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Toyota Corolla Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • bottgersbottgers Member Posts: 2,030
    .....know what kind of highway MPG the '98-'00 Corollas with manual trannies get? I've heard the '01 and newer ones get low to mid 40's, but they are somewhat different than the previous models. I'm just wondering if the two are comparable.
  • bottgersbottgers Member Posts: 2,030
    There is definitely a problem with your car. There's no way it should only be getting 20 MPG. I would ask for the service manager and he's not willing to resolve your issue, I would take it up with the district manager.
  • vinsvins Member Posts: 1
    I owned a 1992 Corolla for 8 years already. Two months ago, I had the same problem. Do this; if your car is a manual clutch transmission, tried push start the car. If this is successul, then your engine starter is out of commission. Most likely your starter's motor run out of carbon. I had this changed for about US$25 in Malaysia. If you own a auto-transmission, then you can't push start a car. You will need to dis-asemble the starter and have a qualified mechanical verify it.

    If you still cannot start your car but now that your starter make noises(starter+battery are working now) while you turn the car key, your fuel injection distributor (a black cap that connect electricity to all your spark-plugs) is out. It happened to me 3 years ago.

    Good luck.
  • mcdawggmcdawgg Member Posts: 1,722
    My '99 LE 5 speed manual gets 38 mpg flat 70 mph highway, summer gas.
  • pgilbertpgilbert Member Posts: 23
    Occasional sporadic faltering was cured with gas-line antifreeze (methyl hydrate) to remove water in the gas. A week later the problem recurred, so I replaced the fuel filter and again added methyl hydrate. Problem was solved for a few days... but is back again! What does it take to get the water completely removed; or am I dealing with an additional problem?
  • 2cosmo22cosmo2 Member Posts: 1
    I just replaced timing belt & head gasket. (168,000miles)I also had head checked & machined. The problem is the car runs excellent. idles great, but check engine light comes on only when I shift from 1st to 2nd gear and the rpms hit 2000.But I can leave the car idle for hours and race engine and there is no check engine light. I read the codes and keep getting code #52 the book says timing retardation. please help!!! anything would be appreciated. thanks
  • grimyfacegrimyface Member Posts: 27
    When the battery is OK but there's no response to turning the ignition key, the problem is usually the ignition switch.

    This switch is located directly under the key cylinder, and can usually be accessed fairly easily by removing some plastic shrouds over the steering column. ;)
  • pgilbertpgilbert Member Posts: 23
    I have the same car. One possibility is the safety switch that is activated by depressing the clutch, if you have manual transmission. If for example the floor mat is misplaced near the pedal and you are not completely depressing the clutch pedal, the switch is not activated and your starter motor will not get the message to turn. Worth a quick check!
  • sdesde Member Posts: 42
    Anyone,

    I have an '05 Corolla LE. Last night, I noticed that there was a small, but definite stream of hot air coming through the dashboard vents even though the fan control was in the OFF position. (The temperature control had been turned all the way to hot.) I also noticed that when I turned the temperature control all the way to cold, the air through the vents cooled off. The A/C was off, as was the recirculator. The dial on the left was set to blow air through the dashboard vents only.

    This is my first car (so maybe I just don't get the concept), but I would have thought that with the fan off, *nothing* would be blowing out of the vents. Am I wrong? Does the temperature control actually do something even when the fan is off?

    Thanks so much!

    SDE
  • mcdawggmcdawgg Member Posts: 1,722
    Completely normal. If you do not want any air coming through, you would have to turn it to recirculate. Otherwise, the force of the car moving through the air is going to give you some air flow.
  • sdesde Member Posts: 42
    mcdawgg,

    Thanks so much for the info!

