Toyota Corolla Maintenance and Repair

ruff4runner · October 2001

The overdrive off sensor light just started flashing. Does anyone know what exactly that means and why?

jeprox · October 2001

it depends on how your steering wheel vibrates.
if your steering wheel vibrates from left to right motion - most likely, your wheels are not balanced properly.

if your steering wheel vibrates in a up and down motion - you probably have a wheel alignment problem. this will also cause your car to drift to the right or left.

from your description, it sounds more like a wheel balance problem. if the problem doesnt exist at low speeds and only appear at higher speed - balancing problem.

if not balancing or alignment problem, check the rim if it is damaged in anyway. last thing to check would be steering rack.

mirror · November 2001

My 99 Corolla has a vibration in the rear area which changes with the speed and is heard better when I drive very slowly on a smooth road. The dealer took the wheels off and found one of the tires had dents/tears all the way along the inner edge.

That specific wheel has a problem. It is loosing pressure by around 2-3 psi every week. It could be that I overlooked and had low pressure for a while and that caused the problem. The dealer recommends changing all tires, which is the original Goodyear that came with the car. I have 27K miles on them so far.

I am going to do just that. My concern is that I have a damaged rim and that one of the new tires will be loosing pressure too. The car is still on warranty. Does anyone know if fixing this could be covered? I don't remember hitting a curb or anything that would damage the wheel. It seems that I have the problem since the day one, I just wasn't paying much attention.

jaj39 · November 2001

I purchased a 2001 Corolla last Nov2000. I begin to notice my paint having little chips on the side doors. Now at the present I have around 12 paint chips on the hood and near the windshield and on the side of my doors. I took the car to the dealer but they sent me to the bodyshop which said it was caused by pebbles. Of course they gave me a bottle of touch up paint.That was July6. Then after that i noticed more chips. I tried to contact the dealer by phone and e-mail and finally received a contact by phone in Oct. The service manager basically told me there was nothing they could do. I could get a second opinion at another Toyota dealer. I DID LAST WEEK. SAME OLD STORY pebbles. Ihave less than 5000 miles on my car. I do not drive on heavily construction areas or behind trucks etc.
I just wrote Toyota. and I got a call from the customer service of the dealership. They said paint chips was not under warranty and they would be glad to give me a bottle of touch up paint. YOu might as well call my Car CHIP.

All I want them to do is try to discover why the paint is chipping so easily. TIRED OF hearing cause is PEBBLES !!!!!!

OH I get only 24-25 mph in town driving.

Also i have discoloration spots on my sills and one door panel. One body shop appiled some kind of pressure to get rid of them However, they came back. ONe sill was badly warped. Another Toyota dealer is replacing that. I have tosee what they will do about the resot of the spots.

terceltom1 · November 2001

24-25 mpg. city is all that Consumer Reports says you should expect to get and it is exactly what I get with my 2001 LE

jaj39 · November 2001

I was just reading the other messages stating they were getting 30 or more gallons per mile while driving in town. My son in law got over 28 to 30.

My car is a Corollo LE also. What color is your car? My son and son in law talked me into getting a Corolla. I wished I never did. If my car continues to chip like it does ,what will it look like in years to come? The service departments of the Toyotas are very hard to get in contact with either by phone or e-mail. I wanted to talk with the service manager or assistent and as of yet have not recieved a phone call or e-mail answer.
I get tired of calling and leaving my phone number.

