I give up

Adelard of Bath · Post by **Adelard of Bath** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 7:53 pm

Okay well I have been driving my car around town, after it died on my on the highway...and sure enough it finally decided to die in town, as I came to a stoplight...so I managed to coast into a place where I wasn't in the way of traffic and tried for considerable time to get it to start....nothin.....I dunno if it is flooding or what but I can't get it to go. After I called somebody and they came with another car we managed to get it on a side street, and with the jumper cables and lots more cranking, I DID get it to start to cough...then kept at it till it was going....really crappily...so I revved it and revved it and naturally it was running pretty smooth then, but then my waterpump/alt belt jumped off AGAIN! and this time got ripped in two...that's my new $15 belt! you goin down tercel!!!!
Why does my belt jump off? So anyway it would run but like crap...then it died so I just left it parked there, it was fine where it was.
Went back this evening, it started (from sitting there, thinking about what it did) but it ran like crap of course, and with no waterpump and no alternator, and the battery almost dead....fun times...but I managed to get home, a harrowing two miles through heavy traffic, it wanting to die at lights and stuff, but I held the rpms up....luckily for me it was like twenty below zero outside, that held the engine temps at bay.
SOOOO I got it in my parent's driveway, and they gave me a ride back to where I had parked my OTHER car.
And the Tercel is going to stay in their driveway.
Indefinetely.
Or at least, until I get it running enough that I can drive it to the junkyard! And this time, I am serious, no more half-joking "junkyard" statements for me, this time, its going there and I think it knows it.

Guess I did anger the tercel gods this morning when I spoke harshly of their braking systems! Oh well they can deal with it! Someday there won't be ANY tercels left!! how you feel about that, tercel gods?

Oh, just for my own curiosity, it is acting (all day) like it was BEFORE I rebuilt the carb...except worse...that is what brings me down the most. But what I find most interesting is, if I get the engine above 3k, it runs great! always 3k. The guy before me told me a tale of replacing the timing belt, and doing it at night, and not being sure of the timing marks, but they started it and it purred so he's like "just leave it alone!" so possibly the belt is on there wrong?
That wouldn't affect the way it dies on me though, or won't start again.

Interesting to note that both times it died, I couldn't see any fuel in the bowl through the sight glass. Unable to determine if it was totally full, or totally empty, and banging on the float-area didn't change anything.

So I hatched a plan to part it out, maybe, so if you see a post in the "parts" section you know why

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 9:05 pm

I can understand your anger. But consider this- You just Sea-Foamed it, right? Engines will run like crap while their gunk is being removed. It also could've dislodged something in the fuel tank causing a partial blockage. Your fuel pump might have a diaphragm problem causing occasional decrease in pumping. Your timing may be so advanced or retarded that it is difficult to start (like putting on a hot cam) and runs like crap in the lower RPMs and is aggravated by the potential fueling issues. Your ignition might be partially grounding perhaps? Might cause a problem with running but thats less doubtfull.
Are you remembering to tighten the lower bolt on your alternator when you wail the belt tight? I was only doing the top for a while and it kept loosening which made the belt wobble (threatening to leap away) and the water pump to not work so great.

Don't quite give her up yet. I suspect you grow very tired of hearing that, but you never know... It could turn out to be a broken spark plug wire... Well, unlikely, but you get the idea.

3A-C Power · Post by **3A-C Power** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 9:41 pm

Uhhh, check the fuel filter

Adelard of Bath · Post by **Adelard of Bath** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 9:58 pm

Actually I didn't get around to doing any of the seafoam stuff yet...so it has no excuses! and it only does it when it is like "I am tired of all this driving around stuff" like after my 50 mile drive the other day, or after my 10 mile drive today, then off, then like a 1/2 mile drive, then dead!

fuel filter...hmm.....i DID just mess with the gas tank.
Or I could just sell it and be done with it....even if I get it working, its gonna be dead in no time anyway, and if somebody hits me while i'm driving, i am toast.

maybe i'll look at the fuel filter tomorrow, depends on how I feel

but when i was driving it today and it was doing that thing where I push the gas part-throttle and it doesn't want to go....I was like "i hate my car"

plus it ate my belt! no matter which way I look at it, that's 15 bucks, and it did it on purpose. Bad tercel! bad!

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:17 pm

Again.. Make sure it is the right belt and that you have it quite tight, with both alternator bolts tightened very very well, and remember to check it often for tension.

