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Toyota Echo Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • kristijkristij Member Posts: 4
    It was a wheel bearing on our 2001 Echo that made that noise.
  • tonyo141tonyo141 Member Posts: 3
    Thxs for the reply. I will check them out. It's been noisy for a while now, I would have thought it would fail by now. My other thought is the c-v joint.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Jack the front wheel up and try to shake the wheel in and out. (while not dropping the car on your foot!) If theres play its the wheel bearing.
  • hurlburthurlburt Member Posts: 1
    hi,i have a 2001 echo with 76k with no service manual. Are there certain mileage benchmarks?
    thanks,
  • kosarinkosarin Member Posts: 14
    at 420,000 miles, buy a replacement 2002 echo
  • tonyo141tonyo141 Member Posts: 3
    I did that and I don't feel any movement but when I move the wheel side to side I here a faint clicking sound, like it has some play in it.
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    LOL!

    Maintenance milestones on the Echo are coolant, air filter, and plugs at 30K intervals, unless you have the platinum plugs as many Echos do, in which case plug interval is 60K. If you have an automatic, I believe the transmission fluid gets changed at 30K too, but I'm not sure. Mine is a stick, and my transmission oil change interval is 100K.

    So, for me it's tire time. Tell me out there in Echoland: what tires are you running? I could get another set of Toyo Spectrums, the ones I have now did the full 65K they promised, but I'm also thinking of spending a bit more money for Michelin Harmonys, which are supposed to be quieter and give me 80K miles, in addition to better wet-road traction.

    So do tell, what tires do you have on your car, and do you like them or hate them?

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • dfree1dfree1 Member Posts: 5
    Hello all, I have about 140K on my Echo and need to replace the rear shocks. Anyone out there done it themselves? Any special tools or equipment?
    I have done shocks before but not on the Echo and the process was not overly tough or complicated.
    I like to deprive the dealership and aftermarket shops acces to my wallet as much as possible. I also enjoy doing the job myself and normally this results in the ability to buy higher quality parts and still save money.
    Dave
  • robeartoesartrobeartoesart Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2003 echo with 90,000 miles (mostly highway). The car was running fine one till I put some gasoline in it 2 days ago. After fueling, I drove about one mile to my home when I noticed the cars idle was very rough and during acceleration there is a serious miss. The check engine light came on and is currently flashing when I drive the car. Below are the things I have tried:

    1. Cleaned MAF with electrical cleaner.
    2. Added gas treatment.
    3. Ran fuel down to 1/4, then added gas from another station to dilute.

    The car is running somewhat better, but not as good as it was 2 days ago. Any suggestions?
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    get the code read at Auto Zone for free and tell us the code(s) Or if you have a scan tool read them yourself and post. If you strongly suspect bad gas drain the fuel tank until EMPTY in a container you can check for water/dirt etc.
    Sounds like its not a coincidence you got gas and then trouble.
    If you find crap in the tank probably a good idea to change the fuel filter also located in the tank on the fuel pump.
  • robeartoesartrobeartoesart Member Posts: 2
    Went to Auto Zone and they said it was number one cylinder misfire. Changed spark plugs with no change. Plugs looked really worn. What's next? Bad miss on acceleration.

    Drained gas and refueled yesterday with complete gumout.
    :confuse:
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Did they tell you the code number? Did you see any water/dirt in the gas?
    P0301
    Book says:

    open or short in engine wire
    connector connection (i assume this means the sparkplug connector)
    vacuum hose connection
    ignition system
    injector
    fuel pressure
    egr system
    manifold pressure sensor
    coolant temp sensor
    valve clearance'
    ECM

