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Toyota Echo Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Good to hear! What was leaking?
  • jennyj1jennyj1 Member Posts: 2
    no there is no clicking noise so i assume that the compresser is not clicking on and off, it still blows hot air when put defrost on
  • joecho1joecho1 Member Posts: 2
    Apparently there were some damaged wires in the trunk area that were tied into reverse. Unfortunately the main fuse wiring is tied into reverse as well. So when I reversed I was blowing the main fuse. Good to know that I need to watch what is put in the trunk and where.
  • rozmanrozman Member Posts: 7
    Main vac line
  • rozmanrozman Member Posts: 7
    If on defrost-it still blows hot air even on cool and no clicking on the compressor, then it is either the compressor is bad or the switch in the circuitry is bad. Try jumping out the compressor with 12V. You will see if it clicks on and off. When you push the A/C button on,does the idle go down?
  • mnmanmnman Member Posts: 36
    Kneisl1- I see a intermittant wiper switch on eBay for a 98-02 Corolla for $25 shipped, do you think it will work in my 01 Echo? I know you all said to look for one with a single connector.... It isn't a variable type, but it would beat me hitting my switch for HOURS on end at times!!!
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    I THINK that is an older switch which will not work. Mine came from an 06 Corolla if memory serves. Can you shoot me a pic or the ebay site? 233@excite.com
  • rcramptonrcrampton Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2000 Echo Automatic with about 192,000 miles on it. My echo as of within the past month has begun to struggle on uphills, whether back roads or highway. It's not fun going from 60mph to a slow decent to 35ish. When I hit an uphill my engine obviously switches into OD to maintain speed. The mph goes up a little then it stalls and goes up and then stalls. Real steep grades, the mph drops faster and it becomes more of a losing battle for my engine to maintain. I can feel it in the whole car as if I just put my foot on the brake for a second.

    I brief history that may or may not apply. I just traveled from Colorado to Virginia. When I lived in CO, it was winter and I encountered more mountainous terrain when I did drive, lots of ups and downs. I had also driven to CO about 4 months prior before coming back. So it's had its share of long drives in short periods and steep terrain that its little engine might normally not be accustomed too.

    I am militant on oil changes(Mobile1) and air filter changes. I noticed when I used a fuel injector cleaner or a higher grade of gasoline that this helped for an hour into the drive but then I'd hit a 2 minute uphill and eventually I'd be a turtle again.

    Any insight would be most welcome.
  • highmiler650highmiler650 Member Posts: 75
    Sounds to me it is fuel starvation, i.e. probably a clogged fuel filter. I would replace it. While you are at it, replace (if necessary) the air filter, spark plugs (if not done within the last couple of years. Except the fuel filter it is easy to do by yourself.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Check for a vacuum leak on the main vacuum line.
  • toyconverttoyconvert Member Posts: 8
    My Echo has almost 200,000 miles on it and I love it. I am having a problem with the air conditioning for the last year or so.

    I noticed that it was not cooling well in stop and go traffic. If I get it up to 70MPH on the highway it will freeze you out. I did have the freon level checked and it was fine. One person told me it was the condenser, but after looking at prices, I want to hope otherwise.

    Thanks
  • toyconverttoyconvert Member Posts: 8
    I forgot that I had posted this last year. It seems lower and still not cold when I switch to outside air.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Try 800 765 7100 used parts from CA. Reasonable and they have had everything I ever asked for.
  • tradtketradtke Member Posts: 1
    I have a '00 5-speed. Recently changed the A/C belt was squealing every time I turned A/C on, but that was resolved. Now when I start the car with A/C off, it squeals ever louder, but is constant, even as you drive, does not go away. Would it be the bearings on one of the pulleys for the larger belt? How do I get to it? Thanks.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Perhaps the belt is loose again, did you recheck the tension? Perhaps the bolts holding the alternator werent tightened enough.
    If you can take the belt off you can turn each pulley (the water pump, the AC, the ac compressor) by hand and see if they turn smoothly. If one of them doesnt there is the problem.
    Its just a matter of finding the two bolts on the alternator that tighten the belt. One is on top and easy to see, one is underneath and you have to feel for it. Its cramped to work on the right side of the engine bay but its doable. If you cant just take it to a garage.
  • dakedake Member Posts: 131
    No, it won't work. You need an '03 or newer Corolla, Camry or Matrix switch.
  • dakedake Member Posts: 131
    Or the fuel pump is going bad.
  • mnmanmnman Member Posts: 36
    OK, thanks for the info, and thanks to kneisl1 for the help also!! I have been looking on eBay quite a bit, but at times I don't think they have the parts ID'd correctly...
    I will find something soon though I'm sure.
  • rcramptonrcrampton Member Posts: 3
    If it's the fuel filter, is this a job I can do myself or would it be better to pass up the job to a mechanic?