Now that I think of it, it probably is your fuel filter. That is only about a $1.50 part I believe. You might want to buy 2 if thats what you think it is, so that the Sea-Foam treat you'd prolly do if you decide to give it another go would loosen up lots of crap.

Adelard of Bath · Post by **Adelard of Bath** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:27 pm

But why would my fuel filter work great tooling down the highway at 3k, then the instant I push in the clutch, die? and not restart?
Like a dumbass, I didn't check if the accel pump was pumping...
oh but I did test the fuel pump for flow, thinking that went out, and the flow was flowing! that I can guarantee. And the fuel filter is before the pump.

I could go check it now, but my parents' house is a 20 minute drive.
and its very cold out.

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:35 pm

I suggest you check it anyway. Never hurts with such an el-cheapo part.
You might be suffering from a constant fueling of higher RPM's issue? I mean, the lower the RPM's go, its getting too much fuel for the air causing extreme richness and thus a big problem with performance. Could possibly explain empty fuel bowl... Accel pump pumping more than the fuel pump is supplying or something wierd like that. That would explain performance boost at higher RPM's as the same amount of fuel is getting supplied...
I don't even know if thats possible, just an idea.

Adelard of Bath · Post by **Adelard of Bath** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:47 pm

I kinda like your theory tho! hmm but unfortunately, carbs kinda live in their own little "secret society" and dont give me any clues as to what is happening.

Actually I don't know if the bowl was empty or full....I thought the float might be sticking so I banged on the area but got no response...man if the car was solid, I would get that weber or holley or whatever you were talking about, and then tell you how it went
or edelbroch!

As far as the engine coming alive at 3k, I always suspected the timing belt, since the guy basically said he might not have gotten it on there right...but it always worked for him, and I never really had a problem till it got cold, and it doesn't do it all the time. but if the engine is bogging, and you just keep accelerating, once it gets to 3k (or very near) it just takes off

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:07 pm

It could be the timing. "Borrow" a timing light from Autozone if you can.

Adelard of Bath · Post by **Adelard of Bath** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:16 pm

oh i have one of my own!

see, the problem here is.....i could be like "maybe its plugs" and replace those, and then "maybe its wires" and replace those, then "maybe its the timing belt" and replace that, then this and that and the other. which would be great
but you saw what my car looked like. so its hard to get motivated when I know damn well if I don't dump it now, i'm either going to die in it, or I'm going to have to get rid of it when something REALLY breaks on it. i.e get it towed off the highway or something....i know a guy who had an 86 corolla (normal fwd sedan) had his front axle snap or something on a busy interstate in StPaul...then you gotta get it towed, try not to get run over by traffic, be stuck in a bad part of town at night, blah blah blah...

Well whatever those are just excuses..the truth is, i'm lazy, and i'm not motivated to fix something that everyone can agree belongs in the JY

although I will look at it tomorrow again

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:25 pm

I think the point more at this point is to get the engine working right. If you can find a good body with a nice tranny but a dead engine, you could plop that one in and look at what you have! A running, working, reliable Terc!

Adelard of Bath · Post by **Adelard of Bath** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:31 pm

Yes but my brain is telling me that
a) that won't happen
B) i'd rather find one from the later 80s that was in good shape from the southwest or something, pay more for it...

but right now I dont *actually* have a job, just taking a nice vacation living on my savings, so any projects running over 1k are kinda on hold.
although a road trip to arizona to get something good would hit the spot! I bet it is -5 outside right now....or colder

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:37 pm

Where are you again? Minnesota? Its about 8 degrees here in Colorado. I don't care who you are, thats still friggin cold.
If you could find one in good condition except the engine, you are cutting a good deal of the sale price. A great car with a working engine may cost $2500, but without that running engine it'll slash down to maybe $1500.

Adelard of Bath · Post by **Adelard of Bath** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 11:08 am

I should drive down to arizona to visit my grandparents...then scour arizona, nevada,utah, new mex, to find a late model 4wd, then do one of the oft-mentioned fuel injected swaps! mwah hah hah

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 2:41 pm

Zona... Try Colorado as well if you can. As we have snow and mountains, you'll be likely to find one. Dang my day has sucked...... I feel like running over something hehehehe... Maybe if your Terc could find its way to me and my friends we could have a sledgefest.... j/k lol