6th Generation Corollas

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Mogordo
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Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2022 8:31 pm
My tercel:: 1983 SR5 Wagon

6th Generation Corollas

Post by Mogordo »

I just wanted to share a story of Corollas. Thought maybe someone else would like it. The first picture is from a few years ago when we had three Corollas in the family. The '89 white sedan was carbureted and from what I understand it was unusually low maintenance. Except for punching the gas pedal before starting or to lower RPM and infrequent cleaning of something due a rusted out screen of some sort you couldn't really tell by it's running that it wasn't FI. It was my younger sisters (Passed to her a few years prior from our younger brother after a friend [I think the original owner but not sure] had given it to him) and she sold it for $1200 in upstate NY last year. It had around 375,000 miles on it and was still running well but rust was creeping in...
The blue sedan in the front was mine, a 1990. I bought it in the PNW in 2019, looked for months for it or similar, brought it back home to Pennsylvania and planned to drive it to 400,000 miles. Then in the fall of '21 there was a big rainstorm and I found out what hydroplaning really felt like. I was probably going 50-55mph and cars were passing me fairly often but circumstances didn't work out for us. Ended up facing the same way we started but there was lot of rotation in the meantime, managed to smash the front and back on the drivers side but it was the passengers side that was next to the guardrail when we stopped. I full well remember watching the guardrail coming up as we (just the car and I) slid sideways and thinking "Should I brace for it or not?". Considering how things could have gone it went pretty well. No-one else was near when it happened, I was able to push it out of the driving lane, I only had very minor injuries. But man! I kind of felt like I let the car down. It was totaled. Only 232,000 miles. I sold it to a guy who said he wanted it for parts for his brother who had one from the same generation. And now I often drive even slower in the dark in the rain with small economy cars...There's a picture of it after meeting the guardrail though you can't see just how smashed the front is. The wagon in the middle is an '89 All Trac. Bought in the PNW by my dad in 2018/19 for $800, sold to my younger brother for much less then to my younger sister. I drove it cross-country to Pennsylvania for her (Which is when the appeal of station wagons really started to set in. I'm pretty short and could lay full out to sleep if a back seat was down...)She ended up selling it to our then 15 or 16 year old cousin who last spring took it on a road trip to the Southwest. It needed engine work and lost compression while in NM and it was more than she knew what to do about so she sold it there. When I was driving my Tercel home last fall I detoured through the SW and the idler pulley for the timing belt broke in the very town my cousin had sold the All Trac in. While spending three days there to get the timing belt and pulley changed (Did it in the parking lot I rolled it into when it died, first one I actually changed, various people helped in many ways and it went quite well.) I spotted the All Trac parked in the lot of the tire and muffler shop next door(a few people from which had already helped me out). I knew it for sure by the roof rack my dad had modified to fit by using wood under the back. Turns out a younger fellow who worked there had bought it, beating out someone who wanted it for scrap (I about wanted to hug him for that, I really liked the car and it was in too good a shape bodywise for that). He had done some of the engine rebuild, put fancy rims on it, liked it very much, and was driving it regularly. It was about worth changing a timing belt to find out that car was still going. That last picture is of it last fall. He was having the windows tinted the day I left.
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Mattel
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Posts: 1788
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2004 12:11 am
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: 6th Generation Corollas

Post by Mattel »

The All-tracs are great cars. I had a couple of Tercels but went to an all-trac in the end (or Corolla 4wd wagon here in Aus) as they are better for highway driving and more common here in Australia for parts.

Heres mine that lent out to a car site for use in some photos. https://www.drive.com.au/reviews/2018-t ... omparison/
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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Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:03 pm
My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
Location: bc, canada

Re: 6th Generation Corollas

Post by dlb »

Great stories. I currently have a 1991 FWD corolla wagon, it gets fantastic fuel economy. Prior to that I had two 4wd corolla wagons, both 1991's, one was an automatic, the other a manual. I didn't like the automatic so I sold it, but I loved the 4wd one and kept it for 5 years until we needed a bigger vehicle for the family. Tercels and corollas are very different cars, and I see the appeal of both. I especially love how simple and reliable the FI systems are in those early 90's toyota's. Someone here once swapped a 4afe corolla engine into a tercel -- I like to keep things more or less stock but I always liked that particular engine swap. Seemed like a good, natural progression to me.

Wagons are definitely the coolest kind of car, IMO. They are a good blend of being economical while also being practical. Pretty much any wagon from the early 90's and before, I stop and check out. If I had a hanger to collect cars, I would even be into the domestic wagons. I love all those fake wood sides and rear-facing seats.
Mogordo
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Posts: 121
Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2022 8:31 pm
My tercel:: 1983 SR5 Wagon

Re: 6th Generation Corollas

Post by Mogordo »

Mattel, Your car is in such good shape! It looks almost as good as you would see in a current advertisement back when those cars came out. If that 2018 car wasn't there to give it away I might have thought that's what I was seeing (:

My Corolla had the 4A-FE (: I was interested in a FWD Corolla Wagon back when I was looking for what ended up being the sedan. Fourth gear wasn't working but I figured I could manage without it...Don't remember why it didn't work out getting it.
I only recently came to really like wagons. My oldest sister had a Plymouth Reliant wagon maybe 15 years ago and I didn't at the time think it was anything special...But recently I've found myself thinking of it.
My mother had a Pontiac 6000 when I was young. We kids thought the flip-up lid in the cargo area and how it revealed the back seats was a lot of fun. She hit a deer with it and my dad, in function over form style, replaced the grille and headlights with those off a Celebrity and from then on our Pontiac sported a Chevy symbol on the front.
My younger sister had a much older Corolla wagon maybe a decade ago. I'm pretty sure it had round headlights and I'm thinking it was probably 2nd generation. She didn't have it long and I didn't see it much as she didn't live near but I don't think I appreciated it then. Now I'd sure like to thoroughly check it out. Drive it. Maybe own it...(:
I admit I kind of just like older cars. Even ones I don't really like. But then there are the ones I like even more, beyond just for their age (:
One who walks in shoes always clean likely walks nowhere at all.
Mogordo
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Posts: 121
Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2022 8:31 pm
My tercel:: 1983 SR5 Wagon

