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Toyota Echo

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Comments

  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    I think one reason they made the ECHO so small is to go between the molecules of air. Thats probably one reason why it gets such good mileage. :P
  • sfechosfecho Member Posts: 26
    I participated in this forum a bit WAY back in the old days...2002 or so. We have been enjoying our two Echo's for all these years. one has 88K and the other 28K. They have been perfectly reliable.
    Anyway, it appears thieves here in San Francisco have a way to buy a universal set of keys for Toyotas (I've heard from Snap-On Tools, but I don't know if that's right) and just drive a car away. I would like to install a ignition kill switch and hide it in the passenger compartment somewhere. Has anyone done this or know which wire under the hood to cut to install a kill switch?
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    JCW sells a switch that goes on the + wire going to the battery. I worry about someone stealing my ECHO, siphoning the oil out of my oil tank, and stealing the wood from my wood pile!
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Well its finally happened. The Gas Apocolypse I foresaw back in 00 when I bought my ECHO is upon us! People are lining up at my doorstep to tell me "You were RIGHT!" NOT! :P
  • babyboomerbabyboomer Member Posts: 205
    Gas prices increasing, stock prices falling, and salaries staying the same. This triple whammy trend is changing our society and the world. One possible good result: goods are getting to be too expensive to ship from other counties so maybe jobs will starting returning.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Along with challanges come oppertunities. We need to recognize and exploit the oppertunities better than we failed to anticipate the coming problem.
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    thinking of trading their Echo for a new Yaris? If so, have you driven it yet? What did you think by comparison?

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    I might be giving my ECHO to my son and buying a Yaris for myself. Only problem: dealer says they can get base models and wants $15,000 (+ extras) to order one. I like the Yaris interior!
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    I don't get it. You mean you want a base model and the dealer only has 'S's, or what? I am most surprised, here everything from the $10,995 base hatch to fully loaded 'S's are widely available. And while discounts off sticker are very small, some places will still do up to $500-1000 discounts despite the huge demand for these small models right now.

    I like the hatch more than the sedan because the interior is nicer, but in typical infuriating Toyota fashion the hatch is the one they starve of options. Despite having the exact same powertrain and power package, the sedan gets optional cruise and the hatch doesn't. The sedan is easy to find with ABS, the hatch isn't. The sedan is getting easier to find with alloys and the power package, the hatch isn't (all the hatches I see get plastic wheel covers instead). When equipped with the power package with alloys and a stick shift, the 'S' hatch is a heck of a value, I think, at $13,7. I would add keyless and cruise though, so that would be $1000 extra that the dealer service department would get.

    Not only is the hatch's interior better, but the pedals are more widely spaced. I find them too close together in the sedan. Apart from these minor foibles, I like the Yaris. I certainly prefer its looks to the Echo's, even though I think my Echo has an endearingly quirky quality to its exterior styling.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Not the situation at all here. No bases not even Yaris's on the lot. You have to order. None of the three dealers around me even has a single Yaris in stock.
  • moparblue2moparblue2 Member Posts: 86
    i don't no were you live. but you can go on line to toytoa.com & find yaris's all over the US. were you live they are just driveing the price up for more profit. i think this might be ellegal. i would check other dealers. i haved save a lot of money before just bye driveing 100 miles. dealers sevice dept. do not care were you bye. sevice is a big part of dealer income. wether warraty or oil change.
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    Well, that IS a surprise. I have noticed that if you are willing to take a car with the convenience package, you will have an easier search. They seem to be building a lot more of those. I have also noticed that if you want a totally base car, it is easier to find hatches than sedans. I assume you would be interested in a sedan, eh?

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Well I have found the ECHO as a sedan to be not as inconvient as I first thought. And the Yaris hatch does not have all that much rear room with the rear seats up. The 2 door version of the ECHO has monster openings for doors that helps get things into the rear of the car with the seats down. I would probably want a hatchback all said and done though. But truth be told it would depend a lot on what deal I could get. Anything is possible given the right price. It DDOES appear though that my diesel ECHO dream is a dead duck, given the price of diesel fuel these days. Im thankfull I dont have a diesel ECHO!
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    Well, the next dealer over from me, perhaps 10 miles away, just took delivery of 5 base Yaris hatchbacks, zero options, two stick shift and 3 automatic. The zero-option ones are fairly easy to find around here: while they are selling quickly, there always seem to be more arriving on the truck to replace them.

