my '03 Corolla is sounding funny. when I start the car and it's idling, it has this strange scraping or grinding noise coming from the engine. when I push on the accelerator it gets a bit louder, and then I don't notice it as much. and, don't know if this is related to the noise or not, but i put the (warmed up) car in reverse, and the idle speeds fluctuated between ~200-800rpms. it got so low I thought it was going to die, so I gave it some gas and the fluctuations stopped.
Now this is my first Toyota, and I've only had it for about 3 months. What is going on?? Any ideas would be helpful. thanks
Hi-
Do you have a check engine light on? Can you be more specific about the noise location? Top of engine? Throttle body? Can you check while its idling? Are you sure its not an exhaust leak or rattle?
Last edited by mopars&corollas; 02-24-2009 at 06:46 PM.
my '03 Corolla is sounding funny. when I start the car and it's idling, it has this strange scraping or grinding noise coming from the engine. when I push on the accelerator it gets a bit louder, and then I don't notice it as much. and, don't know if this is related to the noise or not, but i put the (warmed up) car in reverse, and the idle speeds fluctuated between ~200-800rpms. it got so low I thought it was going to die, so I gave it some gas and the fluctuations stopped.
Now this is my first Toyota, and I've only had it for about 3 months. What is going on?? Any ideas would be helpful. thanks
Is this noise while in drive or idle? Can you have someone start the car while you watch the serp belt and tensioner? Can you clean your throttle body and idle air control valve. Idle speed when warm should be 800 RPM. Idle is controlled by ECU. Any CELs and does your car seem to hunt for the correct idle? Do you have a stock air box? Any vacuum leaks?
sorry it took me so long. The noise seems to be coming from the drivebelt area, and seems to be when the car is in drive or reverse. It is more pronounced when I push on the gas pedal. The drivebelt does feel a bit loose, but would that make the noise? No check engine light, I don't know about vacuum leaks. I'm sorry, I don't know what air boxes are, or CELs. I appreciate the replies!
Last edited by vmull; 02-25-2009 at 07:08 PM.
Reason: spelling...
sorry it took me so long. The noise seems to be coming from the drivebelt area, and seems to be when the car is in drive or reverse. It is more pronounced when I push on the gas pedal. The drivebelt does feel a bit loose, but would that make the noise? No check engine light, I don't know about vacuum leaks. I'm sorry, I don't know what air boxes are, or CELs. I appreciate the replies!
How many miles on the car? The 9th gen corollas are notorious for bad tensioners/serp belts. Can you have someone start the car cold and visually inspect the belt/tensioner? The belt should not deflect and should not produce any loud noise. If you can pinpoint it to the drive belt or tensioner, take it to a mechanic and ask for a goodyear or gates drive belt as they are pretty good quality. Is this the original drive belt on the car? They can elongate over time. Also have them inspect the tensioner, as it could be loose or leaking.
A CEL is a check engine light, it the the little orange light that stays on when you start and drive your car. The air box is where the air filter is housed. Sometimes people put on aftermarket filters and forget/incorrectly install the vacuum hoses which leads to a low/messed up idle.
it has 111K on it, I just got it a few months ago from a Toyota dealership; no maintenance records The CEL is not on, either. When you say "deflect," what does that mean? apologies, I'm a novice DIY-er. As far as the noise goes, would accelerating make it louder if it was the belt or a pulley? Thank you thank you thank you for your help!
it has 111K on it, I just got it a few months ago from a Toyota dealership; no maintenance records The CEL is not on, either. When you say "deflect," what does that mean? apologies, I'm a novice DIY-er. As far as the noise goes, would accelerating make it louder if it was the belt or a pulley? Thank you thank you thank you for your help!
Did the car come with some sort of warranty? By deflect, I mean moving up and down vertically. When the belt goes around all of the pulleys, it should not deflect. It is hard to diagnose the noise as a bad belt or pulley without hearing it so I am a bit hesitant to say it is the belt and not the tensioner or vice versa, if that is even the problem. When it is about to stall, do the lights dim?
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I appreciate the replies!
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