overheated...

[greeneggs&ham]

Hey folks,

So I am new to this site, I've tried looking around the internet to get a better grasp to the common issues for Toyota Tercel 4wd cars. Mine is a 1985, everything ran perfectly fine all the way from Washington down to the grapevine mountain outside of LA (was taking it to Mexico for a roadtrip) and then it overheated going up the mountain. Tried sitting and waiting for it to cool down so we could move on, did that twice and it overheated then on the 3rd time it just kinda died. We set it at a truck stop for a week till we could get back to it, then it would not start. It turned over, nothing was shooting out water or anything. Cleaned the carburator, spark plugs looked fine but it would not start. Month later, step-dad tries to start it and water shoots out everywhere, water in oil, water on spark plug #3, goop in radiator. We opened up the head as those all seemed to be sure signs of a cracked block or head gasket, and the gasket is not cracked but there is no sure sign of leakage anywhere.
So I was wondering if ya'll know what's most common when it comes to cracked head gasket or block or leaks, etc?

Thanks so much for your time and any input you may have!

[Petros]

Welcome to the list!

sorry to hear that about your tercel, this engine is very sensitive to overheating and it likely needs the head gasket replaced. The thermostat typical slowly goes bad, not opening all the way, and you only know it when there is a hard demand on the engine. It should be replaced every two years with a high quality one (usualy $15-20, not the $6.99 junk).

You will not necessarily see a damaged head gasket, the head does not cool evenly because of a faulty design, and the uneven heating causes the gasket to break its seal between the 1 and 2 cylinder. Once that happens it will not reseal, so it has to get replaced. Cracking of heads or blocks in a Toyota is extremely rare, so if the head surface is still flat, you just need a new gasket. Use the procedure and mods I outline in this link to make it more durable:

https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6059

Good luck