1983 Toyota Tercel Wagon 4WD - $900

[Mr. Mad Ox]

Here's one in the Bay Area, has inclinometer and sunroof

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/3813926771.html

[dlb]

very nice overall. wonder what he means by 'check engine light is on' though, since there isn't one.

[Petros]

maybe the oil light stays on? or perhaps the charge light. they do not even know what their own car is trying to tell them.

[Bushman]

Just saw the ad this morning. I am gonna go take a look at it. Concerned that his description doesnt quite match up. I have owned toy p/u's for ever and now want to give terc a ride. any suggestions? never owned a terc before but have ridden i'em for years...

[dlb]

welcome, bushman. check the FAQ for common problems to look for and things to avoid altogether. good luck, let us know how it is.

https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7442

[Petros]

welcome to the forum. most any mechnical issue is fixable with most mechanical parts still available. the most important issue is the trans, if it shifts smooth through all gears, no noises or grinding, likely it is good and will last you a long time with frequent gear oil changes.

If there is no significant rust on the body, the trans and clutch are good, and the engine has good compression, everything else is fixable. It may need a lot of repairs, from ball joints to wheel bearings, but all are relativly easy fixes and worth doing. check carefully also for poorly fixed collision damage, the sub frame can be bent or have cracks that are difficult to repair.

[Bushman]

Thanks for everyone's responses. After taking a look at the rig, it seemed good to go. Body was straight, no rust (gotta love Cali!), and impeccable interior. The issue the owner was describing was from work done on the oil pan gasket (replaced due to leak). After the work was done it began to leak from an area around the timing chain housing. I took look underneath as the car was running and it was making a constant stream. Appears that whoever did the work didn't prep the surfaces before reinstalling them. Since I have never owned a terc, and am not familiar with the 3a motor I can't really get into detail. The motor has 160k, sounded great when running, and the tranny shifted smooth. All in all seemed pretty damn good. But I will say this: the second I saw it I became enchanted. As a life long Toyota owner, I wondered why I had never owned a terc before. That being said, I bought it on the spot. I am arranging for it to be towed back to my house today and begin wrenching on it this weekend. I look forward to mining information from the site and leaning on everyone while I get my legs underneath me. Thanks for the inspiration, and I'm pumped to be a part of the 'terc gang'.
-bushman

[ARCHINSTL]

Bravo, Bushman!
And the journey we've all been on begins!
Tom M.

[Petros]

they may have paid for nothing; oil pan gaskets almost NEVER leak. Most likely sourse of leaking is the front main seal (a big job but not too bad), or the cam seal. If the oil is streaming it out it is not from the oil pan, that would just drip. there is some pressure behind the main seal, and they often go bad at about 150 to 200k miles. Parts are cheap, you need to pull the radiator and front pulley (the big part of the job, sometimes once unbolted they wiggle off, sometimes you need a puller). You might also consider putting in a new timing belt and cam shaft seal too.

There is no other place for it to leak up front, tyically the oil runs down and around the pan gasket area and it looks like it is leaking. Other leaks but usually not bad leaks is the valve cover gasket, the distributor o-ring, the oil pressure sender, and teh fuel pump gasket. I have also seen oil leaking through a tiny crack that formed in the oil pump on the front of the engine, must have been defective or something, but I would suspect this is very rare.

sounds like a good buy. And no matter what the issue it, it will be an easy fix.