Toyota Corolla Maintenance and Repair

sanjesh · September 2005

I have a 96 corolla with 120K miles on it. My check-engine lite came up and after checking with Pep-boys (who did nothing to help me) and Toyota dealer, I found out that the EGR valve, VSV valve, and EGR modulator has failed and needs to be replaced. Also the EGR ports need to be cleaned. The dealer has given a quote of $670 for this job. Is it possible for me to buy these components from the net and get it changed from a mechanic? What other option do I have?

Problem #2:
Recently, started getting a sound when the steering wheel is turned and the accelerator is applied. It sound goes off after I drive the car for sometime, or when I keep the a/c on for sometime. Can anyone let me know what this problem might be?

Thanks.

yl242 · September 2005

Hi, I have a 2004 Corollar with 19,000 miles. Recently I found the in-taking air is hot even with my heater is off, engine temp is normal, and no coolant leakage, and "recirculating" is off. What is the problem?

marty78 · September 2005

Just replaced my 1988 corolla wagon engine with the same engine out of another car. The car runs nice now...but....the fuel mileage is horrible on the highway! eats about a 1/4 tank of fuel in a mere 10miles. so something is wrong..but what! could it be the computer? And there is smoke from the pipe, but the engine burns no oil. whats going on?

grimyface · September 2005

What you seem to be missing is the downshift function (also referred to as "passing gear"), at least when you're in top gear. In other words, pressing the accelerator is not signaling the transmission to shift to the next lower gear, as it should. The fact that taking the overdrive off helps would confirm this.

Unfortunately, while the repair might be something as simple as replacing a kickdown switch , it *could* require a transmission repair

One thing you could try before shelling out $$$ for a tranny repair is to replace the transmission fluid and filter, using at least one bottle of a transmission product made by Lucas(R) (I don't remember the exact name of the product, but I don't think they have more than one product for automatic transmissions). This stuff is significantly thicker than regular ATF, and can in *some* cases postpone the need for transmission repairs.

hoopitup · September 2005

Go to page 114 in the owners manual. You will find instructions on how to reset the light. It's very easy to perform.(I had a hard time finding the info also.)

tgula · September 2005

Once I found the bolt it was not too hard to reach. You cannot see the bolt but it is under the right side of the throttle body. Remove the battery box and over flow tank from the radiator. A long extension and 14 mm socket.

All that work and I tested the starter and it works. Is there any thing I could do to clean or freshen up the starter motor and brushes?

grimyface · September 2005

Sanjesh,

I tried cleaning an EGR valve once. It was a scheduled maintenance item on my old '85 Mustang.

I carefully removed this thing and disassembled it--guess what? It wasn't dirty.

Because of that experience, I would be inclined to replace the modulator first and wait to see if it solves the problem before doing the rest of the EGR work.

As far as the VSV valve goes, I'm not familiar with this component, but the usual rule is to replace failed components.

Just be sure to get a model-specific repair manual and read it *carefully* (as a rule, these manuals are not written very clearly). Try to make sure you can reach all the screws, nuts etc. you'll need to remove with your existing tools before starting the actual work--better to find out ahead of time that you'll need a wrench that's longer, skinnier, has a deeper offset and so on.

Also, try to get the parts locally, rather than over the internet. (Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone and Pep Boys are the big chains in my area). Very often the few bucks you save over the internet are eaten up by the shipping costs, and if the part turns out not to be the right one for your car it's much harder to return and get the right one.

P.S. As for problem #2--be sure and check your power steering fluid level!

grimyface · September 2005

Quite normal.

grimyface · September 2005

yl,

Sounds like your heater is continuing to operate, even when the switch is turned off. :surprise:

Hopefully, the repair will be covered under warranty. :P

steve_b24 · September 2005

Hi all... my wife's car is obviously an '03 Corolla. The driver-side door lock recently stopped reacting to the door lock/unlock switch, as well as the remote. It only moves when opening manually. It makes no difference whether the door is open or closed, or if the engine is on or not. My guess is the actuator is on the fritz, but stranger things have happened. Anyone have a similar or identical problem? By the by... this is my first post, so be gentle! Thanks in advance!

