Recommend source for replacement radiator

[dlb]

replacing the strut is not that big a job. find good used one at a wrecker and throw it in, no special tools required. if your car is that rusty, a used strut may last as long or longer than the rest of the car.

coolant loss might be due to air pockets after filling the rad. after refilling the coolant system, i usually give it several days to a week or regular driving and checking the coolant level before assuming anything else is wrong. very important, always check the coolant at the overflow reservoir when the engine is stone cold. when cold, it should be up to the 'full' line of the reservoir. if you check the coolant level at the reservoir while the engine is warm or hot, you will get varied and false readings.

a bad head gasket wouldn't cause deposit buildup on a spark plug. it causes shiny, clean stuff by virtue of steam cleaning the combustion chamber(s). another member here had a similar problem with the #1 spark plug and found it was a ruptured AAP diaphragm on the carb. it allowed the #1 intake runner (where the manifold vacuum port is) to suck gas directly into it. so check that first.

[stanrob]

Petros and dlb, you've got me on board! I really like the idea of another 100,000 miles. I think I can postpone the head gasket for a bit (or check out the AAP), but to get back on the road I'll need to replace that shock absorber, which you say is routine.

Despite having driven Tercel 4WDs for 20 of the 30+ years since they were made, and worked some on them, I’m finding this job daunting. I need to sharpen my vocabulary, clear up confusion in my mind, find the right new (or perhaps used) part, find an appropriate torque wrench (?), and rehearse the steps for this job. Your seasoned advice will be treasured!

(1) Petros refers to "the carriage retaining nut." What's that? I'm looking at the FSM, especially pages FA-19 thru FA-22, and haven't found this term yet. I'm also unclear on the meanings of "knuckle" (although the picture shows how to detach from it) and “strut.” And I don’t know what to call the lower spring cup that broke off.

(2) Step 6 on FA-8 says make matchmarks. Is there a simple way to do that?

(3) Step 3 (FA-20) is "clamp shock absorber in vise." Can you skip this if you're taking it to a shop for spring compression?

(4) The FSM seems to imply that I could pull the shock absorber out of my lightly worn but rotted-out 83 Hatchback and use it. Would you agree with that? I’ve already borrowed some parts from that Hatchback.

(5) May I assume that the job works with the front left corner on a jackstand and wheel removed?

(6) A friendly mechanic nearby says I really need to find an entire knuckle assembly, perhaps at a junkyard (or in my 83 Hatchback). May I presume you don't agree?

[irowiki]

The FWD used a shorter strut, but I do not know if it is the main strut body, or the insert that was shorter. You'd have to line them up side by side to check.

[dlb]

1) i'm not sure what petros means either. maybe the big nut on top of the strut that secures the strut mount (aka bearing plate) to the strut itself? if that's the case you do not need to mess with that if you replace the entire strut.

2) to make matchmarks, just use a hammer and punch to mark the where things need to go.

3) again, no need to clamp the strut in a vice if you're replacing the whole thing.

4) like irowiki says above.

5) yes.

6) no need to replace the knuckle unless your blown strut did something to the old one.

[Petros]

to add to others answers, I will elaborate more;

(1) Petros refers to "the carriage retaining nut." What's that? I'm looking at the FSM, especially pages FA-19 thru FA-22, and haven't found this term yet. I'm also unclear on the meanings of "knuckle" (although the picture shows how to detach from it) and “strut.” And I don’t know what to call the lower spring cup that broke off.

not sure of the official name but I am referring to a large cup shaped nut on the top of the strut tube that holds the actual dampener or insert down in the tube. It is inside the spring at the top of the strut tube above the sprain seat, I had to use a pipe wrench on it because I do not have a wrench large enough to get on it (it is like 60 mm across the flats). I have had them work loose several times, once allowing the insert to pop out of the strut tube while I was driving it, causing the strut assembly to misalign, pushing the spring off the seat. I have also had the large 19 mm nut at the top of the strut shaft (it is under the plastic cap at the top of the strut tower under the hood), to back off and it allowed the strut shaft to drop down below the upper mount, also allowing the strut assembly to misalign with the the spring and allowed the whole assembly to rattle around in the wheel well, also popping the spring off the seat. In both cases I was able to get everything back in place and get the nut back in and tightened. The parts were nto damaged other than some minor scratches, so it worked fine once I got everything place and tightened up. when I had a chance to take it apart I cleaned everything real good, and assembled it with loc-tight. I drive rough gravel roads daily, and my tercel has almost 400k miles on it, so lots of things work loose that are not normally a problem. It is possible it is one of these two possible problems, and if nothing was damaged, it can be put back together with the same parts and it will work fine.

