Seems as though my synchro's are shot
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Now I realise that probably every single person that has had a tranny with bad synchros has said "is there some kind of oil I can put in there to make it work for now" and the answer is probably no...but I thought I would ask anyway.
No way am I going to rebuild anything or replace anything; everytime I hit a bump in the road or anything, I live in fear that my rusty rusty rusty rusty rusty rusty rusty unibody is going to see its last.
Oh and the rear axle is shot too...it still works but BOY is there slop, and the gear noise on the highway is amazingly loud. So any suggestions on fluid in there would not be taken lightly....
For instance....super thick 140weight gear oil? super thin 5-30 motor oil? ATF? I won't be paying for anything like amsoil or redline, but if that is "the temporary cure" then I would like to know anyway for future reference!
Actually I remember in the book "The Grapes of Wrath" the author told of a dirty trick by used car salesmen of filling the tranny with sawdust; made the gears shift smooth as silk. You know....I have an endless supply of fine and SUPERfine oak sawdust...hmmmmmm
hmmm
course it would probably destroy the tranny but at this point, all it has to do is out-last the unibody.
No way am I going to rebuild anything or replace anything; everytime I hit a bump in the road or anything, I live in fear that my rusty rusty rusty rusty rusty rusty rusty unibody is going to see its last.
Oh and the rear axle is shot too...it still works but BOY is there slop, and the gear noise on the highway is amazingly loud. So any suggestions on fluid in there would not be taken lightly....
For instance....super thick 140weight gear oil? super thin 5-30 motor oil? ATF? I won't be paying for anything like amsoil or redline, but if that is "the temporary cure" then I would like to know anyway for future reference!
Actually I remember in the book "The Grapes of Wrath" the author told of a dirty trick by used car salesmen of filling the tranny with sawdust; made the gears shift smooth as silk. You know....I have an endless supply of fine and SUPERfine oak sawdust...hmmmmmm
hmmm
course it would probably destroy the tranny but at this point, all it has to do is out-last the unibody.
Don't let one of these great cars pass to death! lol. Too bad you can't or won't take the time to replace rusted stuff and fix the brokenness, but then again, some things are just too far beyond fixing.
Try a good thick synthetic oil is what I would say, but thats just me.
Try a good thick synthetic oil is what I would say, but thats just me.
RIP 10-07- 1984 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed
RIP 04-05- 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed
1st Terc- 1987 Tercel SR5 4wd Wagon 6-speed, Sadly cubed
1985 Tercel Standard 4wd Wagon w/ 3-speed auto, Living a happy life in Boulder last I knew
RIP 04-05- 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed
1st Terc- 1987 Tercel SR5 4wd Wagon 6-speed, Sadly cubed
1985 Tercel Standard 4wd Wagon w/ 3-speed auto, Living a happy life in Boulder last I knew
I've heard that Amsoil synth gear oil helps synchro issues...costly to try it though....I'd just use good dino gear oil...main thing is to make sure it has 4 quarts in it. Probably 90W?
Easiest to just drain it...clean the plugs...refill with 4.1 qts.
Sounds like you might have a loose pinion nut at the rear diff....need to take the driveshaft loose and try torqing it to specs...will need to use threadlock or stake the threads. I tried the sawdust & grease thing once...didn't do much.
Generally speaking....try not to hit any bumps.......?
Easiest to just drain it...clean the plugs...refill with 4.1 qts.
Sounds like you might have a loose pinion nut at the rear diff....need to take the driveshaft loose and try torqing it to specs...will need to use threadlock or stake the threads. I tried the sawdust & grease thing once...didn't do much.
Generally speaking....try not to hit any bumps.......?
Give a boy a gun-give a biatch a cell phone-and pretty soon you almost got yourself a police state.
Orwell said: War is peace! Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength...

Orwell said: War is peace! Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength...

