Hi everyone I have a 89 corolla with multiple problems: I also had a lot of work done to it and since I spent a lot of money replacing stuff I thought I try to keep it at least a couple more years.
To start:
1)Car struggles to go up hill unless warmed up for a while- The problem is when going up hill with a cold or slightly warm engine, when the car reaches 2nd gear the RPM is low you can hear it having trouble getting up to speed. I have to keep my car to L or 1st and once the RPM is high and shift back to D it runs fine.
*If roads are straight there is no issue with trying to get up to speed.
2)I was driving one day and when I accelerated hard from 20-30 MPH the engine/car shakes violently, And there is no power just shakes. I have to let go of the gas and gently step on it.
This has happen a few times but it is sort of random
3) This is a engine temperature problem: The can in which the radiator fluid is filled is always empty, I fill it up to the line but, by the end of the week it is back down to empty. When I check the radiator there is fluid inside and it is full so I do not know where the fluid is disappearing to.
I added water inside the radiator and in the jar once to see what happened When I am driving and stop sometimes I smell radiator fluid but it is not leaking anywhere when I look. I do notice that the radiator fluid gets really hot because when I mix with water and I come to a stop I notice the front of my car starts smoking like steam. It is 50/50 mix and I added water only once to see where the fluid is disappearing to.
4. Acceleration - again 2nd gear issue. Sometimes when I accelerate the 1st gear goes through fine, when the car goes to second gear the RPM completely drops quiet like the car was going to stall but then shifts to second gear and the RPM is very high. Its less then a second but it only happens at least once a day This is totally random it has been going on for a while and it only happens at a complete stop so its more of a nuisance then a problem
These are all minor things, and if anyone had any suggestions on any of these problems I would greatly appreciate it. The car is a little bit sluggish during acceleration and it seems like the fuel economy has dropped a bit,
I was hoping to change the fuel filter at my next oil change and have them look at the spark plugs. Most of these things are factory original parts and I only had a major fluids flushed because I reached the 100K mile mark.
What I have had done:
2 years ago, New brakes (the works) new radiator, changed coolant, transmission fluid, battery
1.5 years ago, new distributor and cap/ plug and wires, new water pump.
1 year ago, break fluid bleed drain and new fluid, the whole muffler converter to the pipe.
All my problems seem to be sudden acceleration and car in 2nd gear.. The first one is the most important because I take my car to campus and there is a hill to get out and there is full of traffic.
The other 3 stuff are things that are completely random. It comes out of the blue and then disappears..
I am currently monitoring the radiator, but even though that fluid bin gets empty/low the radiator always seem to have sufficient fluid in it. I tested it without filing that jar a few times and check the fluid inside the radiator and it seems to be sufficient, but I will still fill it every week with a little just to be on the safe side.
Also sorry for the long explanation, I would like to describe as much detail as I can, and I put everything in one long post because its one car with these problem.
Thank you to anyone that helps.
To start:
1)Car struggles to go up hill unless warmed up for a while- The problem is when going up hill with a cold or slightly warm engine, when the car reaches 2nd gear the RPM is low you can hear it having trouble getting up to speed. I have to keep my car to L or 1st and once the RPM is high and shift back to D it runs fine.
*If roads are straight there is no issue with trying to get up to speed.
2)I was driving one day and when I accelerated hard from 20-30 MPH the engine/car shakes violently, And there is no power just shakes. I have to let go of the gas and gently step on it.
This has happen a few times but it is sort of random
3) This is a engine temperature problem: The can in which the radiator fluid is filled is always empty, I fill it up to the line but, by the end of the week it is back down to empty. When I check the radiator there is fluid inside and it is full so I do not know where the fluid is disappearing to.
I added water inside the radiator and in the jar once to see what happened When I am driving and stop sometimes I smell radiator fluid but it is not leaking anywhere when I look. I do notice that the radiator fluid gets really hot because when I mix with water and I come to a stop I notice the front of my car starts smoking like steam. It is 50/50 mix and I added water only once to see where the fluid is disappearing to.
4. Acceleration - again 2nd gear issue. Sometimes when I accelerate the 1st gear goes through fine, when the car goes to second gear the RPM completely drops quiet like the car was going to stall but then shifts to second gear and the RPM is very high. Its less then a second but it only happens at least once a day This is totally random it has been going on for a while and it only happens at a complete stop so its more of a nuisance then a problem
These are all minor things, and if anyone had any suggestions on any of these problems I would greatly appreciate it. The car is a little bit sluggish during acceleration and it seems like the fuel economy has dropped a bit,
I was hoping to change the fuel filter at my next oil change and have them look at the spark plugs. Most of these things are factory original parts and I only had a major fluids flushed because I reached the 100K mile mark.
What I have had done:
2 years ago, New brakes (the works) new radiator, changed coolant, transmission fluid, battery
1.5 years ago, new distributor and cap/ plug and wires, new water pump.
1 year ago, break fluid bleed drain and new fluid, the whole muffler converter to the pipe.
All my problems seem to be sudden acceleration and car in 2nd gear.. The first one is the most important because I take my car to campus and there is a hill to get out and there is full of traffic.
The other 3 stuff are things that are completely random. It comes out of the blue and then disappears..
I am currently monitoring the radiator, but even though that fluid bin gets empty/low the radiator always seem to have sufficient fluid in it. I tested it without filing that jar a few times and check the fluid inside the radiator and it seems to be sufficient, but I will still fill it every week with a little just to be on the safe side.
Also sorry for the long explanation, I would like to describe as much detail as I can, and I put everything in one long post because its one car with these problem.
Thank you to anyone that helps.
Feb 12, 2010 at 11:35 PM