1983 Toyota Tercel SR5 something build

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brucnich
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Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Jan 30, 2021 3:10 pm
My tercel:: 1983 Toyota Tercel SR5 4WD
Location: Salt Lake UT

Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel SR5 something build

Post by brucnich »

Also what rebuild kit should I get, its looking like theres a ton of options so I dont really know where to start.
I dont know what I am doing but I can make vague assumptions let you fill in the gaps for me and let you think I knew it all along...
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NWMO
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Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel SR5 something build

Post by NWMO »

I used Hygrade 1622
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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
Location: bc, canada

Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel SR5 something build

Post by dlb »

brucnich wrote: Mon Jun 07, 2021 11:06 am Alright so I did end up finding vac leak it looked like a hose was just barely hanging on in there and was almost off due to it not being clipped on, ran a lot better from that point went from 23 to 28 mpg after that so thank you also sorry I just saw that. It does turn out though that whoever rebuilt my carb from before I bought it did a bad job and seeing as how its gonna be 475 to pay someone to rebuild mine Ill just pay 50 or so and give it a whirl myself. As I do so Ill end up replacing and retracing all the vacuum lines I can. Just in case you guys have a better diagnosis than what Im seeing ill share what happened. Engine got hot (below that white bar still) now that its summer, started chugging, pulled over, bought some coolant threw it in. Car fired up no issues. Later that day, same thing chugged but this time died, sat there looking through vac lines they looked good engine cooled down all the way car fired up and drove just fine the rest of the night and to work that morning. After work weather was hot again car chugged at about 10 miles into my drive home shut down and this time did not start again. I checked the fuel pump, it was good, and rechecked vac lines and tweaked idle, got it to start with lots of backfire and such then it died again hasnt turned on since. A mechanic said definitely a fuel issue cause its getting air and spark so...
All the overheating and running hot and needing coolant is concerning -- you may have a head gasket issue. Look for coolant leaks and if you can't find any, it's probably leaking through the compromised head gasket into one or two of the cylinders. there are other tests too, like checking the compression, looking for chocolate milk on the underside of the oil cap, I forget what else but you can look up other head gasket tests. I would get that sorted out before worrying about anything else.
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel SR5 something build

Post by Petros »

please explain what do you mean by the engine was "chugging"? bogging down? overheating? preignision (ping and chatter)?

if the engine has been overheated you likely have a compromised head gasket, these engine are sensative to getting too hot. it may still run okay, but if you are loosing coolant (check the coolant level each morning while it is still cold before you start it), and you have no obvious leaks, you may have a bad head gasket. other symptions are white steam billowing out the exhaust when you first start up (unlike the bluish smoke that is from oil burning). the steam dissapates fast as it condenses and evaporates in the air, bluish smoke drifts away. Also, if you suspect a bad head gasket, pull the spark plugs and inspect with a strong flash light the tops of the pistons (you can see them through the spark plug hole when the piston is at the top of the stroke). if the #1 or #2 piston top looks clean, compared to #3 and #4, it means it is getting "steam cleaned" from a leaky head gasket. BTW it may not show up as low compression during a test, until it is so bad it will barely run.

Go review my head gasket replacement instructions in the Repair Guide section of this forum. it is not too bad a job to do if you have all the tools and supplies (gaskets, etc.) ready before you start. typically takes me about 3 to 4 hours to replace a head gasket in a Tercel4wd (presuming no other serious problem is found), taking breaks and not rushing, using hand tools. you should plan a lot longer on your first try.

