after many years, I'm finally back in the T4 game

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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
Location: bc, canada

Re: after many years, I'm finally back in the T4 game

Post by dlb »

Also, my next step is to remove the pilot bearing. I'm familiar with the grease/wet toilet paper/wet bread techniques but what about this one? Is there any risk to damaging anything in there with this technique?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dl4F_vKTes
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duragauge
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My tercel:: 1986 Tercel 4WD SR5
Location: Willamette Valley

Re: after many years, I'm finally back in the T4 game

Post by duragauge »

I've always done the bread/grease method, but that bolt idea is clever. Pretty much an improvised bearing puller. I can't imagine it causing any meaningful damage.
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NWMO
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Re: after many years, I'm finally back in the T4 game

Post by NWMO »

The only thing possibly damaged would be the pilot bearing, which is getting replaced anyhow. Should work fine.
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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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
Location: bc, canada

Re: after many years, I'm finally back in the T4 game

Post by dlb »

How do the flywheel and pressure plate look to you guys? Do they look like they got hot to you?
atoyta
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My tercel:: 3 wagons now
Location: Monroe, Washington

Re: after many years, I'm finally back in the T4 game

Post by atoyta »

Your clutch is down to the rivet there at at least one point, so that needs to be replaced. the pressure plate also looks pretty gone and the flywheel probably needs a resurface as those look like some "hot spots" on it's surface
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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
Location: bc, canada

Re: after many years, I'm finally back in the T4 game

Post by dlb »

I've been making slow progress on this. I was waiting for parts from Rockauto to arrive, most of them have now so I've installed a bunch of them but I'm still waiting on some trans output seals for the CV axles, and a 4wd shifter seal I ordered from ebay. I want to put those in before the trans goes back in. But so far I've had the flywheel machined, installed the new rear main seal, trans extension housing seal, new clutch kit, a park brake cable, front brake calipers, rotors, and pads, upper and lower rad hoses, all three heater core hoses, valve cover gasket, I think that's it so far. I'm really enjoying working on it. For a while I thought I was a "car guy" but once I got away from tercels, my love for wrenching dried up pretty quick, and now that I'm back to working on tercels it's fully back. So I think I'm actually more of a "tercel guy" than a car guy, which is kinda funny, kinda neat.
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NWMO
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Re: after many years, I'm finally back in the T4 game

Post by NWMO »

It’s more fun to wrench on a car that was designed to be repaired by “shade tree” mechanics.

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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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
Location: bc, canada

Re: after many years, I'm finally back in the T4 game

Post by dlb »

Today I got the transmission back in the car. Still have to reinstall the starter, distributor, and some other things, plus I'm waiting for some heater hoses from rock auto to show up (the non-molded hose I had bought kinked too much so I bought some pre-molded ones), before I can test everything but I'm really glad to be done the biggest, most labour-intensive parts of the job. The input shaft wouldn't come out when I was removing the trans and that made removal a bit annoying, but reinstalling the trans was a surprising breeze with the shaft out. The shaft itself went back in pretty easily too, just took a few gentle taps with a rubber-faced hammer and that was it. I'll definitely be more open to Tercels with clutch or trans problems in the future now that I know I can get the trans in and out at home without too much difficulty.

One thing I would do differently next time is remove the front steering knuckles. On the passenger side, I had a heck of a time getting the knuckle in place over the ball joint, and on the driver side the CV axle would not go in no matter how much I took it out and repositioned it. I eventually had to remove the knuckle so I could get the axle more straight and compressed, then it went into the trans easily.
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marlinh
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My tercel:: 'Everett' Blue 87 4WD Wagon (Rocky 86, recently retired)
Location: Kootenays

Re: after many years, I'm finally back in the T4 game

Post by marlinh »

Welcome back! Your car looks like a project for sure and congrats on diving into such a big job. Nice jack for sure, but I'm drooling over the concrete floor. That makes any job so much easier.
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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
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Re: after many years, I'm finally back in the T4 game

Post by dlb »

Yesterday I did the rear brakes in #8. Brake shoes, wheel cylinders, one park brake cable. The brake line nuts were pretty frozen into the cylinders, and also to the lines themselves. The first one eventually broke free with a bunch of gentle bouncing with the flare nut wrench but the second one was really clinging to the line and wanted to tear the line apart. I looked up some videos to see if there are any tips for working on rusty junk that I'm not aware of, and I didn't learn anything new. So I went back out and just kept on bouncing that dang wrench when finally, the nut broke free of the line. I was thrilled at not having to replace the brake line, and likely just run into the same problems upstream.

