Life with Leonard

[GLet71]

182 075km, Molyslip for manual transmission goes in. If I were to put this on a piece of paper in my glove box, it'd likely be gone within a week!

[GLet71]

I'm not sure exactly how many klicks I've put on Leonard since adding the Molyslip, but I have to say I'm not noticing any improvement in my shifting issues. In fact, if I wanted to feel improved performance I would probably just go back to 3 litres of 80/90, and one litre of ATF for it seemed to shift best with that mixture. There is still the possibility of doing the high end Amsoil which I will try adding in the fall before the cold hits. I am a lucky one in that I now have a spare transmission, so playing around like this doesn't necessarily feel so potentially devastating. Once I do pull this one out, I will make damned sure to get a proper rebuild on it, and leave it up on my mantle piece until I need it again (like 20 years from now...fingers crossed).

[swanterky]

So, How is Lenny working now? Regarding your economy:
The post 10/84 wagons were changed to output differential ratio of 4:10/1 for 3.73/1, for more power. Unfortunately, this means that the engine is revving much more at highway speeds, and this, as well as the resistance of the extra differential (whether you are in 4WD mode or not, cuts the economy by almost 10 mpg as compared to a DLX Wagon (FWD). I have a 4WD winter wagon (Blue Boy), and a FWD summer car (Goldie)--which gets 8-10 mpg more than Blue Boy.
I rebuilt an '86 4WD Auto, and installed the 3:73 diffs and 6-spd Tranny from an '84, but still don't get that great of mileage (Slightly over 30 MPG). It would improve the mileage greatly if the rear hubs could be 'unlocked', like early 4WD pickups. Then there would not be the resistance of the extra differential when you are not using 4WD.
Your float bowl should not go dry--check around the carb glass, and your gas tank for leaks, and your engine for leakage while it is running--If it was leaking enough to lower your mileage you should be able to smell gas somewhere.
I have a lot of parts over in Midway B.C. ( mrkmy@shaw.ca )

[swanterky]

To Glet71;

I once had a lube shop in Kamloops change my transmission and diff oil, and they put in too heavy an oil. This was in October, and as the weather got colder the trans shifted with more and more difficulty, necessitating double-clutching to get into second and third. The oil broke down somewhat by the next spring, and as the weather warmed up the shifting became easier. On the bright side, the learning to double-clutch has made it possible for me to nurse many high-usage trannys through many more miles, without having to replace them. If you want to know this technique, just send me a private message, or reply to this post..

[TURTCEL]

Another good option for smoother shilfting and cold weather accomodation is a full synthetic gear oil in the trans and front an drear diffs. Its molecular make up is smaller even at the same weight so that it will lubricate into tight clearance areas better. Full synthetic oil also stay at a more true viscosity during colder months than conventional oil that likes to be warmed up before working at its peak potential. Synthetic oil can improve economy because there is less resistance on parts so smoother running all around.

A word of caution though if you notice the vehicle has oil leaks in any of these areas with convetional oil is that changing to synthetic could make these leaks worse. That goes back to the smaller molecular makeup of the synthetic oil. If leaks are visible this would be a great time to address those issues and upgrade to the synthetic for less resistance and improved economy.

Also, in a vehicle with higher mileage, changing to a synthetic motor oil can also produce leaks or oil burning. I don't recommend just trowing synthetic oil into motor on an older car just for that reason. There are many good brands of conventional motor oil out there that do a great job. Just stay away from parafin based oils (such as pennzoil or quaker state) these oils leave a yellow residue of wax throughout the oiling system and is very noticable when valve cover is removed. A bright gold color on the internals will be seen. Parafin wax can cause lubrication passage issues over years of use and machine shops hate dealing with the cleaning of parts like these. Just my experience.

Peace

[Petros]

I tried full synthetic in my Tercel trans, it leaked out the seals and made the syncros act worn out. The synros depend on friction to work properly and synthtic oil is too slippery for this trans, it was designed for conventional oil. About all you can do in really cold climb at is either use an electric trans warmer to keep the oil warm, or go to multi-viscosity gear oil, which means you will have to change to summer weight oil for half the year. I have found that half and half synthetic and quality multi-vis gear oil works pretty well, stops the gear clashing of full synthetic yet would still provide the high pressure lubrication quality of synthetic oil. And strangely with half and half, the trans leaking almost stopped.

[TURTCEL]

Good point on the full synthetic vs the synthetic blend. I will keep that in mind. I was using my experience with my VW Westy that I used synthetic in. It called for synthetic but previous owner used conventional gear oil. When I changed back over it was night and day.

This is why I love this forum...learn something priceless everyday. I think my wife thinks I live on this site, come to think of it I think I live on this site. Haha, guess it's not a bad vice if you have to have one.

Peace

[GLet71]

I just discovered Leonard's the rear stabilize brackets went missing, and effectively cracked a brake line. Bloody mess... So, where can a guy find these bushings and brackets to repair the mother of my child's car? Actually, I'm looking for two sets as I get ready to drop Ron back to stock, I'll need a set for that project, as well.

[dlb]

greg, do you mean the bushings and brackets that attach the rear sway bar to the axle? or do you need the whole thing?

tom posted all the part #s and prices for the rear sway bar stuff a few years ago. here's the thread. i would guess that toyota (or a genuine toyota parts dealer, like butler) would be the only source of these obscure little parts but that's just a guess.

https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=6444

[GLet71]

Sweet, that's the thread I've been looking for. I only need the brackets and bushings as I will take from my parts car what I will need for Ron. Also, I did find this website if anyone can confirm whether these brackets and bushings would fit the bill. Let me know...http://www.carid.com/1987-toyota-tercel-sway-bars/

[dlb]

the brackets shown in those photos will not work. the correct brackets have a hook at the upper end that sits through a slot on the axle, and the lower end gets bolted to the axle with a 14mm bolt. the brackets in that link have bolt holes at both ends so no go. maybe see if marlinh has a few spares kicking around.

[marlinh]

Got some Greg. If you're talking about where the sway bar connects to the body, I usually weld my own bolts on the end and scavenge bushings from somewhere. If you bring the car, or the whole sway bar to me I can fix you up.