Steve

rockstariana · September 2005

Did you ever get any info on this? My 2002 Corolla just started doing this and my dealer is telling me to either replace the engine or get a new car? I'm so mad I'm about to buy a Honda.

mcase2 · September 2005

Your under warranty at 19,000 miles, why not take it to the dealership?

grz_mky · September 2005

I have a 96 Corolla with same symptoms. I suspect salt water from Wisconsin winter is penetrating and corroding contacts. You can tell it's not the battery/etc since when it does start, the starter runs well. I replaced the starter assembly and the problem was cured. This can be done by a backyard mechanic or any repair shop. If you wish to try it yourself, may i suggest:

To remove starter: Remove air cleaner (4 clips) and hose (clamp) at carb. This provides access to upper starter bolt. There may be a wiring harness bracket in front of it; loosen and pull back to provide an additional inch of clearance. Bolt can be loosened with 14mm socket, universal, and 12" extension. All the rest is done underneath. Raise front end as needed. Remove cable nut (12mm) and connector (depress protrusion in plastic housing) from starter. Remove lower starter bolt with same tools as above. Remove starter through wheel well (pull back plastic shroud). NAPA rebuilt starter is $110. Good luck.

baltychen · September 2005

Thanks. Will try.

elsie1 · September 2005

Just had my annual safety check/ maintainence and am told the struts need to be replaced and all my brake lights are out (I don't know how I would not have suspected this if true and wonder if it is an intermittent problem).

I wonder how often struts need to be relplaced. Did not get a quote yet as it was the end of the day and she said they would call today, but she said it is labor intensive and costly, so want to be sure it is time (I have about 86,000 miles on my car).

About the brake lights. She said it was not the fuse, so they would need to do an electrical system diagnostic. ARe there any other things I can check before (i.e. bulbs, wires, etc.)?

I just want to be sure I cover the bases and am not sold more than I need (or unnecessary diagnostics). I have been going to this mechanic for about a year and they seem pretty honest and resonable, but I am never completely confident when it comes to my car.

Thanks.
:confuse: :confuse: :confuse: :confuse:

poliva2 · September 2005

Hey board
My Toyota corolla has an annoying rattle coming from the right hand passenger side door when I drive. Any guesses? :mad:

sanjesh · September 2005

Thanks for the information. My problem #2 got solved by adding the power steering fluid. Itw as almost empty.

toyfreek1 · September 2005

hey does anyone know how to turn off the maintenance light of a 2005 corolla?

grimyface · September 2005

Has anyone else experienced this? My Corolla has only 1,500 mi. on it, and for the most part, it drives great.

*However,* I have found that if I need to accelerate hard at low RPMs, the engine vibrates quite noticeably.

This doesn't seem right for an engine with *variable valve timing,* but it occurred to me that Toyota may have done this deliberately, as a way of discouraging heavy-footed driving and maximizing fuel economy.

I am planning to take it in for warranty service

, but would like to get some input first. Any takers? :confuse:

jerrybarnes · September 2005

Got a 95 Corolla that has been running fine until suddenly it died on the highway. After getting it home I have noticed that it runs fine when cold. Once it heats up and you apply the accelerator the engine loads up and dies. I'm not sure if I'm dealing with a fuel problem or electical advance issue? Fuel pressure is good and all injectors seem to be pumping out fuel fine. Vacume hoses look good. Its perplexing to me why it can run fine when cold and then all of sudden start failing. No codes have been thrown and no check engine light is illuminated. Any assistance on where to start on the debug of this problem would be helpful.
Thanks, Jerry.

hoopitup · September 2005

Go to page 114 in the owners manual.

petl · September 2005

With the acceleration problem is it very noisy as well? The noise and vibration disappear once the vehicle is moving (it only occurs when accelerating from a full stop). If so, my sister seems to have the same problem with their spanking new Corolla CE. The dealer admits that it's louder than normal (compared to other Corolla's) but is unable to find anything wrong. Apparently there are no service bulletins concerning this issue. The dealer will be relaying the information and investigative findings to Toyota Canada. She is hoping to have it resolved quickly. I suggested that they replace the whole exhaust system (from front to rear). That's a guess on my part, using the process of elimination (I don't beleive the problem is related to the motor or transmission). I also hope that others can offer some suggestions. Thanks.

