just picked up a 1984 tercel 4wd sr5

[andrewrenow]

A few more question for the tercel 4wd gods! I've drove it about 700miles the past few weeks it's been running pretty good. But I've have noticed that it's only averaging 26mpg. Is this typical? Also I've noticed that it has been diesiling a bit after I turn the car off. No more than 2 seconds though. I also noticed that I the Pcv valve has been buzzing. I just bought it. Is this suppose to happen?

Dieseling can also occur if you have a vacuum leak, at least in my experience. It would be prudent to check and make sure all the hoses are where they're supposed to be and none are loose. DLB also wrote some good advice on the dieseling issue. If you do a fair bit of city driving mixed in with some hwy I have found 25-28 MPG to be somewhere in the ok range, but others here report 29-32 MPG with mixed driving. I would get the dieseling issue sorted out and then see if that had any effect on gas mileage. Running too lean can also affect mpg as well. Have you noticed any pinging lately?

what do you mean by pinging?

[dlb]

he means a pinging sound coming from the engine, usually on hills or hard acceleration, but it can happen at other times too. also known as predetonation.

[andrewrenow]

I dont think I've heard any of those noises. I do belive I'm not getting good gas mileage because I have been driving with 4-5 people in the car regularly. When I start the car it idles at around 2k rpms. When the car is warm it idles at the line rite under 1k rpms so I guess that it's around 850rpms? I suspect it deiseling because the vacuum lines but shouldn't they be fine since it passed smog?

[dlb]

the tach on the dash is good for rough approximation but it is not accurate. your idle already sounds a tad high and if the tach is reading low, that will do it. lower your idle a bit and see if that cures the dieseling.

haha, driving a car full of pals will do it to your mileage. kick the bums out and see how your mileage looks then.

[tercel4wdrules]

Pinging sounds more like dropping a couple of marbles in a tin can, or something along those lines. Usually you will hear it when you open the throttle hard while under a load. It might pass smog even if the vacuum lines aren't hooked up where they should be. However, if they're not hooked up properly it might act funny, but not always, it just depends how they're connected. I have found that the tach on the dash might be off by 100-300 rpm on avg, so if you have one of those nifty timing lights with a built-in tach function you could check the idle that way too.

I'm surprised you haven't said anything about how the car drives with a full load of passengers. With a full load of passengers I have to raise my shift points and have to usually stay on the throttle longer to avoid making people angry for having an underpowered car. This will definitely affect your mpg average.

[andrewrenow]

I just got the windows tinted yesterday it was a bit more expensve because it doesn't have as much weather stripping inside like the newer car so the film has to be cut spot on in some areas anyway he only charged me $120 for everything. I'm so jealous of some states that let drivers tint their front windows. I also ordered the cv Adela from GSP they are pretty cheap $54 each. After that I plan on putting a nice safari rack on it once I find a good deal on craigslist anyway here goes some pictures. I think it looks 10x better with the tints probably because I can't see the ugly plad interior

[dlb]

i hated the interiors on these things at first but i've come to love them.

looks nice, better than the budget job i got!

[andrewrenow]

I have this Yakima load warrior in my garage that I use on my Subaru but I dont like the way it looks. Maybe if I get the 18" extension it will look better what do you guys think?

[andrewrenow]

just got back from santa cruz. i spotted 2 t4wd out there. they both gave me thumbs up when i drove by. i also spotted a awd civic in mint condition with 46k miles on it. i have to admit i was drolling! the car ran great through the mountains but it dosent like going over 50mph up them lol. another question i had was do these car have filters for the heaters? i hate when i turn the heater on and i smells so bad. i tried looking for a thread but no luck. any info will help. thanks in adavnce!

[ARCHINSTL]

No filters - but I'd remove the glovebox and do some disassembly of the ducting - perhaps some meece have recently died inside? Also at least look in the blower motor cavity.
If you have AC, perhaps some condensate is turning kinda stagnant? If this is true, you might have to do some disassembly - but first blow the drainage line free from the bottom. Then perhaps spray some disinfectant - dunno which kind - perhaps do a Google Search or call an AC shop.
Tom M.

[andrewrenow]

its not really a bad smell kind of like the way an old wall heater smells when its been turned on the first time in a while

[dlb]

could just be dust in there if you haven't used it for a while. don't know what kind of weather you have in CA right now but i know that my project car sat for almost a year and when i recently got it hot and ran the fan for a while, it did smell like burning dust for a minute or so. just like with baseboard heaters, like you say.

[andrewrenow]

could just be dust in there if you haven't used it for a while. don't know what kind of weather you have in CA right now but i know that my project car sat for almost a year and when i recently got it hot and ran the fan for a while, it did smell like burning dust for a minute or so. just like with baseboard heaters, like you say.

i too think that this is all it is. ive never used the heater until recently do defrost the window. when i got the car i believe it sat for over 2 years because it hasnt been registered since 2009. maybe just lint or dust.

[Petros]

spray lysol into the blower intake to fill the system with disinfectant.

[SynthDesign]

The Mega Load warrior 18" extension works good and functions well. Just remember to use 3 bars to mount it otherwise it will bend in the middle.

tercel pstoc 2011.jpg