(2) Step 6 on FA-8 says make matchmarks. Is there a simple way to do that?

you can use chauk or an felt pen after you wipe the parts clean. there should be no need to do this if you leave the steering knuckle assembly (the hub part of the front strut that holds the brakes, bearings, etc) attached. you remove the two 14 mm bolts off the bottom of the steering knuckle assembly (it holds the lower ball joint), and the steering tie rod (a 17 mm nut with a cotter pin in it if I remember correctly, you have to whack the steering arm hard on the side with a hammer to get the taper to break free, do not strike the threads on the tie rod). Remove the large 30 mm nut that holds the CV axle in (this sometimes requires a really big breaker bar, you can rent these and the big socket for free from any Autozone or O'Reilley's) and also remove the brake caliper, leave the brake line attached to it so you do not have to bleed the brake, and hang it with a wire so you do not damage the flex hose. than you can pull the three 10mm nuts off the top of the strut and the whole assembly will fall out of the car. Usually, with some spring compressors you can rent from an Autozone, O'Reiley's, etc. you can get a better look at the problem, and put it back together if nothing is harmed. If you want to replace the strut insert, than you can take the whole assembly to a shop and have them replace the insert. if you leave the strut attached to the steering knuckle (the heavy cast iron part that holds the brakes, hub, wheel bearings, etc), you will not disturb the alignment once you get it all back together, saving you from having to redo the alignment. the purpose for the match marks I suspect is to get the eccentric adjuster back on in the same place to if you do separate the strut from the steering knuckle, you can get it in the same position. I have never found this works however, so I prefer to leave it attached. See, all very simple! (that is a tease, it is not as bad as it sounds once you strart pulling off parts, I can have the strut out of the car in about 30 min with hand tools, as long as nothing breaks or is rusted in place).

(3) Step 3 (FA-20) is "clamp shock absorber in vise." Can you skip this if you're taking it to a shop for spring compression?

You only do this if you are disassembling the strut, and even than it is not really necessary, it is just a lot nicer than doing on the garage floor holding it still with your boot on it (I have done it). If you take the assembly to the shop you do not need to worry about this.

(4) The FSM seems to imply that I could pull the shock absorber out of my lightly worn but rotted-out 83 Hatchback and use it. Would you agree with that? I’ve already borrowed some parts from that Hatchback.

The front strut assembly can be swapped out, but the 2wd struts are 3/4" shorter than the 4wd, so if you change them as a pair it can work. the steering knuckle assemblies are identical, I have swapped them out as a unit from the front wheel drive sedan and the 4wd wagons.

(5) May I assume that the job works with the front left corner on a jackstand and wheel removed?

Yes, put the front of the car on jack stands, and rock it back and forth to test that is is stable and safe. you remove the wheel (remember to slacken the wheel nuts before you jack it up so you can spin them off once the car is in the air), than the brake caliper (two large 17mm bolts on the back of the caliper, leave the flex hose attached and hang the caliper from a wire or string so it is not hanging on the flex hose), than remove the large 30mm axle nut (remove the cotter pin first), push the spline shaft in (you may have to strike it with a soft hammer or a block of wood to get it to slip inward), than remove the two bolts on the bottom from the lower ball joint, and than remove the cotter pin and castled nut on the steering tie-rod, whack the arm hard with a hammer and it will pop free. Now you can remove the three 10mm nuts at the top of the strut tower, and it will fall free. Nothing to it!

I remove the big 30mm axle nut with a big breaker bar, socket and a cheater pipe on the handle. I put a pry bar through the wheel studs to keep it from turning (it is wedged against the ground), and than slowly back the big nut off, sometimes I have to hang on the end of the cheater pipe to get enough torque on it to break it free. It is important to spray penetrating oil on all of these parts, especially the big axle nuts, the day before so it will will break free easier. ATF makes excellent penetrating oil, better than the spray you buy in the store. It will make this job a lot easier.

(6) A friendly mechanic nearby says I really need to find an entire knuckle assembly, perhaps at a junkyard (or in my 83 Hatchback). May I presume you don't agree?

unless you are replacing the bearings, or there is damage to yours (not likely), no need for another knuckles assembly. some cars have the knuckle assembly are integral or one piece with the strut, that is not the case with these cars (nor most other Toyota). so he may not be familiar with the tercel strut and steering knuckle. actually if you have an '83 hatchback, the steering knuckles are interchangeable, you should save them if they have good bearings in the hubs. If you need to replace your front wheel bearings eventually, it is an fairly easy job to swap them out as an assembly, rather than pull it out, have a shop press out the old bearing and seals, and than install new ones. all the front supeson parts are the same on the hatch back as the 4wd wagon, except as noted, the struts are about 3/4" shorter (the 2wd sits a bit lower, the 4wd has a little more ground clearance).