Re: 6th Generation Corollas

Post by Mogordo »

I stopped by to see the All-trac a couple weeks ago on a trip to NM and the fellow who owns it gave me an update on what he had done with it. He had the windows tinted (I don't much like tinted windows but I guess many people do) but that wasn't the big thing. He replaced the motor with one from a '95 (I don't know the details on what one). He said he discovered it would bolt right up to the transmission. It did take some other modifications but nothing too extreme. He said with that done the car easily goes up the big hills, gets 37 mpg, and goes 120mph...
One who walks in shoes always clean likely walks nowhere at all.
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Mattel
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Posts: 1788
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2004 12:11 am
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: 6th Generation Corollas

Post by Mattel »

Hi Mogordo!
I imagine in NM the tint would be handy (should have AC as well)
Sounds like they have replaced the 4afe with a 7afe which is common mod (early ones have a notch for the diff lock) I would check that the diff lock works to give you true 50/50 4wd front / rear.. Both great engines tuned for economy but with reasonable torque.
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
Mogordo
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Posts: 121
Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2022 8:31 pm
My tercel:: 1983 SR5 Wagon

Re: 6th Generation Corollas

Post by Mogordo »

20230426_145957.jpg
It probably was a 7AFE then. I think that car did have AC also that maybe worked at one time and then didn't but maybe he got it working again if it wasn't. I'd guess he made sure about the diff. lock because he seemed the type to want to keep that aspect working but I'm not sure. He thought the improved fuel economy could have just been because the original engine was as worn as it was. Probably wouldn't have been functioning optimally. What fuel mileage does yours get?
(The sticker in the back says "WagonMafia" )
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Mattel
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Posts: 1788
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2004 12:11 am
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: 6th Generation Corollas

Post by Mattel »

Hi mine gets about 8litres per 100kms (UN mandtated measuring units :) ) with standard width tyres and thats doing 3,100rpm at 60mph (100kmh). That would change with the wide tyres and driving style quite a lot. The roof rails look like they;ve been added on as well.
Is the owner on the facebook group? quite a lot of info on their for AE95 wagons.
Some of the parts like the windscreen and front doors are the same as the chevy prizms of the same year.
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
Mogordo
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Posts: 121
Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2022 8:31 pm
My tercel:: 1983 SR5 Wagon

Re: 6th Generation Corollas

Post by Mogordo »

I looked up the conversion from litres per km to mpg and it seems to be a bit over 29. You are quite right about the roof rack. My dad put that on when he had the car in 2019. It came off of another make/model and he put blocks of wood under in the back to bring it to level. That roof rack was how when I was seeking the car I determined for sure from a little distance that it was the right All-trac (:
I don't know if the person uses facebook, we just met because of my knowing the car and being really excited to see it and we have chatted about what he has done with it and the last time a little about his also older trucks but he seems a slightly quiet person. I think I really took him by surprise the first time: This women just suddenly coming up and excitedly asking him about his car and then telling this long story about it and asking him questions...I think he recovered but I am sure he had no inkling that morning when he went to work that that was what was coming (: Since I don't have a facebook account I don't know without asking him.
Right. I had forgotten about the Chevy Prizm. I had gotten a couple things off one for my sedan when I first got it.
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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: 6th Generation Corollas

Post by Toyotise »

Nothing like corollas. Knew an acquaintance with an ‘89 sixth gen. FWD E90 5 speed. Didnt treat it with much kindness other than the oil changing. Was his parents car before he got it at 325,000 miles. They took good care of it. Drove it to 450,000 miles as a pizza delivery car in Flagstaff Az. Never got stuck in the snow. So light. He drove it hard. That thing always amazed me.

Have a 1995 seventh gen FWD automatic sedan. Love it. Get 36 mpg without trying. 180k miles ( :D here’s to many more).

Had a 2000 eighth gen FWD 5 speed. got at 240k miles drove to 370k before changing out the engine with a second hand JDM engine. Still on the road today gave it back to my parents. 1ZZ-FE engine developed the all too common clogged oil control holes and resultant oil consumption issue. That car amazed me too. Got 38-39 mpg without even trying Even at the height of the oil consumption issue. Burned 1qt every 100 miles at the time I swapped out the old engine. Still got 39 mpg even burning oil. Key with those early 1zz-fe engines was keeping the oil clean clean clean. Change often (every <5000 miles. Always run full synthetic). Too few too small oil drain back holes in piston skirt got clogged with conventional oil or over time sludgging of good oil.
Keep it Stock; Live Long.
Mogordo
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Posts: 121
Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2022 8:31 pm
My tercel:: 1983 SR5 Wagon

Re: 6th Generation Corollas

Post by Mogordo »

Yes, that 450,000 was what I was going for with mine until the hydroplaning incident... Also neat that it sounds like the reliability of the Corollas lasted past the nineties. Sounds like yours got better fuel milage than mine did.
I have two mostly functional wagons, the Tercel and a Sentra (first of all I like them both but also the idea was hopefully when one could use work the other would be driving well and I'd always have something to drive, it's been mostly working out), and don't need any more cars but I think a Corolla wagon would be fun to have.
One who walks in shoes always clean likely walks nowhere at all.
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