Tercel Wagon not for highway travel?

[caerickson]

I have an 85' SR5 and I love it, it's a champ! But the temperature gets hot fairly easily. The rpm runs at about 3500 when I get up to highway speed (70 mph). It doesn't take too long for this to bring my temperature up and risk overheating the engine. When I asked a mechanic about this, he told me that this car was simply not built for the highway and that I should stick to slower roads rather than the Colorado mountains that I purchased it for in the first place. Was this mechanic right? Or is there anything I can do to keep my temperature down so I can use this for road trips and mountain trips? Any tips would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Chad

[splatterdog]

Check radiator for plugging, inside and out. Also make sure the fins aren't disintegrating on the rad. Pressure cap good? Maybe a stat for good measure. Use OE. Check fan belt too.

Your mechanic has a low opinion of your car. 70 should not be a prob. I do 85 in the heat of the summer with no trouble.

Taller tires will reduce your cruising rpm's,with a slight loss of pickup. I run 195/70/14 and it shaves about 200 rpm off.

[dlb]

i wouldn't take the car to that mechanic anymore. the tercel is fine for hwy speeds. 70 mph sounds a little fast (my max speed is about 100 km/h, or 60 mph) so i would personally just learn to drive a little easier so the engine isn't wound out so much. that's totally a personal preference though.

the heat issue is likely due to a bad thermostat. another member just had a similar issue and this was the cause. buy a new one (they're pretty cheap), put it in (it's easy), and give hwy speeds another shot. forum member petros has mentioned to go with the more expensive brands of thermostats, as he has had bad luck with the cheap ones. it's only a few dollars difference and still ~$25 so i would take that advice. splatterdog also gave good advice about a plugged rad. maybe use a rad flush to clean it out before you do the thermostat just to be sure. use something like this:

http://www.prestone.com/products/print/424?popup=1

[4wdchico]

Find a new mechanic. IIRC there is a really good one who knows the t4wd well in Denver.

My "85 t4wd SR5 has been driven hard thru the Rocky & Sierra mtns. and also up many hot, steep & long desert grades with the A/C blasting & it will not overheat. First, make sure that the electric rad cooling fan is working, The fan should run if you pull the connector from the sensor on the bottom tank of the rad with the key in the on position. If that checks out, reconnect the sensor wire and start the car and let it idle for a while, the cooling fan should cycle on and off before the temp goes up over half way on the gauge. If it does not, replace the lower tank sensor.

Next, pressure test your system to make sure there are not any leaks, particularly a leaking head gasket. Autozone has a cooling system pressure tester available thru it's tool lending program. If no leaks, replace your thermostat with a real 'yota one. Replace your upper rad hose unless you know for a fact that is very near new. Also replace any other cooling system hose, including heater hoses, that looks at all questionable, or is not soft and pliable when a thumbnail is pressed into it.

If it still gets hot, get an aftermarket KOYO rad. KOYO was, and still is, the OE supplier to 'yota for rads and they can now be bought for reasonable prices aftermarket. My t4wd has a KOYO rad in it. Also, I find that the t4wd will cool better with the original plastic splash guard in place below the rad & engine. Many t4wd's are missing the splash guard.

The hardest and most frustrating to diagnose cooling system problem is an out of spec and low performing water pump. You probably do not have this issue as it will usually affect low speed operation more than high speed use.

[LittleRed4wd]

I find that the t4wd will cool better with the original plastic splash guard in place below the rad & engine.

Really? That's awesome-- I always figured it'd be better to have it off. I'll have to go throw the guard back on before summer.


Chad-- Like everyone else has been saying, your car should be fine for highway speeds. I don't usually drive fast roads, but when I do everything is fine. I have no trouble with holding 60-65 up I-70 for all but the steepest hills. (And that's the lack of power, not the heat keeping me from hitting the limit).

I recently replaced the thermostat and it helped keep the temperature steady and the heater warmer, though I never had overheating issues with the bad one.

If you need a new mechanic and don't mind driving a bit, Charlie's in Boulder is great. I had him do some carb work on my ride when I first bought it and had no idea how to fix anything, no complaints at all.

