auto transmission

[84terc]

i picked up a 84 tercel 4wd,for 400 bucks. Unfortunately it has a 3spd Auto Trans. The engine was swapped to the 4a. I want to swap the Trans to a 4spd.Can any body tell me what Trans would work,and out of which Vehicles.Thanks

[rer233]

I take by 4spd you mean manual trans. Far as i know, the only m/t trans that will "bolt in" is one from a t4wd (actually a 5 speed with an extra low 6th gear.) Last year i converted a real clean '87 t4 a/t wagon to m/t. Done properly it's a lot of work and requires a lot of parts. I would not attempt it without a m/t donor car. Some where here there's an itemized list of parts and procedures required. I can tell you i'm REAL happy with the way mine turned out tho- well worth the effort (but i'm a tercel maniac from way back- 19 years and counting.)

Good Luck!

[84terc]

I was actually asking about a 4spd auto trans ?

[rer233]

No such thing in a t4.

[84terc]

there is no 4spd auto trans that will bolt to a 4a engine ? I find that hard to believe. But thanks.

[irowiki]

There were no 4 speed auto transmissions in that era. Maybe for a camry or something, but the Tercel and even the corolla all used 3 speed auto transmissions.

[Petros]

Welome to the forum,

There may have been later Tercel 4-speed trans but they will not work in these 4wd Tercels, they were transvers engine intallation and FWD only. There are other auto trans from that time you might be able to adapt but you would end up with a RWD tercel, there would be no way to keep the 4wd capability. so you either have to keep it 4wd 3 speed auto trans, or convert it to a manual trans 5 speed.

why were you thinking of making it a 4 speed? there is not enough savings in fuel to justify the trouble even if it were possible.

[84terc]

i work on Mt.Hood,and have to go 15 miles up the Mountain everyday. The 3spd Trans is not a good hill climber. She seems to top out at around 55mph going up hill. I think im going to swap it to the 5 spd manual with the Granny gear. Unless i find a 5spd Toy Terc 4wd in good shape.

[irowiki]

Correction: The tercel is not a good hill climber. The 3-AC, even with a four speed auto, if one existed, would not climb your hill better either way.

I live in the mountains, and have gotten used to taking it easy with my tercel in the hopes of it lasting long enough to give to my son someday.

You'd be better off backing off a bit and doing 45 in second, will help your car last longer!

[Petros]

I do not know for certain, but I was told the '83-84 auto T4wd have the same final drive as the manual trans, 3.73:1, which is kind of tall gears for hilly terrain. the '85 and later auto got a 3.9:1 final drive and actually has a lot more pull, particularly in the middle speeds, 25-55 mph. I have a 3.73 final drive with a lightly built up 4ac engine, and it actually pulls pretty good, that taller rear end makes it much more quiet at fwy speeds as well.

Rather than to the trouble of swapping out a good trans, you might gain much more if you focus on getting more power out of the engine. First, make sure it is in good tune, wires, spark plugs, etc. that there are no vac leaks, and you have your spark timing set to 10 deg BTDC. If it seems weak on the hills it almost certainly has a vac leak, or a misrouted vacuum line(s). Do not assume that who ever worked on it last got all those hoses connected properly. I have purchased good running Tercels for next to nothing because the mechanic they took it to (who they trusted) said the engine was shot and could not make it run better, only to find the carb out of adjustment and all the vac lines mixed around. he just did not want to take the time to find a vac diagram and double check all the vac lines, and verify they are routed correctly. It is rare that I find a Tercel4wd that has all the vac lines working properly, it is easy to check (should only take about 15 min), and adjusting the carb does not take much longer once you know how to do it.

If you want even more power there are a few tweaks you can do that are much eaiser and cheaper than changing the trans. Unless the trans has failed, there is no point in replacing it. It would be better to find one with a manual trans and buy it, and sell the one you have.

Go find the vac diagram for your year and model of Tercel on this forum (there is a thread that lists most of them), and than inspect all the vac lines for cracks, leaks, and that they are routed properly. set the timing (you will have to borrow/rent a timing light from an Autozone or O'reilley's), do not set it to the factory 5 deg, but go for 10 or 12 deg btdc, it will give you a bit more power and improve your economy some too. Replace airfilter and spark plugs, perhaps wires and cap if suspect. That see what you get. I would guess with the vac system operating properly it will not be as bad as you thought.

Good luck.

[84terc]

Well turns out i remembered that my Mechanic , who just did my Timing belt. He mentioned that he Turned my Timing back to 5 degree, he said thats what factory calls for. I didnt think much of it at the time. I just had my new mechanic change it back to 12 degree. That made a huge difference. But it was still not running good. After talking with my mechanic i decided to cut off the Cat Converter and run a straight pipe. They dont DEQ where i live. So we cut it off and welded in a straight pipe. Wow !!! The Car is running Great . Lots more power.