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Modern cars don't need nearly as much attention as cars made say 30 years ago. Spark plugs last a long time because engines burn much cleaner. If your car is running well and getting decent performance and gas mileage, spark plug replacement is probably still a good idea but not absolutely necessary.
They will try to sell you services like fuel injector cleaning and other stuff, but unless your car is running poorly those won't hurt but won't do you much good either. Coolant flush is a good idea because radiators do get plugged up. Radiators are likely to rot and leak after 10-15 years. If it starts to leak don't drive the car until the radiator is replaced. Stop leak chemicals are usually only for emergency repair no matter what it says on the bottle. that's about it from me for now.
Oil - watch the tailpipe at a cold start to check for blue smoke, and watch (or have someone watch) going down the road, accelerating. If oil changes were erratic, that was the root cause of the problem. Check radiator to make sure no oil leakage in there. Otherwise, there has to be a leak or smoke you are not seeing.
Replace air filter, PCV valve, check hoses for cracks and replace as necessary, check serpentine belt for cracks and replace as necessary. Change coolant (use only Toyota red). Might want to change brake fluid, if planning on keeping for a while. I assume auto tranny, if so, drain and fill tranny fluid. Basically, follow the maintenance schedule in the owner's manual.
You won't start seeing blue smoke unless the engine is burning a whole lot more than 1qt/1000miles.
Make sure that the oil level never goes lower than 1/2 qt from the full mark. If it always burns oil at this rate, the only immediate danger is running the engine dry by not adding enough oil.
Also, if the oil change was too erratic in the past that explains the tendency to burn oil. But if the interval was never more than say 7500miles between changes and driving habit and climate were normal, I don't see why it should be burning so much oil.
Oil change every 3000 miles is still a good idea, by the way. But sif you are adding 3qts over those 3000 miles to keep the level full, you might as well replace only the oil filter every 3000 miles and keep adding oil without draining it. That way you are not draining newly added oil every 3000 miles.
Anybody know about this problem and / or it's resolution? also any good wrenches for Prizms in the north of Boston area? thanks Alexis
I have recently been given a 93 Prizm without the manual.
I am assuming I am supposed to check the transmission fluid while the ENGINE IS RUNNING however can someone confirm this? :-)??
Also, if anyone knows of a good place to order a manual (or download one!) I am all ears!
Thanks!
I question the quality control that went into the construction of these cars. I can't flip down my sun visor without bumping the rear view mirror, I've had to replace a power window motor, and a dashboard light just went out (behind my fuel gauge).
1.The belt broke first and it damaged the tensioner.
2. The tensioner failed and as a result the belt got ruined.
3.Belt tension was not set correctly at the factory or by a garage mechanic who worked on the car. This resulted in belt slippage, and slipping belt fails very fast. You need only a new belt, and correct tension in it.
4. You did not need to have either item replaced. Your mechanic was going to be late for his boat payment that month.
Other problems you mentioned....I really get annoyed by stuff like that. A four-year-old car should not need a new power window motor or a bulb behind the dash. I feel your frustration. Be sure to take your car to a reputable mechanic.
It has lots of miles on it, about to hit 250000 in a few weeks.
I usually fill up about 9.5 - 10 gallons of gas in it and it is usually around 250 miles, the fuel gauge tells me my fuel is almost empty. I mostly drive in the city.
I have looked everywhere on the net and see that fuel tank is 13.2 G
So my question is that do i have like a 10.5 Gallon Fuel Tank or my my fuel gauge is bad?
Please shed some light on this subject.
So do you think i should risk going over like 30 miles more?? You know like 290 or 300 miles in one fuel go??
So its true that I have a 13.2 Gallon fuel tank as opposed to what I think is more like a 10.5 gallon tank?
Thanks for all your help
My bad
My daughter was just involved in a head on collision (not at all her fault) while she was traveling 35 miles an hour. Her 1995 Prizm with only 83,000 miles is totalled, and surprisingly, her airbag did not activate at all.
She took a real hit with the steering wheel, and the seat belt did some damage to soft tissue and spine, but she was able to get out of the car under her own power. I'm impressed on how well the Geo Prizm held up in the crash. Her knee did get pushed into the steering column, but overall, for that kind of crash, good safety.
Our concern is really on why the airbag didn't go off. Any feed back would be appreciated. We're having the car towed from the tow yard to the GM/Chevy dealer for inspection and if there is any reason I should know about before I talk to them I'd appreciate any info.
