How's your bushings?

[dlb]

tom, i tried looking at the new forum a little while ago and again just now but it says i'm not authorized to look at it. do you know what's up with it?

[SweetwaterJoe]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all the great info. It was exactly what I was looking for. The dummy proof approach. Now I can only blame myself if I screw up . I did verify the parts are still available. So that's good.

I am going to a junk yard here in Denver tomorrow. They have both an '85 4WD and a '86 non 4wd (2 door). I am thinking I am going to take the lower control arm because I suspect mine are pretty beat up since the bushigns are about gone. Might as well take the sway bar as well. I am going to check the parts catalog to see if they are the same on the '86 2 door (2wd). I tried to get into that BEFORE my first posting and didn't notice it was accessible only after I posted the first time.

I used to have a couple of Toyota 4wd vans and there was a great forum to support that group. This one seems equally as helpful. Time to make a donation... appreciate all your knowledge and help. Its sincerely appreciated.

Joe

[ARCHINSTL]

dlb - See PM.

Joe -
See the second post in this thread before attempting to remove the arm on YOUR car! http://www.tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtop ... ing#p24528
Tom M.

[rer233]

SweetwaterJoe-- if you're doing the sway bar bushings AND control arms at the same time, think you'll find the easiest method is to bolt the control arm to the sway bar BEFORE attaching it to the uni-body. next bolt the arm to the uni-body (leaving the bolt somewhat loose) and finally bolt the balljoint to the steering knuckle. this way, you don't have to fight the sway bar tension or need a come-along. then put the car on the ground (or on a curb or ramps) and tighten up the control arm to uni-body bolts and sway bar to control arm nuts. actually, even if i'm only doing sway bar bushings, i take off one control arm, the sway bar to subframe bolts, the sway bar nut on the other control arm and re-assemble in the reverse order. I HATE GETTING HURT! hope this helps

[SweetwaterJoe]

Hey Guys,

Really appreciate all the advice. I suspect the junkyard will have the vehicle up in the air with front tires dangling. Can I just put a jack under one tire to relieve pressure on that side control arm? Would I need to do the same for the other side?

What will cause the pain... tension on the sway bar releasing into my forearm?

I've got a healthy dose of respect for sprung metal rods.

Joe

[rer233]

you got it! don't much care for sprung metal rods under tension either. as for removal, make sure both front wheels are off the ground, remove the balljoint- to- strut ass'y bolts (2 14 mm head), remove the sway bar- to- control arm nut, and finally, remove the control arm- to- unibody bolt. nothing should be "loaded" as the spring is restrained by the strut ass'y. then seperate the outboard end of the balljoint from the strut ass'y, rotate the control arm so it clears the uni-body, and slide it off the sway bar. it's a lot easier than it sounds! good luck!

[SweetwaterJoe]

O.K., I went to the junk yard today. Nice and cool. Got there before the winds picked up and started to blow dust around.

What I found is that one strut had already been removed. Anyway, I was able to get the sway bar / control arms off as a unit but likely not in the way you instructed. It raised a few questions for me since I will take off the current sway bar / control arms on mine tomorrow. I already have that great parts list ordered with all the bushings (you guys made it too easy for me).

Do I take off the two sway bar bushing brackets that attach to the frame before or after I start the removal. Today at the junk yard I took them off last and that left them to support a lot of weight. Seems like I messed that up.

Wheels off the ground means unsupported (like on jack stands, right?).

I still can't quite figure out what is putting tension on the sway bar... the control arm while attached to the ball joint / strut mount?

Thanks guys. Today I disassembled the front end of a Tercel. That is by far and away the 'biggest' autmotive project I've attempted. I wouldn't have even tried without the advice given.

Joe

[dlb]

what you did was right but you need a jack to support the sway bar. ideally, do this:

remove the nuts and the rearmost bushings from the sway bar ends. compress the sway bar ends using ratcheting cargo straps. use a jack to support the center of the bar, between the mounts. remove the mounts and lower the sway bar down on the jack and pull it out of the control arm holes.

unsupported means nothing bearing the objects weight.

the tension on the sway bar comes from twisting the bar upwards at the front.

sorry to be short, my wife is calling me. good work, keep it up!

[CMB]

Just did the sway bar bushings today. Noticeable improvement in ride. Felt great in the corners on skyline drive.

I just removed bar and old bushings, replaced end bushings (front half), inserted one bar end into control arm and with a little muscle bent the bar and inserted into other control arm. It really did not take much force. This was with vehicle weight on wheels, aka front of car on ramp. The brackets took a little mustering and pretightening of end links, but I was able to get the bolts threaded without any cuss words or busted knuckles. FSM suggests prying the bar forward with pry bar. Just saw that.

