Removal of Plastic engine cover

Grampy5

I want to remove the plastic shroud from the top of the engine on my 03 Corolla. There are two acorn nuts, and two plastic retainers. In order to avoid braking the plastic retainers, I would like to know the secret of their removal.

terceltom

Perhaps someone that monitors the "Toyota Corolla Maintenance and repair" forum would be able to give you some help.

kt6r

I assume that one must remove the plastic engine cover in order to change the spark plugs. Incredibly, there are no Posts or discussions on this that I can find. How does one remove that cover? There are two different tools required to remove it on the 2005 Corolla.

kt6r

Yes, "perhaps" is the right word, terceltom. Anybody with a meaningful answer would be appreciated.

Kirstie_H

That's a bit of a rude comment to someone who did offer assistance. It is actually an act of help to let someone know where they're more likely to find people with expertise. It is up to the individual member to decide whether to act on that information.

Members who have been around for awhile are aware that questions often get more attention when posted in relevant existing discussions than they do if placed in discussions by themselves.

Here's the link to the Corolla Maintenance & Repair discussion: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.ef0a161/3624

terceltom

Three easy steps:
2003 to 2008

1
Use a pair of pliers or a small socket wrench to remove the four nuts from the plastic engine cover.

2
Remove the rivets behind the nuts. Pry them up using a flathead screwdriver.

3
Grasp the sides of the engine cover; lift it straight up to remove it.

2008 to 2010

1
No nuts or rivets, just pull it straight up and off. It's held on by rubber push-in grommets.

kt6r

Item 2 says "Remove the rivets".
The second item 1 at the bottom says "No nuts or rivets . . . ."

Which do you suppose is correct?

terceltom

Well, it depends on the year of your Corolla. Item #2 at the top refers to pre 2008 models where item #1 at the bottom refers to 2008 to present models. If you have the rivets remove them, if you don't just pull it straight up and off.

kt6r

The engine cover to my 2005 Corolla has been removed not because of previous posts , but in spite of these posts. The two metal cap nuts on the top of the engine cover can be removed with a 10mm socket. The other two black fasteners on the cover are special plastic bolts requiring a special tool obviously designed by TOYOTA to intimidate and discourage car owners from accessing the engine. (Toyota needs to keep you dependent on those TOYOTA dealers for $.) I was able to remove the two plastic fasteners with a needle nose pliers and rotating the fasteners counterclockwise. There are NO "rivets" and NO "flat blade screwdriver" is required. The only correct statement in previous posts is that after removing the nuts and fasteners, you can pull the engine cover up and off. I trust somebody out there will appreciate accurate instructions and accurate words.

terceltom

kt6r wrote - "obviously designed by TOYOTA to intimidate and discourage car owners from accessing the engine"

Yea that's funny! Toyota doesn't want you to take care of your car. On the contrare, in order to make engine access easier, the engine cover design of the newest generation of Corollas just pulls right up and off, no tools required. On the other hand, I'm sorry if I mislead you. The information I gave you was right off of a Toyota owners website. But really, was the attitude and sarcasm really necessary? I was only trying to help you.

kt6r

To Grampy 5: I removed the two plastic bolts on my 2005 Corolla (having a model 1ZZ-FE engine) by using needle nose pliers and rotating the bolt head counter clockwise. Please see my comments on this subject in separate posts. I invite anyone to intelligently explain why the manufacturer chose to use two types of fasteners on the one cover and the one type to require a special tool! Good luck with the removal.
kt6r

terceltom

Oh, I thought you answered that in a previous post?

"to intimidate and discourage car owners from accessing the engine"

dcej1

While removing the plastic "screws" holding the engine cover on my 2004 Corolla I broke one. I dug the plastic remnants out and discovered that a metric hex cap screw threads easily into the old hole; M6-1.0 x 16mm. A couple of bucks for three at your local parts store.