One "ooooh right" moment I had yesterday was when I was having a hard time getting one of the drums off. I was using bolts in the threaded holes of the drum but they weren't quite long enough and the thing was still stuck. I spent like 30 minutes on it before I remembered that you're supposed to back off the adjuster through that window in the backing plate. Felt pretty dumb, but I still had no idea which way to spin the adjuster, and couldn't see sh*t anyway so I was basically just clicking away blindly and at random. In the past I've been able to do it by feel but not this time. I think I basically got lucky because the drum eventually came off easily. It reminded me that while I generally love working on these cars, there are still a few particular jobs on them I don't enjoy.

Now waiting for gear oil to arrive to put that in, then to use my water hammer tool on the cooling system, then install a new thermostat and coolant. Then I can finally test the work I've done so far.
stanrob
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My tercel:: Two 1985 Tercel SR5 4WD, Cal. emission controls, one now a parts car (good engine & transmission, still had full power at 310K), another, a low-rust project car, with 307k miles, from Petros
Location: Wayland, MA, USA

Re: after many years, I'm finally back in the T4 game

Post by stanrob »

Your enthusiasm for tons and tons of work shines brightly! I wish I could show the same.

I purchased my current 85T4WD from Petros 5 yrs ago. (He purchased it in Nevada, fixed a few things, and drove it to me in Massachusetts ... for $$$$.) Surprise, it had (and still has) many, many, many things wrong. I credit Petros for good faith, but he had just scratched the surface. Besides that, it came with 304k miles, 21k more than Petros said. I thought I was equal to its repair requirements, but I was wrong. It comes out to be a very, very long list, and still growing. I managed to capture the interest of a friend about 40 years younger than me. He has poured his talent and energy into that car, with me playing a bit part, like finding a new TVSV on Ebay. As an unequal team, we've nicely conquered about 20 issues, leaving maybe 30 more. I've also surrendered and hired mechanics for some details, which is really painful. They don't respect older cars. A few months ago, I had to replace the defective Walmart battery (not the even more defective used one that Petros furnished). I discovered I can't lift it! My nice neighbor did it for me. Last week, the brake booster failed, so here we go again.

If you wondered whether I would ever get to the point, here it is: no matter how much I love T4WDs, I have to sell it. I'm not equal to this one's continuing and growing requirements. A wonderful 95-year-old friend has decided to quit driving forever, and has sold me her mint-condition 2005 Corolla. Therefore the T4WD is now for sale. I offered it free to my younger teammate, but he has a very long daily commute in heavy traffic, and his first love is Volvos.

Before I forget to mention this: it comes with an identical parts car, which still has a good engine and transmission.
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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
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Re: after many years, I'm finally back in the T4 game

Post by dlb »

I'm waiting for gear oil for #8 to arrive so in the meantime, I'm digging into some other stuff on it. Got most of the interior and exterior lights working the other day (I need both dome lights though, if anyone has those that I can buy off them), and today I started patching some of the holes in the floor. I just used some old license plates and self-tapping screws. I'm sure some may not approve of that style of repair but this is one of the things I love about rusty old beaters: there's no point in trying to polish such a turd, so it forces you to stick to the "don't make work, just make it work" approach, which I'm a big fan of.

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Mattel
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My tercel:: 1988 Corolla 4wd Wagon (AKA Corolla All-trac) 5speed, AC, Power Sunroof, Windows, Mirrors, Steering, Locking, Diff Lock, 14" Corolla SX Alloys with Silica Hankook Tyres, 4afe, King Springs, Upgraded Headlights, Full Synth oils, 210,000kms
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: after many years, I'm finally back in the T4 game

Post by Mattel »

some sort of splashguard might help stop water being driven into the hole?
Previous: 83 Tercel SR5 4wd, 84 Tercel SR5 4wd
88 Corolla 4wd Wagon 5speed, All power options, Fact Sunroof, Diff Lock, 14" SX Alloys, Hankook Tyres, 4afe, King Springs, Upgraded Headlights, Full Synth oils, Tow Bar, 210,000kms
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dlb
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Re: after many years, I'm finally back in the T4 game

Post by dlb »

I looked closer at it today and there's lots of drainage below it so I'm probably not even going to worry about it. But if I do find the carpet getting soaked once I start driving it, that's a good idea that I will try, Matt.
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Nordical25
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My tercel:: 2 4wd 1987's. One with 4a, other with 3a
Location: Finland

Re: after many years, I'm finally back in the T4 game

Post by Nordical25 »

It is good that you patch rust holes somehow because otherwise dirt will enter the body and cause additional rust even more. Patching rust holes with glued metal or with self-tapping screws may have some advantages compared to welding, because welding heats metal and makes it more sensible to rust. So basically patching non-structural rust without additional heat may longer lifetime of car body in best case.

That is why some body parts are glued in modern cars instead of welding I have understood.
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