Very little of significance has gone wrong, with the exception of the air conditioning springing a leak a few years ago. Acceleration was noticeably sluggish with the air conditioning turned on so I very seldom used it anyway and I never bothered fixing it.
Otherwise, just maintenance items; I'll list the more significant ones:
CV joints, which I probably wouldn't have had to replace if I had noticed and replaced the boots as soon as they cracked and before the grease leaked out.
The lights behind the heater controls went out, and when I tried to replace them I found out that not only is the heater control very difficult to get out because the vacuum lines are a couple inches shorter than they should be, but one of the bulb mounts had broken. I didn't have any lights for those controls until I recently got a junker Tempo (just $100!) and replaced the whole assembly just to get the lights working.
The headlights have fogged badly, and this is apparently a common problem with Tempos of this vintage. It didn't pass inspection last year and I had to get some special un-fogging buffing compound (about $10) which partially fixed the problem, at least enough to pass. The junker I got has brand new headlights though (it's an '89 and apparently had the same problem at some point; there's a foggy headlight in the trunk) so they will also be replaced.
I replaced both front brake rotors at once because one just wore down too far to be turned, and the other grooved badly. Also, the caliper got stuck on the side with the grooved rotor, making the problem worse. Replaced the caliper, but that rotor needs to be replaced again already so the caliper may be stuck again.
I thought I was going to have to replace the alternator, but it turned out that there was just some corrosion in the connector and spraying it with WD-40 and un-plugging and plugging it back in several times fixed the problem! May be a useful tip for those folks whose alternator lights are flickering like mine did.
I had to replace the headlight high/low beams switch (the one on the steering column) because the low-beams wouldn't light, and eventually the high-beams would only light if I held in the switch! This was pretty long after the above alternator problem started, so I think the problem was over-voltage making the switch arc (I drive at night on country roads a lot, so I dim my lights frequently for on-coming traffic). I replaced it from the junker about the same time I fixed the alternator problem (maybe 8,000 miles ago) and it hasn't come back.
I had to tighten the bolts that hold the valve cover down because the little gaskets that fit around each bolt had softened and oil was leaking, and when it started leaking again I tried to do the same thing and I found that the little gaskets had virtually disintegrated! I replaced the whole valve cover gasket because the only way to get those little ones was in a kit. That was about 70,000 miles ago or so and it's leaking again, so I either need to tighten it down or replace the gasket again. But the car has never burned oil, just leaked a bit.
Just recently the oil pan gasket has started to leak a little as well. It is apparently not really a gasket, but just some black silicone sealant (known as RTV), so I'll probably replace it next time I change the oil.
The transmission has leaked a few times, but each time it's been the transmission pan gasket leaking and was easily fixed with a transmission service kit (about $10, includes the gasket and filter and should be put on whenever the fluid is changed anyway). The transmission shifts very roughly when the fluid level is low, which is no surprise, but it has never had any long-term problems related to this. It's leaking from the pan gasket again, so I need to replace it again (I think this is the third time, but it may only be the second).
Around 100,000 miles ago one of the muffler mounts let go and the tailpipe dragged on the pavement for a mile or so, sending a really impressive shower of sparks. All I had to do was hook it back on the mount and it never fell off again. I had to replace the muffler about 15,000 miles ago because of an exhaust leak, but considering the age of the car that's hardly unusual.
The right side of the driver's seat broke a year or two ago and leaned farther and farther back over time, until several months ago I had to prop it up with a piece of wood so it was comfortable. It never went back far enough that it seemed unsafe, but it was irritating and caused a bad stiff neck on long trips. The seats were never the most comfortable to begin with, so I replaced both with the much nicer ones from the LX-model junker I'm stripping. Now I have a power driver seat and power lumbar support on both sides, and they're both much more comfortable in general. The biggest improvement is higher headrests. If you have access to a junkyard with an LX-model Tempo and you're somewhat technically inclined (4 bolts and a little wiring) I'd highly advise replacing at least your driver's seat. Your neck and back will thank you on long trips.