    Have you had any work done lately on the car? If so look at what was done.
    You can check the wiring as far as possible to the plugs and also the vacuum line around the engine. Pretty hard to do the rest of it. A garage that you trust may be necessary!
  • muisakmuisak Member Posts: 1
    I was recently given a 2000 Toyota Echo, 1.5L 5Sp 2Dr. The car ran great, until under heavy load. IE, flooring the car resulted in loosing speed, the vehicle would even sometimes die. My first theory was a clogged fuel filter, being as the car does have 165,000 and has never had hardly any work done to it. Upon researching for the location of the fuel filter, however, i found that it is located on top of the fuel pump inside the fuel tank, and is accessed via an access panel that can be found under the rear seat. Supposidly a lifetime filter, and should never need replaced. Sounds like a load of BS to me but none the less, i considered an alternative problem. Mind you, the check engine light has not illuminated. The only previous shop experience had a problem with the mass airflow sensor. Located on top of the air filter housing, and removable by two philips head screws, i decided i would inspect it. The wire inside the sensor was intact, but I took an online sugguestion and cleaned it. Immediately the vehicle now runs just like it did when it was new. There was a very slight coat of dirt on the sensor wire and sensor tip, and this must have been enough just to mess up the reading, not enough to trigger the check engine light, as the value must not have been completely out of spec to trigger a code. Nor was the sensor actually faulty, which also would have triggered a light. I hope someone else finds this information useful, i had found a lot of postings about this problem with the echos, but no one said anything about not having a check engine light on and the vehicle still running fine, just hesitating and dieing on heavy acceleration. The previous repairs also affirm that this should be a common issue with this car. Just wonder how many others out there have a similar style sensor with similar problems. Now onto the cooling fan problem! lol.

    2000 with roughly 165,000 miles. Heavy use.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    The car doesnt have a KN air filter by any chance? Excellent post hope people find it usefull solving their problems. Definately one of the first things to check out when the engine isnt running right.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I was thinking the same thing--if the car has a K&N filter, get rid of it.
  • thegreyonethegreyone Member Posts: 24
    I've found some of my vehicles, especially in very hot weather, miss and stall if I put in ethanol mixed gasoline. Could the gas you put in be one of these blends????

    denis
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    All gas these days has ethanol mixed into it.
  • thegreyonethegreyone Member Posts: 24
    To kneisl1... Perhaps where you come from you may not be able to buys "good" gas
    BUT here in Alberta I think there are only one company that offers ethanol blends.. Mohawk. PetroCan, Esso, Shell and the whole bunch of no-name stations usually have only the "real" gasoline. I have no problem filling up my motorcycle.

    /denis
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Lucky you! Still I dont see the problems you describe being caused by alcohol in the gas. Our mileage here in the US is 2-3 mpg lower because that crap is sold by everyone everyplace!
  • thegreyonethegreyone Member Posts: 24
    Opps! :cry: I forgot to mention that I get the problems with ethanol blends only when I put it in my old 1994 Mercury Sable stationwagon and only on very HOT days (30C or 86F) when my tank is less that half full.
    I don't know what age of car is able to handle the blends better.... and of course there are the special F55(?) motors that are designed to take it.

    I think my it is likely pre-ignition / vapour locks because of the ethanol etc. When it quits I have a spray bottle and have to spray down the fuel lines, injector lines etc and after 5 minutes I can drive another 10 minutes or so. If I can make it to a gas station and FILL UP with regular non-blended gas... the problem goes away. It's a pain in the butt, but a managed condition!
  • dcarcherdcarcher Member Posts: 3
    I have an '02 Echo with 62k miles on it. I noticed a couple of times last week that it took an extra half second to start, but didn't think much of it until this morning when I had to crank it three times to get it to start.

    The first two cranks it turned over nicely but wouldn't fire... I didn't hold it for more than 4-5 seconds. The third time I held it an extra second or two and it started fine.

    I drove it 8 miles on the 4 lane with no issues. Turned it off in the parking lot, started it up 2x in a row with no hesitation. Tested it two more times after church with no hesitation and drove it home.

    I just tested it again now after the car sat in the driveway for 8 hrs and had the same issue - 3-4 seconds of hesitation and then it started up. I turned it off and tried it again with the same result. Tried it a third time pushing the gas pedal down... with gas pedal depressed it started instantly. Tested a 4th time with gas down and got the same result.

    Any ideas? I'm pretty sure it's not battery or electrical. Read some stuff elsewhere that indicates it's some kind of fuel problem. I have a 300 mile drive scheduled for Tuesday so I'm a little nervous. Not sure I can get it into a mechanic tomorrow or not.

