check engine light activated on my abused 2000

[86mets]

Hello all..

This is my first post...Like what i am seeing thus far...look foward to interacting with you all...

Hope I can borrow some of your guy's knowledge on my vehicle as I know very little mechanically...so don't be afraid to use "baby words" with me.. Sorry if this is too long..but I want to be as descriptive as possible so that you guys get the clear picture..

Here is the deal:

I have an 00 automatic 1.8 and use it mighty heavily to commute...heard about the durability and economy of the corolla so I took the plunge...first 1.5 years about 360 miles daily from North PA to NY and for the last 1.5 years from North Pa to philly area..about 410 miles daily 4 days a week...It now has...hold your hats....

152k + miles...for a vehicle just under 3 years old... yes thats a "1" before the "5"

I have performed "oil changes" myself like clockwork..for the first 100k every 5k miles..since every 3k...

My first boo-boo was not giving it a tune up till 120k I mistakingly thought it was a 100k till first tuneup thing and when i noticed manual...it obviously was overdue...It however was running and performing just fine...B/c of scheduling and finances(since i wanted to make sure it was done correctly and wanted to take to a Toyota dealer) I ended up wating till the 120 k service time..

At about 115k the check engine light went on...I figured their is the first sign...I already had my appointment scheduled anyway so I pressed on..had the 120 k service done at the dealer and thought the problem was solved...wrong..about 100+ miles later, again it went off ...so not wanting to get charged an arm and a leg for an engine diag. at the dealer, I went to pep boys and had it done....

results were this: it read

"PO 420" Catalyst system efficiency below threshold"

possible bad cat, O2 sensor circuitry, or sensor itself"

They were recommending 02 replacement...when they looked it up they said their were 2 of them and would run I believe $200+ for one and $150+ for the other...no guarantee it would solve the problem..and if I blew them again...too big a risk..for me plus no $ anyway...

i asked if the car was in danger of breaking down they said no...

This is where i am today..I tend to hear a kind of muffling, hoarse noise when i accelarate..figured it must be the Cat. tried to get one from midas and a local parts store...both say it was not listed for this vehicle since it should still be under warranty...not for me that is ...5 yr/100k does not apply....

Also bought the Haynes book..it says only California corollas have two O2 sensors..not mine...is this true?

Bottom line is this guys...the dealer is probably gonna nail me a new one to replace o2 and cat... so what are my options..??

How in danger of killing this already abused machine before I even finish paying it off???.. Could it die on me at any minute...?? It still appears to be driving just fine...Any advise would be much appreciated...Sorry again for the "War and Peace" version but I wanted to give you all the facts...maybe I am not the only guy out there who could benefit from this.....

No, I probably am..Geez on pace for over a 1/4 million miles by the time I pay it off.......

[boroEF]

cant be cat....it wont go so fast.
buy 2 O2 sensors somewhere other than toyota and put them in urself.....get new gaskets of course. it's really simple to do

[Nx2k]

i would say o2 as well but it would have an effect on performance.
especially gas mileage, also it might no be as powerful due to the fact it takes longer if it even does go into close loop

[boroEF]

dont worry about the car....it wont break down

[86mets]

Thanks for he quick replies guys...

Originally posted by boroEF
cant be cat....it wont go so fast.
buy 2 O2 sensors somewhere other than toyota and put them in urself.....get new gaskets of course. it's really simple to do

Even with the heavy mileage you still don't think it is the Cat?
You feel it is more time dependent say 5 years as opposed to mileage before i worry about it?

So do I have 1 or 2 o2 sensors???
__________________________________________________ __

Nx2k:

"i would say o2 as well but it would have an effect on performance.
especially gas mileage, also it might no be as powerful due to the fact it takes longer if it even does go into close loop"


Ahh sorry ..lost me on the last line.."close loop"? remember I know very little about cars...

__________________________________________________ __
So just so i do know...what are the signs of trouble when a Cat does go bad..??
__________________________________________________ __

boroEF: dont worry about the car....it wont break down

good to know...so to sum up, i guess prolonged driving with a bad o2 will result in poorer performance and gas mileage ...no breakdown..good..
Thanks again...

[Trueno_Sprinter]

check engine light activated on my abused 2000

I thought u meant S2000 haha

[boroEF]

if the original cat in my 1990 corolla still works, then so does yours

u should only have 1 o2 sensor...just check.
pop the hood and look at the exhaust manifold. if u see wires leading to it and ending on some plastic peice...that is an o2 sensor....it might be on ur downpipe so check there too...just any piping before the cat

[86mets]

Okay Boro...will check...thanks again...

