fastest tercel ever

[dlb]

check it out. i know it's only km/h and not miles/h but i think it's still pretty impressive. it was especially hard taking my eyes off the road and hands off the wheel to take the pic but this was clearly important and required documentation.



psyche! my speedo just goes nuts when it's really cold out and i thought it would make a cute photo.

[Highlander]

This is the first time I've ever heard of anyone else with this problem. My wife's does it only when its wicked, freakin' cold out (like today and the rest of this week -28*F tonight), and then goes away once the cabin is warm. I'm ready to take an '83 speedo apart to see what's going on and what could cause it. I'll update you, David, when/if I find anything out. COOL Pic! I've been doing 125 mph in second gear before (indicated, not real)

[turdsmell#2]

what is impressive is that its only at 1800 RPM!!

[ARCHINSTL]

davidlucasbarnes has the extremely rare JDM overdrive option, which keeps the revs down and gives unbelievable fuel economy.
Tom M.

[takza]

I'd be nervous too...at THOSE speeds!

[Petros]

davidlucasbarnes has the extremely rare JDM overdrive option, which keeps the revs down and gives unbelievable fuel economy.

Must also have some kind of rare high output JDM engine to hit those speeds at only 1800 rpm! Where can I get an engine like that? It has got to be an easy bolt-in conversion.

[tercel4wdrules]

It would be the recherché JDM turbo diesel option which produces peak torque at such low rpm .

[dlb]

highlander, i have no idea why it does it but it sounds the same as your wife's, as it goes away after warming up. i used to have a '91 tercel coupe and it did it too, when i was in edmonton braving the -20 winter mornings.

[dlb]

highlander, did you ever figure this out? now that it's cold out it's doing it again. as soon as it get's near 0* mine starts doing it. when i get a chance i will pull my dash hood off and take a look back there to see what i can see.

[takza]

Possible that it is caused by oil getting into the speedo thru the cable? They work by "magnetic drag" over a small gap....the rotating magnet "drags" the needle over to indicate speed....oil in the gap can cause a high reading....or dirt?

[4doorVIP]

this thread is funny because mine is doing the same thing
it will 'float' between 80-130km/h

I end up judging my speed by rpms, it also makes this high speeds gear noise which is a bit annoying

[4doorVIP]

dlb I took a video filmed in Mexico this morning of my needle!
http://youtu.be/-EnzmHL1lnU

Anyone know of a fix? The cluster looks like a pita to remove

[dlb]

it's not, just take out a few screws on the underside of the dash hood and the hood comes off, the a few more screws and the electrical plugs and the whole dash cluster comes out. i'll get to it sometime in the near future.

[Petros]

I think the problem is internal to the speedo. It works because of a magnet that rotated very close to a metal bar or plate, when the bushings wear the magnet touches against the plate and push it to the peg. I do not know if the bushing is replaceable or not, or if it just the plastic in the housing. I supposed you could make a bushing and drill out the worn pivot axis. Hardly seems worth the effort since a replacement cluster is about $30 from a self service wrecking yard.

[dlb]

still seems funny that it would only act up in cold weather though.