    Also, spark plugs were changed last month and it has a new alternator belt. As I said, it doesn't act like a run down battery either... no flickering lights and it cranks well every time.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Is the check engine light on? Take a tour of the engine compartment. Follow every line and every hose and see if you find one disconnected. Possibly one of them was disturbed when the plugs were changed. Take the black plastic valve cover off and check the sparkplugs. Remove one of the plugs and see if its the correct one for an ECHO. See if you find any that were never tightened. Tell us what you find!
  • dcarcherdcarcher Member Posts: 3
    No codes or lights or anything like that. Wires and cables look fine. Sparkplugs check out too. I've put over 2k miles on it (driving for work) since the plugs were changed so I would have been surprised if there was an issue there.

    I wish I had saved the link, because I'm really curious if it's an issue with low fuel pressure at start. The symptoms described in what I read match my car's symptoms perfectly, but it didn't give any solution other than to hold the gas pedal down for a few seconds before start.
  • dcarcherdcarcher Member Posts: 3
    Never mind. Should have gone with simplest explanation first. Just completely failed to start (click click click), jumped instantly, and then got gradually harder to start over a period of 15-20 minutes.

    Have taken it to a trusted mechanic and given him a full history of how it was behaving and asked him to check it out thoroughly. I don't have the setup to do it myself. I'll let you guys know if it was anything weird.
  • echodinechodin Member Posts: 5
    I'm having the same problem righ now and I've disconnected my radio, hooked it back up and it worked for a very short time then back to nothing. I tried the troubleshooting and I get the code for "nothing wrong". Any ideas?
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    The radio (3 in 1) on my sons 2000 ECHO is not working. The numbers come on when you turn it on and he says you can hear the CD spinning. AM/FM turner numbers work. Fuse appears to be good. But no sound comes out. Anyone have this and figure out what it was? How hard to get the radio out? I have the SM but guess what...its doesnt say how to get the radio in and out! Thnaks!
  • thegreyonethegreyone Member Posts: 24
    Before pulling the radio out, try unseating and then reinserting the plugs on the back of the radio. I think you can get to it from the bottom OR, I've noticed the piece of plastic that forms the part of the dash coming out from the speedometer also easily pops up... maybe you can reach down from there to try the plugins.

    Getting the radio out was surprisingly easy. :) Not having the car in front of me I'll try FOR MEMORY.

    A rectangular front bezel popped off quite well with just slight finger pressure... I did this several times without any plastic breaking! Must attest to the Toyota quality...

    There were three Philips bolts holding the radio in.

    The first bolt was at the end of an obvious bracket extending at an angle down behind the ashtray. Careful with the cig lighter wire... it sort of just dangles there. I disconnected it and taped the end for the duration of the operation.
    The other two bolts were above the radio on the left and right DEEP inside the crack with the top of the opening. A LONG dedicated philips screwdriver with a long shaft worked... the multiscrewdriver was too fat. Re-installng these two were more tricky... I cheated and magnetized the shaft of the screwdriver so the bolts stuck in place and I could carefully guide them into their deeply recessed holes. Other than that I replaced the physically damaged old tape deck in the 2000 Echo with a newer MP3/CD/AM/FM unit from a 2005 Celica and it plugged right in.

    WOW... what a nice unit on the 6 way speakers. Unlike some of the other reports on this forum, I have not experienced any unexplainable great power drain from the unit. HOWEVER, if you crank it up to flesh-massaging vibration levels in only the Accessory mode (motor not running)... those six speakers really suck the energy. You'd better have a good battery or you'll be boosting it to get the car running... or if your lucky, to push it if you have a 5 speed.

