again!
1987 Tercel Wagon SR5 4WD
1998 Honda Accord Coupe V6 J35 swap
1997 Acura CL (Sold for 4A-GE money)
RIP 2016 Civic (wrist pin recall)
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Kozuto_98
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Posts: 229
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2020 3:45 pm
My tercel:: 1987 SR5 Wagon
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Re: Oil Options?

Post by Kozuto_98 »

I'll try what Petros suggested first. Hopefully if all goes to plan my wagon will be back on the road by late fall.

3rd gear in my transmission is the biggest concern right now as it always makes an awful grinding sound on both up and down shifts, even when double clutching or being very gentle on the shifts. 2nd gear only grinds on a downshift if my speed is too high, and classic Toyota it never likes to take 1st until I'm pretty much stopped.

I did manage to pick up a spare transmission in New Brunswick last week that supposedly has 190,000km on it. So if all else fails I'll just end up swapping the transmission for that one!
1987 Tercel Wagon SR5 4WD
1998 Honda Accord Coupe V6 J35 swap
1997 Acura CL (Sold for 4A-GE money)
RIP 2016 Civic (wrist pin recall)
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