I am glad you have not had any problems but I will not reccommend anyone buying a Toyota because of my problems.

britton2 · November 2001

I have a '01 LE which I've had for over 7 months (mystic teal) - love the car but I also have acquired a few paint chips - I was given a bottle of touch-up paint from the dealer - there's quite a bit of road construction where I live so I have just chalked it up to that - but it is aggravating - about your mileage - I get between 30-32 MPG in the city - I have the 4-speed auto - I don't doubt Tercel's Consumer Reports findings, but what I'm getting is what the window sticker stated (if not a tad better on occasion)...I don't know what to tell you but check out this website: fueleconomy.gov - click on FAQS and read the one that says "what should I do if my fuel economy is excessively low?" - it has many suggestions for possible reasons - good luck

jeprox · November 2001

do you drive on highways/freeways? where do your park?

paint dont chip unless u got fine dirt, rocks, pebbles, etc. hitting your car.
in my old 1990 corolla, i used to see paint chip on the passenger side doors only and it happens on summer time only! i couldnt figure what the hell is going on. finally, i had the answer! my wife drives the car to work, parks it on the street. everytime the city worker mows the lawn on the sidewalk, rocks starts flying into my car and everytime she goes home, i'd discover a new ding or paint chip!

got some chips on the hood as well. everytime i go on the highway, i get a chip too!

jaj39 · November 2001

I would like to know how many of you Corolla owners have a paint chipping problem . I was contacted by the Service manager of the Toyota today to take care of the discoloration spots and replace a sill . HE said he had been in contact with the Toyota people and said that it again was from the environment. He also said that maybe if enough complaints were filed to Toyota that something might be done.
What I would like is everyone with the problem to file a complaint with the Toyota corporation. I already filed a complaint by e-mail .

Has anyone solved their chipping problem with the dealer or Toyota corporation?

jaj39 · November 2001

My car only has 5000 mile or less on it . i bought the car Nov.2000. I park my car in the apartment parking lot. NO other cars in the parking lot have had any problems with paint chipping. I do not drive much on the highway but in town . I do not drive in heavy construction . My sister owns a 2000 Focus which has 13,000 on it and the car does not have one chip on it. She drives mostly the same places I do. I owned a Buick for 8 years and never had this problem with the paint. I drove that car to work and parked in the school parking lot. I drove in heavily construction areas also.
One or two chips I could live with but when my chips add up to the grand total of 12 or more,I say that is not normal.

mpyne · November 2001

hows your service?? mine was bad so far im looking for a good dealer in michigan any suggestions. page toyota in michiagn left oil all over the inside of my car is this normal. should i be grateful that they serviced my car. should i just go to valvoline or do i need that toyota oil filter.

mpyne · December 2001

went to get my oil changed at Valvoline and was told that my 2002 toyota corolla was leaking oil really bad and to
take it to the dealer. Took it to the dealer and was told that it was glycerin that they spray on the engine when it
was new???? Ive been checking the oil before and there was no sign on losing oil(no puddles dipstick looks good)
The dealer did the oil change and said everything was okay(no oil leak) should i be worried????

iontrap · December 2001

Where is the A/C compressor located under the hood of a 99 Corolla? I think I have a clogged drain line.

joe99corolla · December 2001

mpyne,
The Toyota folks are correct. It is an undercoat they spray on the underside of the engine. It looks and feels like a black thick heavy grease.
I would not take my vehicle to a shop that can't tell the difference between leaking oil and an undercoating.

iontrap,
The drain line won't be on the compressor, it's on the fire-wall near the passenger side. Look from below by the steering rack and you will see a small rubber hose sticking out of the fire-wall. This is were the moisture from inside the vehicle drains out.

iontrap · December 2001

Thanks Joe, I'll check it out when my wife gets home.

gsbhasin · December 2001

I got a Corolla CE 2002, 7000 miles on it, one service done. The car makes a lotta noise over 70 and has a scary humming noise which is kinda deep.This is not the road noise which is high all the time (dunno why people praise Toyota for low road noise, even edmund reviewers). Returns to normal sound when speed is below 70. Showed to dealer, the guy just wrote on the sheet no noise observed.