    SDE
  • suzskissuzskis Member Posts: 1
    I have an 03 LE. It has been running rather well for the last couple of years I have had it. But recently, when I try to shift out of PARK, the shifter will not respond unless I press that little square button next to the shifter. I have tried turning the wheel to see if it would click; it keeps on going. What could be the problem because it's getting annoying?
  • ipulliamipulliam Member Posts: 1
    I had a geo prizm(corolla clone) that I had to take to the toyota dealership for the same problem. What my was, this is a safety mechanism that tells that you have a safety issue. I had no brake/tailights due to a short. When this was repaired, the problem was fixed.
  • gwestboundgwestbound Member Posts: 22
    .
    We put Michelin Harmonys on our Toyota Camry about a year ago. They are quiet on bare pavement, and good in wet weather. Performance in several inches of snow is also good. Being a Michelin product I expect they will be long lasting. I recommend them highly.

    Wal-Mart sells an almost identical tire under the Michelin Symmetry name for about $30 a tire less. If I had known about Symmetrys at the time I would have bought them instead.
  • viveknairviveknair Member Posts: 2
    I have a 91 corolla manual trans car.
    when i start my car in the morning and go in the first two gears, it stars jumping a little. when i keep the clutch pressed half way i can get rid of this. But then some times, when i am driving on the second gear, and leave the throttle (to slow down), it starts jumping. Does anyone have a similar problem? does anyone know wht the probs might be?
    i warm up the car for around 5 minutes before taking her out.
  • bottgersbottgers Member Posts: 2,030
    .....a '99 LE. Overall it's a very nice car, but I have noticed one thing about it that's a little annoying. While driving down the road and encountering uneven road surfaces (not short, choppy bumps, but longer, more gradual surfaces differences that tend to make the whole car move on its suspension) the entire car seems to swashbuckle (for a lack of a better term). I can push down on any corner of the car and there doesn't seem to be any excessive bouncing that would indicate worn shocks, but the way the car rides it acts exactly like the shocks are worn. Has anyone else experienced this problem and if so, what was the cause?
  • homannyhomanny Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2004 Corolla SE which generates a high pitched intermittent sound when I drive it over 60MPH. I had it checked out at the dealer 6 months ago, but they couldn't find out what was causing it. As a result, I gave up on and just dealt with it. This past weekend, I happened to rent a 2004 Corolla from another state and it did the same thing as my car. Now I believe my car wasn't a fluke. Does anyone know what may cause this and would the warranty cover the repair? I tried to take my car in into another dealership today and they indicated that I have to pay for a diagnostic charge. I can only repeat this when the dashboard is hot and when I am driving in excess of 60mph. It almost sounds like morse code. Thanks.
  • smithy3smithy3 Member Posts: 1
    Hi All,
    I have an 02 Corolla LE and while driving to work this morning, huming along @ 70+ I heard a little "boom" and lost power briefly and then the car resumed speed...my heater was on. Later, while at lunch, I started the car--I forgot to turn off the heater and the car wouldnt start and hold an idle. I turned the heater/fan (it was on "high"...I wanted to listen to the engine) and as soon as I turned the heater/fan off...the engine started right up and it idled just like nothing happened. I called Advanced Auto to get an opinion...a guy I talked to said that I should check the vaccum. When I got home, I let the car idle again and turned on the fan to low and heard a "whosh" and the engine struggled to idle....turn it off, works fine. I really don't want to take it the dealer, especially when the tech I spoke, doing his best Wizard of Oz cowardly lion impression, cheerfully told me that "it could be about anything".

    thanks,
    Smithy :sick:
  • bottgersbottgers Member Posts: 2,030
    ....for post #2178?
  • ceuserceuser Member Posts: 6
    I bought ny 2001 Corolla new and have put around 150,000 miles on her so far. Other than a cat converter and o2 sensors the vehicle has been very nice to me. I still get around 30 -32 miles per gallon. Lately I ve noticed that the engine is using oil at a very fast clip. Ok besides that I have developed a low sound coming from beneath engine probably exhaust manifold as the rest of exhaust system appears fine. I took the car into a local exhaust shop and the guy wants to charge me 550 dollars to replace the exhaust manifold because the exhaust is leaking into the passenger compartment and to get rid of the noise, Will this cure the noise problem and is that a decent price. Thanks for any help.
  • grimyfacegrimyface Member Posts: 27
    Bottgers, you didn't say what your odometer mileage is, but your car is 7 years old now, and probably due for some new shocks.