[1owner]

I am still running the original O2 sensor in my '89 Corolla with 220,000 miles (354k kms), and the original converter was replaced recently due to corrosion on the flanges. Never a no-start or driveability problem. It passes the emission test 1st time without any prep. It's hard for me to imagine those pieces going bad on your late model Corolla, unless you idle the thing forever, never get it up to operating temp.(highly doubtful that given your commute), run leaded gas (where you going to find it anyway?). I could understand the 'check engine' indicator going on if service was avoided too long, but if it were me I'd get the codes scanned and get it checked out. I wonder about disconecting & reconnecting the battery to reset things? You do run adequate octane? Northern PA has some nice long grades and some very humorless cops, otherwise I'd suggest a 10,000 rpm tuneup . Really.

[86mets]

Originally posted by 1owner
I am still running the original O2 sensor in my '89 Corolla with 220,000 miles (354k kms), and the original converter was replaced recently due to corrosion on the flanges. Never a no-start or driveability problem. It passes the emission test 1st time without any prep. It's hard for me to imagine those pieces going bad on your late model Corolla, unless you idle the thing forever, never get it up to operating temp.(highly doubtful that given your commute), run leaded gas (where you going to find it anyway?). I could understand the 'check engine' indicator going on if service was avoided too long, but if it were me I'd get the codes scanned and get it checked out. I wonder about disconecting & reconnecting the battery to reset things? You do run adequate octane? Northern PA has some nice long grades and some very humorless cops, otherwise I'd suggest a 10,000 rpm tuneup . Really.

First of all thanks for the input...second of all good hear about the mileage on your car...re-assures me that I made the rightr decision on selecting the corolla as a commuter workhorse...at my current pace I will however surpass yours before I finish paying it off in 5 years though..hope I have the same luck...


secondly...as far as disconnecting battery goes...it does reset, but it will come on again about 100-200 miles later..which in my case is one to two trips the most.....


thirdly...as far as the codes scanned goes...I mentioned I did at pep boys above...it said...

results were this: it read



"PO 420" Catalyst system efficiency below threshold

possible bad cat, O2 sensor circuitry, or sensor itself "

Did you mean a more thorough scan or something that would specifically point out the trouble?




Just out of curiosity could some of you guys give me your year and mileages....love to hear whats the most you guys have put into one of these machines that are even still running..or have needed new engines/trans. and at what point

[brink]

Just out of curiosity could some of you guys give me your year and mileages....love to hear whats the most you guys have put into one of these machines that are even still running..or have needed new engines/trans. and at what point...

Well, my 2000 Camry has only 39k miles on it so it's not that amazing, but my dad's 91 Camry has 278k miles on it and is still running fine. Only major thing he had to replace/fix was his transmission (auto) at around 218k and recently his shocks. 'Course, it's not as peppy as it used to be, but it still starts on the first turn and gets excellent gas mileage. He's planning on driving it into the ground or hitting 300,000 miles, whichever comes first

[86mets]

Originally posted by brink

Well, my 2000 Camry has only 39k miles on it so it's not that amazing, but my dad's 91 Camry has 278k miles on it and is still running fine. Only major thing he had to replace/fix was his transmission (auto) at around 218k and recently his shocks. 'Course, it's not as peppy as it used to be, but it still starts on the first turn and gets excellent gas mileage. He's planning on driving it into the ground or hitting 300,000 miles, whichever comes first

Nice...I am strongly considering purchasing another used commuter vehicle for the Mrs. or myself and have seen a few camry's...believe '90/91...so good to hear they can take a wallop too..

[bzride]

replace the o2 sensor first...

it's a pretty simple job.. save yourself some money

here's a link on how to change the one right at the manifold:

http://vamp.darkravers.net/VampsCarC...stO2Sensor.cfm

[86mets]

BZRIDE:

Thanks for web site...awesome pics man...nice wheels too..

Now I just need to find a place to find the o2 sensor cheaply..

may I ask where you got yours?? Any place in US perhaps?

I asked Pep boys about 6 months ago and the want ~200+ for one and I believe 150+ for other...I only have one from what I can tell...

[neil85AE86]

bzride, Thanks for putting up your web page, was that sensor $125 Canadian, and which dealer did you get it from?

My '98 has the same problem, car runs fine, just the gas mileage is not quite as good as it used to be. I've been driving with it like that for months. I took it to the garage and they said not to worry about any serious damage occuring as it only triggers a safe mode of operation. We don't even drive the car, it's just sitting, so I haven't been too worried about it, now we're selling the car so I need to get it fixed.

That price sounds so cheap for a genuine Toyota heated O2 sensor. For those that didn't know it, their are really only three common types of O2 sensors, narrow band, narrow band heated and wideband (their is another wide band, but it's pretty rare in NA). As long as the flange and type are the same they should be completely universal. I've heard of price quotes in the neighborhood of $400 for the sensor on some of the early ae92 GTS and 4aze MR2's.

Neil