    Me, I would definitely want the convenience package just to get the bigger rims and a CD player. But I am torn between that and the full-on power package 'S' with alloys. They seem to be shipping those now with ABS as well. And a sticker of just under $16K, not bad.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • babyboomerbabyboomer Member Posts: 205
    My son and wife decided to ride around in a Between-The-Lakes Kentucky State Park in their beloved ECHO. The road became more Off Road than road. It was rough but the ECHO did well except they said it will need an front end alignment. What do you think they learned from this?
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    Ummm, that while the Echo is really great for lots of different things, riding around on ungraded roads is probably not one of its fortes? ;-)

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    I just bought a 2000 silver four door for my son to replace his 93 Altima which has 138k miles on it. 117k miles, one owner, (woman collage professor) auto, ac works (everything works) clock, manual remote control mirrors (mine dont even have that!) CD/tape/AMFM. Good rubber. Clean air filter and appears to have the maintenance up to date. Did a scan of the error codes which turned up a clean slate. There is a bit of broken plastic on the right front corner of the car involving the underside of the bumper. CV joint boots were good, no leaking brake fluid anywhere, exhaust system has no holes, car ran and drove as it should. Now what would you say if it was $3000? Deal...or no Deal?
  • lhansonlhanson Member Posts: 268
    I believe that I would have to take that deal.
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    Yeah, you won't do much better than that for a high mile Japanese car with no known issues (I don't consider the bit of broken bumper molding an issue), good rubber, and the reliability of the Echo. Deal!

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Heres a FYI about older ECHOs. Today we removed one of the wheels to check the front brake pad thickness on the 2000 ECHO with 117k miles I bought for my son. Well we couldnt get the wheel off! It seems the ECHO has a hole through through the center of the rim that the hub on the rotor/brake drum goes through. They are nearly the same diameter so corrosion seized the rim on the hub solid even without the lug nuts on. COULD NOT pull the wheel off the car. So what we did was spray all four wheels round the hub area with WD40 and loosened ALL the lug nuts a couple of turns. Then we drove the car back and forth a few times. That broke all the rims free of the hubs. You might want to do this on your older ECHO because if you ever have a flat and its been years since the wheels were off you zMIGHT NOT be able to get the flat tire off the car!.
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    This doesn't bode well for the maintenance being up to date - if those tires had been rotated regularly the rims probably wouldn't be stuck to the hubs. :-/

    BTW, this advice isn't Echo-specific, this happens to older cars in general whenever those rims have been on there for too long. It's even better when the lugs are frozen too - you have to break them off the hub just to get the darn wheel off.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    I think Toyotas are alone with the hole thru the rim matching the hub diameter which leads to stuck rims. The AF and brake fluid were new but the coolant was pretty dirty. A mixed bag it would seem. Next project: the PS pump belt (although new) is a bit loose and squeeking. One of the rims was pretty badly dented but still holding air and not wobbling.
    I had a bolt in my tire on my personal ECHO last week. Tire was less than 5000 mile old. (about a year) The rim wasnt stuck but it took a few blows with a sledgehammer to loosen it off.
  • radar24radar24 Member Posts: 1
    Owned since new with less than 10 miles on the odometer, I too had a horrendous time removing the wheels on our 3 years old '04 Corolla with only 23K miles. On strike working on the wife’s car :D I decided to not pay $40-60 for rotation every 6K miles. I did not like the OEM tires anyway. This Canadian made ’04 Corolla however turned out to have not only the wheels seizing to the hubs but the rotors & drums too. First it took a lot of super penetrating fluid and removing of surface rust on the hub center with a Scotchbrite pad. Then I used a long pry bar, a 5 # hammer plus a few choice words before they finally popped off with a loud snap.

    The actual reason for removing the wheel in the first place was there is no excuse for one of the front brake pads seizing in the caliper just after the warranty ended (actually the pads are probably not covered). The other three ‘free’ pads had about 50% or more life left based on the lining material remaining. So it seemed to be not a hydraulically problem or normal brake wear. It took quite a lot of effort to slide the worn pad off the caliper’s stainless clips while the other three slid off with relatively low effort!

