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Toyota Corolla Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • 10sfan10sfan Member Posts: 136
    Who says the Junk Yard $500 engine with 50, 000 - 100,000 miles (if you find one) will be any better than the "burner you now have. Plus the labor cost (sweat equity) and fluids etc all add up. Remember these engines have a habit of burning oil. Think rebuilt.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Sounds like a bad sensor in the transmission, maybe speed sensor sending wrong signal to the ECU? I think you need to go to a more competent shop, but not one of those chain transmission shops.
  • littleoscolittleosco Member Posts: 11
    Thank you. We just remembered we know someone in the service dept. at our local Toyota dealer (the son of a friend). We're going to take it in and see if they can figure it out.
  • jpersonenijpersoneni Member Posts: 1
    i have to replace a blower fan for my heat to work. is it a difficult job and how long will it take.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I think if you want to tackle this job yourself you should subscribe on a one-repair only basis to this site:

    http://www.alldatadiy.com/

    It's also possible that your local public library will have a repair manual, maybe on CD, that will give you step by step.

    Most fan motors take a while to dig out, but it isn't technical. All nuts and bolts stuff and knowing the sequence of disassembly and how to unclip various things.

    You could also ask your Toyota dealer what the labor is, in hours, to do this, and then double those hours for yourself doing it.
  • karends309karends309 Member Posts: 1
    A year ago, I purchased a 2006 Toyota Corolla Sport that had about 17,000 miles on it. The car now has about 34,000 miles on it and has had regular maintenance. Last Friday as I was driving home, my car suddenly decelerated and the check engine light, battery light and the oil pressure lights all came on and I had to coast over to the edge of the road. I could not immediately restart the engine but after a few minutes it started and I drove about 1/2 mile and it stopped again with the dash lights coming back on.(When the car was running, all lights except the check engine light disappeared.) I stopped and started like this 6 more times before I finally just had to have it towed to my home. I had 3/4 of a tank of gas that was purchased the night before from the station I always buy gas from. I have added a product to remove water from the gas line just in case that was the problem but the car still stalls and the dash lights still come on. I want to note that prior to this problem starting Friday, the car never acted sluggish, or displayed any problems. Does anyone have any idea as to what the problem is?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I would guess fuel pump or fuel pump relay. The dash lights normally come on when a car stalls, that doesn't mean anything. You should have the codes read with a scanner and see what that says.
  • mcdawggmcdawgg Member Posts: 1,722
    If you have less than 36k miles and 3 years, it is under warranty. It also has a 5 year, 60k mile powertrain warranty.
  • dennis1979dennis1979 Member Posts: 2
    Has anyone had to replace the computer in their car. The check engine light came on and the car was sluggish one minute and racing the next. Local dealer said the computer was bad and relaced it while under warranty. The car has about 17000 miles.
  • sammee1sammee1 Member Posts: 8
    im having the same problem on 12/21/7 and have it narrowed dow to the door control under the driver seat i think. Has anyone else resolved this annoying problem of the doors continually trying to open even when they are already open. this car will sit in the garage and click open w/o the igntion even on. I have di-electric all contacts in doors etc. with no evail.
  • sammee1sammee1 Member Posts: 8
    im having the same problem on 12/21/7 and have it narrowed dow to the door control under the driver seat i think. Has anyone else resolved this annoying problem of the doors continually trying to open even when they are already open. this car will sit in the garage and click open w/o the igntion even on. I have di-electric all contacts in doors etc. with no evail. ronrumbaugh@mchsi.com
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    do you have remote/keyless auto unlock? if so, it's possible a FOB nearby (in a drawer with someone pressing on it, or in a pocket, or just a FOB that has a button that is worn out) is causing the system to try to open the vehicle.

    another thing that comes to mind is a door lock with a bad (i.e. shorted) contact that is tricking the module into thinking you are requesting door unlock with the key.

    or there is a bad unlock button in one of the doors.

    or the module is bad.
  • sammee1sammee1 Member Posts: 8
    2002 corolla door locks continually trying to open. I have di-electric the plugs in the two front door. taken the battery out of the FOB. unplugged all the plugs in the door control module and it still tries to open. this can can be in the garage and off and it still clicks. anyone have this problem on any toyota and how did you resolve this? thanks.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    do you have more than one fob? it wouldn't be the first time...

    look, if you've pulled all the plugs in the door control module (is that the thing that receives the signal from the FOB?), perhaps its possible the solenoid for one of the doors is constantly receiving the command to unlock, either through a broken door switch (and I mean this could be the keyswitch in the door), or the lock/unlock button on he door or some short downstream of the control module, but upstream of the solenoid itself.

