Bad sychro on a 2wd - bad sign or annoyance?

[tercle]

This 2WD 1986 Tercel I am looking at has a bad 2nd gear synchro.
Generally speaking, is this the beginning of the end for this transmission, or can it be driven carefully for thousands of miles this way?
Can I get away with putting off repairing/replacing it for a year?
Don't know anything about transmissions and have nowhere except the curb to work on one.

And how hard is it to replace the transmission, if you just have an ordinary floor jack, jackstands and blocks of wood?

[ARCHINSTL]

Welcome to the Club!
The only piece of advice I can offer is that with the 2WD you are not limited to Wagons; it used the same trans as the 5-speed sedans. While the 4WD had a trans ratio change in '85, I dunno if all 5-speed 2WD bodies did as well.
Tom M.

[dlb]

hey bud. i would say that yes, it is the beginning of the end of your transmission, but that doesn't mean it won't be usable for quite some time. change your gear oil (easy job, there are several good threads on this if you search for it) and shift into 2nd softly to keep the gear alive as long as possible. once it dies, or if it's too difficult to shift into 2nd even after the gear oil change, just avoid 2nd. rev 1st up good and high and then shift into 3rd. i think you could make it a year without swapping the tranny out.

as for swapping a transmission, it's a big heavy piece of metal. not a good first job if you're new to wrenching, and even worse if you're trying to do it on a street. if you can supply the new transmission to a shop, i don't think it would cost too much to have them swap it so i would recommend that.

[takza]

I'd change the gear oil and use regular oil of the recommended weight...just in case someone put weird stuff in it. PO probably tended to force the 2nd gear shifts? You could double clutch thru that gear ? Also be sure your clutch is adjusted correctly so it is disengaging fully. If you drive it carefully...it would last as long as another trans without that issue.

[Petros]

Welcome to the list! Your trans should last many more miles if it is only the sycncro that is worn (but this is a sign of normal wear and tear as it ages). IF it has a lot of miles on it you might try a trans flush, drain current oil, put in 50/50 mixture of cheap ATF and gear oil, drive it for a few days (go on the hwy and get it good and hot) and than drain and refill with quality normal Gear oil. IT will clean off sludge and glaze and might make it work normal again.

IF there are no other issues the trans will still last many many miles. You might also learn to double clutch on the 2nd gear shifting, it lowers the stress on the syncro and will reduce future wear. I works like this: when shifting from 1st to 2nd, you hesitate moving the shift lever into 2nd in neutral and let the clutch out and back in quickly, and than move the lever in to 2nd. This is how all shifting had to be done before syncros were invented, it matches the gear speed in the trans to the engine speed. Once it becomes habit it does not slow the shift down at all. Also, avoid downshifting since that puts the most strain on the syncro.

Good luck.

[tercle]

OK. I am the new owner of a tan 2WD Tercel Wagon.

I am going to try to replace the timing belt tomorrow (Sunday) and top off the gear oil.
Hope to do the 50/50 thing to clean out the transmission maybe Thursday-Friday.
Probably about 200 miles, mostly freeway.
Then drain it and put in fresh 90 wt.

Hope to check the clutch adjustments tomorrow too, but the main goal is swapping in a new timing belt.
This will be my 2nd Tercel timing belt, and first time with the old belt intact.

Wonder if there are any shortcuts when replacing an unbroken belt, or should I just follow the manual?
One thing for sure is, I will be able to record the timing before I start.
(and set it at 10 btdc when I'm done)

[Tercel__jon]

Also, avoid downshifting since that puts the most strain on the syncro.

Good luck.

I would assume it helps to rev match when downshifting. Thats what Ive been doing, just bring it to neutral, give it a jab on the gas to bring the revs up to where it would be if you were in the next lower gear and then downshift. If you give it enough gas when you jab it, it shifts smooth as silk. Also I read along time ago on here, double clutching saves the syncros...and since there hasnt been a new trans made for these cars since 87....yeah....Im doing what I can to save mine.


Oh and if the clutch adjustment is already adjusted all the way like mine. loosen the adjuster, then disconnect it from the hook on the trans. Pull it through the hole in the block and add a couple washers. put it back together, jab the clutch a couple times and bam....got a little longer till you gotta replace the cable.

[tercle]

Change of plans. (I may live to regret it.)

I have no idea when the timing belt was done last, but
the back of the timing belt looks pretty new with no cracking, so I am skipping it and doing the valves and some other chores that popped up.
I can see already #1 exhaust is too tight. Hopefully later this afternoon I can see about the clutch adjust.

[Petros]

Good choice. You do not risk any engine damage if the belt breaks because because this is a clearance engine, and the belt has to be pretty bad before it breaks. I have seen them running with a third of the "teeth" missing and exposed cords. But I would not wait that long, no cracking on the belt, and no missing teeth, it should be good for a long time.

BTW, one short cut for replacing the timing belt is to use a soft cord or rope in the number one spark plug hole to "lock" the crank (crank it around to TDC so you don t damage the valves) to allow you break the front nut loose on the front pully. Also, an you can avoid using a puller (unless badly rusted into place) by spraying penetrating oil on it, whack the pully with a rubber mallet or wood block, and you usually can wiggle it off. Everything else is easy and straight forward. Remove the radiator for easy access to the front of the engine.

[tercel4wdrules]

My first Tercel had worn syncros. I learned to double-clutch rev-match in that one. It does make a big difference, especially when you need to go back into 1st while the car is still moving. You can drive the car for years with worn syncros, the less clashing, the better. Also, you could try (whenever possible) to upshift early such as 1st to 2nd at 10 mph, 2nd to 3rd at 20 mph, and it will help as well so you don't have to double-clutch as much. However, on hills or if you need to accelerate to avoid getting mowed down by traffic, this obviously won't work with the anemic engine. Listen for ping when you set the timing at 10° BTDC, if you have ping, back it off two or three degrees.