We have two 1995 Prizms and have been really happy with them both. One had the 83000 miles and has been a wonderful car that my daughter was planning on keeping for at least 3 more years. Our other has over 150,000 miles. Maintenance has been preventative only except for replacing a gas tank on the higher mile one when some road junk punctured it. Both have held up great - in fact my daughter's rated excellent in the insurance inspection after the wreck. Anyone who has the bright green prizm will appreciate the fact that the person who hit our car said that she didn't see it:) Even the cop made a joke about that statement.
Thanks for any help or insight into the airbag malfunction? problem,
Cindy
thanks for all your comments. i'll limit taking the car over 290 then.
one more question, i haven't replaced the timing belt, and i dont know when the old owner got it replaced. should i go ahead and replace it? also what other belts shoudl i get replaced
thanks
I'll just mention that if you look toward the bottom of the page and you are logged in, you will see the post box. To start a new thread, all you need to do is just put something in the Title box and then put your post in the Message box. Then you hit the Post My Message button and you're in business! After that, you have have 30 minutes in which you can use the Edit or Delete links that show up to the right of the date and time of the post if you want to.
Something that many folks - newbies and oldies alike - frequently miss is the Search This Discussion feature on the page bar. I don't know if this will help you, but you can use it to search for previous posts that may have related information in them.
There is no question that our style is unique among most message boards - lots of people have a bit of difficulty figuring us out. You'll get the hang of it and in the meantime if I can answer any specific logistical questions just drop me an email.
Until then, do you have any past information on airbag malfunctions or speed of travel that the airbags are suppose to go off on the Prizm and does anyone except for us think that they should have gone off during the crash? I've done some research on this and can only find a recall for the airbag sensor back in 1996. We bought the car used in 2000 and to our knowledge, it had not been in a previous wreck.
Some mechanics that I have talked to about this problem say that 35 mph is a borderline speed and the airbag may or may not go off at that speed, some say it most definitely should have gone off at that speed and with enough impact to total the car (the hood is now folded back on to the windshield). So we are getting conflicting reports of what the airbag perimeters are for a Prizm. GMC could not tell me any perimeter information, or any information at all without the inspection being done, which we are arranging to have done. It's tough because we are in Oregon and the car is in Virginia and just last month, when the car was paid off, our daughter got her own insurance, so it's not our place to be dealing with her insurance. Meanwhile, she's struggling at this point to get through the day in as little pain as possible, so we're trying to help her gather what material she needs to deal with the insurance.
Any information on the standard and usual operations of airbags would be helpful at this point. No warning light was lit on the dash showing anything malfunctioning before the crash.
Thanks for any help,
Cindy
Pictures of the car again (updated some):
http://pine.linuxaeolus.com/LS/1993Prizm.jpg
http://pine.linuxaeolus.com/LS/Stick.jpg
Here's an update of the Fuel Economy table:
http://pine.linuxaeolus.com/LS/GasData.jpg
He advized to get a new ctalytic convertor for the exhaust. I am confused, as I dont know anything about cars. Is this true ? what should I do ? :confuse:
By the ways i was glad to see a lot of confused people asking about gas tank qty and mileage......
My car is at 250119 miles right now...the car shakes alot, makes alot of noise, and recently started to feel like it will turn off when i at a stop light with the brakes pressed down on (I usually dont put the car in Parking gear at a stop light)
If this one breaks down anytime soon, i'll go to dealer and get a new car.
I do keep up with oil changes and tire rotation. That's about all the maintainense i have done on it
Got a new fuel pump, regulator and fuel filter on it last month with new spark plugs and pvc valve...really dont feel like spending so much money on this car anymore even though i like it alot and hope it keeps on going.
Sincerely,
Azul
:sick:
You might want to try the Got a Quick, Technical Question? discussion also ... good luck!
When I was looking for a car I had the following criteria: Current tags, new state inspection, a lot of repair receipts, 1-2 owners, and no shady salesman. I ended up paying $1450 for a 94 model which was just inspected. It has a new clutch, exhaust, brakes, service records since day 1 ( 2inches thick), 140,000 miles and the owner was an architect who just bought a Matrix. He had just spent $750 for lots of minor repairs to pass the state inspection.
I know if you need a car immediately it is going to be hard, but if you can hold out for a few weeks without a car, and look patiently, you will be able to find a reliabe car for less than the price of a new engine.
Enterprise has a weekend special for $10/day. You have to pay for Fri, Sat, and Sun, but you can have a car for the whole weekend for $30. They have free pickup/dropoff service too. If you call the sellers ahead and make appointments for the weekend you can use the rental car to visit them. You are in a better position to negotiate by going to the seller than by asking him to come to you.
Sorry to hear about your troubles. Good luck.
