swap airbag from 1996 to 1993?

[billwagnon]

My son's 96 Corolla with 260,000 miles failed emissions testing

Today I bought a 93 Corolla with 162,000 miles. I noticed the airbag light is on. Can I swap the airbag from the 1996 into the 1993 car?



Also I put new shocks / struts on the 1996 a year ago. Does the 1993 take the same parts?


thanks!

[PhatRoyale]

Yes, they are all interchangeable since it's from the same generation car.

[Sine Deviance]

Why did the '96 fail emissions? It could be something very simple like a fuse or sensor, or maybe even a $1 fix like a bad vacuum hose or PCV hose. You could fix it and then you'd have two good Corollas.

I'm sorry and I don't mean to offend you, but unless the problems associated with it failing emissions would cost more to fix than the cost of buying another car, buying another car just because your car failed emissions is a very stupid thing to do.

[billwagnon]

Not offended at all.

My ex took the 96 in for annual inspection. It's been blowing blue smoke for a couple months and she said they said it failed emissions and had a steering problem and would probably be $500 to $1000 to fix but they couldn't be sure.

Plus it has 100,000 more miles than the 1993 so I expect there will be other things wearing out. I was surprised it made it this long.

[Sine Deviance]

Originally Posted by billwagnon

Not offended at all.

My ex took the 96 in for annual inspection. It's been blowing blue smoke for a couple months and she said they said it failed emissions and had a steering problem and would probably be $500 to $1000 to fix but they couldn't be sure.

Plus it has 100,000 more miles than the 1993 so I expect there will be other things wearing out. I was surprised it made it this long.

Ahh, yeah, that makes sense. Blue smoke = oil burning because of shot piston rings = time for an engine re-ring/rebuild = $$$$

In that case, you made the right choice

[billwagnon]

I rebuilt a Ford 289 about twenty years ago.

How difficult / expensive is a Toyota 1.8 rebuild? It seems like 4 cylinders would make it a simpler rebuild and lighter too.

[Sine Deviance]

Originally Posted by billwagnon

I rebuilt a Ford 289 about twenty years ago.

How difficult / expensive is a Toyota 1.8 rebuild? It seems like 4 cylinders would make it a simpler rebuild and lighter too.

I can't say it would be too difficult (relatively speaking.) I've rebuilt a few 4-cylinders, never a Toyota, but all 4-cylinder gas engines are similar. Still, rebuilding an engine is not something the average home DIY mechanic should attempt. It requires some specials tools like a micrometer and a pulley puller, and master rebuild kits aren't exactly cheap. Re-ring kits aren't cheap either. I didn't attempt my first rebuild until I'd seen it done a few times.

If you want to save some money and rebuild your engine, go ahead. You might do a good enough job to get you by for a while. But if you want it done exactly right, pay a master engine rebuilder to do the job for you. I'm not saying you can't or won't do a good job on the first try; it's always possible. I'm just saying that rebuilding engines is like any other skill and it requires some experience to be done properly.