Toyota Corolla Maintenance and Repair

wildcatcrazy · December 2005

Does it make a high pitch sound like someone blowing on a piece of grass around the windshield?

I have a 2004 Corolla (which the dealership wrecked while test driving it) that makes the high pitch sound in the lower left hand corner of the windshield around 70 mph. They've yet to find a cure :mad: .

skanth · December 2005

hi,

I have a 2000 Toyota corolla. I went on a 500 mile drive and on my way back home the check engine light turned on. I took it to the dealer and he ran the computer diagnostics ($90 already just for diagnosis). He said the code P0171 System Too Lean and gave me 2 options:
> Clean the Air Flow Sensor ( 2 hour labor, no garuntee of how long it will work)
> Replace the Air Flow Sensor (2 hour labor + new part($180))

Can anyone advice, what needs to be done? I have searched a few forums and found that for a few even though the part was replaced the engine light came back on after a few months.
What happens if I leave it as is? They have reset the engine light and it is gone for now (drove only 15 miles after the reset). If I want to go for the repair, is it better to get it cleaned ( the first option) or replace it altogher?

Any advice will be of great help.

Thanks,
Sri

chris333 · December 2005

I have a new 2006 Corolla. It is approaching 3,000 miles. I do regular Highway/City driving. The manual says first oil change at 5,000. I am trying to break away from the old school every 3000 miles bit. I still remember the very first oil change coming even sooner(shaved metal pieces in the oil and such). Should I just wait to 5,000 miles? Thanks.

jrct9454 · December 2005

Nothing wrong with waiting...this is an area of massive myth that will never go away.

If you want to change it sooner, no one is going to discourage you, but it's not necessary, first change or not.

nightattack · December 2005

Coming from the unrefined world of GM, my 05' Corolla S is light years ahead in quality and reliability and most of all gas mileage compared to my former pushrod 3.4 V6 Grand Am. I have no complaints other than 3 things:

1) The starting problem: after 30 min of driving, it's very difficult to start. I have to crank the engine 5-6 times. The dealer said that they started the car about 30 times without a prob.

2) The AC smells strange, like the inside has mold and the air is humid all the time, even when the weather is dry & the AC hasn't been used for a while.

3) The car hesitates for a second when accelerating from a stop.

Can anyone help?
This is my first aim at buying a something that's not from the Big Three (GM, Ford, and Dodge). I hope this car will back up Toyotas reputation for reliability.

user777 · December 2005

1). Try to turn your ignition to on, and wait a few seconds before turning the key all the way to engage the starter, and try to avoid applying gas while starting. What does your manual recommend?

2). See if with the AC on, the vehicle is sending water out and down the evaporator drain line to the road surface. With the car in Park with emergency brake on, and the motor running, turn the AC on. Go around to the passenger side front. Look underneath. Do you have water dripping at a good rate to the ground? Do you have water / damp mats in the passenger floor wheel well? Remove all the mats and look for any moisture under them.

3). I think there has been a TSB issued for improving drivability characteristics of the Drive By Wire system by re-flashing the ECU (Engine Control Unit). Some people claim it takes the vehicle some time to learn your driving habits and adjust its control parameters.

Good luck.

nightattack · December 2005

Thanks for the advice on all 3 prob. Regarding the AC, if the water drain/vent is plugged, is that a warranty repair if my car has 20K? Also, is there a TSB out on the starting prob? Thanks in advance

user777 · December 2005

if the AC isn't draining to the road surface, generally this means the evaporator pan drain is probably:
clogged with debris -or-
kinked / collapsed -or-
disconnected or not exiting properly though the firewall

if your car has 20K - i see no reason why it wouldn't be a warranty repair. should be superfast for them to diagnose. even if it isn't because of the evap drain - it should be warranty...for example it could be a leaky seal on a window, or body weld or missing body plug, or clogged sunroof drain (the possibilities are pretty numerous).

i have know knowlege of a TSB on starting issue, only the hesitation issue as a result of it being discussed in the Engine Hesitation (All makes all models) discussion forum.

you have an '05 with less than the mileage limit on warranty coverage. see your dealer and think positive.

vincewood30 · December 2005

On my 2000 Corolla I had the same code. I just took it apart myself and cleaned it. Took about 20 mins to do. Also it's probably the front oxygen sensor more than anything. The dealer is trying to rip you off. By the way you can get those code readers at any auto parts store for about $90-$100. When I sold that car with 208,500 that's the only thing I replaced on it besides a cat converter and regular maintence. Wish I would have kept it but had to get rid of it due to personal reasons with the car.

vincewood30 · December 2005

On my 2000 Corolla I had I changed it every 5,000 miles (once a month) and never had any problems. On my '05 Tacoma the dealer said it wasn't necessary to change the oil until 5,000 because the new motors are like pre-broke in when they put them in the cars.

gang · December 2005

Grimyface,

Thank you very much for the explanation and suggestion. I will definitely bring the car to the dealer and to have a checkup.

