1983 Tercel SR-5 4wd --- $800

[Schism87]

Anyone remember the video a dealership did of a '83 SR-5 from Minnesota? Well, I was the lucky buyer and now I'm parting with her far sooner than I ever wanted to. The clutch, radiator belt, water pump, brakes, and timing belt have all been replaced. The interior is in good condition, 4wd works perfectly and so does the heat. The exterior has some dings and a bit of rust.

Now on to the reason I'm selling her. She's a bit slow to start but if it's a sunny, dry day out she runs like a top. However if it's rainy or HEAVY humidity she has a hell of a time getting into first - short of burning rubber. Once I get her past 1st, 2nd is a whole other story. If I can get it to stick she sputters and has a hard time catching up. If I shift to neutral...she dies. She idles at 5-600 rpm and I feel like its a carb issue and the lines get frosted when there's condensation outside...its about a $300 fix. I don't have the time or money. She also leaks a bit of oil but I just check her levels once a week.

She was my dream car and it's going to be a dark day when I sell her. I will attach more pictures tomorrow and I will try to attach the video for her.

She has around 140,000 miles on her. I'll get an exact number tomorrow.

Thanks for viewing!

https://youtu.be/DXeYtImrBMI

[xirdneh]

Is the flex hose from exhaust shield to air fiter housing missing or not hooked up? Either would cause carb icing over.

[rer233]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Where are you located? (prob. in the MN area judging from the video.) I'm definitely interested- anybody here have any idea what it would cost to ship to Baltimore, MD? Don't think I'm up for an "adventure."

[Schism87]

Hi! I'm actually located in central Wisconsin.

[Schism87]

Is the flex hose from exhaust shield to air fiter housing missing or not hooked up? Either would cause carb icing over.

I have no idea. I haven't checked and wouldnt know where to start. My father has helped me out quite a bit. I've been learning along the way.

[Schism87]

I'm trying to upload more pictures but the file size is too large. My email is dalta2430@gmail.com, reach me here if you'd like more pictures. Until then I'll try to figure this out. Thanks!

[Schism87]

I'm trying to upload more pictures but the file size is too large. My email is dalta2430@gmail.com, reach me here if you'd like more pictures. Until then I'll try to figure this out. Thanks! Oh, and there's 139,000 miles on her.

[Schism87]

Sorry for the erratic messages! I am certainly a "newbie".

[Schism87]

I've recieved quotes for shipping quotes from 450 to 550.

[Petros]

sorry to hear you want to sell, but your problem does not sound like it needs a $300 fix (unless of course the mechanic is charging you to learn how to work on your car, very unprofessional).

your description sounds like it has a vacuum leak. A fairly bad one. Once located, which is not difficult to do if you know where to look, the fix would likely take only a few min. If I was to look at your car, and can locate the problem quickly, I would not even charge you for it.

either one of many vacuum lines is disconnected or has a crack, or someone misreported one to the wrong place. Which unfortunately not uncommon these days become most mechanics are unfamilar with the fuel system on these cars. Many were not even born when these cars were new.

There is no reason you can not track this down and fix it yourself, or with perhaps your father's help. Particularly with our guidance, almost certainly we can direct you on what to check, and how to fix it.

If you would rather allow us to help you fix it, I am sure there are many forum members, including me, that would be happy to help you out with instructions, pictures and detailed explanations on what you need to do.

A vacuum leak does not even take any special tools or skills to fix, all it takes is the correct information. And we can provide that.

[Schism87]

Yes! A million times over. I'd be extremely grateful for any advice and knowledge anyone would be willing to offer me as I truly don't want to get rid of her. Where should I start? Are there videos on Youtube that would help me pinpoint the issue?

[ARCHINSTL]

What Petros wrote!
After all, most wrenches - even modern Toy wrenches - were toddlers when our cars were born.
Explore our site - utilize the Search feature - and then ask questions.
Tom M.

[helipilot77]

I suggest starting where Petros recommends and checking your vacuum lines. The repair guides section is where you will find all the help you need to fix almost any problem. Here is the thread you should read through to get started on your vacuum lines (found in the repair guides section.)

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2810

[Schism87]

Thank you! I really appreciate the guidance and information. Has anyone replaced their carb with a Holley Weber and had any luck with a manual choke? Maybe this thread is now better in a different category. Thanks for the advice!

[rer233]

Good to hear you're going to fix the 'ol girl (good for you, bad for me!- has a bit more rust than I had anticipated any way.)

Judging from your first post, you ONLY have problems when it's wet/humid out- right? On a clear, low-humidity day all's well? Doesn't sound like a vacuum problem to me- more like an ignition problem.

Had similar symptoms years ago with my now-departed gold '85 SR5 (car rusted away BTW.) Anyway, on damp, rainy days the car didn't want to start, and when it did, it ran like crap 'till it got warm. I finally swapped out the distributor with one I got from the boneyard (came out of a late '80's Chevy Nova- same as Toyota Corolla- both have 4ac engines.) Problem solved! Since there's a bunch of stuff in the dizzy, I wanted to find out exactly which part was the culprit. I had another old distributor laying around (can't remember exactly what IT's problem was) that had a near-new after-market coil in it, so I put that in the original distributor, put it back in the engine, and everything was fine for the rest of the car's days. Rock Auto sells coils for like $18 and up.

Good Luck- Hope this helps!