googa · September 2005

For maybe the last month or so, when the engine is cold, my manual transmission Corolla makes a thunking noise (as if something heavy is bumping up and down) when starting the car, on bumpy roads, quickly starting again after a stop sign, etc. The sound seems to be coming from under the center console, and ONLY happens when the car is cold! It happens more often (even when I'm NOT going over a bump or whatnot) on really cold mornings.

With winter and cold weather coming, I'm worried. Does anyone know what this might be?

annanmty · September 2005

My 96 Corolla has 178K on it. Two weeks ago my check engine light came on. I went to AutoZone and used one of their code scanners and got the code P0401 EGR Flow Insufficient. (Having already been to a repair place, you won't need a scanner, but I wanted to let you know you can check one out for free. They charge your credit card and then credit you the full amount when you bring the scanner back.)

I know 0 about cars. They told me to replace the EGR valve, so I bought the part ($160--Sacramento, CA) and put it in. Required no special skill or tools, but check engine light came back on. Reading other postings, I should have tried cleaning my current valve before buying a new one, but at 178K mileage, I felt ok about just leaving the part in and not returning it. My husband got tired of waiting for me to find our manual and look at what my next step was and took the car to the dealer. They said it is the EGR module and want $222 to replace it. I can get the part for $70, so I am going to see if I can do it myself. I'll report back.

grimyface · September 2005

Jerry,

Sounds like you may have an ignition problem.

I've had similar symptoms on 2 different cars, and in both cases the problem turned out to be the ignition coil.

rfm · September 2005

jerry, i recently had a similar problem with my 95 corolla which led me to discover a crack in my radiator. after cooling the radiator down, the car started again. fixed the radiator, and no more problem, EXCEPT (just to complicate things), after one long stop and go city drive on a hot day, the problem occured again. cooled down the radiator and the car started. i haven't had the problem since in about 2 months, but most of my travels have been fairly short, so that one exception leaves me wondering if there is a deeper problem waiting to sneak up on me. ignition coils can have problems with hot engines, so i'm now carrying a spare.

mcdawgg · September 2005

Hard to guess without hearing it, but you could take it back to the dealer, since it's under warranty. Wow! Someone else with an LE 5 speed stick! I thought I was the only one!

pilgrim2 · September 2005

I purchased a used 5AF engine as a replacement for my overheated 4AF.
There is a bank of rotary valves near the intake valves in the head of the 5AF. They are operated by a vacuum diaphragm. There is no such thing on my 4AF. I want to use the carburetor from my old 4AF. What should I do with the rotary valves? What is their purpose, and how do they function?

smaug1911 · October 2005

I have the 2003 Corolla LE. Just replaced the original tires last month at about 49,000 miles. They were Goodyear (not sure of any other info now that they are gone). I am partly to blame for not doing as many rotations as I should have. Two of the tires were down to 2/32 and the others werw at 4/32. Since these were rated at 60K, I was disappointed to have to buy new ones so soon.

mcase2 · October 2005

My wife has a 04 corrola LE. It came with Goodyear Integrity tires. There were real garbage. This is what probably came on your 03. I am not surprised they wore out. The consumer survey for all-season passenger tires at Tire Rack ranks them 29 out of 30. They squealed and skidded despite the fact that we always had the right tire pressure and had the alignments and rotations performed by Toyota. So they are history. Replaced them with Goodyear Assurance triple treads (rated number 1 on the survey). Boy! what a difference a tire makes. The tires that came with my Sienna were crap to. But hey, most new cars are sold with cheap tires.

grimyface · October 2005

No, it's not noisy. It just vibrates, the way you might expect from a less-refined engine under load.