    In addition most all of the under carriage and suspension fasteners seemed to have very low quality plating. My nearly 20 year old Japanese made Toyotas never exhibited anywhere near that much corrosion. Of course it was well rust proofed by yours truly. Possibly the use of today’s Chinese made fasteners has come back to bite us in the wallet. With reduced longevity.

    I'm rambling on so on to my solution to the problem. Do not try this at home :) guys and gals. I apply a thin film of Black Molybdenum High Temp brake grease to the rotor to hub (or drum) and to the wheel mating surfaces. Then I high temp anti-seize the studs to make sure they do not seize up either. Yes it’s frowned upon in some circles as dangerous. However treated New Hampshire roads in winter can do a number to unplanted fasteners in just a couple of winters. That would be only 12-15 K miles on my wife’s Corolla. Lately much less than 2000 per year on my accessible ‘97 S-10 used primarily during winter.

    Prior to anti-seize I used to occasionally snap off properly torqued lug nuts due to corrosion when trying to remove them just a few years later. Specially when over tightened during service or state inspections.

    Not anymore. And safety wise I have never had any lugnuts loosen in more than 20 years with anti-seize. I actually do it to new cars as soon as possible. It is so nice being able to freely spin lugnuts on or off by hand.

    Currently other than me only the well trained very capable guys at Costco have removed the wheels. And they use a torque wrench to tighten the lugnuts to spec. Unfortunately they now are removing any treatment with brake cleaner. Rats!
    Any opinions?
    RG
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    As one who has lived in upstate NY for 25 winters I know where youre coming from! That old chestnut about antiseize on the wheel studs causing loose lug nuts needs to be put to rest! Driving on heavily salted roads can do those things to a car in a hurry. Really I would be removing and lubricating the wheels and brake parts once a year if I still lived there. At least Toyota uses acorn lug nuts instead of open ended nuts but even those are subject to seizure under those conditions. Throw in Neanderthal car mechanics overtightening the nuts and there you have it. You are wise to treat lugs with antiseize as soon as possible living where you do. Which reminds me about the trailer I just bought...
    But really the cure for stuck rims is loosen the lugs nuts on all four wheels a couple of turns and drive the car back and forth a few times. Youll hear the rims pop loose.
  • highmiler650highmiler650 Member Posts: 75
    In December and until March I always use a dedicated set of wheels with winter tires (Snow). Changing wheels twice a year ensures proper tires in every season, proper rotation and ensures that I never have problems with rusted lug nuts or wheels.
  • dakedake Member Posts: 131
    Man, I've taken my last two Toyotas past 200k miles and I'm working on getting the Echo there and I've NEVER had the wheels seize to the hubs - and my first two 'Yotas were mid-eighties cars where everything but the tires rusts! My Celica spent two winters in northern Maine also, so it spent plenty of time surfing around rocker-panel deep in snow.

    Just need to rotate your tires more than once a year! :shades:
  • marcumarcu Member Posts: 11
    Hello,
    I would like to know if someone can guide me regarding an engine stall problem that occurs once upon a time when i am about to stop at a stop sign (engine speed below 30 mph). The problem is recurring but no technician was able to help me because he cannot reproduce the stall and it occurs seldomly.

    I've checked that my left foot was throughly down on the clutch pedal while the right foot is on the break pedal. So there is no way that the stall is related to my driving habits. Can someone help, please ? :confuse:
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Did your mechanic check for error codes? If he cant take to car to AutoZone and they will read the codes for free. Then tell us what the coedes are and well go from there.
  • marcumarcu Member Posts: 11
    I didn't ask to check for error codes because i was under the impression that the codes can be verified ONLY if by luck the car stalls while the mechanic is behind the steering wheel. Are you saying that a code procedure can be done even if the car appears to function well (doesn't stall now). If this is the case do you know if there is an AutoZone in the Montreal Area? Thank you for your help! :surprise:
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    The computer detects something wrong and sets a code that stays in the memory until read/deleted/resolved. Yes your car can appear to run fine with an error code set and in fact usually does. Also, whatever is causing the problem might NOT set a code. But that is the first thing to check. I do not know if AZ is in the Montreal area but you should be able to look up AZ on the internet and see if they have one near you. In any case the codes have to be checked. A scan agauge is about $100 and its easy to use. Just folow the directions and plug it into the diagnostic plug under the dash in front of the driver.
    Good luck and if you have any qustions just ask!
  • marcumarcu Member Posts: 11
    Hi, I've bought a digital OBD2 code tester ((innova 3100) at Canadian tire for 200$. Today, i've run the machine doing the tests. NO CODES were either stored or retrieve.
    So what's up now? :confuse: Thank you for assistance!

