engine check light on 98 corolla - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

TRD786 · 09-20-2006, 09:35 PM

Hello,
yesterday my dad was leaving for work, and he noticed the check engine light was on and never went off. he took it to the dealership and they did a diagnostic and said that the catylytic converter, spark plugs, and wires were messed up, the converter was getting clogged, the plugs were not the right ones, and the wires were the wrong ones (spark plug wires) the repair is coming at $1200 from toyota, i would better yet sell the car off. this is a disappointment from a corolla, one of the best cars in the world, im a toyota man, but i also have a 1986 nissan truck that we bought new, and it hasnt had a problem yet. the corolla is a daily driver and runs ALOT. in two years we ran up about 30/40k miles atleast. this corolla i think is smaller than the 97 and before ones too. the question is why is this happening and any way to turn that light off ??????
can anyone please share any experiences about this specific model as well ???
thanks

Mayur · 09-20-2006, 09:58 PM

Why go to the stealership? The plugs and wires you can easily do for less than $100 depending on what you get. And the converter would cost a MAXIMUM of $300-$350 at a muffler shop.

TRD786 · 09-20-2006, 10:23 PM

oh i went there for diagnostic, my dad didnt know, but yeah i can do the work my self easily, ive done alot of work on cars, so i know my stuff lol, wires and plugs, not much, converter is about $79, true fit is $179
it wont be expensive at all

Papa Bear · 09-22-2006, 01:42 PM

Why was the CEL on ?? What code was stored ?? How many miles on your '98 ?? How could that much be wrong with your car ?? Who put the wrong plugs in your car ?? A CAT will last the life of the car unless your are burning oil or use leaded fuel.
I have over 100K miles on original cat, original wires on my '98 LE and it runs GREAT.
You need to find out more info.

TRCar54 · 09-22-2006, 02:03 PM

Like Papa Bear said...you need to know what code is reporting.

One thing that is very common on these Corollas is a faulty EGR modulator valve. Easy to change and available at the junk yard for around $5. Supposed to be the same part for 1989 through 2001 Toyota 4 cylinders. I got one at the junk yard for my 95 Corolla. It came from a 89 Celica. Another issue with 1998 and newer is the evap system.

Stay away from the dealer. Go to AutoZone, have them scan the computer and write down the codes found.

Get the codes and report back.