petl · October 2005

I've driven in many new and older Corolla's and none of them vibrated. The engine in these were quiet (not Camry quiet but quiet) and did not exibit any vibrations. I drove in my sister's on the weekend and there is definately something wrong with it. When taking off from a dead stop there is a load grunt and vibration until it hits about approx. 15 mph. or a couple seconds. The grunt and vibration disappear and the car drives normally after the intial take-off. When it was first explained I thought it might be an exhaust problem. However, since driving in it I'm not so sure that it isn't a transmission problem. There is a problem with the car and to date the dealer is unable to find the source. The reginal rep was in on Friday and has been in contact with Toyota Canada. Hopefully a solution can be found. If not I can see an arbitration case in the making.

chartbear · October 2005

I've got a 91 corolla with 185K miles, ridden pretty rough as a kayak carrier. Its developed a loud low pitched squeak only on small bumps or rough roads not large ones like potholes. Can replicate the noise pushing down on right side. Can feel noise when touching various bolts on right side suspension. Any ideas on how to fix it? One interesting detail, the noise goes away when accelerating.

AM

sscott37 · October 2005

when the altenator is not charging or the altenator fuse is shot, the brake & battery light will light up. Been there, done that.

grimyface · October 2005

Why don't you try to find someone who owns a CE and would like to swap?

When we bought our '05 LE I thought the fake wood trim looked tacky, but my wife thought it looked great--no accounting for tastes (BTW, it has grown on me since then).

If you can find someone, you'll probably be saving quite a bit--my guess would be between $100-$200 for the parts.

04corolla · October 2005

I have a 2004 Corolla with about 33,000 miles on it. I took it to the dealership because the check engine light won't turn off. They have done quite a bit of work to it. First, they ran a smoke test and said there was no leak. Next time, they gave me a new gas cap because mine wasn't locking correctly, then the next time they changed the computer because they thought that was malfunctioning. The next time they said it was the hose that goes from the fuel tank to whatever the container is that contains the fuel that has evaporated and that tank itself that were leaking, so they changed those parts. Most recently they changed the vent in the fuel tank because they said that was broken. Now, two days after their last "fix" the light came on again. I don't have any idea what to do. This has all happened within the past month and a half or so...starting to get angry!!! :mad:

annanmty · October 2005

No more check engine light! The EGR module took me five minutes to replace with no tools required. It just clips into place. It's been a week since I changed the part and everything is running smoothly.

I also found that my local library has service manuals available for checkout. They had quite a selection. Free is good!

toycorolla93 · October 2005

i live in lafayette, LA and own a 93 corolla, which i purchased about 6 months back. recently i noticed that when i turned the steering wheel there was a grating sound. being a novice with cars i panicked and took it to a mobil service station. the mechanic looked under the hood and showed me that the hose which carries the power steering fluid was broken / torn. the fluid had been leaking, causing the grating sound. he tells me that to replace the hose, it will cost me about 150 bucks. is the price fair or is he trying to rip me off?

pumpkin1967 · October 2005

I HAVE A 1995 COROLLA THAT I TOOK IN FOR THE TEXAS VEHICLE INSPECTION TEST IT PASSED EVERYTHING BUT THE LOW SPEED NOX PART OF THE TEXT. STANDARD READINGS ON THAT TEST SAYS 1242 MY CAR READING HAD 1929. I WAS TOLD BY SOMEONE TO TRY PUTTING A PRODUCT CALLED GUARANTEE TO PASS THE EMISSION TEST IN MY GAS TANK (BUT I AM NOT SURE WITH HOW MUCH GAS OR AM I SUPPOSE TO REFILL MY GAS BEFORE TAKING IT BACK TO BE REINSPECTED) OR TO CLEAN OR REPLACE MY EGR VALVE. I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE EGR VALVE IS , WHAT TO CLEAN IT WITH, OR IS IT EXPENSIVE OR HARD TO REPLACE SINCE AT THIS TIME I AM MARRIED BUT MY HUSBAND IS NOT WORKING AT THIS TIME SO FUNDS ARE VERY VERY LIMITED. THANK U

jwilliams7 · October 2005

tgula,

I have the same problem with my '99. Are you saying the second bolt comes in from the backside, opposite the way the bottom bolt does?
Any other tips?