[Mattel]

In Australia I've driven 1,900kms pretty well straight in 35°C with the air con on econo at 100kms an hour and never had a problem with overheating so I totally agree with what the others say here. The car is fine for all day high speed.

[4doorVIP]

Yeah highspeeds shouldnt be a problem ive driven my car 110-120km/h for over an hour with no hiccups

[tercel4wdrules]

The Tercel that wasn't really suited for high speed travel was the automatic version of the Tercel 4WD, the manual transmission versions were fine. The early final drive ratio is a bit better for cruising at 70 mph or above. I don't like to sustain speeds above 60 mph with the automatic since it lacks an overdrive gear.

[Housewiz]

Hey Splatterdog,

What manufacturer's wheels are you using for those 14" tires.

[splatterdog]

Hey Splatterdog,

What manufacturer's wheels are you using for those 14" tires.

MR2 triangles.

[Lil Beast]

I got auto and I bring it up to 165km/h(estimtate, I lose the needle at 140) but won't go faster! I do a lot of highway but am FWD but should not make a difference as you can pop the 4wd in FWD! Same trans!

[Tercel__jon]

Flat out on the way back from a beach two years ago with the pedal to the floor on a 70* day and RPMS holding around 4500 was the only time Ive ever seen my needle rise due to hard driving. Even 5500rpms once for about 10-15 minutes had no effect at temperature...but it was about 60* that day. Ive hauled a 5x10 trailer behind my wagon loaded with 4 large chairs, several heavy footrest things, along with a child sized couch in the back of the wagon. Never had a problem with the temps. Even took Guess road on the way home with its long steep hills to avoid the traffic in durham and even though i was barking up the hill in 2nd gear doing 3500rpms The needle never moved.

Personally I would replace your radiator. I had a larger one on there but it suffered a hole during one of my off road adventures. All that was described above was done with the thinner one that replaced it.

[danzo]

All that was described above was done with the thinner one that replaced it.

+1. If you replace the rad don't shy away from thin ones. I live where it's 100* everyday in the summer and have never have a problem with my single core Koyo (OEM), even with the a/c running. Scored it from rockauto for about 85 bucks.

[hberdan]

Hey, I drive the heck out of the Colorado mountains in mine, winter and summer, up and down I 70 all the time, with no overheating problems.
Clearly your mechanic was implying that he either didn't want to spend the time troubleshooting the cooling problems or didn't want you to spend too much money on what he perceives as an old worn out junker...as the others have said, you need to completely check the system out; flush the radiator, check for leaks, possibly replace the water pump, hoses, and thermostat, check the electric fan, etc. Every Tercel I've owned needed to have these things done, and every one of them required new radiators hoses and thermostats...after all the cars are pretty old, but not worn out. If you can do this work yourself, parts are not expensive; radiators average $100 on line, thermostats and hoses are cheap, too.
If you don't want to do this work, I'd recommend you call Charley's Garage, in Boulder; they only work on Toyotas, including working on older models, which many shops will not do anymore. 303-447-7714. They're done plenty of work for me, and other Tercel owners that I know, and are top-notch.

[Petros]

to add to what everyone else states: Do not go to that mechanic again, he does not know what he is talking about.

I have driven Tercels cross country in summer, including crossing Texas desert in July, using a single row radiator, in 100+++ temps, at full throttle, over mountains, etc. NO OVERHEATING. Tercels have better cooling systems than most cars, but it must be operating properly.

First thing to change is the thermostat, which is the most likely cause. Also try a new rad cap. Both are cheap and very common cause of overheating at high speed. Next most common cause is plugged radiator.

Not likely fan sensor, that would only cause overheating when in heavy traffic.

You might have a bad head gasket, but it will still cool okay as long as there is coolant in it (it leaks out the exhaust as vapor, when level gets low it overheats). Unfortunately a pressure test will not always show a leak head gasket, nor even a compression test. If coolant level is dropping (check it each morning), and there is no obvious leak, and you get billows of white smoke on start up, chances are it is a leaky head gasket.