    My experience with pushing down on a vehicle's corners has been that this will only tell if the shocks are *really* bad, not if they're due for replacement.
  • vivian_m24vivian_m24 Member Posts: 1
    When accelerating, I hear a squealing noise that eventually goes away. It happens most times during a high wind or when a parking lot sweeper has been in the area around car, kicking up dust and dirt. I have also had repair done to faulty pinion seal of rear differential. It seems dust and dirt is making its way in somewhere. Any suggestions, either here or to my email address, would be greatly appreciated.
  • theoneidatheoneida Member Posts: 1
    I have a 94 Corolla with a dead alternator. I have bought a new alternator, thinking that my brother could install it, but he is unable to at this time. I called a nearby auto shop today, and they quoted $120-140 to install it. Without having to call around to other shops, I want to know if others think that's a fair price. The alternator cost only about $100. :confuse:
  • bottgersbottgers Member Posts: 2,030
    You are probably right. I can't think of anything else that would cause what it is doing.
  • toyota_boricuatoyota_boricua Member Posts: 1
    Before the valves would occasionally rattle but now it happens almost all the time in all the gears. Anyone know why they rattle so much? Some people say it’s the gas, others say they need adjustment. I really don't know. Any ideas and opinions are appreciated. Thank You
  • mel9932mel9932 Member Posts: 1
    My Corolla is 1 year old. I've got 15k miles on it & bought it with 2 miles on it. Since the first month I got it, the engine will occasionally turn over for atleast 4-5 seconds before the car finally turns on. It happens once or twice every week or so. During my last oil change I asked a service guy about it and he said it's "normal" for Corollas to do that. My friend owns an '04 Corolla & she said hers has never done it. Does anyone know anything about this?? Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
  • bottgersbottgers Member Posts: 2,030
    I called Midas yesterday to get a estimate for replacing the shocks and struts on my Corolla. Are you ready for this?.....drum roll please....over $800. That's right, it's not a typo. Long gone are the days of replacing your shocks for $100. The guy said the shocks were $80 each, the labor for installing the fronts was over $200, over 300 for the rears, and another $70 for doing an alignment. What could possibly cause 2 hours worth of labor on the fronts and 3 hours on the rears just for installing shocks? Unbelieveable! I haven't had a chance to call any other places yet, but if I can't find a place to install them for A LOT cheaper than this, I may look at doing it myself. They can't be that difficult to change.
  • mcase2mcase2 Member Posts: 160
    I have Michelin Hydroedge on my Sienna and they are good, but I subsequently discovered the Goodyear Triple Tread Assurance tire (different from plain Assurance) and got them for my wife's Corrola. She loves them and so does every one at Tire Rack. You might want to go to the Tire Rack web site and see the ratings for all season passenger tire. The Assurance Triple Treads are number one in almost all categories.
  • mcase2mcase2 Member Posts: 160
    If its going to cost real money why in Heaven's name would anyone go to a bunch of clowns like Midas? For the price they quoted you could probably get it done at a dealership.
  • bottgersbottgers Member Posts: 2,030
    ....has now been shifted to finding a place that will replace my struts for a (much) more reasonable price. $800+ for strut replacement is absolutely ridiculous. The least expensive place I've found so far is the automotive hobby shop located at Wright-Patt AFB. They quoted me a price of $227 for just labor, which includes an alignment. I found a place online (shockwarehouse.com) that sells the Monroe struts for the Corolla for $26 each. That's $500 cheaper than what Midas wants to do the job. How does Midas stay in business charging these prices?
  • rafe834rafe834 Member Posts: 1
    Hoping someone can make a diagnosis:

    2000 Corolla, we've owned it for 3 years and haven't had this problem before.

    Last week Monday: had a very difficult time unlocking the door from the outside with the key. It finally opened but then the door wouldn't latch. It just swung open. Shut the door a lot (not knowing what else to do, couldn't lock it closed, etc.) and eventually it latched. Drove home. Kind of forgot about it as the door worked fine when we got home.