    P.S. Knowing this, would it make any sense to keep the machine in the car so that the next time the problem occurs i could run the tests ON THE SPOT again OR it would be useless because no codes were obtained after testing it in the first place (not a code problem)
    I've saw that there were more sophitiscated devices (more expensive too!) that would also verified OEM enhanced & transmission codes, enhanced SAE diagnostics (J1979 &2190), view and record enhanced OBD2 live data , and Mode 6 -02 sensor testing / mode 9 VIN identification. All those last features are not part of the device i've bought. Is is worthwhile?
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    No you really want just a plain jane gauge. If after using it you can see your way to move up to more expensive tools you might consider it. But I dont think thats likely.
    Hmm no codes. Can you go through the symptoms again and maybe elaborate a little?
    If the gauge says no codes there are no codes its that simple. If a code is set it stays in the computer until erased. So theres no sense keeping it hooked up.
  • marcumarcu Member Posts: 11
    The problem occurs ALWAYS under the circumstances described below:
    1- the clutch pedal in fully depressed
    2- the shifting gear is most of the time in 3rd or neutral
    3- the speedometer is slowing down around and/or between 20mph-30mph
    4- the breaks are ON
    5- the engine stalls before i reach the STOP sign with loss of stirring power

    I am not able to confirm the exactitude of the next one:
    6- the car at the moment of stalling was engaging in a right curve (often but not always).

    :surprise:
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    I forgot to ask you: how many miles on this car?

    First thing to do is make sure the sparkplugs and air filter are OK. If the air filter is dirty and the plugs have the sharp edges of the center electrode worn off you need new ones. Probably not going to solve the problem but still needs to be done.
    Another thing easy to check is the mass air sensor. Its located on top of the air filter housing, near the front of the car. There are two screws that hold it in and a electrical plug to disconnect. You remove it from the air filter housing, turn it upside down and look into it. There are fine wires located a few inches up inside it you can see. If these are clean its good. If they are dirty you need to clean them. If you break them while cleaning its $$$ for a new mass air sensor. If you Do find it dirty just put it back in and tell me and we'll talk about cleaning it. You dont have a K&N air filter do you? (which would be the likely cause of a dirty MAS.)
    Finally its possible you have air in the clutch lines. The clutch of the ECHO is hydralically operated and just like brakes, if air gets in there it wont work properly. If the car is old you might take it to a dealer or mechanic you trust and have them bleed the clutch. If old sludgy dark brake fluid comes out of it could be the clutch isnt operating like it should. (ie you push the clutch in and it wont disengage) I bleed my clutch once a year to avoid problems!
  • marcumarcu Member Posts: 11
    the car (echo 2003) has presently 80,000km. I've bought it in 2007 with low millage (47500km) from a lady that was running the car very smoothly. The sparkplugs have been changed last spring and the air filter was checked and OK. I will check the mass air sensor today and try to come back to you before the end of the day .
    By the way what is a K&N air filter?
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Its a "high performance" filter which flows more air than the stock one. Its made of cotton and oiled to remove dirt. They are 95%efficient at removing dirt as opposed to the paper stock filter which is 99% efficient. The problem is the oil and gunk flow downstream to the fine wires on the mass air sensor cruding them up. A very bad idea to use on your ECHO!
  • marcumarcu Member Posts: 11
    I'm driving my car at the garage next wednesday after the thanksgiving holiday to install a new battery and bleed the clutch, the mechanic will check the mass air sensor for the occasion and i will come back to you next wednesday evening.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Good luck! BTW isnt it possible by carefull driving to keep the engine from conking out?
  • bert9bert9 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2001 Echo and need to make to southern cal from north carolina in as little as 4 days? Will it make it?
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    Mine's an '02 and I have no doubt mine would. I am at 106K miles, how many miles do you have on yours?

