Im a university student at Michigan and just got my hands on a deal for a corolla. I love cars, but had to settle with something economical, and reliable. Found a great person letting go of their 125k mile corolla that drives with a few problems, but problems I don’t think defeats the great price he’s offering me for excellent millage. Its the 1.8, 4 cylinder LE spec.
Problems:
-
Engine mounts - car shakes like crazy when stationary or at turns (ok when neutral)
-
O2 sensor (likely) - mpg dropped, and engine light comes on every two to three weeks. He doesn’t know how to replace it himself but will be providing a new O2 sensor. (He said: “fuel system runs lean”)
I can handle the O2 sensor myself, but would like to know if anyone can suggest an estimated cost to fix up the car. I just wanna prepare myself financially.
Hope that someone can help out!
If it’s code p0171, I’m almost certain It’s the intake gasket. Very common on these. But lean codes can also be caused by vacuum leaks. That could be why the engine is shaking. These engines really shake bad when There is a vacuum leak. It can also be why the MPG is bad. That’s my guess, but could be a clogged injector causing not enough fuel to enter. Tons of things it could be. MAF sensor it could be. Can’t just be 1 thing throwing parts at it. Must be diagnosed in person
Low mileage, great price. Worst case you have to throw some parts at it. I’d go for it.
Just be mindful of 1zzfe and oil consumption. Also depends on which o2 sensor - could be also the catalytic converter going. Depends if you need emissions or not.
97 and newer require OBDII emissions.
I live where emissions were removed (Ontario)
That is a good deal regardless. Junk value will be about $500 so you are only “risking” around $700 + any parts and labor you put into it.
Mounts are an easy and quick swap. Probably a few hundred all in.
Bigger issue will be the CEL. IMO probably the CAT which in total could mean you’re spending as much on the exhaust as you have the car but IMO still worth it.
Have the car looked at by a mechanic and let him know of the issues and quote you a cost to repair. Might cost you an extra $100 but def worth it and better than any advice you will get on Reddit as they will look at things that we cannot, like overall rust and what are cosmetic issues vs actual issues and when/ where things may have been “covered up.”Good news is, if it is known to be running lean, the issue could be multiple things, but the O2 sensor is probably working as it should since it is not consistently on. I would probably skip the O2 sensor and get him to pay for half of the cost of an independent mechanics appraisal. Seller could use that report with another buyer if you pass on it to show exactly what is needed for the car.
At the very least bring it to an autoparts store and have them pull the code. Even if the light is off it will have the CEL code stored so long as the seller did not disconnect/ pull the battery or reset it with a tool.
Given its age and that the CEL is intermittent I would not be surprised if the catalytic converter is starting to go as this is what happens. Likewise it could be an EGR issue.
If it is the cat which I highly suspect it is with the information available, it should be a 100% bolted system (so no need to cut and/ or weld).
Given you are in Michigan I presume everything underneath will be corroded/ rusted together on the exhaust. As such you may be better off replacing from the exhaust manifold all the way back to the muffler yourself instead of paying a mechanic to cut and then try to weld. If the rust is bad underneath, there probably isnt enough metal to adequately weld with/ to anyway.
If you were comfortable doing the downstream O2 sensor you can/ could do the entire exhaust yourself. I am no pro and I have done this kind of thing with just normal ramps and a day.