Motor oils do contain detergents already. There is no need to rinse out all of the old oil when you change it. I generally don't like the idea of thinning out the oil in order to clean out the engine. Oil is there for for lubrication, and engine shouldn't be run without full protection provided by the oil. If you really drain all the oil, after the new oil is added the car will run with no oil in the vital parts for a few seconds until the oil pump starts to circulate oil in those parts.
This is my first time on this site and obviously my first post.
Haven't had a chance to browse through all the suggestions and wonderful info by all of you. ...
I would really like to know how I can contact the Dealers of Geo Prizm.
There are many parts in my car which I need to replace and want to know the original price for the parts through Geo Prizm's Dealer.
So ... If any info on what I am asking ... Please Please Let me know
Thanks!!!
I have the same problem in our Prizm. Was your problem just a fuse or some other issue? How do I resolve?
Thank you for responding,
Rob
http://homepage.mac.com/rlindeman/PhotoAlbum11.html
Thanks!
After driving for about 25 minutes, there begins to be what I consider a severe hesitation, rough idling, and reduced acceleration. The check engine light came on flashing once, but after I stopped the car to drop off my wife at work, looked around to see if I could see anything wrong under the hood, and started it up again, it was running fine and the light was off. I noticed the coolant recovery tank was low, so I put more in, but had the same problem this morning after dropping my wife off. So, to recap:
After 25 minutes, rough idling, bad acceleration, rough idling. Turn car off five minutes, works fine for another 25. I have no idea, and since the "Check Engine" Light won't stay on, the OBD2 won't help, I don't think. Any help in figuring out what is happening would be appreciated.
Good luck with it.
I've inherited my wife's mint green 93 Prizm which now has almost 170K on it. It's been used almost exclusively for a 13K/year commute by me for the past two years. It had been running flawlessly until a few months ago it began to shudder at higher speeds while accerating (e.g. on ramps). I was about to take it in when I was swiped by a county bus. They took five weeks to tell me that the bus never hit me and I had stupidly waited for them to fix the bumper and still drove it with the shudder, now getting progressively worse. :sick:
I took it in and the mechanic said they needed to replace both axle shafts, along with the necessary seals and boots for about $530. To make a very long story short, I kept getting leaks from the axle shafts and after the fourth time returning (and another replacement axle shaft), the mech said if it still leaks, it's gotta be the tranny.
Yep, after a week, a small brownish/reddish puddle. I then took the Prizm to a tranny guy. After a horizonal head shake, he told me that even after replacing the tranny/differential and new seals (for a ballpark of $1800), they couldn't guarantee the seals wouldn't still leak. He said the Prizm/Corollas are great, but not the 3spd auto. He said they has just gone thru the same ordeal as me with another customer with no luck. He was also very helpful in showing me how to check the fluid level in the differential, which I'll probably need to live with until I can replace the car.
I haven't seen anything like my story in this forum. Thoughts???
Thanks,
Rich
Gauge
It looked pretty neat, but then I checked the compatibility and I don't think it would work in my car. Plus it's $130.00. And since I have OBD-I, I don't think I'll get all of the functions. Is there any other product similar to this that would work in older cars (1993) and would be easy to install? I have a 1993 Geo Prizm LSi just in case you are wondering.
Just to clarify I am NOT looking to save fuel. I just want a device that will give instantaneous MPG while driving. The connector on that device on that site looks different from the connector under my steering wheel unless I am looking at the wrong connector in my car. Is there any way that I can make sure of its compatibility with my car? I mean the compatibility listings only show as far back as 1994 and no Geo's at all.
Thoughts?
Thanks, Rene'
I need to replace the driver's seat window. I found one on Ebay
from a guy who is selling a window from a '95 model.
Do you know whether it will fit? Or, do you have any suggestion
on where to find replacement parts?
A local dealer has a 90 Prizm hatchback for sale. The car has 168k miles, new cat-back exhaust and he is putting a new altenator on it (which is why I havent test driven it yet) I think it's a GSi but I'm not sure (14" tires and alloy wheels but I dont know if they're stock) the car has a few small rust spots, but nothing that's going through the body and there's a 30 garauntee on it, regardless of miles. He's asking $1,150 for it. Do you think that's a good deal? and what type of things should I watch out for with this car?
Thanks!
The plugs both look like a + sign, set inside a circle, and seem to be made of plastic. I tried pliers, but immediately dropped that idea as it seemed to only be mangling the plastic. Is there a special tool or maneuver used to open this drain, or do I even have what I'm looking for?
The worst part about this is that I cannot seem to find any documentation in the owner's manual or online about this procedure. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Michael