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Yeah how many miles and is the cars maintenance up to date? The ECHO is a very capable car and would have no problem crossing the country in four days. Of course a 2001 is now eight years old so if it needed any work (brakes, shocks, muffler) you should have that done before leaving.
  • lisamarie537lisamarie537 Member Posts: 1
    I recently discovered I had a blown fuse for my radio(cassette/cd/radio) which I think is also affecting my clock...I changed the fuse and it blew right away. so...does anyone know where to find a wiring schematic so I can try to fix this..I'm LOST without my radio...I'm guessing it's probably a short somewhere? Anyone have any information?
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    I have the SM but unfortunately it has no schematic in it (gotta buy that separate) Might not do you much good they are pretty hard to read these days. Look in your owners manual and see what else might be on the circuit for the radio. Perhaps that is the source of the short. (or maybe the info is on the fuse panel) Have you had any work done on the car lately that might have disturbed the wiring and pinched a wire. Like maybe a new heater core or something? Perhaps you can look behind the fuse panel where the fues for the radio is and figger out which wire goes from the fuse to the radio and trace the wire looking for a pinch/short. Or take the radio out and follow the wire that way. If you disconnect the power wire to the radio and put in a new fuse and it DOESNT blow, that would tell you the radio is bad. But without the radio hooked up if it DID blow you know its not the radio.
    Really if all else fails I have to think the dealer should be able to fix this pretty quick. Look on ebay if you need another radion.
    Good luck and tell us what happens!
  • marcumarcu Member Posts: 11
    I've just driven home after being at the garage today. A brand new battery was installed, the air filter was changed and the mass sensor was checked as the wires were cleaned by the mechanic. There were no significant amount of dirt on them. We will see in the next weeks if the stalling still occurs or not. I am curious about the liquid to clean up the wires that you were planning to tell me ? what is it about? does that clean-up is limited to the wires or it is appropriate for other parts around?
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Well if the wires were not dirty it wasnt necessary to clean them: in fact its a little risky to clean them because if you break them you need a brand new sensor! But you would use spray carb cleaner with maybe (maybe) a qtip if just spraying wouldnt clean it up. Thats the only thing I know to check in that area if you are having motor running problems that you could clean.
    Good luck and tell us what happens!
  • bulbucv1381bulbucv1381 Member Posts: 3
    can someone help me on : a orange light on the dash is on for the last week it says check and i think is a engine image represented,what is the problem?
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Thats your check engine light. A malfunction has occured and the computer has set an error code. There is a diagnostic connector under the dash in front of the driver. If you can get to an autozone they will plug in a scan gauge and read the code for free. Then you can tell me what it is and Ill look it up and we can take it from there. Sometimes a check engine light can be left alone but if a few certain things are bad you could do dammage to ther components driving around.
  • bammer59bammer59 Member Posts: 1
    Do you bleed the clutch yourself on your Echo or get a mechanic to do it? I'd like to bleed it myself. I've bled brakes in the past and this shouldn't be that different.

    Any suggestions?
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    I try to do everything myself. Less $$$ and tricks thataway. The slave for the clutch is located just behind the radiator. You will see a bleeder bolt just like on a caliper or wheel cylinder. It takes an 8mm wrench. Its a little tight in there so I cut the wrench down to about 3 1/2 long. I put a rag over the bleeder bolt to catch the fluid expelled during bleeding. The clutch MC gets its fluid from the brake resevoir. So add fluid there if you bleed very much out.
  • marcumarcu Member Posts: 11
    I'm back with sad news. In spite of everything done (sparkplugs, air filter, new battery) the car stalled yesterday in the same conditions has before. At the time of the stall , the car was on NEUTRAL position therefore i am questionning the probability that air in the clutch would be the cause (i haven't bleed the clutch yet because the mechanic told me to look for something else before concluding in that direction) since it shouldn't make any difference if the clutch pedal is engaged or disengaged when the shifting gear is on neutral, don't you think? What is your opinion and advise for this troublesome problem of mine? :confuse:
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