    If it's something I can do myself, where can I find info on doing it?
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Everybody suspect the fuel filter...but that seldom causes trouble. In fact there is no spec to change it. On second though 192k miles! Yeah have it changed. But i doubt thats it. I forget...is the check engine light on? :confuse:
  • jmrbkjmrbk Member Posts: 18
    I have a 2002 4 door Echo, manual transmission with just over 71K miles on it and the Check Engine Light came on today on the drive home from work. I had an oil change just last Friday and the oil change shop changed the air filter, too. The car is not making any unusual noises or running roughly. I have more than half a tank of gas and tried tightening the gas cap a couple times and then turning the car off and back on. The light persists. Right now I am letting the car cool down in the driveway and I will check it again later. It's not a hot day here .... mid 70s, Any tips on what to look for? Oh, I had the a/c, headlights and radio on when I first noticed the CEL on.

    Thanks in advance for any help!
  • kosarinkosarin Member Posts: 14
    my '00 kept doing this right after i got it new...turns out, there was a problem w/echo o2 sensors...think they redesigned them shortly thereafter, but could be problem...if car isn't running rough and you don't feel like going to dealer, put a little piece of electrical tape over the light...works for me!
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Check the hoses going to the aircleaner. Its possible one of them got removed/not reattached during the AF change. Also is the air cleaner put back together right? When things like this happen its good to reflect: what was just done to the car.
    Your next move is to have the code read. Auto Zone reads them for free if one is near you. When you find the error code(s) post them here.
  • butler83butler83 Member Posts: 14
    I picked up a very clean 2001 automatic with 41k on it about 2-3 months go. I just had it into the local dealer for an oil change & I wanted to make sure the recalls were up to date. The dealer said it was perfect except plugs. I really enjoy driving this little fuel siper. Now - acouple questions, please.

    1 - Dealer said the plugs were 30k plugs & not changed yet. Can I switch to 90k plugs without worry?

    2 - Can anyone tell me where the fuel filter is & a quicky how to change note? Is the line pressurized? How often should I change?

    3 - Should I add/change anything to this schedule?
    -Oil 4 - 5k
    -Air filter 30k
    -Plugs - 30 - 90k Question #1
    -AT fluid 30k
    -Fuel filter Question #2
    -?????
    -?????

    Note - How does the Echo do in the snow and ice?? I'm in Michigan.

    Thanks in advance!!!
  • jmrbkjmrbk Member Posts: 18
    I never did get the codes read but I brought it back to the oil change shop and sure enough, a hose on the air filter casing had come loose. They reattached it, apologized and I was back on my way. Thanks all for your thoughts!!

    Jill
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    SUPER!
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Yes you can get the 90k plugs (iridium) and put them in. But heres a thought. If you leave those plugs in for 4 or 5 years they might get STUCK in there. Seized up as it were. So you really want to remove them ever couple of years and maybe put some anti seize on them. If they get stuck and the threads tear out removing them its a major pita to get them re threaded. Actually the origional plugs are prolly good for 60k miles if you drive a lot of highway miles.
    Fuel filter is on the fuel pump which is in the gas tank. Access is under the rear seat. There is no requirement to change it. Only if there is trouble. I would leave it alone as long as things are OK. Yes there is pressure in the lines!
    I see no reason to go changing the AT fluid. A lot of people do it but doesnt do much good. You might change the AT filter however and have a look see for gunkyness etc. Its easy to do...
    My 2001 ECHO was UNBELIEVEABLY bad on snow and ice and I grew up driving in upstate NY. (lake effect mean anything to you?) It was the TIRES however POTENZAS by Bridgstone. They handle well and wear well but suck on snow REALLY bad and I know what Im doing driving on snow. I put a set of Kumho on and it was like night and day. Much better. The car is OK in snow Ive driven better. (Ford Granada and Pinto) I think you want a really godd set of tires on there or better yet four dedicated mounted snows if you have to drive in snow conidtions.
    Yes the little ECHO is a great car Im sure you will love it. Any questions ask. PS I would look at the ball joint boots tie rod boots and CV joint boots real good.
  • butler83butler83 Member Posts: 14
    Kneiel1

    Thank you so much for the answers. It is clear you are the board guru and I appreciate your time and help. Thanks again.
    -Boy, do we know about lake effect snow in Mi: ) The Echo came with new Kelly tires so I will see how they do.
    -One more question
    Now that it is warming up a bit I notice the A/C seems to be a little slow to cool. Once the car get going the air seems to be good. Is this normal or do you think I may need a little recharge?? It will be hot here soon.
    Note - I hopeing for this to be my first car to make it to 200k. Only 152k to go!!!
  • dakedake Member Posts: 131
    Sadly, the one thing Toyotas are still behind on is AC Compressors. They are only as big as they have to be (to save on weight, fuel economy and power) and consequently it takes them a little while to get going. I remember my wife's old Saturn would cool down instantly, but boy did you feel the power loss and the mileage sucked.