    you need to determine if its the remote system or one of the switches.

    i don't think you've ruled either out at this point to narrow down your search for a root cause.

    good luck.
  • sammee1sammee1 Member Posts: 8
    im having the same problem has anyone solved this dook lock opening diabacle!
  • sammee1sammee1 Member Posts: 8
    ive unplugged the entire module and it still clicks. ive went over all the plugs in both front doors. its got to be one on the lock unlock sensors in the driver or the passenger door as there isnt any in the rear doors that i know of. continuing on sammee
  • mjnk77mjnk77 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2003 Toyota Corolla, and now only 1 of the locks works with the keyless entry or using the power locks. It's a little frustrating and haven't been able to figure out the problem. Fuses seem to be fine.
  • jkowboyjkowboy Member Posts: 1
    Anyone had this problem?
    I have a 95 Corolla with 69,000+ miles on it and for 2 days, it died once each day but would start right back up. Now it starts but when given the gas its dies. No one seems to know or has ever had this problem before.
    Anyone out there had this?

    Thanks

    jkowboy in Dallas
  • wardo13wardo13 Member Posts: 2
    I recently had my Check Engine Light (CEL) activate and was told that it may be due to the Gas Cap being incorrectly closed. I unscrewed and re-screwed the cap on until I heard a "click" and the CEL light turned off. This is a common occurrence, so try this trick before you have to pay for a $90 diagnosis...
  • merg1merg1 Member Posts: 4
    My '96 Corolla has 118,000 miles and loses a quart of oil in 3,000 miles, no external leaks. Owners manual calls for energy conserving 5/30 oil. I'm considering using a high mileage 5/30 oil from Castrol or Valvoline. Neither is energy conserving. Will it hurt the engine to use them?
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    this is not an answer to your question, but possibly you have a PCV valve which is stuck / clogged. it has a small ball-bearing inside, and if it doesn't move freely, excessive engine oil consumption may be the result.

    they are cheap to replace (some even try to clean theirs, but at less than 10.00 i think, you can't go wrong slapping a new one in. you might want to test yours.

    google
    PCV valve oil consumption
  • kkissoonkkissoon Member Posts: 1
    I have a corolla 2001 nze car and sometimes when i'm driving it. I notice the accelerator would get stiff and the car will start vibrating. i have to mash the accelarator really hard and the car barely moves, it seems as if my abs is kicking in and trying to stop my car. When i stopped i noticed the front wheels are smelling like burning rubber. When you continue driving after a while my car starts driving as normal again as if nothing ever happened.I had the car serviced about a month ago and the technicians told me my brakes are in very good condition.Do i have a preesure problem or abs problem? the car has a vvti engine.
    would appreciate any help
    kevink
  • wardo13wardo13 Member Posts: 2
    UPDATE: so after the CEL light went off, I continued to drive another week and the light came on again!

    This time it stayed on the whole week and the dealer had to replace the onboard computer. The dealer told me that he has been seeing several cases of this per month.

    B/c the car is still under warranty, the procedure did not cost me anything, but I imagine it isn't that cheap out of pocket...
  • alex24alex24 Member Posts: 54
    Hi, I have the same problem with my 98 corolla, I tryed every thing and replace the PVC valve, and it still did it, I was using castrol 10/30, so I switch to Penzoil 10/30 and beleve it or not it helped a great deal in my oil loses but still not perfect, but much happier, with the results, so I say you should try Penzoil 10/30 and its ok for this cold weather here in Ohio.
  • parkerbrantparkerbrant Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 corolla. For the third time in 2 years the car died while traveling on the highway. There is no warning, the car just dies. After letting it sit for 2-3 minutes the car has some small trouble, but starts up fine and runs well. Last time the shop changed teh thermostat. There is no weird noises etc. and they have no idea what else could be wrong. Any ideas? As added info this seems to happen after the car sits for 3-4 days in teh cold then I drive it. However it takes 30 min or so before the car actually dies after warming up and being driven
  • toyotaluvr1toyotaluvr1 Member Posts: 1
    :confuse: Help i need a free owners manuel and or repair manuel, I just bought this car, and got a fantastic deal (lean sale) but dont realy have the $ to buy the book from the store. does it have air bags? and anti lock brakes? lots of questions. can anyone help?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    they replaced the thermostat? What were they thinking? DOH! :confuse:

