2001 Corolla Blinking Cel On Acceleration And Low Power. - Toyota Corolla, Chevy Prizm (1998-2008)

So, my corolla is at around 160k miles, and my check engine light has been on for some time now, but just this past month and a half it started to blink whenever I try and accelerate up a hill or at a traffic light. Notice I said try, because even if at 2000 RPM's going uphill it'll start to blink. If I try and give it some gas after the light turns green at around 2000-2200 RPM's it'll start to blink and just to get around 25-30mph. I read on here that it could be a dirty MAF or throttle body, so I bought their respective cleaners and cleaned it up this last weekend with the issue still coming up. Don't know if this will help any, but when I turn the car on and walk behind the exhaust, it's not a steady stream of air coming out. It's coming out in regular puffs of air.

Any ideas on how to fix this and I'd honestly like to try and keep the repair costs at a minimum if at all possible.

Blinking CEL indicates that there is a severe engine misfire. Could be from any number of sources - best bet is to pull that CEL that has been on for a while and see what code(s) are on there. Can vary from a simple maintenance issue to something more extensive. At that age and mileage - could be nearly anything. Don't want to guess - pull the code, that will atleast point you in the right direction. Depending on where you live at - most autoparts stores can pull the CEL codes for free.

As for the exhaust stream being "puffy" - makes sense if there are misfires. It is normal in even a well running engine, especially at idle.

Ok, I'll try to visit an auto zone or something to get the code. I'll be back.

So, pulled the codes from my car and I've got 5.

P0300-Random/multiple cylinder misfire

P0303-Cylinder 3 misfire

P0171-System too lean bank 1

P0100-Mass or volume air flow A circuit

P0110-Intake air temperature sensor 1 circuit

So, that looks pretty expensive.

Not necessarily. Most of those could be related to a common fault - could be simple as a maintenance issue.

From the last two code - P0100 and P0110 - I'd look at the MAF being either excessively dirty or could be going bad. Sometimes cleaning them will "fix" the MAF sensor - if not, you can replace it - just plug and play. Located on the airbox. If you do replace it - stick with a Denso branded part - as these 1ZZ-FE engines seem to be really picky about what replacement parts they get.

Double check the simple stuff - make sure the air filter is clear, airbox is tightly latched down, MAF sensor wiring and related vacuum hoses are attached and not showing any signs of cracking or other physical damage.

Pull the plugs and give them a quick read (look at the electrodes) - plugs can be fouled or excessively worn - causing these codes to pop up. Same with the coil on plug igniters - check the wiring running to the coils, make sure the coil on plug igniter is in good shape - rubber boot on the end is in good shape, body is not leaking or shows any cracks.

Sometimes a bad charging system (loose serpentine belt, poor chassis grounds, bad or weak alternator, bad or weak battery) can cause these codes to pop up.

What you definitely DO NOT want to do is to start swapping parts until it gets "fixed" - that is a recipe for making this a very expensive repair and could cover up the original fault, causing it to come back in a few weeks/months.

Not necessarily. Most of those could be related to a common fault - could be simple as a maintenance issue.

From the last two code - P0100 and P0110 - I'd look at the MAF being either excessively dirty or could be going bad. Sometimes cleaning them will "fix" the MAF sensor - if not, you can replace it - just plug and play. Located on the airbox. If you do replace it - stick with a Denso branded part - as these 1ZZ-FE engines seem to be really picky about what replacement parts they get.
Pull the plugs and give them a quick read (look at the electrodes) - plugs can be fouled or excessively worn - causing these codes to pop up. Same with the coil on plug igniters - check the wiring running to the coils, make sure the coil on plug igniter is in good shape - rubber boot on the end is in good shape, body is not leaking or shows any cracks.
What you definitely DO NOT want to do is to start swapping parts until it gets "fixed" - that is a recipe for making this a very expensive repair and could cover up the original fault, causing it to come back in a few weeks/months.

The first thing I did after I created this thread was buy some MAF cleaner and throttle body cleaner and cleaned them first. Still having the problem. So the MAF might need replacing.

I guess I'll have to YouTube how to check all the coils and ignition stuff as you said, because I don't even know where that is.

So, essentially you're saying check first buy later?

So, a little update. After checking my spark plugs, more specifically cylinder 3 I saw that it was in dire need of a replacement, so I bought all 4 cylinders new factory spark plugs hoping it would get rid of the blinking CEL, nope. Problem still persists, but the car does run a bit more smoothly now.

What did spark plug # 3 show? How much oil does the engine consume?

What did spark plug # 3 show? How much oil does the engine consume?

It looked like it was burnt compared to the other 3. Last night I switched the boot from cylinder 3 to cylinder 1 and it was still throwing the P0300 and p0303 code. I then took out all the spark plugs, and the one in the 3rd cylinder looked like someone was holding a lighter near the electrode.

Sorry for the double posts, but it wouldn't let me edit for more pictures.

Old plug on cylinder 3:

New plug, same cylinder:

Yes, it's burning much oil in cyl # 3. All that oil is hard to ignite efficiently, and is the cause of your #3 misfire... How much oil does your engine consume over how many miles?

Yes, it's burning much oil in cyl # 3. All that oil is hard to ignite efficiently, and is the cause of your #3 misfire... How much oil does your engine consume over how many miles?

It does burn more oil than usual, but nothing TOO major. I usually put a quart or two around 1500 miles after an oil change, and change my oil every 3000 miles.

So it's consuming 2 quarts per 1500 miles, and mostly in cyl # 3. That certainly is excessive, and the main cause of your misfire, etc.

Any other ideas as to why? If it's not the boot or spark plugs, what else could it be?

It's most likely due to sticking piston rings resulting from clogged piston oil holes behind the rings, and/or leaking valve stem seals, particularly at cyl # 3... Your spark plug is fouling from the excess oil in combustion chamber (cyl # 3).

Thanks, I'll check out some videos on YouTube about that.

Oh, thanks didn't see the video!