Gang

clipper1 · December 2005

Check timing cylinder for leakage... solved my same problem.

cyriaque · December 2005

What's involved in changing the fuel filter on the 2001 Corolla? When I took it to a shop yesterday, I was told that the filter is part of the fuel pump in the gas tank and the whole pump would have to be replaced. Is this correct?

My gas mileage has dropped from 36 on the highway to 33 in the last few weeks. No check engine lights are on and there are no codes when checked by the machine at Auto Zone.

Any suggestions?

mcdawgg · December 2005

They are correct. I would not replace it. A drop of 3 mpg could be anything. I get 2 mpg less in the cold months (normal for all cars to get less). It could also be wind speed, direction, etc., etc.

user777 · December 2005

because of fuel formulations right? or perhaps because of colder ambients, if one's ECU attempts to keep a programmed fuel/air ratio, perhaps the MAF/IAT sensor needs to tell the vehicle to run richer than it would in the summer.

marquismatrix · December 2005

My 2003 Matrix clock resets at startup at any temperature. Usually skips ahead about an hour. Once it reset to noon.
Ronald Davis: What happened with your problem? Did you get another radio with your next oil change?
Was the problem confined to your radio, or was there a related electrical problem?

mcdawgg · December 2005

Yes, and yes.

dpiersma · December 2005

...is there any way to disable this annoying feature??

eduardofi · December 2005

I own a '05 1.6 Corolla with manual transmission and I find that the electronic throttle response is slow. When you release the throttle pedal and press the clutch to shift gears a bit fast (ie. as when overtaking), the engine revs up momentarily because when you release the throttle, it takes an instant longer to cut fuel flow, that it takes you to step on the clutch pedal.

Has anyone experienced this?.

jrct9454 · December 2005

Yes, it's working as intended. Has to do with the emissions system on the "overrun" - suddenly closing the throttle will cause a brief blip. Perfectly normal, but only noticeable on manual trans cars.

People have been posting the same question on the Honda Civic boards - same reason, same answer....emissions equipment.

eajonesgue · December 2005

The jumping out of fifth gear got to be so bad that I had a mechanic friend have a look at it and it wasn't as bad as I thought. I want to pass this on for others.

Most of the gearing for fifth gear is in a separate additional housing attached to the main transmission. He disassembled things and was able to replace just two gears and the shift fork mechanism. He also put synthetic oil in the transmission. All told it cost me about $500 with his labour.

grimyface · December 2005

Eajonesgue,

Thanks for following up!

Most of us are interested in our problems until they're resolved, then nobody knows how things ended up. (I'm guilty of this myself.)

We read a lot of bad news here, so it's nice to get some good news!

lillybellis · December 2005

About a week and a half ago, I bought a new 2006 Corolla LE automatic with 2 miles on it. I have a few questions.

Does anyone notice the volume of the engine noise during city driving mostly in the lower gears? I mean, the engine runs smoothly, but I definitely hear it working. On the highway it's very low.

Also, I've only put about 500 miles on the car, but it seems to be getting low gas mileage. I've estimated about 24-26 mpg mixed city/highway. Does that get better after the first oil change or after I've driven it a little longer?

These questions may seem a little stupid, but it's my first new car and I want to make sure I don't ruin it!

mcdawgg · December 2005

Engine is a little noisy under acceleration - it is an economy car! You have to pay $$$ for cars with more noise suppression, but the Corolla is one of the best, especially at cruising speeds.
Your MPG is fine, and will improve after the engine is broken in. Make sure you do actual MPG calculations, not "estimates." Just follow the break-in procedure in the manual and enjoy your new car!

