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This is actually my second attempt to eliminate the noise. The first attempt that was somewhat successful was to have the undercarriage re-sealed. I don't know if you had that done to your Prizm or not, but I had it done shortly after purchasing the car. While initially, I had some road noise from the tires, the undercarriage treatment actually increased it. (Surprising since this is billed to decrease noise). The dealership did a sloppy job on the undercarriage and didn't get a smooth surface. One spot in particular was responsible for the increase in noise. I had it redone, so now I am left with the washing machine noise at the volume it initially was on the car... loud instead of super loud.
Is there a lot of damage to the engine if timing belt/chain breaks down?
Thanks for sharing info.
Toyota says to inspect the belt at 60,000 miles - may as well replace it, since inspection requires pretty much the same disassembly.
There will be no damage if the belt breaks, but the car will stop. Toyota uses chains on engines were a belt break could damage the valves (unlike Honda, which uses a belt for interference engines).
Tires make a big difference in ride, handling, and noise.
My 95 Corolla had firestone junk on it when I got it. Those were quickly replaced.
For the money, endurance, and handling. Buy Yokohama AVID T4. This tire not only sticks i the dry, it sticks in the wet. Here is the website:
http://www.yokohamatire.com/04b1b.html
I have had two sets of the T4 on my 95.
I am about to tow a 4'x8' U-Haul trailer with my 99 Prizm 4-speed auto. Here are the specs. for the trailer from U-haul website.
Empty weight: 780 lbs.
Max load: 1,220 lbs.
Towing vehicle curb weight: 2,000 lbs. min
Hitch required: Class 1 min
Do you think the Prizm is capable of towing this trailer?
Thanks in advance.
I was a little bit concerned about the speedometer reading, but if there was a difference it wasn't notisable at all.
squeak6, you might have really hard time trying to find a Prizm on a junk yard. It seems like there are not too many of them are there, and even if you find one, it would probably cost you about the same amount to put it in, unless you are going to do that yourself. The parts are not that expensive: when I installed an aftermarket A/C on '89 Tercel, it costted me around $1,000 while all the parts were less then $200.
Also, I have a question about the remote entry and power lock option. Since they are not standard on the base model, can I ask the dealer to special install one or go to other stores to get one? If yes, how much does it cost roughly?
Interesting note- In the September 2002 edition of Consumer Guide, it states that BOTH the Prizm AND COROLLA are being discontiued after the 2002MY. Does anyone have qualms as to the vailidity of that statement? How could Toyota cancel their 2nd best selling car?
I'm not sure what Chevy does now, but they used to put Firestones (I'm sure the cheapest ones) on Prizms in 1998.
I had to change them at about 17K mi. The protector was still pretty good, but the excessive shaking and poor handling was killing me. After about 5 balances I decided to trade them in for $10 each.
This sounds like a good deal and I am going to go check it out.
Now I like the 4spd, but for me the power windows, locks etc... is just more stuff to break down, but maybe I am just being paranoid and these items are not a major problem nowadays.
Any comments on their reliability?
Thanks.
I have only owned the car since 120,000, but it appears that the timing
belt has never been replaced.
Does anyone know if this car will do itself severe damage if the timing belt
breaks, or, is it the kind where the belt will break but no extra damage to
the engine will occur?
** any suggesting on what I can do to keep her running.... **
Before buying a new Elantra I test drove a number of cars, including a '01 Corolla S. I was shocked that the car had actually regressed in eleven years. Nothing like the Elantra in packaging or execution. Hopefully the new Corolla will get things back in shape and the new Matrix/Vibe will make good use of Fremont. The best Prizm was the 93-96 (do I have that generation right?) IMHO. It was significantly nicer than the Corolla of the same generation.
Just curious as to what most of the Prizm owners will do once the Fremont plant switches to Vibes?
--Buy a Vibe?
--Buy a next generation Corolla?
--Buy the Opel inspired Cav. replacement?
--Something else?
In other words, is your loyalty to the plant? The car? The dealership? The card?
85-88(nova), 89-92(geo prizm), 93-97, 98-02(chevy prizm), discontinued.
but the corolla sedan ran a bit differently, after the intial joint venture, as follows:
84-87, 88-92, 93-97, 98-02, 03 all new car.
IMO, the most interesting by far were the Geo Prizm GSi models, and the many versions of the 88-92 iteration Corolla, including the SR5 All-Track Wagon, the GT-S coupe, and the FX16 hatchbacks.
I don't think the new generation of Prizms is the step back. They might not be as popular as the old generation, simply because tastes changing all the time, but mine was incredibly reliable...
It did have some minor issues, but other than that I didn't have any serious problems. I had it for almost 3 years (bought new in '98) and had to take it back to dealer couple of times because of the light knocking somewhere in the rear when backing up during very cold temperatures. Dealer wasn't able to find anything but the problem fixed itself after I tightened everything I could find on the rear suspension. I had about 40K mi on it at that time. Also one time I got check engine light warning and it turned out to be the faulty censor that controls the gas & air mix (at about 55K mi) - covered under extended warranty. Other than that, I sold it with 69K mi on it in perfect condition in '01.
Other than slight differences in tail lights the stacking of radio/HVAC and instrument panel the new cars are identical, except that the Corolla was facelifted in '01.
I just think the last generation car was more graceful, altho. beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
As for reliability, that's always been there, I won't argue that with you.
Bought it used 35,000 miles on it. Great shape.
5 1/4" is the size for replacement speakers and I would like to use the same grill/cover as stock. Anyone know how to go about getting the old speakers out? How do I remove the grill cover and how do I remove the old speakers?
It only costs $140 to get it done anyway.
Ken126, I can sympathize with you on the passenger door rattling. Mine does too. It stops when I pull the inside handle towards the center of the car. I think it is just bad construction.