Trouble with 93 Corolla. Please help!!!

Hellp,

I'm having problems with my 1993 Toyota Corolla LE, and I'm hoping for some advice from any Toyota sauvey mechanics. I'll list the problems in list order so they're easier to follow. Thanks for the belp.

Start-up trouble: No, it's not the battery, I just had it replaced. Most likely not the starter as it does try to start but is not always able to turnover. Sometimes tapping the gas at the right time after turning the ignition will get it going. This problem does not happen everytime I try to start the car, but on enough occasions to make it quite annoying. I've noticed to that it may happen more on warm/hot days.

Idle issues: This may or may not be related to the start-up trouble since I notice this too seems to happen more on hot days. When I'm at a stoplight, the car will sometimes start to idle really low likes it's going to die and then come back up again. Once it gets going, it will do this repeatedly until I step on the gas. It's never actually died, but the whole car trembles like it's going to. Refering to the issue above, when the car is having problem starting, usually once I'm able to get it started the idle is pretty week at first. It's leading me to believe these two problems may somehow be related....

Buring oil: I'm fairly certain the car is burning oil; I get a think white/bluish cloud of smoke on a lot of mornings. The mechanics at Toyota told me several months ago my engine was burning oil and they could fix it for me by replacing half of my engine for $7000. I said, no thanks, I'd rather just buy a new car for that much! I took it to another place and they told me that it's most likely the valve seals, but there'd be no way to tell for certain until they were able to get in there and see, and just cracking open the engine would run me about $2000. My questions is, how likely is it that it could be the seals? What else could it be? I have issues with paying $2000 for them to open the issue only to tell me it's someting more severe than seals and will cost me much more to fix. I wouldn't be able to continue with the repairs yet I will have been out the $2000 it cost me just for them to tell me that. I do regular oil changes every 3500 miles. I notice that the car runs low on oil, and I generally have to refill before I'm scheduled for a change.

Smell: This is probably related to the oil situation, but I just want to be certain. My car smells incredibly toxic, like gasoline or oil, whenever it's strained. Mainly, for example, going up steep inclines or speeding up on the freeway. For instance, I have this one hill I have to drive up everyday near my school, and I notice that when I get to work a few minutes later and park-up, the car just reaks. I'd like to keep my car, which means I'd like to fix my car. I'm an environmentally-friendly person, I hate putting toxins in the air, but I'm a student right now, and buying a new car is probably going to be at least a year off for me. Hopefully someone out there will have some helpful information to shed light on my problems. Unfortunately, I haven't come across any knowledgeable mechanics that have been able to fix the problems thus far, and I've been to quite a few.

Rough estimates on prices would be an awesome help too! That way I know whether I'm getting ripped off or not.

Thank you.

Reply to
California Girl
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I have a 2002 Corolla and when I had some hard start up issues and rough idle... this is what the crap dealer did to me.

I had the idle air control cleaned. MAF cleaned. Everything checked out OK.

Then they replaced the Idle Air Control Valve... still had issues.

After about 2 months with 5 people dicking with it, the dealer found that one injector was leaking. After they fixed that injector my mileage went back up, the idle problem went away, and the rough starts are gone.

I'd check all that crap out. MAF sensor, air filter, idle air stuff, throttle body, and the injectors.

Reply to
mrsteveo

Could be. Aside from all the advice you'll undoubtedly get, also suspect a vacuum leak somewhere.

Sounds like you're burning 'some' oil at least. Not much, though. If you add a quart in 3k miles, I wouldn't worry too much about it. The start up cloud is almost certainly valve seals...something else which is annoying, but not too worrisome on an old car if it goes away after warmup. Try a 'high mileage' oil next change. (You didn't mention how many miles it has.) I did that and my morning cloud all but disappeared..

Any puddles under the car? That could relate to both the above (oil consumption) and the below (oil leaking on hot parts).

You've got an old car. While it's admirable to want it to be perfect, part of the experience of owning one is that you live with a few minor problems. You 'could' throw enough money at it to make it like new, but why? You might as well buy a newer one. If it gets you there and back, fix what you can and live with the rest.

Reply to
jakdedert

Sounds like the starter relay contacts may be worn. Inspect them for wear. The contacts can be replaced and are less expensive than a new relay or new starter.

Several things can cause this condition. It is not likely that the condition is related to the hard start condition. If the car has AC, it is possible that the AC idle-up circuit is not working correctly. It is possible that you have a vacuum leak or leak in the hose between the air filter and throttle body. Other possibilites are clogged air filter, clogged injectors, or problems with the air flow sensor or idle air control valve.