Is it normal for CE auto to do so (its only 3 speed). I saw a similar post but that guy had a 3 year old car and 50,000 miles....

jeprox · December 2001

this noise thing/problem is hard to spot/fix. you have to ask yourself - when you were driving the car above 70MPH that particular day, was it windy at all, raining, sunny, good paved roads, etc.

when u say noise, are you referring to wind noise, engine noise, etc.? with a 3 speed going 70MPH (roughly 115KPH), you would have some wind noise or buzzing. the engine would be somewhat loud at this speed as well.

toyota cars are quiet compared to other cars! corolla's are quiet but not as quiet as a camry or avalon or sienna. if you want a super quiet car, try buying a Lexus LS400 by toyota!

mpyne · December 2001

thanks for the reply, i feel allot better.
i never will step foot in valvoline again with my car

nehpets149 · December 2001

My '76 Corolla was running fine until it went on the highway one day. After sitting a morning, the starter didn't engage. Cleaned off the battery cables and it worked again. Then the same problem occured. Got the alternator tested and it produced 11 volts, so there is something else going on. I replaced the alternator anyhow and the starter engaged and it ran again. But then stalled with the same result: the starter solinoid clicks in, but the starter doesn't run. I haven't tried it for about three weeks. Is it the voltage regulator? Thanks.

jeprox · December 2001

it sounds like your brush for the starter, maybe its worn out.

jsleesi · December 2001

I had same problem, however after I replaced
new battery the trouble went a way for good.
I suggest you replace with new battery.

jsleesi
Seattle

gsbhasin · December 2001

I have a 2002 Corolla CE Auto.
I had a a left front tire damaged the other day which got a hole in the sideawall while driving on the freeway . Got it replaced from Firestone (all tires are same brand).

When the tire was flat it had become very hot.

Now the new tire story.

A week after getting the tire replaced I felt little low pressure in the tire. Checked it. It had lost 2psi in a week. Filled air in in the morning.

Came back from work in the evening, after a drive of 40 odd miles, from Los Angeles to Orange county (relatively empty freeway at 65mph). Touch the bolts on the front 2 tires. They are HOT, the tires are little warm. The bolts on the rear tires are cold (its night time, so thats ok)!!!.

Check pressure again. The left tire had lost 2psi since morning and right one had lost 1 psi.

Whats the problem here? Could someone please tell me.

I dont want any of my tires to be gone again.

jeprox · December 2001

what you are describing sounds normal to me.
strange it may sound to you but i believe its normal.

the air in your tire expands/contracts. if the temp. is cold (early in the morning), you will find that your pressure is a few psi lower but when u start driving around and test it again, you will see that your psi have gone up. this is normal. when u check your pressure and it's low in the morning and u fill up with air - drive around for a few mins. and check again - you will find that your pressure is now too high!

as for "hot wheels/bolts/nuts", it could be normal, could be abnormal! if your brakes are overheating, you will smell something and your wheels will become very hot! this normally happens if you "ride" on your brakes. your wheels/nuts/bolts do get hot when you drive around - i suspect what you are describing is also normal. if in doubt, ask a mechanic to check it.

gsbhasin · December 2001

Thank you very much for ur imputs jepox. In fact i went to the Firestone dealer and they inspected the tire and said it was fine. And they gave me the same explanation as urs.

One other thing.

If i try pushing the car over 73 mph the engine makes a knocking sound.

I drove a friends corolla and it was fine. He drove mine and did hear a knocking sound at 75mph and above though the acceleration was normal.

Since i dont have an RPM meter i dont know if the engine is going into the RED Line zone of high revs.

Otherwise the engine is very quiet below 65 mph and slight sound can be heard over 70 but approaching 75 it starts to moan like knocking.

My friends car has a constant noise between 60 to 80 mph

When i travel Interstate its difficult to drive at 75 because the noise from the engine scares me off. Its not road or tire noise. Its like something is about to break, kind of noise.

I went to the dealer and they simply put no noise detected over 65 in the comments, though i had told them it was 75.

I appreciate any responses.

aaifor · December 2001

Hi,
I have a 2002 Corolla CE auto. It does not have an overdrive switch, though that portion seems to be covered by a plastic patch.