Definitely a worth while project.

[SweetwaterJoe]

O.K., guys. Sorry for the long overdue update. I did this job and the tips and tricks were really helpful. Using a strap really helped get it all back together.

The downside to this job is now I'm hooked. Being an ex-Toyota Van 4WD guy working on the Tercel was sooo much easier. The other interesting news is the prices for all the front end components has gone up. I ordered from Butler (http://www.toyotaoemparts.com) and my complete package was $260.86 in May 2011 (compared to $212. in 2007). They still have the same free shipping deal for orders over $200. AND less than five pounds. I will update the price list that Tom M. (ARCHINSTL) posted. That was really helpful to have all the part numbers so nicely listed.

Now for the really bad news. I went from owning one Tercel to owning two since I wrote last. The first one was an '85. This new one is an '84 but with one BIG difference. It has a sunroof. Heck, I've always wanted a sunroof. I couldn't pass it up. I even have the original windown sticker. How cool is that. I will scan and post soon.

Anyone one known a good psychologist that can help me overcome a burgeoning addiction before it gets out of control. I routinely do a Jaxed Tercel search in the morning before work. This is getting worse. Help me, please. Quickly...

[tercel4wdrules]

Anyone one known a good psychologist that can help me overcome a burgeoning addiction before it gets out of control. I routinely do a Jaxed Tercel search in the morning before work. This is getting worse. Help me, please. Quickly...

I'm afraid that once you get overcome with this mental affliction, it may progressively get worse. You may experience withdrawl symptoms if you go too long without driving a T4WD. It's very easy to go overboard with them. Just a word of caution...

[dlb]

i'm in the same boat. i had a parts one that i hate myself for scrapping before pulling more stuff off, and bought another one for parts that has instead become the new project. i won't keep it though, i want it to be loved and convert someone else into a T4 fan.

is your sunroof electric? i've seen a few different kinds and am not sure if the manual ones are home jobs. one looked like it but maybe it was just a sloppy home repair for a leak. my primary terc has an electric one, as well as a clinometer, roof racks, and adjustable intermittent wipers, and it's all kind of ironic that the oldest, cheapest vehicle i've ever owned is also the most 'luxurious'--i use that term loosely.

[SweetwaterJoe]

Yep, my sunroof is electric and factory since I have the original window sticker. It has a safety button that needs to be depressed to close. Sounds like you have the same thing. On my '84 it was a $415. option. I also have the tilt-inclinometer. That was part of the SR5 package. The only thing that is missing for me is cruise control. I would use it if I had it. The best part is the color. The factory name is 'Dark Orange Metallic' with tan plaid seats. This combo would likely have made me throw up if I saw it on the lot new but there is something so very wrong about it I love it . Tan and orange. Whoever dreamed that combo up was color blind... I mean a genius. I'll post the window sticker tonight.

[rer233]

bought my current daily driver about 13 or 14 years ago. it had been sitting in a driveway of what appeared to be an abandoned house. put a note on the windshield but didn't hear anything back for 3 or 4 months. the owner of the house called one day, said the house was being sold and the car had to go. wound up paying $200 for it . it wouldn't start (bad starter), the tranny was bad, body was ugly, interior was trashed (think a junkie had been living in it- found a duffle bag full of clothes in the back) and it had a myriad of mechanical problems. my girlfriend at the time said "you paid $200 for a sunroof!" to which i replied "yeah- pretty much." i do LOVE the electric sunroof. anyway, good luck with your new-found addiction! myself, i've been a 16 year addict and hope i run out of breaths before the world runs out of tercel wagons!

[tercel4wdrules]

Yep, my sunroof is electric and factory since I have the original window sticker. It has a safety button that needs to be depressed to close. Sounds like you have the same thing. On my '84 it was a $415. option. I also have the tilt-inclinometer. That was part of the SR5 package. The only thing that is missing for me is cruise control. I would use it if I had it. The best part is the color. The factory name is 'Dark Orange Metallic' with tan plaid seats. This combo would likely have made me throw up if I saw it on the lot new but there is something so very wrong about it I love it . Tan and orange. Whoever dreamed that combo up was color blind... I mean a genius. I'll post the window sticker tonight.

As far as I know, the factory cruise control was not available until the 1986 model year. I have seen aftermarket cruise controls retrofitted into the older models. I have an orange metallic '83 deluxe wagon that looks quite copper now as the paint has oxidized, I don't mind the color much.