"new" 83 SR5 tunning

[heryrg]

Hi there fellow Tercel owners. So i just bought a "new" 1983 SR5. This is my second tercel , first one was '84 FWD: was an awesome bulletproof car. I needed a 4wd car, im in Monument CO, so decided to get an SR5 after found one in denver for cheap. Believe it or not the car has 144k original miles and i am a somewhat second owner. A toyota mech bought this car in july this year from the first owner, replaced clutch, rear main seal, radiator, cleaned carb, and fuel pump and filter.

I have a couple things i need to get fixed. First off the carb needs a good tunning, i downloaded a repair manual from here so i'll the tune up done. One thing, after accelerating and putting the car in neutral the rpms go up for about a second then drop. Any idea what needs to adjusted to fix this?

When cruising and pressing just enough gas to keep the speed, the car studders and feels like the carb is drowning or something. Any ideas?

When i turn right, i feel/hear a knocking sound/vibration from the right front tire. I looked at the bushings and they are somewhat cracked. What should i do to fix this or do a better diagnostic?

Also, i think since the car stood for a while, the front right tire wont come off I was gonna look at the brakes today but couldnt take off the tire, i tried pulling on it pretty hard and banging it, no luck. I think i'm gonna go to brakes plus get an alignment done and also ask them to check my brakes, and i'll see what they do.

Also what are some of the emmisions vacuums that can safely disconnected?

Thanks for any help. Ill post some pics soon.

[Petros]

Welcome to the list!

It sounds like you have a vacuum leak somewhere in all those lines, use the manual to check routing and connection on each end, check for cracks, etc. Also you can use a can of carb cleaner, with the engine running, spray it on the lines, gaskets, etc. and watch for an RPM change. Where it sucks in carb cleaner, you have a vac leak.

The knocking is likely a worn CV joint, should be worse in a turn when accelerating. Unless it is really bad you can continue driving it that way until you can not stand it, than replace the axles assembly with a new or rebuilt one (recommend new, some of the rebuilt ones are junk). The rubber parts cracking are kind of normal as they parts age, they are only a problem when the decompose enough to cause excessive play or noticeable "klunk" when you turn or put on the brakes.

The emission control system are complex and when they are working correctly make the car run better, and some actually improve economy. You can disable the EGR, and the by pass the TVSV that cuts off vacuum to the distributor advance. You can not just disable it, you have to buy pass it. See the FSM to see how they work and best way to disable. You also can disable the heat riser that takes warm air from the exhaust manifold (the colder the intake air the more efficeient) but if you get a lot of icing conditions, it might be best to leave this at least for the winter.

Most of the other stuff actually improves fuel economy along with reducing emissions.

Good luck.

[heryrg]

Thanks for the info. Do you think a vacuum leak could also cause the studdering at cruising speeds, this only happens when i very-slightly press the gas not at acceleration or deceleration.

[dlb]

in regards to the stuck wheel, just bash it. i had the same problem on my wife's '91 4x4 toyota pickup last year and thought something must have been wrong but it's just because corrosion builds up between the rim and hub. i wound up using a sledge and, after full swings at the tire and rotating the tire between hits, both wheels eventually came off. i was worried about damaging the tires and rims but the tires can take it, just be careful with your aim!

very important to get the wheel off and check the brakes. you don't want to be surprised by a burst flex hose and these cars are at an age when that rubber is in questionable condition at best. i found this on my '82 VW when i pulled the wheels off:

[heryrg]

Will do, thanks for the info.

[Petros]

Thanks for the info. Do you think a vacuum leak could also cause the studdering at cruising speeds, this only happens when i very-slightly press the gas not at acceleration or deceleration.

Yes, it is possible. more likely it is the accelerator pump, or plugged jets perhaps (fuel starvation). i had this on one of my cars but I do not remember the fix, one of the fuel cut-off solenoids I think. easy test, see the FSM. If you carefully remove the top of the carb (without removing it from the car), you can clean out the main jets and the bowl with carb spray. Watch out for the tiny parts like the check valve ball and spring, clips, etc.

As far as getting the drums and rotors off, try spraying with penetraing oil (on the hub, not the brakes!), and give it a good whack.

[hberdan]

You are very lucky to not have emissions testing in Monument, iirc. That Tercel carb is the source of major emissions failure problems up here in the Denver/Boulder area, there is scarcely a Tercel owner that has not had to have his carb rebuilt to pass state tests, and usually required to spend several hundred dollars to have the certified repairs.
A carb is inspected and any disconnects result in automatic failure.

[takza]

very important to get the wheel off and check the brakes. you don't want to be surprised by a burst flex hose and these cars are at an age when that rubber is in questionable condition at best. i found this on my '82 VW when i pulled the wheels off:

You will find a solid "nylon" tube under the rubber...the rubber protects the nylon which does the work. The nylon CAN get overheated and even blocked by too much heat from a seized caliper. If you ever replace a seized caliper...also replace the flex hose.

[heryrg]

Thanks guys for the info.

Yes, it is possible. more likely it is the accelerator pump, or plugged jets perhaps (fuel starvation).

About this: When i look at the carb running and press the gas i see the gas spray into the left chamber(secondary? where the choke valve is. correct me if im wrong) but i do not see the gas spraying in the right chamber. Is this normal? The car drives fine and still gets about 33mpg.

Accelerator pump is the little pump on the top-left of the carb right?

Just to make sure, FSM is the repair manual? Right?

[Petros]

When i look at the carb running and press the gas i see the gas spray into the left chamber(secondary? where the choke valve is. correct me if im wrong) but i do not see the gas spraying in the right chamber. Is this normal? The car drives fine and still gets about 33mpg.

That is the primary venturi, and yes, you should see a strong stream of fuel spraying down into it when you open the throttle. If it dribbles or is intermittant, than it needs replacing.

Accelerator pump is the little pump on the top-left of the carb right?

Just to make sure, FSM is the repair manual?

Accelerator pump is the one with the teeter-totter linkage over the top left of the carb, with the little accordian bellows like boot on it.

FSM=Factory Service Manual

[takza]

About this: When i look at the carb running and press the gas i see the gas spray into the left chamber(secondary? where the choke valve is. correct me if im wrong) but i do not see the gas spraying in the right chamber. Is this normal? The car drives fine and still gets about 33mpg.

There is a little known test for the determining the correct operation of the right barrel (from front) of the carb: You need a friend to drive the car while you straddle the fenders peering down into the carb...you first need to remove the hood and have the air cleaner off. Best to do this on a back road and to use a safety tie off just in case....knee pads and helmet are also recommended. You should see spray in the barrel to the right when the gas pedal is depressed over 1/2 it's full travel while underway.

[Mattel]

Takza - your humour kills me man..

[heryrg]

LoL.

[ARCHINSTL]

I think his humor derives from being so high up on the Tibetan plateau - you know - not enough oxygen...
Tom M.