automatic transmission

I AM CONSIDERING BUYING A 1990 TOYOTA TERCEL FOUR WHEEL DRIVE AUTOMATIC,
THE GIRL THAT IS SELLING IT SAID THAT IT DROVE JUST FINE UNTIL SHE LET A
GUY TEST DRIVE IT AND THEN HE SAID IT WASN'T GOING INTO THIRD GEAR..SO SHE
DROVE IT BUT DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE SHIFTING SEQUENCE..I DROVE IT AND ALSO
COULDN'T FEEL ANY CHANGE LIKE IT WASN'T GOING INTO THIRD GEAR...BUT LET'S
SAY IT'S NOT CATCHING THIRD GEAR, WOULD THIS BE A MAJOR PROBLEM OR MAYBE
SOMETHING SIMPLE, I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THIS WOULD BE A VERY RARE PROBLEM
IN THIS TYPE OF CAR..THANX IN ADVANCE FOR ANY ADVICE.

On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 18:54:53 -0400, chasmeup wrote:
[color=blue]
> I AM CONSIDERING BUYING A 1990 TOYOTA TERCEL FOUR WHEEL DRIVE AUTOMATIC,
> THE GIRL THAT IS SELLING IT SAID THAT IT DROVE JUST FINE UNTIL SHE LET A
> GUY TEST DRIVE IT AND THEN HE SAID IT WASN'T GOING INTO THIRD GEAR..SO SHE
> DROVE IT BUT DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE SHIFTING SEQUENCE..I DROVE IT AND ALSO
> COULDN'T FEEL ANY CHANGE LIKE IT WASN'T GOING INTO THIRD GEAR...BUT LET'S
> SAY IT'S NOT CATCHING THIRD GEAR, WOULD THIS BE A MAJOR PROBLEM OR MAYBE
> SOMETHING SIMPLE, I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THIS WOULD BE A VERY RARE PROBLEM
> IN THIS TYPE OF CAR..THANX IN ADVANCE FOR ANY ADVICE.[/color]


WELL IM NOT SURE BUT IF YOU DONT STOP SHOUTING YOULL NEVER GET AN ANSWER!!!

On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 18:54:53 -0400, "chasmeup" <irish_eagle@yahoo.com>
wrote:
[color=blue]
>I AM CONSIDERING BUYING A 1990 TOYOTA TERCEL FOUR WHEEL DRIVE AUTOMATIC,
>THE GIRL THAT IS SELLING IT SAID THAT IT DROVE JUST FINE UNTIL SHE LET A
>GUY TEST DRIVE IT AND THEN HE SAID IT WASN'T GOING INTO THIRD GEAR..SO SHE
>DROVE IT BUT DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE SHIFTING SEQUENCE..I DROVE IT AND ALSO
>COULDN'T FEEL ANY CHANGE LIKE IT WASN'T GOING INTO THIRD GEAR...BUT LET'S
>SAY IT'S NOT CATCHING THIRD GEAR, WOULD THIS BE A MAJOR PROBLEM OR MAYBE
>SOMETHING SIMPLE, I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THIS WOULD BE A VERY RARE PROBLEM
>IN THIS TYPE OF CAR..THANX IN ADVANCE FOR ANY ADVICE.[/color]


Try manually shifting through the gears and see if it "catches" 3rd.

BTW, how many miles does the car have on it?
Is the trans fluid in good condition?

In my recent experience with pricing the cost of fixing an 85 3spd OD
trans for my pickup I found it might cost anywhere from $600 to $1800
to "fix", so if anything is actually wrong with the Tercel's tranny
you're probably in the same cost range.

....
(Shout all you like...There's a lot of noise in this group!)
<g>

On Wed, 22 Jun 2005 02:48:55 +0000, noneyabusiness wrote:
[color=blue]
> On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 18:54:53 -0400, "chasmeup" <irish_eagle@yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>[color=green]
>>I AM CONSIDERING BUYING A 1990 TOYOTA TERCEL FOUR WHEEL DRIVE AUTOMATIC,
>>THE GIRL THAT IS SELLING IT SAID THAT IT DROVE JUST FINE UNTIL SHE LET A
>>GUY TEST DRIVE IT AND THEN HE SAID IT WASN'T GOING INTO THIRD GEAR..SO SHE
>>DROVE IT BUT DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE SHIFTING SEQUENCE..I DROVE IT AND ALSO
>>COULDN'T FEEL ANY CHANGE LIKE IT WASN'T GOING INTO THIRD GEAR...BUT LET'S
>>SAY IT'S NOT CATCHING THIRD GEAR, WOULD THIS BE A MAJOR PROBLEM OR MAYBE
>>SOMETHING SIMPLE, I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THIS WOULD BE A VERY RARE PROBLEM
>>IN THIS TYPE OF CAR..THANX IN ADVANCE FOR ANY ADVICE.[/color]
>
>
> Try manually shifting through the gears and see if it "catches" 3rd.
>
> BTW, how many miles does the car have on it?
> Is the trans fluid in good condition?
>
> In my recent experience with pricing the cost of fixing an 85 3spd OD
> trans for my pickup I found it might cost anywhere from $600 to $1800
> to "fix", so if anything is actually wrong with the Tercel's tranny
> you're probably in the same cost range.
>
> ...
> (Shout all you like...There's a lot of noise in this group!)
> <g>[/color]

Yeah, I think I might actually agree with you on this one! ;)

As far as the tranny, did anyone actually CHECK the fluid level? It may
have just leaked out (or the guy took it '4 wheelin' and hit a rock hard
or something) And generally, a Toyota AT will default to 3rd gear in case
of a problem; it will start out in 3rd and stay there. Can it be shifted
manually (as noneya suggested)?

As an aside, lookf for one with a 6-speed (5 speed with an EL that can be
accessed in 4WD) A LOT more fun!