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Do not take what I say as true because what I am doing is just guessing.
It might be fuel-releated.Probably it is not getting fuel to burn. Did you check your air filter? Might be clogged.
The repair book I have says: (if your problem is engine missing at idle speed)
1.Spark plugs worn or not gapped properly.
2.Faulty spark plug wires
3.Vacuum leaks
4.Incorrect ignition timing
5.Uneven or low compression
6.Problem with the fuel injection system
Is it hard to start when it is cold? Because there are answers for this question too.
If 'engine stalls' :
1.Idle speed incorrect
2.Fuel filter clogged and /or water and impurities in the fuel system
3.Distributor components damp or damaged
4.Faulty emissions system components
5.Faulty or incorrectly gapped spark plugs (when was the last time were the spark plugs changed on this car?)
6.Faulty spark plug wires
7.Vacuum leak in the fuel injection system, intake manifold or vacuum hoses
8.Valve clearances incorrectly set.
Engine starts but stops immediately:
1.Loose or faulty electrical connections at distributor, coil or alternator (THE POLES OF THE BATTERY MIGHT BE RUSTY and needs to be cleaned with a mix of baking soda and water..i did this and it helped clean up the rust. Also is your battery new?)
2.Insufficient fuel reaching the fuel injectors
3.Vacuum leak at the gasket between the intake manifold/plenum and the throttle body
4.Idle speed incorrect.
These are the answers to some questions/problems I found reading Haynes repair manual.
Thanks
I'm sorry. I don't understand. Which "front bearing" wheel, clutch etc?
and how does one check?
Thanks,
Jerry
I got these from a repair book I have and it is for manual transmission Prizms/Corollas:
If it is knocking noise at low speeds,
1/Worn driveaxle constant velocity (CV) joints
2/Worn side gear shaft counterbore in differential case.
Clunk on acceleration or deceleration.:
1/Loose engine or transaxle mounts,
2/Worn differential pinion shaft in case,
3/Worn side gear shaft counterbore in differential case,
4/Worn or damaged driveaxle inboard CV joints.
Clicking noise in turns:
Worn or damaged outboard CV joint
Vibration:
1/Rough wheel bearing
2/Damaged driveaxle
3/Out of round tires,
4/Tire out of balance,
5/Worn CV joint
Since your car is not noisy in neutral with engine running it is probably not damaged input gear bearing, or damaged clutch release bearing.
Noisy in one particular gear:
1/Damaged or worn constant mesh gears,
2/Damaged or worn synchronizers,
3/Bent reverese fork,
4/Damaged fourth speed gear or output gear
5/Worn or damaged reverse idler gear or idler bushing.
Noisy in all gears:
1/Insufficient lubricant
2/Damaged or worn bearings (your car is not noisy in all gears?)
3/Worn or damaged input gear shaft and/or output gear shaft.
Not a personal input but I hope it helps you diagnose the problem...
I checked with a local Chevy dealer and their Maintenance schedule recommends changing the manual transmission fluid every 30,000 miles whether mostly local or long distance travel. I have had a lot of cars in my 70 years and I've never heard of changing transmission fluid but I guess I'll start there. The dealer had no experiance changing the fluid in a manual transmission but his on line service manual indicated the drain plug was on the bottom and the fill plug was on the side but from the crude drawing available to him he could not tell which side and I can not see from under the hood. Glenpointe: I guess I'll find it once I get under it but does your repair book give a specific location and are there any "kickers" that you are aware of in refilling that I should be aware of before I start ?
The Chevy dealer said it takes 2 quarts of GM 75W90 GL4 synthetic gear oil which they sell for $25.50/Qt.(!?) The local NAPA parts store tells me their 75W90 GL4 is non-synthetic and sells for $3.69. Their synthetic 75W90 is GL5 and costs
$11.99/Qt. I am leaning toward the NAPA synthetic GL5 unless your repair book or experiance indicates otherwise.
Thanks again,
Jerry
Note: when you remove the splash shield, use W_40 spraying the bolts real good and let them sit for awhile. If you don't, the bolts will break off and it takes you more time drilling them out. BTW, the manufacture did not use synthetic oil in your trans so non-synthetic should work just fine.
Jerry
(exception) There are older transmissions in which almost any 75W90/80W90 lube will work. In most of these older transmissions you wouldn't want to use a GL4 only oil.
If your transmission specifications call for GL5, use any correct weight lubricant that states GL5. If your transmission specifications call for GL4, only use a lube rated GL4 and nothing that states Hypoid or states anything about being suitable for rear ends/differentials.
From what I can see, the only thing put out by Royal Purple that is good for a GL4 transmission application is their synthetic Synchromax lubricant. I found Pennzoil Gearplus GL4 80W90 mineral based lubricant (non-synthetic) that would be cheaper than most, but I've yet to find a place where it can be purchased. My Nissan calls for GL4 75W85, four quarts. I'm really curious whether it would be feasible to put three quarts of GL4 80W90 non-synthetic gear oil in the trans (if I can ever find it) and top it up with a quart of motor oil, say Castrol 20W50, to thin it down to about a 75W85. The transmission is already raking a little going into gears. I'm worried that it might rake worse if I put 80W90 only in it. Anybody want to chime in on that subject? Hmmmm. I just thought of something. Maybe three quarts of 80W90 and a quart of Lucas to top it up!!
I have two questions.
Whenever I go to make a right hand turn (I wouldn't even say sharp), mid-turn the car makes a "clunk" noise. Also, when the car first starts up, the belt squeaks and the steering wheel is very hard to turn, but it eventually gets better. Now, the car is starting to pull towards the left. I've heard this noise could be the CV joints, struts, ball joints, rack and pinion.. Has anyone else had this problem?