    /denis
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Thanks!. Yes first step reseat the plugs. But I think from the diagnostics in the SM the radio is either toast or the signal just isnt getting to the speakers. (possible one of the plugs...) Anyone have any idea what radios from what Toyotas fit?
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Just talked to my son on the phone and he says now the radio plays normally. We ran the diagnostic which means turning the acc on (radio off) pressing 1 and 6 on the presets while pressing the CD button 3 times. That gives an error code. (190) Maybe that did something?
  • echodinechodin Member Posts: 5
    I had the same problem and it turned out to be one of my rear speaker connection that had been broken by something I put in the trunk and shorting out. I found it when I removed my radio, I just happened to unplug the rear speaker connector first and the radio worked on the front so I looked back there and found the broken connection. Fixed it with electrical tape and it's been good ever since.
    The radio comes out easy pull out the two outer knobs for temp control and then remove the screw under each. Then pull out the whole panel. Remove the ashtray and remove two screws there and two screw above the radio then it pulls right out.
    Good Luck!
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Yes thinking about it about the only thing it could be is a disconnected speaker wire somewhere. That or the radio itself is toast. Which I dont think so because it turns on/displays numbers/you can hear the CD turning.
  • moparblue2moparblue2 Member Posts: 86
    just done first front brake job on our 2004 Echo. after 58,000 miles still had some pad left but getting thin. took rotors to local brake shop to get them turned. when i picked up the rotors the guy asked if they were the factory rotors? i said yes and told him how many miles were on the rotors. he said factory rotors are much better steal than after market & they turn better. he said people would be much beater to change the pads before they eat the factory rotor. witch would get him more brake jobs to
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    We found out the problem with the 3 in 1 CD radio in my sons 2000 ECHO. The wires going to the speakers in the trunk were not attached. The bottom of the speakers is open to the trunk and something bumped into the bottom of one of the speakers. It broke the connection on the speaker. On this stupid radio because it is computer controlled, if just ONE of the speakers (and there are 6) becomes disconnected, the radio turns on, you can hear the CD turning and all, but the radio wont play! It was a simple matter of repairing the connection to the speaker and presto! the radio works again! So if some has had the dash apart, or addded and alarm system (DONT DO IT!) or monkeyed around in any way having the door panels off AND THEY DISTURBED THE SPEAKER WIRES so they become disconnected your radio will not work.
  • johnnieyjohnniey Member Posts: 1
    greetings to all. i need some suggestion for fixing my 2000 echo. firstly, the driver's side manual window crank came off. how can i put it back on? before this happened, it was kind-of tight using the crank to roll up or down the window. do i need to spray some wd-40 into the rod? secondly, the driver's side door handle (outside) is sticking out of the side instead of being level with the exterior door. it does not spring back to the flat position. it is working and i can open the door. it just looks strange with the handle sticking out. i appreciate all the help. peace! johnnie
  • schafflerschaffler Member Posts: 1
    Did you ever get an answer to your question? I'm looking at replacing the sway bar bushings as well, and am searching for information/diagrams on how to go about it.
  • graylinergrayliner Member Posts: 39
    This happened to me on my Grand Am and it was a tiny ctack in a spark plug wire. It made a slight short to ground when I was going up hill and acted like it was stalling intermittantly.

    fwiw!
  • garychaitgarychait Member Posts: 3
    I've got an '03 automatic Echo. The owner's manual says nothing about checking trans fluid. The engine compartment has got a dipstick to the right of the block that looks suspiciously like trans fluid. anyone know the procedure for checking it? on other cars, it's usually, drive car until warm, come to a stop, shift thru the gears slowly then into park, wait 3 minutes, check fluid while car is running. thanks.
    -gary
  • kiwi17kiwi17 Member Posts: 1
    The engine dash light of my 99 Toyota Echo came on a while ago. Toyota couldn't give me an answer without having to take the whole engine out $$$??? Another mechanic plugged it into a diagnostic machine and a message "Idle Error" appeared. No-one seems to know what this message means or the cause. The car has intermittent flat spots - sometimes runs pretty well and other times, I really have to drive it hard in 3rd gear to get it up highway hills.

    Can anyone offer any clues to the cause of this problem? Is it the computer playing-up, is it sensors? Do I have to renew every part one by one??
  • drewdude1229drewdude1229 Member Posts: 2
  • drewdude1229drewdude1229 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2000 Echo with an auto tranny that has developed a vibration under the drivers floor board with a somewhat winding noise that develops only between 25 mph and lasts until I reach about 45 mph. My thought is it has to do with the middle gear, not sure. I don't want to start ripping and replacing things, i.e. Tranny, bearings, etc. Unleast until I have a better idea. Any help would be great. Thanks in advance.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I think we need better information here, or MORE information, to help you.