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Typrus: Actually I *DO* feel quite bad about it, and I hesitate to be the guy that lets a car die...when I bought it, I did so cuz it made me laugh, such a tiny 4wd? who they kiddin? but then I found this page and I was super excited to build it up into the camping vehicle of my dreams! 30+mpg? and some offroad capability? that's what i'm talking about...my favourite place to go "wheeling" is a ten hour drive from here (black hills, SD) so the 30mpg would have been nice. But, after I spent some quality time on the creeper, poking things and watching them crumble, including the various places that the bushings are mounted to keep the axle in place!! I welded new ones of those. But serious there is not much left....I did take the time to fix the leaks though, and new water pump, and I am rebuilding the carb now. and the stereo system got a little "upgrade"
I think if I drive it nicely and nobody crashes into me, I bet it should last another year or something...but if anybody hit me, the car would probably fold like an accordian, or if I hit a curb or something the suspension would probably remove itself from the small amount of solid metal under there hee hee
I would offer it up for parts or something but there probably isn't much on there anyone wants, just an old 3ac after all with shot tranny, front end, rear end, yay.
But actually Takza, you think I might just have the loose pinion nut? I can find out I suppose...here's what happens: If I am under the car, and I grab the driveshaft, I can turn it either way probably 1/8 turn or something, before I hear the "clunk" of gears coming together and THEN the wheels turn. Stop, turn shaft the other way...same thing...1/8 turn, clunk, wheels turn. And going down the road, it sounds like.....like.....well I've heard wheel bearings before and it's not that, this is gears...I guess like a really big version of a kid's R/C car is what is sounds like, all those gears, GGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
and it speeds up the faster I go, you don't really hear it till you get to like 20mph or something.
Oh yes back to the oil - I did actually check the oils and I opened the filler plug on the tranny, then the xfer case, then the rear diff...each time, oil started coming out of the hole so I said "well it's full" and put the plug back in. I was actually hoping they would be empty cuz that would be my easy fix! But I don't know what kind of oil was in there, all I know is it had that "gearbox oil" smell.
I think if I drive it nicely and nobody crashes into me, I bet it should last another year or something...but if anybody hit me, the car would probably fold like an accordian, or if I hit a curb or something the suspension would probably remove itself from the small amount of solid metal under there hee hee
I would offer it up for parts or something but there probably isn't much on there anyone wants, just an old 3ac after all with shot tranny, front end, rear end, yay.
But actually Takza, you think I might just have the loose pinion nut? I can find out I suppose...here's what happens: If I am under the car, and I grab the driveshaft, I can turn it either way probably 1/8 turn or something, before I hear the "clunk" of gears coming together and THEN the wheels turn. Stop, turn shaft the other way...same thing...1/8 turn, clunk, wheels turn. And going down the road, it sounds like.....like.....well I've heard wheel bearings before and it's not that, this is gears...I guess like a really big version of a kid's R/C car is what is sounds like, all those gears, GGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
and it speeds up the faster I go, you don't really hear it till you get to like 20mph or something.
Oh yes back to the oil - I did actually check the oils and I opened the filler plug on the tranny, then the xfer case, then the rear diff...each time, oil started coming out of the hole so I said "well it's full" and put the plug back in. I was actually hoping they would be empty cuz that would be my easy fix! But I don't know what kind of oil was in there, all I know is it had that "gearbox oil" smell.
I camped in the Black Hills a couple of times a while ago....lot of forest roads there....if they haven't closed some of them. Not too much farther to the Big Horns. Then you got your mountains in western Wyoming and Montana.....and the Cascades...... :rolleyes:
You need to be looking for a good Tercel...got mine set up to camp...going to carry a tent on top. Goin' bar huntin'.
You need to be looking for a good Tercel...got mine set up to camp...going to carry a tent on top. Goin' bar huntin'.
Give a boy a gun-give a biatch a cell phone-and pretty soon you almost got yourself a police state.
Orwell said: War is peace! Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength...

Orwell said: War is peace! Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength...

