what preventative maintenance do i need on my 93

[meteoraman2514]

ok so i bought a 93 corolla (honestly ive never checked if its a 1.6 or 1.8) with 169k. its my work car, i drive 120 miles round trip 14 days a month. i orginally wasnt going to do anything to it but i love it so much ive decided to do whatever i can to it to make it last as long as possible. i have one concern, its burning oil, im about 3000 miles on my first oil change and ive had to put about 1.75 quarts in it. its not smoking hardly at all, and i dont think i have a burnt ring because my valves sound fine, theres no pinging or knocking, and it runs great. so what could be my problem, and how do i fix it?

so far this is my list of to do...

1) check spark plugs and wires
2) complete clutch rebuild, bearings, flywheel and all
3) dome light needs replaced, its burnt out
4) new headlight bulbs, too dull right now
5) minor body work to repair small rust

now what else do you recommend? it rides a little rough, should i invest in any suspension components or is it a waste?


some key notes...

* timing belt was last changed at 155k
* when im driving at night and i push in on the clutch to shift, my headlights get dimmer and so does my dash lights, why???

[TI-CAVA]

KYB shocks are nice n comfy, get those , also check motor mounts...

headlights... get 9005 bulbs and mod them to fit the low beams , a lot more light without spending too much

how to -> DIY - MORE LIGHT (9005 bulb mod) - Corolla FAQ addition

Rust must be stopped right away or you'll end with a car falling in pieces

oil changes regularly and it'll be fine

also do a tune up and it will last like forever!

enyoy the rolla!!!!!!

[cipher93]

How bad is the rust? Minor stuff I would not worry about. If it looks cancerous/expanding you need to decide if it's worth the cost of fixing the car. Other maintenance stuff:

-Make sure your PS belts and alternator belts are tight

-Replace the distributor cap and rotor along with the wires and plugs, making sure you use either NGK or Denso plugs

-The oil disappearing happens on my car... make sure it's not leaking out of the oil pan and/or valve cover gasket. If that isn't it I would suggest just keeping up on the oil change intervals and level. Also make sure it's not running into your coolant. If it's burning large amounts of oil your spark plugs will also look black.

[gold94corolla]

Well, if you are going through oil like that, you probably have the 1.8, since those are notorious for burning oil at high miles.