new 94 corolla owner... what to do??

[carpetguy00]

I just bought a black 94 Corolla (base) with the 1.6 in it. Its a little loud but really peppy and quick. Its a 5 speed stick shift, it has 215k miles on it. Bought it from a friend, she has been driving it for 3 yrs, it was her moms car. The heat and a/c still work (great!) and there is no CEL.... it was parked for a month, and i had to add 3 qts of oil to bring it to the top of the stick. The "service records" from walmart I found in the glovebox tell a story... most of them note that the oil level was off the dipstick at time of service. so its been leaking a while. at least for the last 100k. I really dont get how females think this is OK! WTF!

Here is what i know....

1. Leaking valve cover gasket (easy fix)
2. Both cv axles were replaced about 90k ago (one is throwing grease tho)
3. warped brake rotors
4. still has the original wireset on it (says sumitomo 1994)
5. stuck open t-stat (only comes up to temp when idle for more than 5m)
(was told this is a recent development)
6. clutch was replaced last year (yay for me!)
7. No record of a timing belt change (and she sure doesnt know!)

despite all of this, i still got 155 miles with 5 gallons of gas, equals 30 mpg w/o A/C......

Im hoping the t-belt doesnt break before i can replace it. I am wondering how its still even running with the original wires. I will change the plugs, oil, t-stat this weekend. Wondering which oil i should use (I use Valvoline synblend in my camry's engine and tranny...) I got IGK platinum plugs for it (it calls for copper).....

I expect to get 300k out of the Camry.... can i expect this kind of luck with this car?

Any advice you guys can throw my way is appreciated.......

[speedy25]

Carpet guy?? My friend stickman and I are the original carpet guys! You must be an imposter!

You already ID'd common problems, just get to work and fix them. You can get an idea of the timing belt condition when you take off the valve cover BUT a belt can be way past its service life and still look OK.

-Pete the carpet guy

[pnyk33]

get it all working right and fix, there is alot of good things you can do to this car when you are ready.

[carpetguy00]

I have been a carpet guy for 10 years. i guess im not the original on this site, but wasnt trying to hijack anyones name, lol. . . . .

I wonder if this is an interference or non interference engine. if the t-belt in my camry breaks, the engine wont be damaged. is this the case with the corolla? that is my biggest question.....

that and how many miles do u guys seem to get out of the engines?

any common issues these cars have (example: 4th gen camrys are known for their leaking PS racks... and mine does leak).........?

[96coroll]

non interference to my knowledge. I've read that off a couple of threads because i was havng concerns about my timing belt before.

I've see 450,000km at the most. Lots of 330,000km. Mine has 202km and it's a 96.

common problem. The exhaust manifold may crack. Happens on alot of them. Most people switch over to the ebay manifold ~100 on ebay. Instead of buying a new manifold. Or some people weld it also.

And the distributor car wares out. But that's normal in my opinion.

leo

[Kiwi-Corolla]

Definitely non-interference