Thanks!

tjdepere2004 · October 2005

Fill up the power steering reservior and see what happens as you drive around the block a few times. There should be less than you started with if its leaking, or was it low to begin.[ $150 dollars for a hose is a rip unless it is solid gold hose.]

kfreckman · October 2005

Here's my problem: when I start my corolla, I have driving lights until the light sensor activates the dashboard lights. The dashboard light comes on, but headlights go off.

If I try to turn on my headlights with the switch, the dashboard lights come on, but the headlights do not; if they are on as DRLs, then they go off. If I shine a flashlight on the automatic light sensor, I can kill the dashboard lights and the headlights (DRLs) will come back on. (That might sound silly, but I thought I'd experiment.)

I figure I have a bad electrical relay somewhere, but I am not sure if I'm on the right track. (I've already checked the switch for continuity per a repair manaul I am reading, and that looks fine.) Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

sppanki · October 2005

Still having the issue. Checked vacuum hoses and replaced upper plenum gasket with no luck. I checked or replaced the distributer cap, rotor button, ignitor and map sensor. Could the Fuel pressure regulator be causing this? The injectors are showing the proper resistance when checked with an ohm meter and are firing when the car is started. Any more ideas?

vandickus · October 2005

I have recently purchased a used Corolla S '01 with 70000 miles on it. I love this car, very clean and sporty looking. The thing is a week after I bought it the check engine light came on

. So I took it to the local Auto Zone store to check it out, it showed code P0446. Found that this code means Purge Valve malfunction. The guy said that I have to take the car to an authorized Toyota service center and get it fixed there. I know that I will be charged a lot, but before I jump on it I would like to know if there is anybody out there that had the same problem and maybe advice me how to save some money.
THANKS!!! :sick:

abhijitdutta · October 2005

Hi,
I have a 2000 Toyota Corolla VE with 57K. I was getting a little bit of noise from the engine and went to a Toyota dealer. They told me the engine oil was low and the engine may be burning oil. How can I be sure if the engine is burning oil or not? How expensive will it be to repair? The dealer suggested in case of this problem engine needs to be rebuilt and costs $3000-$40000.

pgilbert · October 2005

My 1988 Corolla sporadically refuses to allow the ignition key to turn. After jiggling one or several minutes it will suddenly turn and thus operate the starter motor normally. Trying another of our numerous keys for this car apparently does not help. I wonder if spraying in a lubricant would be OK - or might this be a bad idea, with all the wiring involved in the mechanism? The logical ignition key replacement job does not appeal as a solution.

petl · October 2005

They all do that. It's a safety feature that locks the steering column when attempting to turn the steering wheel when the key is not the ignition. Gently turning the steering column with the key in the ignition should allow you to turn the key with no problem.

sunsoko · October 2005

Vandickus,

I never heard of Purge Valve malfuntion. I'm wondering if all you need to do is just to replace the PVC valve. It's cheap and very easy to do. I have the same car as you with 93k on it and not a single problem. How about that for a car built in Fremont, Cal.

firsttimeyota · October 2005

I bought a 2005 corolla s and have been nothing but satisfied with my purchase. It's 4 in the morning and I just got home. When I turned off my ignition switch my headlights stayed on as well as my wiper blades. I was thinking my ignition lock cylinder was still on, but I tried numerous times to turn the key on and off with no luck in the end. I disconnected the battery and got on the computer hoping someone had the same problem and it's just something Toyota knows about, but hasn't told me yet. I really don't want to have any problems tommorow at the dealership when I push a warranty claim on them. Does anyone have a clue?

firsttimeyota · October 2005

I work at autozone. I don't believe I've seen p0446, but I can tell you that for the most part when evap emissions is mentioned at all, unless manufacturer control appears with it, chances are you need a gas cap, fuel injector cleaner, and check for a small vacuum leak. I've even seen this on cars where people fail to tighten their gas cap all the way. Chances are it is a vacuum leak, but I would change the gas cap put in some Lucas injector cleaner, and find a vacuum leak if you can and disconnect the battery to clear the code. If it comes back on then go anywhere but the dealer ">

Toyota Corolla Maintenance and Repair

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