    It seems odd that a dealer would want to remove an engine based on a check engine light??? :surprise: Didn't they say more about this?

    And the mechanic---there must have been a NUMBER attached to this message? What was that trouble code number?

    If the scanner couldn't communicate with the ECM, it would have said so.

    It might be that your problem is the repair shops you're going to, or a certain lack of communication between you and the mechanics.

    But if you can gather more info, maybe we can come up with ideas on approaching the problem at hand.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Check engine light on with this code read by an OBD2 scanner. Book says:
    air induction system
    injector blockage
    mass air flow meter
    engine coolant temp sensor
    fuel pressure
    exhaust leak
    open or short in heated oxy sensor bank 1 sensor 1
    heated oxygen sensor bank 1 sensor1

    Has anyone dealt with this error code and what did you find? Any hints on how to proceed or how to check each item for goodness?

    Thanks!
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Possible to dammage anything running the engine with this error code set? Engine runs like a watch.
  • harvestmoonharvestmoon Member Posts: 1
    I am having the same problem, now you can hear it at any time and just getting louder....did you get an answer? But mine is a 2000 Echo manual trans.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Changed the (dirty) air filter. Cleaned the two ultra fine wires in the MAF sensor using brake cleaner. CEL off!
  • typentypen Member Posts: 7
    Update, i bit late, problem was the breather tube that goes from evap canister to top of filler neck was rusted on the inside and blocked,also when i removed it it broke and found many small pin holes under the road grim, replaced tube, turned off check light, zero codes. just for info, if check light comes on and code P0440 comes up, check fuel neck when o-ring in fuel cap seals, any dirt or rust biuld up will cause a leak and check engine light will come on, we have two echo's both have do it.
  • echogonebadechogonebad Member Posts: 3
    Hi there i was just wondering if anyone could help me with a problem my mum is having with her 2004 toyota echo 1.3lt 2dr hatch, it seems to have a shaking of the engine and a huffing noise from the back end of the car when idling and while driving it sounds like a chuff cutter i keep telling her its a timing chain but she still wants to know if anyone else has any ideas.
    Any feedback would be great thanks heaps :confuse: :sick:
  • jwstl80jwstl80 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2000 Toyota Echo with ignorant belt noise on first start up and intial take off from a stop. I have narrowed it down to the AC Clutch and Pulley. I have boughten a belt from local part store for a Non-AC Echo and placed the belt in just bypassed the AC Compressor completely. Now no more belt noise... Now I have to just remove the compressor and take out the clutch stator and other pieces on shaft and replace. But the kicker is the clutch kit cost 359.00 at local part house. I can buy a complete compressor for this car with new clutches pulley and coil for 339.00 at www.carstuff.com Plus the cost of compressor oil and 134A. All the spute about plugs on this blog they are original factory plug are Iridium plugs. I find that the NGK 4996 Iridium Plug giv eme the best performance in my 2000 Toyota Echo. The only problem I am having with my Echo is Poor Tire quality. Can't seem to find a tire that gives me the best treadwear and life. I have 387765 miles on it today when I changed the oil. I am trying to beat the record in our county for toyotas without rebuilding the engine. It was held by a Corolla with 488,000 miles before complete engine melt down. But alot was due to owner poor maintenance on a higher mileage engine.
  • jwstl80jwstl80 Member Posts: 2
    They did have a motor mount binding issue in that year with those cars.
  • echogonebadechogonebad Member Posts: 3
    hi there i myself went over my mums car over the long weekend and i think i may have found her problem i think its injectors if not with over 130,000 ks on her it could be timing belt to so i ordered new injectors only cost 120 with postage so thats not to bad but if it timing belt gunna cost more so mum is happy for mean time cause her daughter could find the problems for her as shes disabled. anyways ill keep you all up to date on how i go and if anything else goes wrong ill come ask advice again thanks heaps to everyone :)
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