    Intermittent problem are tough. Given the "suddenness" of the shut-off (no chugging, right, no sputtering, just DEAD??) and the temperature-sensitive nature of the defect, I'd suspect a fuel pump relay.
  • heisoneheisone Member Posts: 1
    Hi,
    I have Toyota Corolla 2005 XRS.. Bought it as salvage vehicle.. It runs tho.. But..
    I have a folowing problem that i got to fix. And i dont know how. When it drives, it locks the pads and all the wheels.. Sometimes it happens when i drive 5 min.. Sometimes i can drive 30 min. I dont know what it is. I checked all pads and brake fluid in shop.. Everything looks ok.. There is brake box loceted under the hood.. And it looks ok too.. What can it be? The only thing i know is that i have alarm system in the car.. And the light always blinking. Is it possible that security sistem diactivate my brakes? Or is it something else under the brake padle? Or is it some kinda computer that is bad? Please? Is anyone expirience this problem before or have any idias? Guys in shop havent seen that problem before, and they cant tell me what it is.. I dont know what to do..
    Please give me any idias what to look for? Thank you for further responds..
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I think the master cylinder or power brake booster is the only thing that could possibly do this, if indeed it is ALL the brakes at once.

    If just ONE brake is freezing up, I'd look for a kinked or crushed brake line or one frozen up caliper
  • bewashenbewashen Member Posts: 2
    My Corolla needed new tires so I took it into a shop and had new tires put on. After I left the shop I realized that there was enormous slack in the emergency brake handle and the brake barely worked. This was very strange because when I took it in the "e" brake had a lot of tension and it worked just fine. The manager of the shop feels that this was impossible because nothing could have happened to the brake while they were replacing the tires. They begrudgingly did some adjustments. What could have happened? :mad: I have a bad feeling about this and I do not feel like using that tire shop again.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    They might have caught the e-brake cable on the lift and stretched it.
  • bewashenbewashen Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for replying re message #3060. I thought that this model did not use a cable. When they redjusted the e brake they fooled around with the the rear brake pods. They mentioned that there was not a "y" type of cable.
    My Corolla needed new tires so I took it into a shop and had new tires put on. After I left the shop I realized that there was enormous slack in the emergency brake handle and the brake barely worked. This was very strange because when I took it in the "e" brake had a lot of tension and it worked just fine. The manager of the shop feels that this was impossible because nothing could have happened to the brake while they were replacing the tires. They begrudgingly did some adjustments. What could have happened? I have a bad feeling about this and I do not feel like using that tire shop again.
  • stevelstevel Member Posts: 5
    Not sure where I saw it or what vehicle it applied to but recall someone having replaced a weak/low voltage battery (the one that starts the car - not the FOB battery) that was causing exactly the same condition. Just a thought...
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Hmmm...I'd like to know how an e-brake works without a cable. Also why these people are selling an e-brake cable for a 1990 Corolla?