Heh. Like a school bus rear diff? WHIRRRRRRRRRRR.. Obnoxious noise. Or like most cars sound in reverse? I'd say you need some new and thicker oil in those diffs. Why? Thicker, high quality oil actually provides cushion for the gears, quieting them drastically and decreasing wear a good degree. A low quality thick oil will show no improvement, more than likely. Again, a name comes to mind- Amsoil. Then again, you could try Schaeffer's Oil as well. Its also a pretty good oil. 1/8 turn? I think thats normal? I have yet to check mine.
If you have time and some fundage, you could always rebuild the body with some nice Stainless or standard steel. If you wanted to you could use Aluminum I'm sure. Here's an idea- You could try a full tube-frame as GTS described. It would not solve your sheet-metal issues but would take the stress of the dying frame and allow it to live at least a few more days. There is probably a lot you could do to fix it up, assuming you have the funds and the time on your hands.
If you have time and some fundage, you could always rebuild the body with some nice Stainless or standard steel. If you wanted to you could use Aluminum I'm sure. Here's an idea- You could try a full tube-frame as GTS described. It would not solve your sheet-metal issues but would take the stress of the dying frame and allow it to live at least a few more days. There is probably a lot you could do to fix it up, assuming you have the funds and the time on your hands.
RIP 10-07- 1984 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed
RIP 04-05- 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed
1st Terc- 1987 Tercel SR5 4wd Wagon 6-speed, Sadly cubed
1985 Tercel Standard 4wd Wagon w/ 3-speed auto, Living a happy life in Boulder last I knew
RIP 04-05- 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed
1st Terc- 1987 Tercel SR5 4wd Wagon 6-speed, Sadly cubed
1985 Tercel Standard 4wd Wagon w/ 3-speed auto, Living a happy life in Boulder last I knew
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I would say that time/effort/money spent fixing the 84 would be better spent finding/buying a slightly newer one that wasn't completely gone. Minnesota isn't necessarily the perfect place to do such a thing but whatever, actually for now this one may hold in there for as long as I could want, who knows?
I may see about getting some nice oil for it though.
Takza - Big Horns was my summer trip this year....a few days there, and some fun along the way....wee!! I drove my nissan pathfinder there though, not as easy on the gas but at least it won't break in half
I may see about getting some nice oil for it though.
Takza - Big Horns was my summer trip this year....a few days there, and some fun along the way....wee!! I drove my nissan pathfinder there though, not as easy on the gas but at least it won't break in half
HAH! Break in half? I just got back from a nice trip on iced over roads during which I experienced some lovely oversteer that sent me on a nice 40 mph trip into a 4 foot deep, maybe 10 foot across ditch. Know what happened? I just flew in (at an angle) and popped back up the other side. Damages? A rock ate a nice gash/dent in the side of my car. That is literally it. No other damages whatsoever.. Well, to the car anyway (grabs the back of his neck)
Then again, what do you expect from a near rustless beastie.
Then again, what do you expect from a near rustless beastie.
RIP 10-07- 1984 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed
RIP 04-05- 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed
1st Terc- 1987 Tercel SR5 4wd Wagon 6-speed, Sadly cubed
1985 Tercel Standard 4wd Wagon w/ 3-speed auto, Living a happy life in Boulder last I knew
RIP 04-05- 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed
1st Terc- 1987 Tercel SR5 4wd Wagon 6-speed, Sadly cubed
1985 Tercel Standard 4wd Wagon w/ 3-speed auto, Living a happy life in Boulder last I knew
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You should notice some improvement with a synthetic oil especially for manual transmissions, such as the Redline MT-90. There are doubts about the long term effects of these oils, so check it once in a while if you use it. I had improvements using the Redline at first, eventually that whole tranny went to crap and when I drained the Redline out, it was black. In my new one I have a cheap 80W-90 that's for industrial use, and it sucks in the cold.
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Big Horns!
...arnt those alittle "Tuff-on-the-Barbie"?
My last two years in Oregon I went Bowhunting for rosevelt Elk.I didnt get one,but thanks to my rifle~season buddys I sure-did eat me some! My friend Gasoline Fume's is gonna show me a special place where I can get ALL the Elk I want...Right Fume's?
