This is weird. Please HELP.. Toyota Corolla 1993 Dx

I own a 1993 Corolla Dx that lately has a toc toc toc.... sound on the passenger side of it engine. The sound either comes from the inside of the engine, or from the region where the power steering, timing and alternator belts are. The weird thing about the sound is that it will increase proportionally to the amount of electrical power the car is consuming. If no power is consumed the noise is almost not existing. If I turn the parking lights it can be heard, low beam will make the sound louder, and high beam with defroster will make the sound really loud. As a bonus when I start driving and I take my food out of the clutch pedal, there is a noticeable lag time for acceleration and/or the car will accelerate, slow down and jump forward at it own will. Any comment will be welcome Thanks

Reply to
Sol33609
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I would guess (and, it's JUST a guess) that something is going on with the alternator. Have you ever had it serviced or replaced? Like Ray says, sounds are difficult to diagnose, sometimes even when you CAN hear them, but the fact it's increasing when the lights are on, etc would make me think alternator.

I would put a meter on it, preferably some kind of meter you can watch while driving inside the car. Simple...get a voltmeter from Radio Shack, set it up on the dash somewhere, wire a black wire to the - siide of the battery and a red wire to the + side. Watch what happens when you turn on lights, fan, radio, etc. If it gets below about 11 volts, you have an alternator problem.

This happened to me a couple times, but it didn't have a niose associated with it. The brushes inside the alternator were worn down to nubs, and one bearing was on it's way out. Takes about 45-75 minutes to replace the brushes and bearings.

Reply to
Hachiroku

With the parking brake set and the engine running, use an engine stethoscope or a screwdriver with a long shank up against the alternator case to listen to the sounds coming from the alternator, then turn on the light and rear defogger and listen again to see if the sound gets louder. Also check to see if the sound is coming from the headlight relay.

I think the drivability problem is unrelated to the sound. How many miles are on the clutch and what kind of driving do you typically do, i.e., start on hills, stop-and-go, frequently downshift, etc.? You could have a worn clutch or a problem with the clutch master cylinder.

Reply to
Ray O

Thanks to everybody for their help. Problems are now solved. The sound came from the shield of exhaust manifold. The mechanic that changed the oxygen sensor left the shield/heat sinks loose. It seems like when power is required, engine runs little bit faster. The acceleration problem was my fault. I washed the motor days ago and water got into the spark plugs ports. I got rid of the old wires and now the car runs like new.

Thanks again to all

Reply to
sol33609

OK! Glad to be of assistance! ;)

Reply to
Hachiroku

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