Finally, the exhaust manifold cracked and had to be replaced around 20,000 miles ago. I accidentally drove over a curb several years back and it bounced the car pretty hard (stupid yellow-painted mini-curbs in the middle of intersections in Seattle!) and I suspect that was the initial cause of the crack, so it's hardly a defect.
That's about it. Everything else has been expected maintenance items like belts, hoses, light bulbs, brake pads/shoes, shocks (well, technically they're struts), etc.
Other people have complained about transmission and other problems on this and similar-year Tempos, but with my experience I think they were mostly from poor maintenance. The rough shifting that people have experienced I would guess is almost always from a simple leak, since most people don't check their transmission fluid nearly as often as they check their oil, and on an older car like these it's very important.
This is the first car I've owned, though I drove several cars quite a bit before and for jobs since (mostly an '88 Ford Taurus, '84 Chrysler New Yorker, and '98 Chevy Astro van, among a few others).
For the money, it's an incredible car!
Its one downside is that, at least with the 4-cylinder engine (and especially with the air conditioner turned on), it doesn't have the best acceleration. It's no worse than any other 4-cylinder I've driven, though, with the exception of the New Yorker which had turbo.
The handling is superb for a non-sports-car. I drive on country roads frequently, and take curves at astonishing speed. The car holds the road well, and it doesn't lean much even on bad curves at high speed (at least it didn't until I wore out the struts again).
I do advise putting very high-quality tires on the car if you drive it on curvy roads at high speed. I fishtailed and almost flipped it completely over just a few months after I got it, because it had cheap, worn-out rear tires. I'll never make that mistake again.
The suspension is no marvel, being neither as smooth as a luxury car nor as solid as a performance car, but then this car is billed as neither. For the economy car it is, however, the suspension is quite good, and even on the 1/2-mile long, very bumpy gravel driveway which I drove daily for about 5 years it was comfortable and has always held the road well.
The seats weren't the best, but read my above comment about replacing them with the much more comfortable LX-model seats.
The cabin is fairly roomy for a smaller car, and there's more front legroom with the LX-model seats because they go back a little farther. I have fit things as big as a 55-gallon aquarium, a coffee table, and some very large computer equipment in the back seat (not all at the same time, though).
The trunk is very roomy for the car's size. I only wish the opening extended farther downward; that would make it easier to get big items into the trunk. It's fine for anything but the biggest, most awkward stuff though.
The air conditioning worked great until the leak, and the heat is incredible. The engine warms up quickly, giving heat after just the first mile or so (or a few minutes of warm-up idling, but that's bad for the engine). It also gets really toasty once it's warmed up, good for those who live up north.
The brakes are great, I've never had a problem stopping in any conditions. I do wish the car had anti-lock brakes, but I haven't had very many skid situations and none have been exceedingly dangerous. This car (and I think all Tempo models) has front disc and rear drum brakes. The parking brake, when adjusted properly, is very effective and locks the car quite solidly. On the few occasions that I've forgotten and left it on it was impossible to move the car (ecxept for once when the rear brakes were worn out).
All in all, I have nothing but praise for the humble little Tempo. It's almost at 200,000 miles, and I figure I can probably double that if I'm careful with it (and don't eventually grow tired of it).
Yes people SHOULD watch the transmissions on these things... the tranny just recently went out on mine (my fault though!!). It kept shifting rough and hesitating before shifting, and instead of changing the fluid/filter and getting it serviced (would have fixed the problem) I kept driving it like that and now its shot.
1984-1990 tempos- are great little cars. future tip for any one who might own them.
If your transmission slips hard from first to second, or second to drive. (kind of delayed shift) have your local transmission warehouse look at the plastic piece on the carburetor, or fuel injector assembly that controls shifting from that. a lot of times the plastic gets worn, and it only costs about $7.00 for the part. plus labor of about five minutes
B.Getz
Madison,IN
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