I bought a used 2001 CE last fall and it was a definite mistake. (All my fault.)
The car had 101,000 miles on it when I bought it and since then I have worked on it constantly.
The previous owner was the proverbial "little old lady" (really!). She's 75 years old and a nice lady, but I don't think she ever did any maintenance to the car - not even change the oil.
After I changed the oil, the engine got noisy, started burning oil, and now, has a pretty bad miss. I suspect her son-in-law "doctored" the oil/car. I know someone packed the front strut bearings with grease to make them quieter.
Last weekend I replaced the plugs, cleaned and swapped positions of the injectors, swapped the position of the coil packs, and I still have a miss/weak #3 cylinder. I am afraid I have a burned valve or other cylinder sealing problem.
Since I am new to Corollas, I have lots of questions. Such as are all 1ZZ-FE engines mechanically the same? If so, I could then replace this engine with an engine from a 2006 donor?
I have the three speed automatic transmission. Another mistake since most of my driving is high speed interstate highway, and a lot of it. It would be nice to replace the engine and transmission together if that's feasible.
So far I have put new struts on it all the way around, new tires, and new brakes.
I've spent a ton of money on this beast with no end in sight. I bought it for the fuel economy since I drive about 4000 miles a month, but I'm beginning to think I should've bought a new Mercedes SL. It would've been cheaper!
Any guidance or advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
John Garrett