1991toycorolla · December 2005

I'm having a problem with my 1991 toyota corolla, this car is all stock, and has had no previous problems. The problem is, in the morning when I start my car the battery light and brake light on the dash, stay lite for about 30 min, it has just started within the last week and I'm confused about what it could be, I just changed my battery eariler today due to a bad cell. I thought that this was the problem, but the lights still appear. anyone no what the problem could be thanks for your time.

cyriaque · December 2005

Thanks for the reply to my fuel filter question. Sounds like crappy engineering to me. Why not just put the filter where it can easily be replaced?

mcdawgg · December 2005

Because it does not need to be replaced. The prior generation Corollas (pre '98) had ones that needed (per owner's manual) to be replaced every 30 or 60k miles. Most cars are like this now, and so far it is not causing any problems for Toyota. I cannot recall ever reading or hearing any problems associated with this type of fuel filter system. Saves me $ and time, and does not decrease reliability. Obviously, I completely disagree that it is "crappy engineering." It is a Toyota, after all!

bottgers · December 2005

My driver's side front window works intermittently on my '99 Corolla. Is there an easy way to find out if it's the switch or the window motor that's bad? I'd like to replace the bad part myself, but I don't know how to determine which part is bad. Since either part is considered electrical, I probably wouldn't be able to return either part, and both of these parts are fairly expensive. Also, where is the best place to order these parts? Auto parts stores like Autozone and Advance Auto don't seem to carry these type of parts and getting them from the Toyota parts dept. is extremely expensive.

nightattack · December 2005

Does anyone know why the '06 Corolla has 4hp less that the '05?
Here's the reason for my question: My '05 (20K Miles) is having the "INTERMITTENT NO START CONDITION ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 1ZZ-FE ENGINE" (TSB# 01805). If I take my car in to fix the prob and they (Toyota Dealer) reprogram the computer to '06 specs, will my car lose those 4hp?
Also, has anyone had any problem with slippage from 1-2 on the automatics? Thanks

jladler · December 2005

My 2001 Corolla dashboard light that lights up the speedometer just went out--it's dificult to read the speedometer now. I want to know if anyone can tell me how to fix it.

jladler · December 2005

I'm having the same problem on my 2001 Corolla. Did you receive any information on how to fix the problem?

Thanks.

eduardofi · December 2005

Thanks for the explanation. It is annoying though.

eduardofi · December 2005

Is it possible to connect a MP3 to the radio/cd (Creative, no IPOD, through the cd changer socket? is there an aftermarket device?

jrct9454 · December 2005

The hp ratings of many Japanese cars were reduced for the '06 model year because of a change in the way the SAE [Society of Automotive Engineers] measures horsepower. Previous guidelines allowed testing the engine with no accessories running, and under conditions that encouraged a lot of optimistic numbers. The Japanese seemed most affected by the new procedures. Many American cars actually "gained" hp.

In every case, there is nothing really new - the engines produce the same power they did last year, but this is a lower number under the new testing guidelines. The '06s haven't "lost" anything - it just wasn't there in the first place.

Having the TSB applied to your car will change nothing in regard to its power output.

sam48 · December 2005

I just bought an 05 Toyota Carolla with 3,500 miles on it. I was going on a long drive and after about 2 hours i first started hearing rattling sounds from the middle of the car. The sound was something like when you put a small stone in a moving fan. At first it was not that loud or prominent but 20 mins later loud rattling and heavy vibration sound started coming from the driver side. It sounded like the whole engine was vibrating up and down. When i would slow down below 40 mph the noise would go away but when as i would speed up and go around 60-70 mph the sound just gets alot louder. Also this morning the car would not start because for some reason the battery was dead, so i was able to fix it after a jump. I recently got an oil change done on the car, i'm not sure if that has anything to do with the weird noises. Please help!!! Any suggestion/help will be appreciated. Thank You

mcdawgg · December 2005

Take back to dealer, under warranty. Why was it sold with so low miles?? I would definitely be suspicious, considering it is used.

1991toycorolla · December 2005

my car is a 1991 toyota corolla, the problem came after a little messing around, the problem is when I put it in first it doesnt grab its the same with second, reverse works right. however when I shut the car off and turn it back on reverse goes forward, and first and second work. I know that this came from messing around, I dont know wheather it is the slave cylinder or the clutch, or what. please help me on this?

user777 · December 2005

did you try asking in the transmission traumas forum?

1991toycorolla · December 2005

no I'll have to, did anyone have any idea about why my battery and brake light on my gauge stay on for up to an hour after I start it? thanks for your help and time

bottgers · December 2005

.....respond to post #2243?

bottgers · December 2005

I received a response from an online car parts place that has a master power window switch for my Corolla and he said it was $236. Ouch! Why are these things so expensive? I could see maybe $30-$40 for one, but $236 is absolutely ridiculous!

bottgers · December 2005

.... to basically be conversing with myself on this power window issue, I'm going to assume people having problems with the power windows in their Corollas isn't a common occurrance. I was able to locate a master switch on ebay and I won the bid on it. Total with shipping and handling was $34.99. That sure beats the he11 out of paying $236 for one! This one came from an '01 Corolla, and from the picture, it looks indentical to one in my car. Now even if the problem ends up not being the switch, I'm only out $34.99 instead of $236. Hopefully the switch will fix the problem. Replacing the motor assy is a lot more involved in terms of labor.

dominicccc · December 2005

Hello All,

I have a 2003 Corolla which I bought new that has been great up until about 1 month ago when it started using a lot more fuel for no apparent reason.