A friend of mine rented a Corolla CE 2002 from Hertz and that car had an overdrive switch.

Could someobody tell me why is that some CE cars have overdrive and some dont?

hawkbert · December 2001

Since this is the same car as the Corolla, and the Geo Prizm board gets relatively little traffic, I thought I'd post here.

I've been dissatisfied with the brightness of my headlights lately, so I bought some replacements. Getting to the bulbs is proving to be a bit of a problem, though. I can't find any way to get the front cover off, and I certainly can't get my hand behind it to pull the bulb out. Can someone post a process or a link to a process for replacing the headlights? Thanks!

headlights · December 2001

I have a 2002 Corolla LE. Both high beam headlights throw beams of light up at a 45 degree angle. It is really visible when driving with the high beams on in light mist conditions. I have had the car into the dealer and they have adjusted the headlights, with no correction of the problem. I see on the NHTSA site that there are two other owners complaining of this problem.
Are there any other 2002 Corolla owners who have this problem? What has the dealer done for you? If you have have this problem with your 2002 Corolla log on to www.nhtsa.gov and let them know of the defect.

jsleesi · December 2001

Is there any one can help me to release the hood of 1999 Toyota Corolla CE.
Some reason or another when I pulled hood release from inside, it is not releasing the hood.
I can not find any place in front to release the
hood. I called dealer near by, told me to bring in for repair, no other way I can open the hood
by manual release.

jsleesi

alcan · December 2001

The latch might be stuck or in need of lubrication. If the cable's not broken, try having someone hold the release handle out while you whack the front of the hood with the heel of your fist (obviously not hard enough to dent the hood).

vetteryan · December 2001

You need to go in from the back.... you also have to take out the battery.

anjancd · December 2001

I had posted this problem sometime ago, and it was brought up in #523.

The engine noise becomes very loud over 70mph. It is not road/wind noise, as i have tested it in various situations. Showed it to dealer few times but they say its the 3-speed automatic causing the engine to rev high.

Using 89 octane gas helped, the engine revvs smoothly and gives a bit more power now. Noise is little lower, but not gone completely. Also, i try to use only Texaco gas.

-acd

anjancd · December 2001

Has anyone been using 185/65R14 on 199x corolla models?

OEM size in the manual is 175/65R14 OR 185/65R14.

Have to buy new tires, not sure if i should go for the 185 size this time. Any benefits/disadvantages???

-acd

aaifor · December 2001

I use 89/91 octane fuel and use Shell/Chevron/Mobil.

Do the high revs damage the engine? Hondas are high rev engines by design. Have not heard the same for the Corolla.

Does it also mean that Corolla CE 3 -speed auto should not be pushed over 70mph? If so how do you travel interstate where people zoom by on 80+ speeds?

anjancd · December 2001

I am not saying you can't travel over 70mph. It is just that the engine generates a lot of noise at that speed. This is probably due to 3-speed auto trans.

Newer corollas have an overdrive gear, which helps.

Exceeding the rev limit definitely can damage the engine under most circumstances in different ways. Refer to older posts on that topic.

Older corollas did not have tachometer, so can't see how many rpm's the engine is running on at 70mph in 3rd gear.

-acd

sandman46 · December 2001

My Corolla came standard with the 185/65/14 tires and the car rides very smoothly. Tried the 195/60/14's a while back but hated them so changed back the next day. Go for it!

robertp4 · December 2001

I have a 2002 type S. The left high beam shoots at a 45 degree angle. It is the prism in the headlight. I have not gone back to the dealer yet. If they replace the headlight assembly, it might be the same.

jim1940 · December 2001

I have a 98 Prizm Standard. Replaced gasket on trunk but still finding water in wheel wells and spare tire hole. Any suggestions? Anybody else have this problem?

anjancd · December 2001

sandman46,

I am thinking of buying GoodYear Acquatred 3. I put them on my 99 camry, and iam really happy with the ride comfort, performance, very low noise, and wet/dry/snow traction.