    A couple general techniques to aid in quicker cool down. If the car has been sitting for awhile, put the AC in "fresh air mode" and turn it on full blast. Even if it's hot outside, it's still cooler than inside and this gets rid of some of the hot air. You can even roll down your window for the first minute or so just to help empty the cabin of the hot air. Let it run in fresh air for a couple minutes and then switch to "Recycle" and it will start to re-cool the interior air.

    Down here in Houston we've been up over 100 heat index for the last two weeks and while it will take a couple minutes to cool down, our Yaris will still freeze you out once it gets going.
  • butler83butler83 Member Posts: 14
    Thanks Dake - I didn't want to ruin my compressor. Yes, once the A/C gets rolling it seems to work great. I have a 99 Civic & a 06 Ion that are very cold as soon as you get in the car. Good luck staying cool in Houston.
  • boston2000echoboston2000echo Member Posts: 1
    I didn't use the car for 2 days, it rained on and off... Yesterday when I inserted the key the lights in the dashboard worked as usual and the radio too but all I heard was a click in the engine, the starter didn't work... I smelled burned wire for few seconds. The car is standard so I had my friend push and it started, after 3 minutes I turned it off but again only hear a click in the engine as I turn the key. What may be the problem? Any idea how much will this cost? the echo has 179k miles and never ever had a problem starting even leaving it alone for a couple of months. The battery is fairly new although yesterday I noticed a green foam around the main cables. The headlights work and the radio too so I don't think is a battery issue... Please advice, thanks a lot!
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    The battery cables sound like they are heavily corroded by battery acid. Cut some of the insulation away and see how far up the cable the corrosion goes. You may need to have then replaced. The corrosion will prevent the car starting if it is extensive enough.
  • lovemyecholovemyecho Member Posts: 1
    Just joined forum & noticed very old message re: continuing problem with wet floor on front passenger side floor of Echo. I had the same problem. Check to see if anything is clogging the drain near the front window. Mine had a problem for years before I got it, and the car had actually gotten a lot of mold. Turned out it had been parked under a pine tree and the needles had clogged the drain that siphoned away the water from the windshield, and it was all going into the car.

    Now I still have a little leak in the trunk. Anyone have an idea about that one?
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Open the trunk and check for pine needles around the water channels. Look at the black rubber seal that goes all the way around the trunk.
  • butler83butler83 Member Posts: 14
    I'm thinking of running snow tires on my 2001 Echo this Winter. I'm thinking of picking up a set of rims(14 inch) for summer and then the old stock rims would be for winter. I would have to do this on the cheap - anyone changed wheels & to what? I'm wondering if MR2 wheels or corolla wheels or what all would work.

    Thanks in advance for any cheap suggestions.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    1 800 765 7100 is a junk yard in CA where I got a rim for cheap for my Yaris. They ship and have everything. Tire Rack sells tires and rims shipped to your door for pretty cheap as youll find. No cost for Mounting and Balancing when you buy tires and rims together.
  • butler83butler83 Member Posts: 14
    Thanks Kneisl1. I just heard from a guy selling 4 MR2 wheels cheap. The fronts are 6 inches and the rears are 7 inches. I'm assuming the lug pattern is the same. What do you thnk about going that wide on an Echo? I don't want probelms or recalibrating the speedo or any of that stuff. I wanted a look upgrade,
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Well...if they fit they fit. Personally I like to keep my car strictly stock especially a small car like an ECHO. I would think MR2 wheels have a deep offset like a Miata does. Which would really change the steering/suspension geometry.
  • dakedake Member Posts: 131
    What year MR2? If it's the new body style 2000 up, they should work as they have four lugs, but the previous body style (90's) they have 5 lugs.

    My Echo has an old set of rims from a 90's era Tercel Firehawk/Paseo. I made the mistake of going a little big on the tires (195/70/R14) and they rubbed a little - I had to remove the mud flaps from the back.

    Now I use 185/60/R14 and they work no problem. The other thing I noticed was on the larger tire I lost 4 or 5 mpg. Some of that may have been b/c it threw off the odometer (I don't really know), but when I went back to the smaller size tire, the mpg came back.