Make sure you have located all the vac leaks before you attempt to rebuild the carb, it is not too difficult but there are a lot of small parts that are easy to loose or misplace after you get it apart. Usually if you just spray it down with carb cleaner spary, get all of the linkages adjusted correctly, and fix all the vac leaks in the lines and gaskets, you do not have to rebuild the carb. despite the complexity of the carb, it is fairly reliable and usually works well with just a clean and adjustment.

good luck.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
brucnich
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Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Jan 30, 2021 3:10 pm
My tercel:: 1983 Toyota Tercel SR5 4WD
Location: Salt Lake UT

Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel SR5 something build

Post by brucnich »

Checked oil cap and no bubbles or anything so all good there, filled up some more coolant tho to be safe in the heating part, it did heat up again pretty quickly tho so definitely somethings not right, I have an oil leak from the head gasket though, thinking I might take to to a mechanic and have him diagnose it all for me, and by chugging I mean fuel no power and no revs then it all back in again, bout the same as how it felt when fuel pump went out
I dont know what I am doing but I can make vague assumptions let you fill in the gaps for me and let you think I knew it all along...
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel SR5 something build

Post by Petros »

you will not see bubbles, if there is coolant in the oil it makes it turn into a brownish milkshake like color, usually people call it chocolate milkshake. no matter, just because there is no coolant in the oil does not mean the head gasket it not compromised, the most common failure is between cylinders one and two, where there is not coolant passages.

if you have oil around the head gasket area on the outside of the engine it is dripping down from the valve cover gasket and than it follows the head gasket around the engine. you will not get an oil leak outside the engine at the head gasket. the valve cover gasket is a common source of oil leak. best way to find an oil leak is to clean off the out side of the engine (a coin operated steam clean car wash is easiest), and than it is easy to find the source of fresh oil after it is cleaned off.

you do not need to pay anyone to diagnose the problem, you just need to follow directions here. Besides, most mechanics are unfamiliar with a car this old, and usually will not want to spend any time with it. Do not assume a mechanic knows what he is doing, many do not. if they can not plug in a diagnostician port and have the computer tell him what to replace, he is lost because they do not know how an engine actually works. I have heard some really stupid things coming out of the mouths of mechanics who are trying to convince me to pay them to "fix" something that does not need fixing. I have been at it much longer than them, and know more about it, as well as having owned and rebuilt up to 12 Tercel4wds, and worked on many others for forum members, for over 20 years.

I know it can be frustrating to not know where to find a problem. but you just need to take it one step at a time, check each possible system that will cause that kind of symptom, and fix it. in the factory service manual (available for free down load from the repair guides of this forum) has a good diagnostic section where it lists symptoms, and possible causes, and lists the tests to try.

DO NOT just start replacing parts at random, hoping you will fix it that way. that is a waste of time and money, you will be replacing good parts.

ALWAYS diagnose the problem BEFORE you try to fix it.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
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dlb
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Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:03 pm
My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
Location: bc, canada

Re: 1983 Toyota Tercel SR5 something build

Post by dlb »

I agree with Petros, unless you know someone who is experienced with and likes working on old cars, I wouldn't bother taking your t4 to a shop. At the very least, I would do the diagnostics yourself to figure out what it needs.

The next thing I would do is get a compression tester (they're cheap, $20 ish) and use that. All you have to do for a compression test is remove the spark plugs, screw the tester into one spark plug hole at a time, and crank the engine. It might take you 30 min if you've never done it before.

I would also get a timing light and confirm the ignition timing. They are a bit more expensive so maybe borrow one from a friend if possible, or go ahead and buy one if you think you're going to stick with this car since you will definitely need it again in the future. Anyway, really bad timing can also cause an engine to run hot, lack power, and buck so that might be part of your problem. From what you described with the temp gauge going up that high though, I would give the head gasket a hard look first.

Also, when you are topping up the coolant, where are you doing this and how much is it taking? I find the best way to measure the coolant level is to look at the plastic expansion tank when the engine is stone cold. The radiator should be full and the level in the expansion tank should be up to the 'full' line. Once you get the car running and can drive it, make sure to keep checking the expansion tank every time the engine is stone cold again. The level should always be at that full line. If it is below that when the engine is cold, the coolant is either leaking externally or into the combustion chambers through a compromised head gasket.

Do some more tests and let us know what you find.
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