Iam not sure if my wheel rim (originally came with 175/65R14 tires on it) will support the 185/65R14 tires...

Any disadvantages in terms of handling (185 size)??

sandman46 · December 2001

The 185/65/14 tire size was an upgrade on the DX's and current LE's. But even if your Corolla had the 175, the 185's should fit with no problem. My car handles great. When I put on the 195/60/14's, I noticed a difference right away and it was not good hence the switch back the next day. Someone I know even has the 195/65/14's on their Corolla. Good luck!

alcan · December 2001

Check the gaskets around the tail lights.

weilun · January 2002

I have a Corolla 01 S. Lately I notice the car jerks when the gear shifts up or down. It happens even when I am on a flat road and the car accelerates slowly (the car is warm). I check the transmission fluid level and it is always between the low notch of the hot region and the high notch of the cold region, when the car is warm. When the car is cold (just started), the level is below the low notch of the cold. Is the lack of transmission fluid related to the jerk and should I add more fluid into the transmission?

vipingupta · January 2002

Yesterday I got right rear side tire flat. One garage guy tried fixing it but could not. SO I guess I need to replace the tire. On my 99 Corolla car, these original tires have already done 22K Miles.

I need suggestion from you guys, on which Tire Make/Model should I choose. The size is 185/65R14.

All ideas are welcome.

Thanks

8u6hfd · January 2002

Michelin X-One. WE have them on our 1994 Corolla DX. Great tires. The OE ones for that car was the Michelin XGT4.

jl30 · January 2002

There is no overdrive on the CE because it comes with a 3 speed auto transmission. LE and S comes with a 4 speed with overdrive.

rolla99 · January 2002

This really isn't a big problem, but it's something I've been noticing for a while. On my '99 Corolla LE, if the air flow is left on "defrost" overnight, moisture will develop on the inside of the windshield right above the vents. Also, during the winter, if there is any more than one person in the car the windows and back window get fogged very quickly. Does anyone else have this problem? Turning on the defroster helps to some extent but if there's around three or four people in the car, that isn't enough. These problems probably aren't really a big deal, but I thought I'd ask. Thanks!

apisciotta · January 2002

In my '95 corolla is the oxygen sensor still covered under the 80,000 mile warranty?--In the warranty manual they use the term EGR gas temperature sensor--is this the same part?

semez · January 2002

Cant explain the loss of approx 1.5 quarts of oil
Underside of car bone dry and It is not burning or leaking oil. Has anyone experienced this problem. Car has 55,000 miles never had a bit of trouble.. Could the last oil change shorted me on the amt of oil they put in. Someone told me that expect these engines to burn/loose oil after a certain number of miles. Any truth in this

jeprox · January 2002

it is possible your oil change guy didnt really fill up your oil. 55,000 miles is quite low for a corolla to be burning oil unless the car is abused quite often.

fill up your oil and check every 2-3 days and go from there. if you use your car daily and it is burning oil, your oil level will go down within a week. you may not see any blue smoke from your tailpipe but it doesnt mean you're not burning oil. so fill it up and check every few days

terceltom1 · February 2002

I have a "86" Tercel with the same problem. Has 91,000 miles on it but I always took good care of it and changed the oil every 3,000 miles. Now I find I do need to add oil often even though it is running like a clock and never looks like or smells like it is burning oil.

fantascp · February 2002

Hi everyone- i need some help for a friend of mine who owns a 96 Toyota Corolla LE- in trying to find out what could possibly be causing a rubbing/clanking noise under the front left wheel area- under the hood by the drivers side. this noise happened before and the dealership gave her first- new brakes and then a new differential.
the noise disappeared, but about 9000 miles later the noise is back and much louder and it seems to come back in damp,wet weather more so than dry,sunny days. The dealership refuses to do anything further unless they actually hear the noise again which unfortunately is not constant.
Any help would be appreciated.
Chuck.

Toyota Corolla Maintenance and Repair

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