Were there any Tercel 4WD service bulletins, etc?

[dcn]

Our 'old' (it's been painted, had sensors replaced, needed suspension work) 2005 Mazda3 is starting to show its age and making my Terc look better every day.

Yesterday I was at the dealership complaining of the 3's increasing habit of nearly stalling when you push the clutch in/put it in neutral at a stop light, and they printed off a page saying that carbon can build up due to the throttle body or intake design or something. Now that our bought brand new 4 year old car has already cost us more than I PAID for my Terc, and I see all the paper trail 3s have had because of service notes, I've been wondering if there were ever any recalls or bulletins for Tercel Wagons. I did a quick search and I think I found something about synchros or something, were here ever any service bulletins for Terc4WDs? I thought I remembered reading something here a long time ago but I can't recall (pun! Sorry) what it was. Do they really not make 'em like they used to?

I would rather own my car than anything else on the road that's new (I'd make room for anything 2009 M3 and better though), owning a new car alongside a Tercel Wagon reinforces this feeling almost every day.

[4x4wagon]

Even if there where any recalls, they would be expired by now. Dealers usually only warranty things for 15 years ~150k miles. There wasn't so much a recall on the syncros as some better quality ones available through the dealer that you have to pay to have installed.


After a search, the only recall reported for the 1983 Tercel is a faulty aftermarket fuel pump. There are no actual recalls on the original vehicle itself.

[dcn]

Oh, I wasn't expecting them to be honored, I was just curious to see how it stacked up to our 3. I had suspicions that the 3 would have more. Lotsa design stuff and BS that shouldn't happen. IMHO you should get more than 3 years out of a brand new car before stuff like painting and engine sensors are required. Maybe I'm just spoiled with my car and it's not fair to compare it to my wife's. The only electronic trickery in it is the digital clock if I'm not mistaken. Hell, my A/C worked until the compressor seized due to a leak 2 years ago. I just have to put the new one and it'll be good again. I'm thinking the 3's A/C will have been repaired a few times/the car will be soup cans by the time its 20th birthday arrives, unlike my rig.

[splatterdog]

Newer cars have so so many things to go wrong it can be mind boggling. Not to mention every now and then they forget how to make something they have gotten right for a decades.

For example, right now I'm working on a 2000 Volvo S40. It's been painfull for everyone involved. You would think non load bearing sway bar frame bushings would last at least 10 years/100k. They don't go bad too often. I would say I'm at a 1000:1 ratio of end link vs frame bushing failures. You would also expect not to spend half a day to install them. Oh, and the dealer sells each half of each tiny bushing(upper,lower,sheesh!) for individually.

This car,at 100k, has many other expensive issues that make anything but a trans failure in a tercel look miniscule. Both in complexity and cost. My neighbor has the same year V40(awd wagon version) and has had similar luck. I don't think either will be on the road in 25 years like my cars are.

VVT is going to be a HUGE problem. Very susceptible to poor maintenance. That would mean most engines are going to have some real expensive repairs, quite possibly before 100k. If they happen to fail under warranty, you better have a stack of oil change receipts and maybe a lawyer handy.

That's what this Volvo has just tought me. Despite all my efforts I cannot get rid of this code 14(cam timing overadvanced/performance,sensor related). I did get rid of the code 15(cam retarded). Someone had serviced the cvvt hub,control solenoid,gasket with inlet screen some time ago. Timing marks were carefully observed and I added my own for even better accuracy before the almost snapped t-belt came off. The solenoid control valve was cleaned and checked for function and flow with a blow gun. Oil pressure was also checked as low oil pressure will cause cam codes now too. Sludging was present but not horrible. Plugs installed because 2 lost their platinum and had double gap. I've seen once before where bad plugs can set cam codes. Just over 20 inches of smooth vacuum. Valve clatter at idle stays away at idle with system disabled. That leaves either the cvvt hub or it's install as the hub/sprocket is not key'd to the cam so it has infinite settings until the center bolt is tightened. It's out of my hands at this point. It's going to take a dealer level scan tool and a $500 cam tool kit to fully straighten this car out. Maybe a new cam sprocket that costs as much as an old terc too.

Personally, if it was my car, I would rather have thrown a rod!

[dcn]

LOl, splatter, guess the Mazda3 and the Volvos share a similar design, are they trailing arm bushings by chance? I think the Focus has similar arms as the 3s, maybe Volvo uses the same stuff.

One thing that rusted out was our 3rd brake light, the whole surrounding painted section flaked off. Come ON, even Dodge, etc get high brake lights right. There's NO excuse for that to rust out this early on.

My car has been laid up for floor patches and a replacement gas tank for most of the last month and a half, I CLEAAAANED it yesterday, wash/waxed, doors jambs (jams?), door insides, everything cleaned, whole interior wiped down, even shampooed the fabric on the door panels. I felt like a psycho for washing the tire-facing side of my mud flaps, heh.. With the floor welding and all that it had gotten really dirty/dusty inside. Now it's its old self again. We took it on errands today, man it felt good to have it back!!

[4x4wagon]

Old Japanese cars are so endlessly reliable it makes new cars look like crap. My Legends have 154k and 195k (8/10ths of a mile from 196k) miles and the only problems they have are user related.


The one recall I did find on them, well two for the '90 was for the seatbelts and airbags. The front belt buckle releases over time can crack and cause the release not to work right. It is covered by the warranty (Honda/Acura warrants their seatbelts for the "useful life of the vehicle"). The other for the '90 was the driver airbag module. There was some problem of a bolt threaded improperly that can cause the airbag module to disassemble upon deployment.

[garyfish]

There's a bunch of Service Bulletins archived online in the Auto Repair Reference Center:

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4633

I looked over a few of the Service Bulletins for my '85 SR5, and very few seemed to be specific to the T4WD... but good to have the info readily available anyways.

[terceldude]

As far as I know, there was a recall, for 1984-1986 model year Tercels, could also apply to our little 4WD Wagons and that was: defective ignition control module (ignitor aka Ignition ECU) could cause vehicle to fail to start or stalling after starting up. I think I may have printed out some service bulletins for this car back in my T-TEN class. I could look around for the sheets and try to scan them in if it be a problem or something... Cheers!

[dcn]

Sure Terceldude, if you don't mind. No problems with my whip, was just having a rant against the Mazda that one day when I started this thread!

[terceldude]

ok, I will see what I can do! It might take me a while to find them because I put some stuff away and my house isn't totally in the best order right now, but I will see what I can do. If I don't find them soon, I could try to go back on the website for the bulletins and search again and send you the links...