My new Tercel -northern California- Would love some help in the process of giving this thing some love

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BL8R29
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My tercel:: 1985white

My new Tercel -northern California- Would love some help in the process of giving this thing some love

Post by BL8R29 »

85' automatic

Needs seats!

runs and drives !

lil bit of blow-by though

needs some serious wheel bearing love- caps are missing on all 4 corners. easy part to source?

going to be posting some pics of my relays.. some seem missing

haven't downloaded the manual from the forum yet but will be doing that today.

things paint is super clean but the interior is shot and the engine bay is pretty frought with what seems like some years of leaks.

how do ya'll clean your engines to find your leaks? - Powerwashing always bugged me out...

anyway!

ill post pics for now
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Last edited by BL8R29 on Wed Apr 12, 2023 12:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
BL8R29
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Re: My new Tercel - Would love some help in the process of giving this thing some love

Post by BL8R29 »

Updates: driver side window does not roll up n down at all
Repairable?

Thing has some nice wide open throttle in park but really hesitates in drive- pretty much stalls if you floor it. Ideas?
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dlb
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Re: My new Tercel - Would love some help in the process of giving this thing some love

Post by dlb »

The driver side window may be repairable. Take the door trim off and inspect the teeth on the window regulator. If they aren't ground down to nothing, lube the teeth and all the other moving metal parts (including the metal tracks that the plastic buttons slide in) with white lithium grease. If you can get the window down, spray the window channels with silicone spray. This is routine maintenance that often gets neglected and causes windows to get jammed but people try to just force the window regulator, and that's how you end up with stripped regulators.

Sometime the glass itself can come out of the rubber channel. In that case just remove the glass, undo the 10 mm bolts and remove the channel, and hammer it back in. Look up a video on youtube by Robert Walker about tercel windows, it will be very helpful.
BL8R29
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Re: My new Tercel - Would love some help in the process of giving this thing some love

Post by BL8R29 »

dlb wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 6:54 pm The driver side window may be repairable. Take the door trim off and inspect the teeth on the window regulator. If they aren't ground down to nothing, lube the teeth and all the other moving metal parts (including the metal tracks that the plastic buttons slide in) with white lithium grease. If you can get the window down, spray the window channels with silicone spray. This is routine maintenance that often gets neglected and causes windows to get jammed but people try to just force the window regulator, and that's how you end up with stripped regulators.

Sometime the glass itself can come out of the rubber channel. In that case just remove the glass, undo the 10 mm bolts and remove the channel, and hammer it back in. Look up a video on youtube by Robert Walker about tercel windows, it will be very helpful.
Thanks! I took the door card off and was poking around at the regulator but couldnt really see or feel teeth yet. It was rainy so i wasnt able to really inspect it but it definitely spins freely and doesnt catch the other gears. Could be stripped!

Impossible to find part?
BL8R29
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Re: My new Tercel - Would love some help in the process of giving this thing some love

Post by BL8R29 »

dlb wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 6:54 pm The driver side window may be repairable. Take the door trim off and inspect the teeth on the window regulator. If they aren't ground down to nothing, lube the teeth and all the other moving metal parts (including the metal tracks that the plastic buttons slide in) with white lithium grease. If you can get the window down, spray the window channels with silicone spray. This is routine maintenance that often gets neglected and causes windows to get jammed but people try to just force the window regulator, and that's how you end up with stripped regulators.

Sometime the glass itself can come out of the rubber channel. In that case just remove the glass, undo the 10 mm bolts and remove the channel, and hammer it back in. Look up a video on youtube by Robert Walker about tercel windows, it will be very helpful.
thanks for that video.. I think my problem is in the part that connects to the window crank, teeth on the big regulator "gear" look fine.. so maybe the other part is loos and not engaging correctly.. I'll have a look but will probably also just look for a replacement
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dlb
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Re: My new Tercel - Would love some help in the process of giving this thing some love

Post by dlb »

Yeah, wreckers and other Tercel enthusiasts are the only places to find good window regulators unfortunately. The front window regulators are the same in all tercels from 83-86 so if you find a hatchback (regardless of if it's a 2 or 4 door), a 2wd wagon, or a 4wd wagon, the driver door regulator should work in your car too.
BL8R29
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Re: My new Tercel - Would love some help in the process of giving this thing some love

Post by BL8R29 »

dlb wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 10:25 pm Yeah, wreckers and other Tercel enthusiasts are the only places to find good window regulators unfortunately. The front window regulators are the same in all tercels from 83-86 so if you find a hatchback (regardless of if it's a 2 or 4 door), a 2wd wagon, or a 4wd wagon, the driver door regulator should work in your car too.
Thanks a lot. Yeah I searched around for a bit. Haven’t found anything yet but I’m sure I will. So my big other question is this automatic transmission thing where I have all these revs when I’m in Park burch I can’t really give it much throttle and drive or reverse or anything - just wants to hesitate and stall. Any auto trans Wiz’s on the forum?
BL8R29
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Re: My new Tercel - Would love some help in the process of giving this thing some love

Post by BL8R29 »

BL8R29 wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 5:19 pm 85' automatic

Needs seats!

runs and drives !

lil bit of blow-by though

needs some serious wheel bearing love- caps are missing on all 4 corners. easy part to source?

going to be posting some pics of my relays.. some seem missing

haven't downloaded the manual from the forum yet but will be doing that today.

things paint is super clean but the interior is shot and the engine bay is pretty frought with what seems like some years of leaks.

how do ya'll clean your engines to find your leaks? - Powerwashing always bugged me out...

anyway!

ill post pics for now

This lil chingadera on the air cleaner automatic things? Havent seen it in any video of mostly manual cars.

