Various Corolla Issues

Hi,

I have had some issues with my 1998 Corolla. Recently, the heater only works when I am driving. When I am stopped at a light, the heater blows out cold air. Any idea what is wrong?

Also, my engine makes a lot of noise when it is cold...I have taken it to mechanics to no avail...anyone else experiencing this as well?

And finally...some plastic that surrounds my doors have warped and peeled off...it is irritating, but personally I can live with it... Does anyone suggest if I need to have that checked out as well?

My little car has ran really well the whole time I have owned it. Save for brakes going out quicker than I care for, I adore the gas mileage (leaving most of my friends wishing they had one too) and I like the "zippyness" and power in such a little car.

Thanks for any help!

The noise of your car when cold could be a lot of things, such as poor oil circulation (or low oil).

The plastic warping is usually caused by heat and the only solution is to get new ones, glue the old ones back up, or just accept it as normal wear.

In regards to the concerns about excessive engine noise, the engine you have in your '98 Corolla is notorious for being noisy when cold. There have been a lot of threads regarding the 1zzfe engines used beginning in 1998.

The colder it is outside, the louder it is right?!?! With the current cold snap we are having here in the midwest now, my 2000 Corolla sounds like a diesel until it warms up!!! It was explained to me that it could possibly be the belt tensioner causing the racket, but, mostly, I was informed that it's merely the nature of the beast!!! So, not to worry............

About the heater, I don't know what anyone else has said, but, I would probably try replacing the thermostat first and then, well...... I guess try doing a search on this site for additional ideas.

Glad to hear that you are enjoying your Corolla. Your problems are relatively minor compared to the benefits (good gas mileage, peppiness, etc.)

Regards,

timkedz

Hi,

I have had some issues with my 1998 Corolla. Recently, the heater only works when I am driving. When I am stopped at a light, the heater blows out cold air. Any idea what is wrong?

Also, my engine makes a lot of noise when it is cold...I have taken it to mechanics to no avail...anyone else experiencing this as well?

And finally...some plastic that surrounds my doors have warped and peeled off...it is irritating, but personally I can live with it... Does anyone suggest if I need to have that checked out as well?

My little car has ran really well the whole time I have owned it. Save for brakes going out quicker than I care for, I adore the gas mileage (leaving most of my friends wishing they had one too) and I like the "zippyness" and power in such a little car.

Thanks for any help!

I think the heater issue was discussed in an earlier post.

 

The noise of your car when cold could be a lot of things, such as poor oil circulation (or low oil).

The plastic warping is usually caused by heat and the only solution is to get new ones, glue the old ones back up, or just accept it as normal wear.

Wow that's very surprising, it never happens to my 98' Corolla, but then again, I do keep it in a heated garage normally. When I'm at college, it sits out in the 10 degree parking lot for about 5 hours. Also when I'm at work, it sits out for about 6-7 hours. Still, when I start it up after being out that long, it starts up right away without studdering or "diesel-sound" while operating. Perhaps it may be different for me if my car was sitting in the 10 degrees perminently.

By the way, why does everyone call the Corolla "peppy"? It sounds like some sort of housewife. Maybe your Corolla is peppy, but my Nazanin is a playa!

I don't know if your noise has anything to do with sludge, but you should watch out for it. I just read a NY Times article about a class action lawsuit against Toyota's recent engines for developing sludge very easily. The article says that after a couple of years, some Toyota engines will die because of sludge--resulting in thousands of dollars repair bill for the owner. Toyota settled this case, and the judge says that Toyota shall pay the repair bill if it is due to sludge and if the owner can prove he/she provided reasonable maintenance. The problems, I see, are in the difficulty for a DIY'er to proof "reasonable" maintence and in used cars, which might be extremely difficult to provide maintainence history.

I don't know if your noise has anything to do with sludge, but you should watch out for it. I just read a NY Times article about a class action lawsuit against Toyota's recent engines for developing sludge very easily. The article says that after a couple of years, some Toyota engines will die because of sludge--resulting in thousands of dollars repair bill for the owner. Toyota settled this case, and the judge says that Toyota shall pay the repair bill if it is due to sludge and if the owner can prove he/she provided reasonable maintenance. The problems, I see, are in the difficulty for a DIY'er to proof "reasonable" maintence and in used cars, which might be extremely difficult to provide maintainence history.

There is lots of people that have discussed it.

Many people have already experienced it.

does it even get cold in mass? ;P it was colder here than it was at the north pole yesterday...

vicenza77: how cold are we talking here? mine's noisy when it's below zero - and in fact, depending on the noise, it could be "normal" - there were several noise issues on the pre-03 rollas... there's the accessory belt tensioner, and there's a solenoid thingy on the air filter box that can be "apallingly" loud (both of which have TSBs somewhere). it's also fairly normal to hear some pinging when your engine is super cold..

Most cars will sound a little noisy, especially until warmed up to operating temperature and the oil has a chance to circulate.

Its definately not warm anymore in Massachusetts. Up until New Years, it was nice 40-50 degree weather (thank you global warming), but then it suddenly dropped to the single digits around the middle of January. In the last couple weeks, it has "warmed up" to about 25 degrees in the day and 10 degrees at night. Maybe thats warm for you, but not around here.

