Will the engine hold up at interstate speeds?
Asked by Guru7WJB5 Jun 07, 2020 at 02:37 PM about the 1998 Toyota Tercel 2 Dr CE Coupe
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
My son recently bought a 98 Tercel. It is doing very
well, but I have a concern. It has the basic
automatic transmission and the engine seems to
be revved fairly high at 55 mpg. I am wondering
how it will hold upbeat interstate speeds?
4 Answers
Sometimes wear and tear on a tranny can result in the loss of overdrive. That means the engine runs at a much higher RPM on the highway. Let a tranny shop check it out. If it feels like your engine is running at a 'too high' RPM at highway speeds then it probably is.
I am guessing the RPM's at 55 should be around 2,000 rpm or so. If it is a lot higher than that the transmission may not be shifting to top gear or slipping.
Guru9R2SJV answered about a year ago
Your son's '98 Tercel's automatic transmisson is a 3-speed with a mechanical lock-up torque converter, no overdrive. The final drive ratio is 3:72. My '97 Tercel with the same transmission has the factory size 185/60R14. It buzzes down the freeway at 65-70 no problem, and still gets excellent gas mileage. The transmission converter should be locking up at about 45 mph. Hope that helps.