Bluish smoke on startup after sitting overnight is a classic symptom of leaking valve stem seals. The higher oil consumption also points to valve stem seals since you did not say that you are getting smoke at other times. I would ask another dealership or shop for a quote on diagnosis and replacement of the valve stem seals if warranted. You should be able to get the valve stem seals replaced for a lot less than $2000, more like $500 to $700.

Another possible cause of the oil usage is an external leak from the valve cover gasket, crankshaft seals, oil pan, or head gasket.

An external leak could be getting on the exhaust pipe, which would account for the smell. Without actualliy smelling the car, it is difficult to diagnose.

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Reply to
Ray O

Jack muses:

California Girl, I have a 1993 Corolla LE with 217,000 kilometers (about

135,000 miles) on it.

Characteristically this car starts instantly, however two years ago it began to have episodes of difficult starting. One morning, it seemed totally dead and I had to boost it for the first time ever.

I bought two copper contacts for the starter solenoid. It was very easy to remove the starter (first disconnecting the battery negative cable ftom the battery). I took the starter assembly in the house and had a cup of tea while disassembling the solenoid cap and putting on the two new copper contacts. Of course, I was very careful when tightening the copper nuts and bolts because they are so soft. Since then it has started right away whenever the key is turned.

You did not say what mileage is on your engine, however if it is very old or has not been well cared for, the valve stems can eventually widen the valve guides (the guide looks a bit like a miniature torpedo with a hole bored through it lengthwise). These guides are basically replaceable slugs with holes that the valve stems stick through into the cylinder. When worn loose, oil can then get sucked through these passages (alongside the valve stem) by the force of the vacuum as the piston pulls down ('intake stroke'). Of course the oil then gets burned as the gasoline mixture explodes. In the process the oil probably tends to fould the spark plugs and hamper explosion of the fuel mixture. I think oil induction shows more when idling (blue smoke) and tends to lessen when powering, but others will know more on this.

I have never replaced a guide on a Toyota, however if they were like other cars, there are little neoprene seals on the outside end of the valve guides (about the size of a toothpaste tube cap). However replacing only the 'valve guide oil seal' is not a reliable cure since the valve stem can 'play' (laterally) in the loose guide, quickly wearing out the new seal.

Replacing the guide is a job suitable for an automotive machine shop because: - the cylinder head is heated (as in a hot kitchen oven) so all 'meltable' parts must be removed first; - the new guide is frozen (as in the 'fridge's freezers); - then (the hard part) while everything is still hot or frozen, a squirt of very light oil is shot into the cylinder head, and using a special drift (rod inside the valve stem bore) the new guide is driven in place with a single blow of a hammer (or maybe two just to be sure). They are 'friction fit' and it is easy bo break the little lip (where the oil seal goes) if you don't have the right drift. Been there, broke one.... Oh, and in our home it's hard to find a suitable place to put a 400F-degree chunk of metal so that you can really whack it. That is, without setting the table on fire.

Thicker oil (e.g. SAE 50, or SAE 10w50) will resist the slide down the valve guide tube a bit better that 10w30. In winter it will resemble margarine, however.

The Corolla is has been a great car to me, and I wish you luck with yours.

- Jack

Reply to
Ralph

ALL outstanding advice from this responder. I've just purchased my first Toyota, so I have a lot to learn about the systems, but the first thing I noticed was the incredible reliance on vacuum, so I'd be on the lookout for a wise Toyota tuner who knows why and how the various vacuum references are used (as opposed to electronic or electric inputs only). The age of your "Toy' " would indicate that (unless you've had a very special mechanic) the vacuum lines are just SOME of the bits and pieces of your Corolla that need attention.

Over time, sensitive electrical and electronic connections degrade and corrode. If you're a Cali girl and live very close to the coast, the same salt that flavors the water is carried in the air. That can accellerate corrosion and play a role in sketchy performance.

Again, I agree that if you're adding no more than 2 quarts of oil between changes to a motor that's 13 years old, you're still doing well. Mileage does play a role, but idling and stop-and-go driving are more likely to bake those all-important valve seals. I, personally, would not spend the money to ask more from a 4 cylinder power plant that has served a long and illustrious life.

Good luck. You can probably massage another couple of years out of your car if you find a trustworthy tuner and keep your expectations realistic.

BTW - I'm interested too.....what IS the mileage??

Reply to
RACEGUY

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