As for noises, my engine makes alot of strange sounds, even when its not cold out. Sometimes it will randomly get loud or stutter while I'm cruising at 1500-1800 rpm, until I apply more gas and the rpm goes up to 2300+. Then the annoying sound goes away. That doesn't mean there's a problem, its just the way the car is. A corolla is built to take abuse, cold weather, hard drivers, and so on. Its not an advanced piece of engineering, just a simple, durable machine, in my opinion.

Its definately not warm anymore in Massachusetts. Up until New Years, it was nice 40-50 degree weather (thank you global warming), but then it suddenly dropped to the single digits around the middle of January. In the last couple weeks, it has "warmed up" to about 25 degrees in the day and 10 degrees at night. Maybe thats warm for you, but not around here.

As for noises, my engine makes alot of strange sounds, even when its not cold out. Sometimes it will randomly get loud or stutter while I'm cruising at 1500-1800 rpm, until I apply more gas and the rpm goes up to 2300+. Then the annoying sound goes away. That doesn't mean there's a problem, its just the way the car is. A corolla is built to take abuse, cold weather, hard drivers, and so on. Its not an advanced piece of engineering, just a simple, durable machine, in my opinion.

Just had my 06 at the dealer for cold engine noise. Thing sounds like bad rod bearings or valve noises for about 7 seconds in the 1800 rpm range. They kept it overnight to see what I was talking about. They gave me an 07 Corolla with 1500 miles on it for a loaner. Guess what? It had the EXACT same noise on first startup. The mechanic at the dealer compared my engine noise with another Corolla on the lot- same rapping noise, so yeah- they're noisy when cold.

Many auto manufacturers are having or have had this problem recently.......another reason to run synthetic

.........Many people have already experienced it.

If there is a sludge in the motor or any drag, I use the Gunk formula or ATF before an oil change to remove any gunk in the valves and any small spots in the internal part of the motor.. Let it idle for about 5 minutes, then replace the oil... It does wonders after you put new oil in... Restores back the power of your car.. I did that on my 96 Prelude and the motor sounds great now even with 178k miles on it...

Try to use that... It's recommended on high mileage cars.. Probably this will minimize the engine noise...

I have read on this forum that adding a quart of ATF fluid to your oil and then doing about a hundred miles.

Then do an oil change and your engine will be cleaner than if you didn't add the ATF.

You could give it a try to help rid the engine of sludge build-up.

I don't know if your noise has anything to do with sludge, but you should watch out for it. I just read a NY Times article about a class action lawsuit against Toyota's recent engines for developing sludge very easily. The article says that after a couple of years, some Toyota engines will die because of sludge--resulting in thousands of dollars repair bill for the owner. Toyota settled this case, and the judge says that Toyota shall pay the repair bill if it is due to sludge and if the owner can prove he/she provided reasonable maintenance. The problems, I see, are in the difficulty for a DIY'er to proof "reasonable" maintence and in used cars, which might be extremely difficult to provide maintainence history.

this sludge problem was only with the V6 in the sienna's, and camry's, and some 4 cyl's in the camry's. not on the corolla's at all. BTW - The "Sludge" that was experienced on these engine was from lack of oil changes. toyota found people only changing their oil once a year. even though they were able to prove it was lack of maintenance, someone sued, and toyota said they would take care of it as a "goodill gesture only"

on your corolla, what oil are you using? make sure it is a quality 5W-30 oil (as much as i hate to say it, do not use the "liquid ball bearings")

at the dealership i work at, we are starting to notice a problem with the engine used in the 03 era corolla and matrix. we just replaced a short block on a 03 with 59k on it. hammered bad untill slightly warmed, then still had a slight noise. traced to a piston problem, scuffed cylinder. been having other people complain also, although most are in the 90k area.

aaron

I don't know if your noise has anything to do with sludge, but you should watch out for it. I just read a NY Times article about a class action lawsuit against Toyota's recent engines for developing sludge very easily. The article says that after a couple of years, some Toyota engines will die because of sludge--resulting in thousands of dollars repair bill for the owner. Toyota settled this case, and the judge says that Toyota shall pay the repair bill if it is due to sludge and if the owner can prove he/she provided reasonable maintenance. The problems, I see, are in the difficulty for a DIY'er to proof "reasonable" maintence and in used cars, which might be extremely difficult to provide maintainence history.

 

this sludge problem was only with the V6 in the sienna's, and camry's, and some 4 cyl's in the camry's. not on the corolla's at all. BTW - The "Sludge" that was experienced on these engine was from lack of oil changes. toyota found people only changing their oil once a year. even though they were able to prove it was lack of maintenance, someone sued, and toyota said they would take care of it as a "goodill gesture only"

on your corolla, what oil are you using? make sure it is a quality 5W-30 oil (as much as i hate to say it, do not use the "liquid ball bearings")

at the dealership i work at, we are starting to notice a problem with the engine used in the 03 era corolla and matrix. we just replaced a short block on a 03 with 59k on it. hammered bad untill slightly warmed, then still had a slight noise. traced to a piston problem, scuffed cylinder. been having other people complain also, although most are in the 90k area.

aaron

I always keep a log for my vehicle with dates and maintenance history in it. If it came to proving oil changes and when they were done, the log is a good reference. I have used copies of it to prove my mileage to my insurance company. It can be very helpful.