Corolla S 2009 138000Km Problem - Toyota Corolla (2009 until 2018-19 “TNGA”)

OK, Let's try to explain.

I have a Corolla 2009S 138000KM, 3 times this year I fill in the car with regular gas, then when I accelerate the car will accelerate very slowly I would say at 0-15 everything is normal it's after this, I put some Injector cleaner and I fill in with Supreme instead of regular and the problem went away. Now friday, I fill in the tank with regular and it took some time but 20 mins after same thing happen, I had to press harder than usually to get speed. (Again after 20 KM), I added injector cleaner and still doing it, then the check engline light...

The check engine light was on & off and it finally stayed so I went to my garage, the code said something about the knock sensor. They follow the procedure and they replace it after troubleshooting, when I got home, I tested the car, still the same thing about the performance. I also played with the automatic shifter and If I change it from OD to 3rd, the RPM will works fine for 2-3 times, then the light will come up (Check engline with the same knock sensor and this part has been replaced).

Don't know what to think now, they charged me already 600$ (They changed the oil in the transmission too) and it's still doing it... Level was fine and nothing that tell it's a transmission problem. They cleaned up the MAF sensor, they look at the filter in the gas tank (Under the seat) and also look for water in the tank... The next thing wil be injector cleaner but ...

Sorry if the terms are not right, i'm french trying to write in english default_smile

Thanks.

Was it code P0328 ?

Was it code P0328 ?

Yes I think so, I can call the garage to make sure but i know he said 32X

I'm just afraid it's a transmission problem and I will have to spend lots of money on it, yesterday i was on the highway and at some point the car was shaking a bit and he manage to switch from OD to 3rd and then back to OD... With a bit of shaking...

Get the trouble code asap.

Does the engine knock upon startup or when driving? Was your front inlet camshaft timing gear replaced on warranty, as per TSB for knocking noise when starting the engine?

Get the trouble code asap.
Does the engine knock upon startup or when driving? Was your front inlet camshaft timing gear replaced on warranty, as per TSB for knocking noise when starting the engine?

I will call my place tomorrow and let you know, the engine knock by driving, Since they replace the sensor, the light doesn't come on unless I play with the shifter from D to 3rd... Then it will light up after 3-4 times... (My guess is the vibration?) It's strange, on the highway today it's like the motor doesn't have enough air... The mechanic tried to remove the oxygen sensor and he said that they never where able to do so, it's stuck there....

Thanks.

OK, So the car is a Toyota dealer ship, It's strange, The mechanix tested the car, at full speed no problem, BUT when you start from 0 to 40 Very slow (If you press normally on the gas pedal, if you press hard, she will go fine), They cleanup the injector, they remove the maf sensor and clean it up, they remove the oxygen sensor and look at the catalyst, Everything is fine and they tested it, car doesn't release any code. He is just very slow!

They will try to replace the gas filter tomorrow but they have no clues.

Fuel filter is part of the in-tank fuel pump... It sounds like your transmission/lockup converter is the problem. You still don't have new CEL codes?

Did they grab any real-time data when they tested the car - assuming they did a road test after all that work?

Does the RPMs climb smoothly if you press on the throttle with the transmission in neutral or park?

Not sure what you meant by slow, the car is not accelerating because the engine will not go above a certain RPM or the car feels like it is dragging something (RPMs are high but the car is not moving)?

What transmission fluid did the first mechanic use to refill the transaxle? Was it a full transaxle flush, or a drain and refill? This generation needs to use Toyota WS low viscosity ATF, transaxle will shift weird, if you only had a drain and refill with incompatible fluid. A full flush with incompatible fluid could cause permanent damage to the transaxle.

From your first post - it sounded like a misfire issue. That's why the problem went away when you filled with higher octane fuel. Possible that the engine has heavy deposits inside the combustion chambers - those deposits can cause hots spots that can lead to predetonation. That will cause the knock sensor to tell the ECM to pull spark and fuel - car will run in a degraded "limp home" mode - effectively reducing power to pretty much nothing to save the engine from possible damage.

Did any of the mechanics pulled the sparkplugs and take a look at them? Even though the plugs are supposed to be good for 193,000km or so - they can wear out early. Could be a case of faulty knock sensor + excessive gasoline additives + worn spark plugs causing excessive carbon to build up in the engine. If the plugs are fouled - replace them, fill up the tank with fresh gas and a fuel injector cleaner that has a lot of PEA additives in it - and then do a couple of wide open throttle pulls down the highway to help literally blow the carbon out of the engine.