Toyota Tercel...HELP!

['956Wheel]

Pardon me for posting such a far cry from our trucks... but I need help on this one.



Its an '88 Toyota Tercel w/auto trans. My son-in-law spent his last few $$ to get it. He is NOT a mechanic but is a good kid and needs my help... I need yours!



David said the thing suddenly reved and didn't go hardly at all. Upon shutting it off it would not start. We get it towed to "good old "he can fix anything" Dads house.



The starter would spin but not engage... solenoid right? NOPE!New starter installed and same symptom! Upon closer exam I find the ring gear and its hub spin seperate of the crank!



Do we have any Toyota mechanics on board? How is the flywheel attached to the crank? Is it a simple fix? Should I pull the engine or drop the trans?



I gotta get this kid back on the road as he is a kind hearted gent who deserves it.



Thank you in advance!



Mike

 

[lgibson]

If the flywheel spins and the crank does not then it could be A. broken flywheel, or B. broken crank. Most likely it is just a broken flywheel. Does it make a clicking sound while cranking? I am in Salem, Or. if you are close I could look at it for you, just PM me. I was a transmission mechanic for almost 10 years (But that was a while ago).

 

[LSMITH]

Mike, although I have never had a Tercel apart that I remember I have had plenty of other imports apart. I do not remember one that did not have the ring gear tack welded to the flexplate. I would tack it and turn it over a half rev and tack it again. You "should" indicate the ring for runout if it is not pressed against a shoulder. If there is a shoulder just vise grip it to the shoulder and tack it every 30 degrees or so. If no shoulder tack it in as close to the center as you can get it, you should be able to pull it against the old tack welds and get close enough. You can turn one of these over by hand on the damper easily, just go slow ant it won't fight much.



EDIT, I would do this all through the inspection cover, if you decide you need to drop the trans leave the engine on it. Pull the axles and pull the engine and trans out together. Seperate on the bench/ground. You can also weld through the starter hole if you have the patience. DISCONNECT the batteries!!!!!!!!!!



Hope this helps.

 

[LSMITH]

OK, I just re-read your post and I may have misunderstood you. If the WHOLE flexplate is spinning on the crank you are out of luck. You have to pull the engine. The flexplate is bolted to the crank. Either the hub sheared out, fairly uncommon, or the bolts sheared, more common but still not likely. The tail of the crank could be broken too, about as common as the above ideas. If I read it right the second time you are going to have to pull it to find out. Sorry.

 

[lgibson]

I thought about this a little more, and have a few questions. While tring to start the car you said the flywheel was turning but not the crank. Have you tried turning the engine over by hand at the pullys? So while you tried to start the car did you look at the front of the motor to see the crank and pullies were moving? Or did you have the valve covers off and looked at the cam? Does the starter crank over real fast? The way you discribed how it died it sounds like the timing belt broke. That is easy to check, just remove the front plastic cover on the front of the motor and you should be able to see the sproket and belt.

 

['956Wheel]

UPDATE

I dropped the trans out and found the flywheel neatly fractured from its center... was one piece now is 2. Also the TC pilot was broken off in the cranks bore. On disassembly I noticed all but one engine to trans bolt(s) were loose! One missing... there are only 4!



So a trip to the junkyard and 300 bucks later I am almost done with the Tercel from HE!!.



Met a guy at the junkyard who really liked my Dodge. . he was saying that "back home" (El Salvador) there are a lot more diesels than here. Also he was telling me about the poor people down there who can't afford a set of batteries for the truck so they jack up one side and ****PULL START**** them with a rope around the tire in second gear! Ever hear of this?



Funny part was when Tom, my buddy who sold my son-in-law the car called to ask "how the kids like the car"? I told him what was up, no expectations, but he showed up with 300 bucks. So, once its out of my driveway I can relax! Just time lost. . NBD.



Mike