    Tues, Wed: Drove the car, used the door. No problems.

    Thursday: In the AM, the door was fine. In the PM, although the door hadn't been locked it wouldn't latch when shut. Shut it, slammed it...nothing. Hit the power lock and it instantly power unlocked itself. At one point it acted like it was trying to engage the power lock but it jumped into power unlock over and over again (without me touching the button). Kept trying to engage the latch by shutting the door (which felt futile but I didn't know what else to do) and suddenly it worked.

    Friday, Sat, Sunday: Only drove the car once and the door latched and thus, we forgot about it.

    Today: Realized a holiday is coming and we want to drive the car a long distance. Am afraid to take it unless I decide to crawl out the passenger side door (and bring duct tape).

    Help! Has this happened to anyone before (even if it wasn't in a Corolla)? What was the cure? Do you think there's a chance the door would just unlatch itself while we're driving down the freeway? <--very scary thought.

    What do you think the mechanic will say? Can they even figure out what's wrong if it isn't wrong at the time I bring the car in?

    Thanks.
  • maryo1maryo1 Member Posts: 1
    I had trouble with the key over 5 years ago. I took
    the car to a locksmith to get a new key or have him look
    at it. He told me the large head Toyota keys give a
    problem and he sprayed one shot of wd4 in the key ignition
    and the end of my problem. I had been advised by
    different car places that I needed a new starter.
    Saved alot of money ! Troubles with starting were over
    immediately. Worth a try.
  • pgilbertpgilbert Member Posts: 23
    First, if you only paid $100, you likely have a rebuilt alternator, not a new one. Minor point - nothing wrong with rebuilt types. Whether in Canadian or US dollars, the labour charge is out of line. I suggest you call a dealership and ask for the labour quote for the job in time (probably 0.5 of 0.6 hrs.), as opposed to dollars. A humble amateur (e.g., myself) would probably not need more than 30 minutes maximum to replace the alternator and adjust the belt. That would be a charge of $CAN 50.00 labour at a dealership, $CAN 40.00 at an alternative service centre.

    Good luck
  • heidi7heidi7 Member Posts: 4
    Door Locks that pop up by themselves? Help?My daughter has a 1999 corolla and in cold weather the automatic door locks just pop up all by themselves. She will lock the car walk away and "pop"! Also while driving the car she will hear the locks trying to pop up even though they are already up....Any ideas of whats wrong???
  • bottgersbottgers Member Posts: 2,030
    ....trying to carry on a conversation in here is like pulling teeth!
  • vlanman25vlanman25 Member Posts: 49
    HI: There is a lot of discussion on this forum regarding this problem with Corrolas and Matrixs. I have on 03 and don't experience it but a friend with a 05 Matrix does and has been fighting with Toyota about fixing it. There are TSRs that may help so I'd take the car in to a Toyota dealer for service. From what I can tell, there are several related problems like the one you describe, some there are fixes for. One of which is called "Hot Soak" where after the car is run enough to get the engine hot and then shut off for a while, it is hard to start. ..Hope this helps.

    Ken
  • ganggang Member Posts: 16
    I frequently experience hesitation with my 2003 Corolla LE automatic since I purchased it new. It happens around the speed of 40 and 65 mph, and lasts about half an second. It feels like the car is being dragged by something during the hesitation.

    Also, yesterday after driving the car with cruise control on 68 mph (with less than 3000 rpm) for a few miles, suddenly I heard the engine roaring with the RPM needle soaring above 4000 before I turned off the cruise control with horror. The symptom recurred a couple of minutes later after I turned on the cruise control again. The problem didn't come back the third time with cruise control on.

