Repair cost

[mrmora]

My Tercel started to make a little whine when I would come to a stop, a new noise I haven't heard before. I read on this forum that it could be a few different things. I took my car to a guy/local mechanic to check it out, to get his perspective of what the noise could be. I get a phone call from him today,"hey so your wheel bearings are shot, front and back. We're looking at $500 for the front, and $400 for the back".

Holy crap price gouge (autozone has the parts for $20-$60). Wheel bearings causing a whine?

[Gottolovem]

Labor labor labor

It's a time consuming job if you offer to pull the spindle/hub assembly for him i bet the price goes down.

All 4 bearings burning out at the same time is doubtful ask him how much for the one making noise not all of them!

[mrmora]

Just talked to the mechanic he said, "I wouldn't recommend doing any work on the car, or fixing it. It's just going to lead to more problems that are going to need to be fixed down the road. You're going to have to spend a lot of money".

I mean, if you squint, and tilt your head to the side...my car looks absolutely amazing.

[dlb]

that mechanic obviously doesn't want to work on your car. oh well. you're better off doing it yourself anyway because a) it will cost far less money, b) you are not going to do ridiculous and unnecessary work like ALL FOUR WHEEL BEARINGS AT ONCE (that's about as big a red flag as a gouger can give you), and c) you care more about your car than anyone else so you are more likely to take care and do a good, thorough job on it.

give us more details on the symptoms you are experiencing, because so far i'm not convinced it's wheel bearings anyway. bad bearings tend to growl, not whine. does the whine occur while you are braking, coasting, or completely stopped?

[mrmora]

So I picked up the car and drove it on the back roads from Cashmere to Wenatchee, which I about a 20 minute drive. It drove absolutely fine. I didn't hear any clunking nor loud noises the mechanic said to have heard while he drove it.

All four wheel bearings being replaced at once...ya no! That's like my other post about "Angler's" telling me my whole front suspension needed to be replaced. Yes, money grows on trees, and I was born yesterday.

I heard the whine slightly when I brake, coming to a stop. I don't hear it when I'm coasting, nor completely stopped.

[dlb]

if it only whines when braking, front brake pads are the first thing i'd check. they usually have a 'low pad alert' thing, basically a metal finger that digs into the the rotor when you brake, to make an annoying sound so you know they're getting low.

[mrmora]

if it only whines when braking, front brake pads are the first thing i'd check. they usually have a 'low pad alert' thing, basically a metal finger that digs into the the rotor when you brake, to make an annoying sound so you know they're getting low.

Thanks for the information! I'll be gone this weekend, but that'll be the first thing I'll check when I get a chance.

[mrmora]

Good news: I was able to get to my car and have a look at it. The bearings are still good, I even had another shop confirm that they were.

Sad news....my 87' Tercel will have to be parked for a while...transmission is no bueno.

[Petros]

What is the trans doing? It is manual or automatic?

often with an automatic if you change the fluid, and add a "valve body cleaner" additive, it will work just fine. material and gunk build up in the valve body (the controls the hydraulic pressures and allows it to shift), the cleaner added to the trans is a cheap thing to try out (about $10), and usually works fine. No trans shop would tell you that, if it shifts badly the diagnosis is always "it needs a replacement or rebuilt transmission, $2500 please". On every Japanese care auto trans that started shifting oddly I have done this and it has always worked. If it is run dry and really trashed, it would not work of course.

sometimes even a manual transmission can benefit from a gear oil change, with 50/50 gear lube and ATF, drive it for a few days and change it out again. it is an "ATF flush", most trans shops will tell you it will not work, but it works often enough it is worth a try. it will clean out gunk and old metal shavings (from wear) out of the gear box and synros, often allowing it operate.

if the manual trans is actually broken and not working, than likely that would be a waste of time. but if it still works, but pops out of gear, or you have trouble shifting it, or it is making whining noise, the ATF flush is worth a try.

good luck.

[mrmora]

Trannys clunking when I shift from park to drive, and from reverse to drive. I'm quite an noob when it comes to the mechanical workings of cars, but I am second guessing the mechanic who told me that my tranny is no good. I was reading some stuff about clunking noise on here last night. Sounds like it could be a plethora of things, and not just tranny in general. I still drive the Tercel, drove it around town today, does well.

The transmission is an automatic.

[Mark]

That is normal for older auto transmissions. Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it. And like you said, it might not even be the transmission. I think I've had it on about 3 or 4 of the older cars I've had. My '81 Tercel has about 100,000 kms on it (so almost new) and it hasn't started doing it yet.

[Petros]

change the transmission fluid if it has not been done recently. the normal interval is supposed to be 30,000 miles of a flush and refill. but most people never change it, and if they think about it check the level and top it up, until it stops working.

sometimes when it acts like that it is just low on ATF, so check the level first. If the fluid is dark, and smell burnt, change it (or have it changed), and add the cleaner additive.

[Ridlbox]

Check your trainee and motor mounts to just because there's a chance you could've cracked one on these older cars they tend to break and it causes a clunking sound when shifting or sometimes accelerating

[teranfirbt]

Yep, transmission and motor mounts are probably toast. The original trans mount on mine had separated, all that was together was a oh shit bolt they put in it to keep it from completely flying apart!