Recent content by up&down

Kev250R, I agree with the subjectivity but that is what this forum is all about. For instance you mention that your girl's car is an 2003. The oil burning problem ended in 2002 apparently. I'm just trying to see what people have to say about a Corolla that doesn't burn oil. Maybe I'm just...

I know this may be a boring subject but a bit of discussion might show why some 2002s don't burn oil and others do. Come on, there have to be some others out there with a fine running engine with >100K on it.

Scott, Sorry man. No time at the moment. The engine is what it is. I'll figure it out in the next month or so.

Scott, How would one find out if the car they have has the new, revised piston design?

All, I've been reading my brains out about the 1998-2002 Corollas burning oil due to higher than planned combustion chamber temps. It seems oil gets burned up and sludges, gums, etc. into oil holes that then prevent oil from passing through and increasing combustion chamber temps even more...

Scott, You mentioned that the 1998-2001 Corollas are known for high oil consumption. What about the 2002? Those have the highest number of complaints for oil consumption in the Complaint sections for this forum category. What is the piston design defect? Is it fixable? Do the rings go bad...

All, Okay, I'm closing this one up. In conclusion, my CEL came on. Code P0420. I had it "diagnosed" by a mechanic who said both O2 sensors were bad and the catalytic converter (from a statistical perspective this is close to impossible). I joined the Corolla Forum and was given sound advice...

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm going to wait another week or so and then sign this one off. Hopefully it will be accessed by others in the future who have the dreaded P0420 CEL code. They will know to start with spark plugs and advance to the other diagnostics advice in this thread...

Kevin, Thanks for the words. There is no wobble on the steering wheel though. The car tracks straight and smooth as silk. It's just the sound and the feel in the brake pedal when applied at hwy speeds. Thanks.

All, It's been over two weeks since I replaced the spark plugs and almost two weeks since I replaced the downstream O2 sensor. I drove it all the way to Harrisburg, PA and back over the weekend. No CEL! Do you think I'm in the clear or should I hold off on the champagne for a couple of more...

Monroe. It feels awesome now. RR tracks feel like nothing. It's funny how bad things get that wear gradually like shocks. You realize how bad they were once you replace them. Thanks all. I'll keep the CEL and cat updates coming as I learn.

For basic steel wheels they heat it up a bit and give it some soft shots with a ball peen hammer. Nothing major. It was small. I suggest buying a new wheel if it is a major bent section. This was only 2 or 3 inches.

Whew! Rust is a PITA! All four struts and all four sway bar links complete. Control arm bushings looked fine. It's at the shop now getting a four wheel alignment, a bent wheel straitened, and wheels balanced. Still looking for the CEL to come back on with the cat converter issue. New plugs...

All, Took a stab at starting on the rear struts. I'm from GA and have never worked on a car that was driven in salt. What difference. Fasteners are shot. I spent more time with a hack saw and drill than I did with wrenches and sockets. Finally got the driver side rear strut in. Noticed...

So the Drive Works control arms look (in the hand) to be higher quality than the MOOGs. They cost more too. Any thoughts? I'm hearing a lot of new negative stuff on MOOG. Thanks for the word on the CEL. That makes sense. Thinking back, it was coming on after exactly three temp up/temp down...