Ummmmmmm!!!
Elkburger's!!! 





1984 SR5~Tercel 4wd-6.Spd<br><br>
Elk bratwurst is dang good eatin', thats for sure.
3A-C, what you probably were suffering is the solvent effect of the synth. If you have a tranny/engine/anything with a lot of varnish and deposit build-up, synthetic will dissolve that varnishing and buildup away. This can create openings in pre-existant leak pathways that were clogged with the gunk, it can create excessive gaps where varnishes filled the void, things along those lines. If you use a shotty oil for too long, it will create problems and mask them with a nice varnish coating, that will be eaten away by a good synth, exposing the issue. Why use synth then? You may ask. The varnishes will create bigger and bigger gaps and spaces, just like ice over time in concrete. It will be slightely masked over by the buildup of fairly tough deposits and varnishes, but after a while the gaps are large enough that these varnishes and deposits will sluff away and that can cause a sudden shock to the system creating opening for catestrophic systems failure. If you have a bearing that has a play of maybe 1/64 of an inch, filled with goo, and a wearing down of 1/32 inch of the gears, and the likes, the sudden slamming of all those deposits getting pushed away can cause big issues very quickly.
And that is only part of the issue.
If you start using synthetic early on, these deposits almost never build up, and varnish buildup is extremely stunted. Why do you think big-rigs using dino only go maybe 700k miles while synths are going 1 million+ miles, with almost no wear?
But don't take my word for it,. go do 100+ hours of research for yourself.
3A-C, what you probably were suffering is the solvent effect of the synth. If you have a tranny/engine/anything with a lot of varnish and deposit build-up, synthetic will dissolve that varnishing and buildup away. This can create openings in pre-existant leak pathways that were clogged with the gunk, it can create excessive gaps where varnishes filled the void, things along those lines. If you use a shotty oil for too long, it will create problems and mask them with a nice varnish coating, that will be eaten away by a good synth, exposing the issue. Why use synth then? You may ask. The varnishes will create bigger and bigger gaps and spaces, just like ice over time in concrete. It will be slightely masked over by the buildup of fairly tough deposits and varnishes, but after a while the gaps are large enough that these varnishes and deposits will sluff away and that can cause a sudden shock to the system creating opening for catestrophic systems failure. If you have a bearing that has a play of maybe 1/64 of an inch, filled with goo, and a wearing down of 1/32 inch of the gears, and the likes, the sudden slamming of all those deposits getting pushed away can cause big issues very quickly.
And that is only part of the issue.
If you start using synthetic early on, these deposits almost never build up, and varnish buildup is extremely stunted. Why do you think big-rigs using dino only go maybe 700k miles while synths are going 1 million+ miles, with almost no wear?
But don't take my word for it,. go do 100+ hours of research for yourself.
RIP 10-07- 1984 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed
RIP 04-05- 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed
1st Terc- 1987 Tercel SR5 4wd Wagon 6-speed, Sadly cubed
1985 Tercel Standard 4wd Wagon w/ 3-speed auto, Living a happy life in Boulder last I knew
RIP 04-05- 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed
1st Terc- 1987 Tercel SR5 4wd Wagon 6-speed, Sadly cubed
1985 Tercel Standard 4wd Wagon w/ 3-speed auto, Living a happy life in Boulder last I knew
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4.1 quarts I think, so yeah, a little over a gallon.
RIP 10-07- 1984 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed
RIP 04-05- 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed
1st Terc- 1987 Tercel SR5 4wd Wagon 6-speed, Sadly cubed
1985 Tercel Standard 4wd Wagon w/ 3-speed auto, Living a happy life in Boulder last I knew
RIP 04-05- 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed
1st Terc- 1987 Tercel SR5 4wd Wagon 6-speed, Sadly cubed
1985 Tercel Standard 4wd Wagon w/ 3-speed auto, Living a happy life in Boulder last I knew