Jiffy Lube messed up my '94 Corolla!

[jinster]

So I bought a used '94 Corolla DX (1.8L) about 3 months ago and have sinced driven it about 3500 miles (It is at 134000 now.) It has run perfectly but I decided to have an oil change the other day so I took it in to Jiffy Lube.

They showed me my busted PCV valve so I had that replaced and my oil changed. Since having my car back my idle RPMs are very low and the car has begun to vibrate violently at stop lights and sometimes will shut off completely.

I've noticed that when I turn my A/C on that the vibrating goes away and the car idles normally. Unfortunately I changed my oil while on a road trip so going back to the same shop is not an option. I was thinking about taking it to the local Jiffy Lube, but now I'm a bit wary.

Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading.

[toyomoho]

Check that the PCV valve and hose is installed correctly. A vacuum leak will cause a rough idle. The A/C system kicks up the idle when engaged, this will cause the engine to run smoother.

[94_Rolla_Guy]

a popular cause of a low erratic idle is a stuck IAC (idle air control)valve its on the throtle body at the bottom where the white block is with the electrical connector, take the TB off the car take it appart and clean it out with TB cleaner, dont use carb cleaner unless you wanna replace all soft parts.

the old PCV valve was probably stuck wide open dumping extra air into the intake hence the higher idle, after changing it the new PCV valve should only provide a "small" passage during idle which the new one did killing the idle because of less air

[jinster]

So I finally had time to take my car into the shop. The valve didn't seem to be the problem, they tried replacing it with a new one and nothing really happened. There were no leaks of any kind, and at my insistence they took apart the throttle body to clean that sensor you were talking about. Nothing seemed to help.

They were saying that the idle controller box tends to mess up on the Toyotas and that my next option was to change it out. At ~$290 ($220 for the part + $70 for labor) I am kind of wary, but I seem to be running out of options.

As always, your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[Pineapple]

Buy a can of throttle cleaner spray. Spray it into every hole in the throttle body until you don't see brown come out. The IAC should be the big hole at the bottom, clean that one really good. After that start the engine and see how it goes. You should have high idle. Turn the idle screw to get it lower. Set the timing and idle if you got a timing light. If not, get a shop to do it after you clean the throttle.

[Papa Bear]

1. Don't go to Jiffy Lube !!
2. If you do, don't let them change parts. They are NOT MECHANICS !!
3. If they screwed it up, make them fix it !!
4. Reread 1.

[TRCar54]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiCAJ8ULnaI

[REN69]

Originally Posted by Papa Bear

1. Don't go to Jiffy Lube !!
2. If you do, don't let them change parts. They are NOT MECHANICS !!
3. If they screwed it up, make them fix it !!
4. Reread 1.

5. substitute Jiffy Lube with Mr Lube if required
6. substitute Jiffy Lube with Canadian Tire if required

[diver9000]

What oil did they put in the car? Yeah the car will idle ok when the A/C is engaged, its idled up by about 500 rpms. You need to check for vacuum leaks and make sure they used the right pcv valve.

[REN69]

I think what he needs to do is to increase his idle speed. Find you idle screw and re-adjust it dude, this should solve your problem. I had to do mine when Mr Lube cleaned my throttle body on the 89 GTS as the idle was erratic for a while.

[Ukrainian102]

^ Theres no idle screw on that car... it's all ECU controlled.

[REN69]

[diver9000]

So how do you adjust the idle if its ECU controlled?

[Flashmn]

^ Theres no idle screw on that car... it's all ECU controlled.

There should be one, but its under an aluminum cap.

[alltracman78]

Originally Posted by Papa Bear

1. Don't go to Jiffy Lube !!
2. If you do, don't let them change parts. They are NOT MECHANICS !!
3. If they screwed it up, make them fix it !!
4. Reread 1.

Most quick lube shops are a joke....
Have you ever hear the expression you get what you pay for?
Has anyone ever seen how they store oil filters that aren't in a box?

I'm not saying you should go to the stealer for everything, but do yourself a favor and find a competant repair shop instead of somewhere like that....

As far as your problem, did they also replace the grommet?
It tends to harden...
What about the PCV hose? Did they crack it at all when the removed/installed it?
Another reason not to go there. They only stock basic, generic parts. If something goes wrong, they can't fix it.