Also, I know it's only a 4 cyl car, but the acceleration is pathetic. I sometimes have to floor it just to go 40 to keep up with traffic. Is there anything that can be done to give the car a bit more "get up and go?"
Thanks!
:lemon:
I have a 94 Prizm with 119k miles.
If you ever listened to cartalk show on NPR you would know that many people have experienced this clunk noise.I have not so far, thank God. CV joints can be the problem. As for pulling to left, it might be a sign that car needs alignment.
I have that same belt squeak problem. Belts and/or tensioner/s need changing (fan belt and power steering belt).But before that you should have the belts tightened.Loose belts squeak and make steering wheel hard to turn.I took the car to a local carx and they did it for free and it solved the problem then, now slowly coming back though... Unrelated to this, there is the timing belt that need to be changed once every 100k miles or so.Mine needs changing too. Maybe yours have been changed by the previous owner.
For get up and go, try using Lucas upper cylinder cleaner/injector cleaner. It works.It is cheaper (by volume) and more effective than any other injector cleaner. You will see a positive difference. But if you want more power, you might want to change the spark plugs and/or wires. NGK BKR5EYA is my choice of spark plugs with 0,032 inch gap. It is around 2 dollars each. NGK has nice wires, rockauto.com sells it for 30some dollars, cheapest in market and made in Japan (original). This will also improve your gas mileage. I bet your car suffers from low gas mileage too, since there may be misfires.
Geo Prizms are great cars even in today's standards. If you take care of it it will last for another 120-200k miles.
Create a cardomain.com profile, I have mine there.
If the CV joints need to be replaced, is that an expensive fix?
If so, do they share everything the same (powertrain, body, electrical, etc) or just the engine?
And in terms of maintenance, would a Toyota dealership be able to service and repair a Prizm, even though the line is now defunct?
The specific model I'm interested in is a 1997 Geo Prizm Lsi 1.8L, with automatic transmission.
The Prizm is a great value because it is cheaper than a Corolla, but the same car. It is always highly recommended as a great used car due to reliability and price.
Just an FYI, the Pontiac Vibe is really a Toyota Matrix.
Yes, which makes it a great used car.
Besides the Prizm and Vibe, are there other cars made by Toyota or Honda that have American brand names?
And where can I find a list of these kinds of cars?
(And you're right about the Prizm being a great used car value. I saw one just posted on Craigslist and was all scheduled to go for a test drive the next day. But somebody came along and stole it from me, buying it on sight and without a test drive--all within a day after the ad was posted. :mad: )
Some model years of Saturn Vue has Honda engines/transmissions on them.
'Hold it! This is basically the same cast aluminum VTEC variable-valve-timing-equipped mill and five-speed automatic Honda drops into the $36,200 Acura MDX and $27,560 Honda Pilot LX, as well as the Honda Odyssey. Bolted into the $24,810 Saturn Vue (base price is $24,185, plus $395 for curtain airbags, $150 for an upgraded stereo, and $80 for floor mats), doesn't this new Vue represent a "roaring" value?
Well, more of a growling value. The Vue is no Honda, although it now sounds and accelerates like one. Compared with the weak jabs of last year's British-built 181-hp, 3.0-liter iron-block V-6, the 250-hp Honda 3.5 delivers a solid right hook. The new Vue's 7.0-second scoot to 60 mph is a substantial 1.4-second trimming of the old time, and the quarter-mile shrivels from 16.6 seconds at 83 mph to 15.5 at 89. Flat-foot the pedal, and the Vue squats on its buns and lunges like a stink bug in heat. On the freeway it zooms by tractor-trailers as if they were rolling on square wheels. '
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/car_shopping/suvs_family_haulers/s- aturn_vue_v_6_awd_short_take_road_test
Hi - I am looking at a 1998 base model Prizm w/ 127k, auto. Is this a corrolla basically? And do they last for 200k+ ?
The Prizm is always recommended as a great used car, because it is a Corolla with great reliability and efficiency but with a lower price
Prizm was made in Fremont, CA by NUMMI, a partnership b/w GM and Toyota.
Prizm is not fully identical with Corolla. The ABS system is GM's AC Delco which is crap. It breaks down fast. Radio is AC Delco brick. Paint is lower quality compared to Corolla's painting. Sound and heat insulation lacks in Prizm but exists in Corollas.
But the engine and the transmission are the same in both vehicles.
I would suggest a 93-97 Prizm/Corolla instead of 98 because of the better quality found in earlier model years. However 2001-2002 engines are VVT-i (variable valve timing intelligence) type which helps further increase MPG.
Is it manual transmission that you are looking for? If so it is OK. If it is A/T, then try to find a 4 speed one (with O/D) because 3 speed auto is not preferred by drivers.
Carfax it, ask for maintenance records, check the crankcase if it is clean or not, check all the fluids, especially A/T fluid's condition. Make sure the car did pass all emissions tests.
Keith
tjjxs :confuse:
It might be a clogged fuel filter. Incorrect idle speed, or damp/damaged distributor components, faulty or incorrectly gapped spark plugs, faulty spark plug wires, faulty emissions system components, vacuum leak in the fuel injection system, intake manifold or vacuum hoses.
I do not think it is because of the ECM/computer. My bet is distributor.But before that check the spark plugs and wires.Easier/cheaper to do.
Also, My wife and have had four prizms. One was good for 250,000 miles +. Two others met with untimely deaths, and my fourth is going strong...so far!!
Thanks for your help!!
'1/Disconnect the negative battery cable,
2/Remove the air cleaner assembly with hose,
3/Disconnect all the wiring from the starter terminals,
4/Remove the starter mounting bolts. Remove the starter.'
For 4A-F, 4A-FE and 7A-FE engines. No mention of CV joints, suspension brace or intake.
What is the odometer reading on this Prizm?
Keith
Keith