    1990 Toyota E-Brake Cable
  • sammee1sammee1 Member Posts: 8
    1/22/8 the problem was the ingition switch, the electrical switch behind the steering key lock. It had w-d in it or was dirty, I replaced it and the door locks popping open spontaneously was resolved. worked on it for 3 months finally yeh!
  • cargirl14cargirl14 Member Posts: 4
    I bought a demo model (6,000 miles) a few weeks back-.I am the "first" owner. Found out that I did lousy on the price-another story. Anyway, I noticed a huge scratch on the windshield -drivers side-after purchase. Only shown when the sun was on the windshield in that direction. Talked with the service manager-too complicated to buff out, so they said that they would replace the windshield. I was verbally promised it would be with a Toyota windshield (corner label and all). After pick up from Toyota dealer (I was in a rush), I noticed that the windshield was not Toyota glass, but a plain windshield. I have called the service manager and one of the sales managers. Still waiting for a call back. Do I have any recourse here? Should I even worry about this? My concern is now the value in my car has dropped as it is not a Toyota part? Would it affect resale? Just want to see if I should be making a stinct about this. I am asking them to fix it, not sure if they will or not. I hope that they do. Please advise ASAP. Thanks!! :mad: :cry: :confuse:
  • joffjoff Member Posts: 1
    There is a stale smell when I use the defroster in my 2 month old car. Seems to be getting worse the more I use it.
  • mjnk77mjnk77 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2003 Toyota Corolla, and now only 1 of the locks works with the keyless entry or using the power locks. It's a little frustrating and haven't been able to figure out the problem. Fuses seem to be fine.
  • boggie9rboggie9r Member Posts: 1
    problem just started. first would run but wouldn't idle. then after a long time of pumping the gas it would start but die if i let rpm's drop.now even this won't work. so tried to pump once then start. it starts fine and sounds good but just dies after about 45 seconds. then can't restart. fule pump?? thanks for any help.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Probably the master lock switch in the driver's door. That's where the "brain" of the whole system is.
  • cargirl14cargirl14 Member Posts: 4
    I have a 2008 corolla with about 6,000 plus miles now. It has been a bit chilly here and the past few days I have heard a rattling noise over in the right side/passenger side of the dashboard. Making me batty trying to find what is causing it. Thinking that is a problem for many. Plus now, my passenger side window does not go down. You hit the button and see it drop 1/2 an inch, and just hummm. One friend said it was the cold, though another said, it never dropped below zero and that Corollas are known to have problems with the regultor/motor for the windows-it is either the connection-wiring is lose or the motor went bad so soon, but the cold should not affect the use of a power window. Is the latter true, or all is true. Either way, I believe that it is a covered under warranty item. Or at least, I hope it is. Please let me know if others had this issue with the power windows or rattling, what they did and what was covered under warranty. Thanks for the advice.
  • klusmireklusmire Member Posts: 2
    Does anyone know how to replace the bulb in the shifter console of a 99 Corolla?
  • jsouthjsouth Member Posts: 13
    I have had my new 2008 Corolla for three weeks and so far am getting about 36 mpg all of the time. I have a 5 speed manual which was the only one they had when I bought it. I thought more people wanted manuals than what they do for the fuel mileage but I guess not.This is a great little car and I hope I get good service.
  • pengwinpengwin Member Posts: 74
    my drivers side window has come off its "rail". when u bring it down it makes a horrible crunching sound. and if i have my window down a little and i shut my door it rattles.

    i think its just a workmanship/quality issue. granted, window still goes up and down.
  • shekharshekhar Member Posts: 23
    The airbag indicator light on my 05' Corolla (45,000 miles) stays ON. Also the passenger side airbag indicator light becomes ON at start-up and then goes OFF even when an adult passenger is occupying the seat! Do I have the airbag protection? What is going on, Is there a fix. I think my choices are rather limited, risk it or make the dreadful trip to the dealer.
    I would appreciate any feedback from the expert community populating the corolla forum. Thank you.
  • toyotarules2toyotarules2 Member Posts: 1
    I want to change the coolant and need to know if it's 50/50 or straight.
  • cargirl14cargirl14 Member Posts: 4
    Had to get my windshield replaced, now I notice that when I put down my driver's side visor all the way to the windshield, that it hits the rearview mirror. Does not seem to happen on the passenger side. The mirror looks evenly placed, but now I am wondering if it is. My dealership has dodged my calls. Before I make a big stint about this--does anyone else have this problem? I have a 2008 Corolla-LE.
    Thanks for getting back to me.
  • whilstwhilst Member Posts: 19
    "heisone".
    I believe Mr. Shiftright is correct.
    My daughters' Avalon had a bad brake booster that would try locking all brakes after driving for a while.
    Although your car is newer,since it is a "salvage", who knows exactly what was damaged.
    Toyota dealers weren't able to diagnose my problem,I did, and replaced it myself.
    To test if this is your problem: Disconnect the vacuum hose that feeds the booster.
    Plug it so there's no vac. leak.
    Your brakes will work,just VERY hard to apply.
    Allow plenty of stopping distance when test driving!!
    If this proves to be the problem/solution,you'll know by checking the heat or lack thereof, emanating from brakes.
    HTH.
    Post if further help needed.
  • savagez7savagez7 Member Posts: 1
    i got hit on the front left side of my car making a u turn, the whole engine is perfect but the whole knuckle, rotor setup just moves left and right really easy. Probobly something to do with the power steering, please help me. email me poplid@sbcglobal.net

    http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd155/Teamvomit/IMG_0592.jpg
    http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd155/Teamvomit/IMG_0593.jpg
    http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd155/Teamvomit/IMG_0591.jpg
    http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd155/Teamvomit/IMG_0590.jpg
  • whilstwhilst Member Posts: 19
    Hi. Bummer!
    What is to help?
    The car is a 1990.
    Time to say good bye.
    Seriously,the cost of repairs is too great.
    IF, you were to put used parts on ,you have no idea of their integrity.New-prohibitive.
    At minimum,tie rod ends,control arm/ball joint,strut(s)and alignment.
    Sell the parts and buy another.
    Cheers,Jeff. ;)
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