    I'd guess the MR2 rims are 15 inches at least, so you'll probably have to go with a 60mm or less sidewall to keep from rubbing. 7 inches is only 177 mm, so you can get a 185/55/R15 tire and you'd probably be fine.
  • typentypen Member Posts: 7
    have a 2001 4dr sedan, lately we are having a real hard time trying to fill it up, it wont accept fuel at full flow, we have to squeeze in a bit at a time or it overflows the filler neck, some say it's the fuel overfill valve or the evap system near the tank?, Can either be changed separately or does the whole unit need to be replaced? I have access to a hoist,can this be done outside a dealer doing it? Any input or experiences with this would really be helpful.
    thanks Tyler
  • rcramptonrcrampton Member Posts: 3
    Where can one acquire a fuel filter for a 2000 Toyota Echo? It sounds like one doesn't exist according to folks at advanced auto and auto zone.

    I put an earlier post in about my car and this seems like the next step some suggest is to change the filter.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    The fuel filter is on the fuel pump which is in the tank. There is no requirement to change it in the maintenance schedule. If you want one anyway try Toyota.
  • dfree1dfree1 Member Posts: 5
    I have a 2002 Echo and just started having the same issue. I verified no obstruction in the fuel fill tube so now think it will probably be related to the evaporative system.
    I look forward to any information anyone offers.
    Dave
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    You say it just started being hard to fill up at full flow? So it was OK just a while ago? I do not have any experience with this to offer a solution. But once the charcoal cannister that is used to collect gas fumes somehow got soaked full of gas. If this happened to me I would remove the cannister and check it for that. One wiff and youll know. Actually gas would run right out of it. After that youll have to remove all the lines and check them for attachment/clogging. If you find whats doing it post it here so others will know what to do.
  • typentypen Member Posts: 7
    Talked to toyota, service manager suggested that i remove the overflow hose from filler neck at the vacuum valve( he didn't say the name of valve,i think it's the overflow control valve??), and try refueling, well that worked, not sure if that's the complete problem, but waiting for my service manuals to arrive so i can check further. Tyler
  • stan1958stan1958 Member Posts: 2
    My Echo is a 2000 model with 4 doors and electric windows.

    The drivers door electric window is not working properly. The symptoms are the window will not go back up immediately after being lowered. If I wait for a minute it will go up a few centimetres and this progresses with time until I can get it right up after a few minutes. It doesn't seem to matter whether the car is running or not but the window seems to need this time to recharge something.

    Also one of the back windows will not wind up or down. This suddenly stoppped functioning without any warning.

    Does anyone have any ideas on the above or any tips on dismantling the doors/units.

    Cheers
  • jsilver03jsilver03 Member Posts: 3
    Hello to all I am an owner of an 03 Echo now with 140,000 miles and it is running strong if this is any help to the breaking of the door handles remove then window crank (use tool sold for these or a small flat head to bump up the pin looks like omega sign) and door skin being easy on all retainers and the door lock that sticks up. then cut the plastic liner its ok you can rig a homemade liner all day long I have done so on all my doors. then most likly you will not see copper/golden spring so use a mechanic style magnet that extends into the skelital frame in the door until you feel it connect to the mag. now from my experience one side of the springs home or channel we will call it is cracked. the channel will be visible with lithium grease whitish grey color now paying attention to the only way it will really fit push the spring in the channel making sure the spring ends are seating correctly in the grooves. now use that badass billy mayes type mighty putty and put good glob of it over the cracked area and do not do open that door untill the next day - I hope this helps I have done all but my driver door and many other mods
  • jsilver03jsilver03 Member Posts: 3
    stan1958 this is not too hard of a task unscrew all phillps heads remover the plastic trim around the mirror adjuster (front doors) then pull on the corners to free the skin from the door just be careful with the retainers or pieces that lock the door skin to the inner door they can take a bit force although some be have gotten brittle and may brake after that is off you will have to cut the plastic liner I hope i replied in time and hope it helps it is all reverse steps from here re-seal the door with duct tape and garbage bags thats what I did I also have dyna-mat one the inner doors as well as whole car cab of car even roof I am a nut like that though also see my post on fixing door handles.
  • stan1958stan1958 Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for the tips - I will give it a go.
  • tonyo141tonyo141 Member Posts: 3
    I have this terrible noise coming from my front end. When I turn the wheel to the left, even a tiny amount, it makes a loud whirling sound (my wife says it sounds like an airplane). If I turn to the right, even just a tiny amount, there is no sound. I put on new tires and it made it louder. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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