Dear Bob,
This is really weird. At about the same time you got your Tercel I got mine. It is identical in equipment to yours (neither are EZs) and mine only has 67K on it. I have the same vibration problem. It was absolutely necessary to put it in neutral at stop lights. I had it looked at and it had two motor mounts separating and they needed to be replaced pronto. I think that is your problem: time has just rotted them out. I did that and I'm now broke and the car still vibrates, but less! I don't think the prior owners ever drove the car much and the spark plugs are carboned up and the plug wire/distributor cap combo is dated 1997! My mechanics told me the car just needs a 60k service as it passed CA Bay Area smog with flying colors. I'm going at it piecemeal because I am so short of funds. I'm replacing the plugs myself tomorrow and, we'll just go on from there. This is an urban car for a downtown guy and it will take me ages to put any real miles on it unless gas comes down and I decide to take some trips. But, what a sweetie! OK, it's only a three-speed AT but it's saving my left leg. OK, 78 horsepower and a carburetor are antique but they work fine and the A/C is very good indeed; all set for global warming and a San Jose summer. I look forward to your kind of gas mileage. I haven't been able to fill the tank yet so I don't know what I'm getting. Let's work on the vibration in both cars, though. Having your mirror blur isn't right. As for your wheel/tire thoughts, mine is wearing 155 SR 13s. They are brand new so I'm stuck with them and the car feels squirrelly on grooved concrete. There is another one like mine in the neighborhood with 175 SR 13s on the same rims, I THINK, but can't tell. My last car, a Sentra, had 175s and tracked beautifully. I guess if you wanted to go to larger diameter rims with lower profile tires (to maintain the same rolling diameter so you don't lose what acceleration is available in this car) you might improve handling marginally but I doubt there would really be much benefit as the suspension is pretty soft. It might make a handsome little coupe look a bit better but that's up to you.
I am beginning to wonder if there are other low mileage Tercels out there like our cars. You just wonder what they have been doing all those years, though I do have the CarFax report for mine. It just hasn't been driven much and it looks like a well-maintained five-year-old car that has been kept out of the sun. It's a little treasure. Enjoy yours!
Frank in San Jose
Quote:
Originally Posted by FLtercel
Hey Guys,
I'm new to the site. I just bought a 1989 Tercel base coupe (I think it's an EZ) with 60,000 original miles. Basic transportation, power steering, automatic and A/C are the only options. It even has the original window sticker. Anyway......the car vibrates when stopped at a light....or cruising down the highway. It's not a wheel vibration. It's different. I can feel it in the steering and see it in the rear view mirror. I'm thinking motor mounts need replaced. Does anyone have any other thoughts? It idles fine, starts easily......nothing else is odd. Maybe it's normal for an older econo can. Any help is appreciated.
Also.....I'm looking to replace the stock 13's with aftermarker rims and tires. What are your thoughts between 14's or 15's?
BTW.....I'm loving the 32MPG!
Thanks,
Bob
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