Need Transmission 1985 5-speed 4wd Wagon

[noface]

I'm in Middle TN.

The tranny really took a dive today on my sons way home from school.

It won't move... put it in gear, let out the clutch and it goes BANG! Jumps outta gear, and kills the motor. Reverse is the same way....

I need the kid to have a car to get to school and back...

Let me know what you have.

Thanks!

JS
Columbia, TN

[garyfish]

I too have been searching for a manual tranny for my '85 T4WD SR5 (it's considered a "6-speed" because of the Extra Low gear when in 4WD). You'll need one from an '85-88 T4WD with the 4.10:1 ratio. Earlier years had a different final gear ratio (3.73:1) and can't be used unless you swap out the rear differential too.

Nothing available locally here in NorCal, except for one out of an '86 with 209K miles on it... the $250 price tag put on it by the junkyard was way more than I'd pay for a tranny with that many miles on it.

You should try searching the Web for used parts. Start here:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=62
http://dir.yahoo.com/business_and_econo ... arts/used/

When I ran a search a month or so ago, all the best used trannies (from low-mileage vehicles, less than 150K, the lower the better) were from outlets in the Southeastern US... prohibitively expensive to ship to NorCal, but you might just find something close to you that would work.

Best of luck... keep us updated as to what you find out.

[noface]

I'll likely part it out as finding a tranny is becoming difficult, and cost prohibitive.

Too bad since it's such a nice ride. Burns no oil, everything works, and is clean, no rust. And the kid likes it...

Wish there were more of them around so parts weren't so hard to find!

[terceltoy]

Location, location, location, at least that what the realtors say. I have a toasted tranny too. I wanted to have it rebuilt but just couldn’t get enough cash together all at once to have it done. After sitting around for almost two years I found a local (Oregon) parts car.

It is high mileage, 200,000+ but they claim the tranny is good. I'm taking a chance and for $100 I can have anything I want off of the car. We rolled the car over on it's side and we pulled the engine, tranny, complete intact front end & front cross member (w/steering). We loaded it onto a flatbed trailer and took it to my shed/shop to be dismantled. Done that and have my car jacked up about 14" and about ready to pull the broken tran/diff unit.

Look on craigslist locally. Better yet to look within a 250 mile radius go to http://www.searchtempest.com/ and enter your zip code and search for ‘Toyota Tercel 4WD’.

terceltoy

[Petros]

It is often easier to find a whole car junker for a less than $200 for the tranny than it is to find just a tranny (in the last 4 years I have bought two non-running Tercel 4wd for $100 with good trans in them, one was for parts, the other a fixer). Look around in local paper, Craig's list and even in side yards. If found one that was non-running in someone's yard, and asked the owner about it. I got it for $100, it was an ugly rust bucket, I drove it home, used the tranny and good clutch in my '84, pulled some spare parts off of it, sold the engine for $150, used the good tires on our corolla, and got $84 in scrap for the rusty hulk. Not bad, but a lot of work.

There is a yard near me with the correct tranny for you, but car shows over 300k on the odo. I can get it for you cheap, but shipping would be costly, likely trans and shipping would be about $300-400 or so. If you can not find one and that sounds reasonable let me know, you also run the risk that that this trans is worn out. I would not buy it for you if it did not turn quite in all gears, but that does not mean it is not worn out.

It would be a shame to trash the car just because of the trans. They are out there, you just have to find one locally.

Good luck

[xirdneh]

i felt that i should put in a good word for Tranny's with high mileage
i currently have three tercels
the tercel with 360,000 miles on the 1983 tranny has the best tranny of the bunch (shifts great and is quiet)
the other two have "minor, so far" problems (one a bit noisy but been that way for over 80,000 miles and has 306,000 miles on it, 1986, and one pops out of fourth gear now and then when you let off on the gas, 290,000 miles on it, 1985)

[Petros]

I am currently driving one with 305k miles, and it is smooth and quiet. 2nd and 3rd syncro a bit slow when cold, but otherwise it is as good as any I have driven.

So high miles can be good too, and there is one available at the local yard, it is just more risky than one with "only" 150k on it.