About the head gasket: I drove with a leaky head gasket for almost a year, I just kept topping up the coolant every few days. You can keep driving it as long as you keep the coolant topped up. you may be able to drive it by topping it up once a week or so, but It will slowly get worse, so you are eventually topping it up every day or every other day. Than at some point it completely blows out, and than is not driveable at all because one or two cylinders will have no compression at all (and it will run badly on 2 or 3 cylinders), and you will not be able to keep any coolant in it, so if you run it for more than 2 or 3 minus, you will warp and heat damage the engine. You just do not know when that will occur, so you want to assemble all the tools and parts you will need and have them ready. That way when you have an open weekend, you can do it all at once, or be ready should it gives out. Do not allow it to overheat, you risk much more severe and costly engine damage.

Good luck. we are all here to give you instructions and cheer you on.

[stanrob]

Hello again Petros and gang for more followup.
I got injured at the bathtub, then fell sick for a few days while weather outside made nothing possible.
Today I finally pulled off the wheel and made a photo:

TTW-LeftStrut-151006.JPG

As you can see, the lower pan broke off and is gone.

Should I anticipate that the passenger side will also collapse this way?

Today I began searching the "market" for a new replacement strut assembly, so far finding none.
Monroe doesn't seem to have it. O'Reilly says no results.
Rockauto's photo of part# KYB232005 matches the bottom half only. Puzzling.
Time for help finding a replacement for that assembly!
Or should I try to hire my craziest mechanic (an Iranian sculptor) to make and weld a new pan on this one?

Meanwhile, I'm puzzled by some of your instructions.
Why would I need to remove the brake caliper, or the axle nut, or any of that other stuff?
To me it looks like the bottom end is held by two bolts & nuts, and nothing else.
That would be consistent with what's shown in the youtube video for replacement in a 1997 Nissan (youtube.com/watch?v= then ZRcT-1WIhcI).

[Petros]

If you remove the two bolts and nuts at the bottom of the strut you will loose your alignment (one of these has an eccentric that sets the camber). If you mark the position with a felt pen you can presumably get it back in the same way. You would have to remove the caliper, tie-rod end, and axle if you are leaving the steering knuckle in place to preserve the alignment by keeping the steering knuckle in place.

But, based on that picture, it looks like your lower sparing seat (what you call the "pan") has rusted off. I have never seen that before, and why it was confusing. best would be to replace the strut.

That kyb part number should fix it, but it does not state that is for the 4wd wagon, which is about 3/4" longer than the non-4wd versions of the Tercel. If you replace them as a pair, which is not a bad idea anyway, it would fit and get the car on the road. I did not know anyone made a full strut replacement for the Tercel, and that is a great price as well. If you want to restore the extra height you can add a spacer at the top of the strut, which will require longer bolts.

Otherwise you will need to find a some used struts off a T4wd, and get new inserts for them.

You must get a lot of salt on the roads in your part of the world.

[dlb]

i don't think you will be able to pull the strut out with the knuckle in the way. that's why that other stuff must be disconnected, and the knuckle removed.

i would still compare the 2wd struts to the 4wd before looking for any new stuff. if there is a difference in overall height between them, i would swap both the 2wd struts in. otherwise the front end will sit unevenly and probably feel weird while driving.

[rer233]

There definitely IS a difference in overall height (I've had the two side-by -side before.) 2wd is shorter. Not sure if the diff is in the cartridge or housing 'tho. (Too many years and too many beers!)

[Petros]

cartridges are the same, as is the stroke of the strut. I have compared them (I have both in my garage right now), the only difference is the location of the lower spring seat to provide a higher ride height on the T4wd.

[rer233]

UPDATE! Just checked the housings on my '87 fwd wagon- they're exactly 1" shorter than 4wd.

[Petros]

probably more like 25 mm, but 1" is close enough to make a spacer for the top of the strut if you want to keep the same ride height using the shorter FWD front struts.

[stanrob]

Philosophical reflection:
I'm honored (or would it be cursed?) to have presented a part failure Petros has never seen in 40+ years!
Bad news department:
A closer look at Rockauto's site reveals that KYB232005 is for FWD rear! No strut assembly for 4WD front, inserts only.
Scouring more, I'm still finding no site with a 4WD front strut assembly, new or used.

Logic challenge:
Why pull out a whole knuckle "to save its alignment" then take it apart to replace the strut assembly?

Inch of progress:
I posted a Wanted call on carparts.com

You're darn right we get salt!
The only reason the body has survived this long is that it spent its first 14 years in Berkeley CA.

[irowiki]

The front strut assembly has not been made for some time, and I have a feeling the rear strut assembly for the FWD rear is only still available because it is "old stock", and might actually fit a corolla.

[dlb]

all you need to do to save the alignment is pay attention to the camber adjuster that is held in place by one of the strut-to-knuckle bolts. the adjuster has an indented line on it. use a punch or even just a felt pen to mark where this line lines up with the knuckle. then when you put it back together, position the adjuster accordingly when you tighten the strut-to-knuckle bolts. there's no reason to avoid that.