    Any thoughts?
  • candyman1candyman1 Member Posts: 2
    Recently when I go to start my Corolla after it has been sitting outside overnight and the temperature is below freezing it initially idles somewhat slowly. The engine will idle around 1200-1300 rpm and then after about 5-7 seconds the engine will speed up to 1700-1800 rpm. It will then idle at that speed for 1-2 minutes before slowly decreasing. This only seems to occur when the engine is cold. I've owned a Corolla before and never had this happen. I would appreciate any help or ideas as to why it initially idles slowly. Thank you.
  • bottgersbottgers Member Posts: 2,030
    .....like sometimes you're just talking to a wall?
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    This is the way it's supposed to behave. The high idle at startup is to get the catalytic converter hot as soon as possible, since most of the emissions on modern cars are just after a cold start. And yes, this is "new" with the cars that were introduced for the '03 model year - my mother-in-law's '98, with essentially the same engine, doesn't do this, but the whole emissions system was revised for the new bodied car, and the regs have tightened considerably since. Our '03 behaved exactly as you describe - nothing to be concerned about.
  • candyman1candyman1 Member Posts: 2
    Thank you for the information about the slow idle. I also own a 98 Corolla and it doesn't idle that way. I didn't know that the emissions system was revised when the body was changed in 03. You have put my mind at ease. Thanks again.
  • grimyfacegrimyface Member Posts: 27
    Bottgers,

    As I recall, when we last heard from you, you were going to buy some shocks online at shockwarehouse.com for $26 each, and get them installed at the automotive hobby shop at Wright-Patt AFB. I think most of us thought this sounded like a good plan, and were expecting (perhaps) to hear how it turned out. :blush:
  • grimyfacegrimyface Member Posts: 27
    Pgilbert,

    Are you buying your gas at the same place?

    Water in the fuel usually comes from leaks in the underground tanks. Try shopping around. :blush:
  • grimyfacegrimyface Member Posts: 27
    Smithy,

    Dealer mechanics will often say "it could be anything" just to cover themselves, even if they have a good idea of what might be causing the problem.

    I don't know Corollas that well, but I do know that a lot of cars use engine vacuum to actuate the heater controls. It sounds as though you have a serious rupture in a hose under the dashboard going from this system to the engine.

    Are you also having a problem changing from the foot vents to the dash vents to the windshield vents? That, along with the "boom" and "whoosh" you describe, would confirm this.
  • heidi7heidi7 Member Posts: 4
    Has anyone had this problem? our 1999 toyota corolla has door locks that automatically pop back up after they've been locked. Even when driving down the road and the locks are up you can hear the clicking of the locks trying to pop up...Anyone heard of this and what was the solution?
  • bottgersbottgers Member Posts: 2,030
    That has been the least expensive option I've found so far. I was hoping for some input from some of the folks in this forum, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.
  • kavikaskavikas Member Posts: 2
    :confuse: Hey my 2005 Corolla LE does the same thing. When I drive to to work and then park and after like 4 hours i start up to go to lunch it'll not start the first time. Then the second time it will. The car went back to the dealer like 3 times for the problem and they did everything from reprogram the computer to change some fuel system parts. Recently it hasnt been doing it, but very rarely on occassion it will.
  • kavikaskavikas Member Posts: 2
    I am mad because my 2005 Corolla LE with the Desert Sand Mica paint seems to be easily chipped off on the front bumper of the car. I have driven mostly interstate and highway miles and i see other Corollas from like 2003 with better paint and no chips on the front bumper. I am forced to take the front bumper and hood to be repainted by Toyota. I am so upset cause I thought the paint from someone like Toyota would be durable enough to stand up to regular old road particles. Does anyone know how much that could run for repainting the front bumper cover and hood?

    Any advise would be great.
  • grimyfacegrimyface Member Posts: 27
    As I said, I think most of us thought this sounded like a good plan. If you're looking for more than that, all I can say is good luck! ;)
  • grimyfacegrimyface Member Posts: 27
    Gang,

    The revving of the engine while driving with cruise control means that *something* is signalling the transmission, either to downshift or to disable the overdrive. Since this doesn't happen with cruise control off, the cruise control would definitely be a suspect.

    Unfortunately, unless a mechanic can duplicate this problem, there's about a 0% chance of getting this fixed.

    That said, however, it's probably a good idea to bring it to the dealer while it's still under warranty, just so they have a record of this problem. Same with the hesitation.

    BTW, occasionally they do find something.
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