Heres my relays… my cover is missing so i dont know what is what or if anythings missing… FSM has a pretty terrible wiring section? Shows a few relays but not all??
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dlb
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Re: My new Tercel - Would love some help in the process of giving this thing some love

Post by dlb »

In the automatics, it is normal for the revs to be a bit higher in park but obviously dying when you put it in gear and give it throttle is not, lol. There should be a linkage that goes from the throttle on the carb to the transmission, I can't remember the process for setting that but if you look in the FSM (free for download on this site) it is in there. That's the first thing I would do, next is checking and setting the idle, fast idle, and choke.

That thing on the air filter housing is just an emissions component, it varies a little bit between the different emissions packages so I'm not familiar with that one but it will also be covered in the FSM's emission controls section.

If you do a search on here for "fuse box lid" or something like that you should fine pics of it that others have posted which will show what fuses and relays should go where.
BL8R29
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My tercel:: 1985white

Re: My new Tercel - Would love some help in the process of giving this thing some love

Post by BL8R29 »

dlb wrote: Tue Apr 11, 2023 1:45 pm In the automatics, it is normal for the revs to be a bit higher in park but obviously dying when you put it in gear and give it throttle is not, lol. There should be a linkage that goes from the throttle on the carb to the transmission, I can't remember the process for setting that but if you look in the FSM (free for download on this site) it is in there. That's the first thing I would do, next is checking and setting the idle, fast idle, and choke.

That thing on the air filter housing is just an emissions component, it varies a little bit between the different emissions packages so I'm not familiar with that one but it will also be covered in the FSM's emission controls section.

If you do a search on here for "fuse box lid" or something like that you should fine pics of it that others have posted which will show what fuses and relays should go where.

Thanks! Have the manual downloaded but need to print it.

will get that sorted first 🤙 stoked to have some direction thanks again much appreciated
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NWMO
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Re: My new Tercel - Would love some help in the process of giving this thing some love

Post by NWMO »

I would suspect a fuel issue or some other issue that is engine related, usually insufficient fuel. Clogged filter, clogged fuel pick-up/screen.

Chris
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T4WD augury?
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BL8R29
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Re: My new Tercel - Would love some help in the process of giving this thing some love

Post by BL8R29 »

NWMO wrote: Tue Apr 11, 2023 7:44 pm I would suspect a fuel issue or some other issue that is engine related, usually insufficient fuel. Clogged filter, clogged fuel pick-up/screen.

Chris
It idles super clean
It revs suuuuper solid in park

So definitively want to check out this trans/ carb connection on the automatics first..

Otherwise will start poking around with the carb

Thanks for your reply 🤙
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Re: My new Tercel -northern California- Would love some help in the process of giving this thing some love

Post by NWMO »

BL8,

Idle and parked/neutral rev doesn’t require much fuel. When you put a load on it starts pulling fuel. I’m mo auto guy, nut I think the only connection between the trans and carb would be the “kick-down” rod that initiates down shifting when punching it. Good luck. Certainly look st your fuel filter and change it if you haven’t, cheap, easy and good maintenance.

Chris
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
BL8R29
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Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2023 5:41 pm
My tercel:: 1985white

Re: My new Tercel - Would love some help in the process of giving this thing some love

Post by BL8R29 »

dlb wrote: Tue Apr 11, 2023 1:45 pm In the automatics, it is normal for the revs to be a bit higher in park but obviously dying when you put it in gear and give it throttle is not, lol. There should be a linkage that goes from the throttle on the carb to the transmission, I can't remember the process for setting that but if you look in the FSM (free for download on this site) it is in there. That's the first thing I would do, next is checking and setting the idle, fast idle, and choke.

That thing on the air filter housing is just an emissions component, it varies a little bit between the different emissions packages so I'm not familiar with that one but it will also be covered in the FSM's emission controls section.

If you do a search on here for "fuse box lid" or something like that you should fine pics of it that others have posted which will show what fuses and relays should go where.
So update i adjusted the kick down rod and it helped.

I think theres some carburetor stuff to go with it. Im going to start with accelerator pump diaphragm and go full rebuild if necessary..

As for the fuse box diagram thing. I found the post you referenced but my fuse configuration is different than that. And different than others ive looked up so far elsewhere.

Could be a california car/ automatic thing?
BL8R29
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My tercel:: 1985white

Re: My new Tercel - Would love some help in the process of giving this thing some love

Post by BL8R29 »

dlb wrote: Tue Apr 11, 2023 1:45 pm In the automatics, it is normal for the revs to be a bit higher in park but obviously dying when you put it in gear and give it throttle is not, lol. There should be a linkage that goes from the throttle on the carb to the transmission, I can't remember the process for setting that but if you look in the FSM (free for download on this site) it is in there. That's the first thing I would do, next is checking and setting the idle, fast idle, and choke.

That thing on the air filter housing is just an emissions component, it varies a little bit between the different emissions packages so I'm not familiar with that one but it will also be covered in the FSM's emission controls section.

If you do a search on here for "fuse box lid" or something like that you should fine pics of it that others have posted which will show what fuses and relays should go where.
So update i adjusted the kick down rod and it helped.

I think theres some carburetor stuff to go with it. Im going to start with accelerator pump diaphragm and go full rebuild if necessary..

As for the fuse box diagram thing. I found the post you referenced but my fuse/ relay configuration is different than that. And by different i mean not just that my relays are plugged into different spots, but the actual infrastructure is different .. different fuse box alltogether i reckon.. And different than others ive looked up so far elsewhere.

Could be a california car/ automatic thing?
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