My dealer service department checked it out and have no idea why the car is using so much more fuel than previously.

I thought it might be water in the fuel tank so I ran a tank of gas with methal hydrate and no luck. It is also not the O2 sensor.

Also sometimes when I start the engine cold in the morning there is a very loud rattle and clanking sound coming from the engine. This is intermittent but is freaking me out because is sounds like metal on metal. The dealership could not find the cause of this either.

Has anyone experienced either of these problems with their Corolla?

Thanks for any info.

DominicCCC

curiouslady · December 2005

I am a single mom and I can't afford to get a mechanic. I need help because I really need my car for my 2 jobs. I own 1999 toyota corolla, it has a clicking sound, I already know its the starter, 3 differant people looked at it. I have the part, now i need to know how can I change my starter. Because of my car situation I have to cancel christmas to buy this new starter. So please i have to change this on my own because no one here can help me..

rippac4 · December 2005

The light is coming on & off but the car drives fine until I come to a stop then when I try to take off it goes real slow until it finally picks back up & I have problems pulling hills what could be the problem I am driving a 93 Toyota Corolla

tonyend · December 2005

Well, the problem with my headlights was a bad ground wire behind the driver-side kick panel. I finally had time between my traveling for work to take it to a dealer. The charge was $140 ($70/hr). Not too bad.

kjli · December 2005

Hi All,

I have a 05 Corolla.

I was involved in a car accident 2 days ago. I was coming off an exit, turning right on an uphill ramp, and the sunshine was in my eyes. I couldn't see for a second or two. I hit the pickup in front of me. No one was hurt although the front part of my car was badly damaged: the hook was bent, the fluid was leaking and it has to be towed away. But my airbag did not inflat!

I did some research and found that airbags should work in front-end collisions occurring at more than 10 mph. I am sure I was driving in a speed more than 10mph in order to have such damage. One of my friends told me that his father was involved in a similar accident as I had, and the airbag did not inflate neither. And, he was driving a Corolla too!

I wonder if anyone out there has similar experience.

grimyface · December 2005

Dear Lady,

It sounds like you're pretty desperate, so let me give this a shot.

It's always best to tackle a job like this with a repair manual specific for your car. You may be able to get one at the public library, but if not, sometimes you can get away with unwrapping one copy at the parts store and just reading over the pages you need.

If you can't do any of the above, a starter isn't *too* hard to figure out ( :confuse: ). It is usually mounted to the transmission housing with 3 or 4 bolts, and has a starter solenoid bolted to it, which has electrical wires going to it.

Assuming your advisors are correct, the problem is with the starter and not the solenoid. Therefore, you will need to mount your existing solenoid to the new starter. Be sure and note how the wires are connected and then disconnect them (some solenoids are color-coded for this purpose, if not, you may be able to mark them with colored tape or nail polish).

Another thought: remove the starter/solenoid assembly and take it to a place like AutoZone that does free testing. This way you can be sure you're replacing the right part.

Also, this job will require going under the car. If you don't have access to a pair of ramps or jack stands, you can try parking the car with the front wheels up on a curbstone. If you do use jackstands, you'll want to position them as close as possible to the point where the front suspension mounts to the chassis, as this is the strongest point. Either way, be sure to chock the rear wheels to prevent any possibility of rolling. :shades:

tom71 · December 2005

Lady,

I suggest you enroll in an adult school night or day
class in auto repair, and join the Toyota owner's
club. Being a single mother, you may not have much time
for this, but since it sounds like you can't afford
to really maintain this car anyway, maybe you can meet
people in a car club who can help you with repairs, and
you can learn how to do some things yourself. Most women
don't want to be bothered with car repairs, but if you
decide to try, you might like it if you really focus on it.
Since women in general have smaller hands then men, you
will have the advantage in one respect, accessing hard
to reach areas in the engine compartment.

Good luck.

ruthie2 · December 2005

My thermostat blew on my corolla, isn't this unusual for a three year old car?

Toyota Corolla Maintenance and Repair

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