T4 #5: ester

[dlb]

just bought another project tercel. this one was $300 and i drove it home without too much concern. i lucked out once again because this one starts, runs, idles, and shifts beautifully. 4WD works great too. the big issues are grinding rear brake sounds and poor braking overall, an overwhelming smell of gas in the car when i put $15 of fuel in, and a skipping in the front end that suddenly appeared while taking a curve on the hwy at 80 km/h. the last one was pretty *$^@(& scary. i imagine it's the sway bar. besides that one incident, the front end feels excellent with no clunks or rattles. the secondary issues will be ripping out all of the A/C bs from the engine compartment and general cleaning and repairs. i will remove the rear seat covers and wash them but since the front seats are not stock but very comfortable, i might just put seat covers on them. they are apparently from a '94 toyota pickup and were a direct bolt in. they look exactly like the seats in my friend's '93 or so 4runner. might be worth looking into if someone has nasty front seats that need replacing anyway.

behold, the '87 automatic named ester.





damaged bumper and hatch. i'll probably just hammer out the bumper and will see how it all looks after that. if it still bothers me, i'll flat black another hatch and swap it.



might have to flat black and swap some fenders, too.



not stock but nice front seats.



busted headlight. luckily, i have a spare.





dented roof.



moss growing around hatch.





view of the road from the storage compartment in the cargo area.







is this thing part of the A/C, or emissions? i've never seen one.



typical beater interior. just needs TLC.

[Petros]

nice seats. That body is ugly, almost scary. Hard to imagine a swamper with an auto trans. but other than a parts car not sure what else it is good for, a restoration would be a major job, and costly.

That item you point to is part of the emissions, I forget what it is called, it controls fuel/air ratio by bleeding air into the intake.

[ARCHINSTL]

Boy, with that much and kind of rust - what does the bottom look like?
Those seats look quite comfy - and pretty close to the original SR5 seats, save for the color and no OMG handles.
That is a USA Federal car - the device is called the HAC valve - see pages EC-40 + in the FSM.
What is it with the LHD cars and rusting in that tool cubby behind the rear wheel? My Goldie started that last year and I (hopefully) remediated it. I have an idea that while the right hand area has a splashguard, the left side does not.
Tom M.
EDIT
I am totally WRONG - WRONG - WRONG; it is NOT a Federal car. See tercel4wdrules' post on the next page.

[dlb]

other than a parts car not sure what else it is good for, a restoration would be a major job, and costly.

no need for a full restoration. i have no interest in polishing turds, so to speak. too much work and i would inevitably be disappointed because it would never be good enough. my desire is to take a car that would otherwise end up scrapped and make it fully functional, just like i did with reggie.

Boy, with that much and kind of rust - what does the bottom look like?

i took a look under the back when i noticed the gas smell and was surprised to see that it didn't look too bad! i'll be looking closer before i dig too deep though. if the frame is bad, it will be the new parts car.

That is a USA Federal car - the device is called the HAC valve - see pages EC-40 + in the FSM.

well, i'll be. i wondered if that was the case. i wonder how and why an american car wound up here. there was no mention of it in any of the paperwork.

What is it with the LHD cars and rusting in that tool cubby behind the rear wheel? My Goldie started that last year and I (hopefully) remediated it. I have an idea that while the right hand area has a splashguard, the left side does not.

yeah, it's a big problem spot. i'll do the same with ester like i did with reggie and stuff the holes with insulation and spray foam.

[andrewrenow]

I love those seats!

[larry mcgrath]

Do you have any idea what the front seats came out of ?

[dlb]

Do you have any idea what the front seats came out of ?

yes, the PO said the seats came out of a '94 toyota pickup, though he wasn't positive about the year. i'm pretty sure that's accurate though because i remember driving my friend's '93 4runner SR5 which were very similar, if not the same as these. that would make sense with what the PO said because the pickups/4runners are essentially the vehicle. he said the seats were a direct bolt-in, no mods needed.

a feature of the seats i really like is that the wings on the back rest can be adjusted to hug your torso, which feels great but is also very useful when wielding a 62 hp automatic station wagon, haha. i like the seats but i would have preferred stock seats. the '87 DLX's have decent cloth upholstery normally but it's obviously not a big deal.

[andrewrenow]

ill make sure to head down to the junk yard next time they have a 50% off sale!

[GLet71]

Nice score David, especially being able to drive it home! I finally went to look at an '87 with a blown motor the other day (automatic like yours). I may totally luck out, and get it for the price of the tow to my house. Fingers crossed~

Good luck with the new project

[toughtercel]

Lot like you got a good deal with 4 new winter tires , totally agree everyone about front seats very nice , I better look for those seats because I can't even find replacement.

[danzo]

Nice score, dlb. Can you maybe remove one of the seats and confirm they bolt in with no mods? By coincidence my Pick 'n' Snag has a 20% off sale on seats this week.

[North of 64]

That is a USA Federal car - the device is called the HAC valve - see pages EC-40 + in the FSM.

Ok I'll bite. What is a Federal car? thanks and congrats David

[ARCHINSTL]

That is a USA Federal car - the device is called the HAC valve - see pages EC-40 + in the FSM.

Ok I'll bite. What is a Federal car? thanks and congrats David

Toy made three versions for Upper North America (dunno about Lower North America and the rest of the world):
Federal - 49 USA states; *
CA - for CA only;
Canada - well, for Canada only. Note that there were some variations, as the MT and AT cars had some differences.
See the Emissions diagrams in that part of the FSM.
Tom M.

* While HI is not in Upper North America, it is considered "Federal." Dunno about PR or Guam or the VI.

[North of 64]

Thanks Tom

[dlb]

Nice score, dlb. Can you maybe remove one of the seats and confirm they bolt in with no mods? By coincidence my Pick 'n' Snag has a 20% off sale on seats this week.

i did some work in ester today and noted that the seats do in fact appear to be a direct bolt in but i will confirm for you, danny. i have to pull the seats to replace the front carpet anyway so it might be a while but i will let yall know when i do it.

i dug a little deeper on ester today and found out a little more on the car. the frame is in good shape with only superficial rust; it will need a new passenger CV; and a driver side rear axle oil seal; and the panhard rod welded back on to the axle! i guess that's what the skipping and mushy hard turns were from! not a problem, once all else is done i will take it to my friend to reattach it. looking forward to setting everything right with this poor old girl.