I have a 1992 Corolla DX and it seems to run oddly. When driving, it sounds as if the exhaust has a hole in it, but we checked and there isn't. Is the Corolla supposed to run like this? Well it's actually my mom's car and she asked me to check this part of her car.
We've had several Corollas already, 1978 sedan, 1979 coupe, 1992 (this one) and 1995 XE. All of these cars run great, my dad even customised his '78 to the 2TG engine (dunno what that is but he likes to talk about it). I remember back in the day when he still had it that every bolt was nickel-plated and it had old BMW rims, and it was super clean.
Anyway, the '92 Corolla has 204,XXX miles on it and still runs strong. What areas this specific model has for improvement? Recently somebody broke into the car so we DIY'ed the left rear window. We rugby'd the rail that goes under the glass to the glass itself, because on first attempt it just came loose and we had to do it all over again.
It also has some sort of a coolant leak at the lower radiator hose and some transmission fluid leak. Are these easy DIY's? My mom drives it everyday to work and back, and to business meetings so I don't usually use it. I drive another car.
Also, is the steering really sensitive? I find it too sensitive for such a small car. Of the previous cars I've driven (Civic, Lancer, the other Corolla) this is the most sensitive steering I've experienced. Any way to adjust this? Or is this factory spec?
Lastly, how do you remove the factory radio? When the window was broken we attempted to remove the radio for security reasons but couldn't.
Sorry for the multiple questions. Please fill me in. Thanks.
I'm afraid, "it sounds as if the exhaust has a hole in it" isn't enough to diagnose the issue. Can you perhaps record it? I'd be inclined to remove the manifold heat shields and check for cracks. While the car is running, and warmed up, you can feel the pulses.
The coolant/transmission leak. If the car has a slushbox (A/T) there's most likely an ATF cooler that's built into the radiator. There are two hoses that go to it. Make sure they're snug. The drain peacock is near the lower radiator hose, so you might wanna make sure that's tight as well.
Yes, I found the steering to be too sensitive too, ESPECIALLY when going over water covered roads. I just got rid of the power steering all together. Not feasible for your mom, I know, but there aren't really any adjustments you can make.
I'm not familiar with the '92's interior, but with my '90, you remove the outer plastic trim which stars at the ashtray and wraps around the top of the steering wheel to the vents. There's a screw under the left-hand vent and near the ignition switch IIRC.
Might be a good idea to invest in the factory manual or at the very least, a Hayne's/Chilton.
i would take the manifold covers off and look for cracks, they are very comon on the AE92 Corollas/early 4afes, luckily you can get the newer improved model on ebay for like $70 with gaskets
my '89 corolla would get exhaust leaks at the flange on the bottom of the exhaust manifold and would have to be tightened every 6 months or so
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Another similar Corolla just passed by our garage a few hours ago and it seemed to sound exactly the same as ours. Could it be the normal sound? I don't have an audio recording device so I couldn't record it.
Thanks for the tip on the ATF cooler lines and retightening them. The radiator's aftermarket and could also have lost its tight snug fit with the hoses. Will check tomorrow. When I flushed the radiator of the other Corolla (1995 model mentioned above) I located the drainplug, and hosed it with water til it came out clean. I could do the same, but this one's an autobox. By any chance would this leak lead to a burning smell after driving?
Take off the manifold covers? Would it be of help if I told you that I cleaned the engine bay twice since July? I'm not sure if that would create a crack or stress point as the engine was a bit warmed up but I did let it cool down before spraying.
Also, the throttle response is a bit lagged. When you stepped on the gas there seems to be a few milliseconds where the throttle would lag and then kick in. Like you're tugging on a rubber band. It will stretch first before snapping. Something like that.
EDIT: By any chance, would a pulsating feel while stepping on the brake pedal indicate warped rotors? If so then that's another symptom. Plus, the brakes feel spongy, maybe the rear drums need replacing because as far as I remember only the front brakes have been changed. And the handbrake lever has to go high to get a good grip. Am I right about this?
I could drop by at the local Pep Boys or Autozone for a Haynes Manual, I know that when I drop by at Pep Boys I get to read it for free (lots of open manuals there).
Cracked exhaust manifolds are common on Corollas of this vintage. New ones can be had on Ebay for about $70, as ratboycom says. Also, the manifold bolts can work loose (this happened on mine), which would produce the same effect. It is also possible that the muffler is just rusted out internally, which could cause the same kind of sounds.
The radios on these are kind of a hassle to get out. Nearly the entire dash needs to be removed, and if you use the search feature here you can find posts that detail the procedure. On the bright side, it makes radios in these cars REALLY hard to steal!
Power steering on these cars is a bit twitchy, and I agree that it is too sensitive. You might try putting on wider tires or lowering your tire air pressure a little to try to cancel out the effect. It sounds to me like your "lag" on acceleration may be due to low trans fluid...I'd check the level. A pulse felt in the brake pedal is usually caused by a warped rotor, and they are cheap and easy to change. Sounds like you are about due for rear brakes. Regards, Aaron
I guess I'll have to make do with the steering. It's my mom's car and she wants it to remain stock. No flashy stuff she said. Will check tire pressures again. Last I checked they were OK.
With regards to the other stuff, I checked the ATF and it was NOT red. I know I need to have it flushed ASAP. It's at the max level alright but needs changing along with the filter.
Good point with the radio. Tried it ourselves and couldn't. She was worried about it being stolen. So now we're more or less OK with the radio right now.
Will check the exhaust manifolds when we get the time to. When my dad arrives in December we'll DIY it ourselves and see where it can go. Any tools you might want to hint on what to use? I have those ratchet-click wrenches (but only small sized ones), open end ones and 2 monkey wrenches. I'm pretty sure it's not needing a screwdriver.
On the exhaust I noticed that when it passes above the subframe mount on the rear wheels (like a mountain peak, it goes up and bends down) the tubing isn't bent smoothly. Like the bottom half of the tube had to be hammered upwards to give way for the subframe. Is this normal? Or did somebody monkey with it? Looks stock to me.
Sounds like it is definitely time to have the trans serviced. I would have it FLUSHED as well as serviced, and I'd replace the fluid with synthetic. It is more expensive, but synth lasts longer and protects better. If you do not have the trans system flushed, then the only fluid that gets changed is the fluid in the pan. The fluid in the pan is only about 30% of the total fluid in the system.
To check the manifold, you have to take the heat shield off. There are about 6-8 10mm bolts that have to be removed in order to get to the bolts that hold the manifold on. Be CAREFUL when removing these small bolts, and soak them with WD-40 before trying to get them off. Otherwise, you will probably break them as they are usually rusty. The bolts that hold the manifold on are either 13mm or 14mm. So you will need a 10mm wrench, 13mm wrench, 14mm wrench, and some WD-40. Make sure all of the bolts are tight, and there are no cracks in the manifold. The manifolds usually split right down the center.
The tires are 175/70-13 stock (I think)...when you change them again you might want to step up to 185 or 195. This might help the twitchy steering a little. I just replaced the exhaust from the intermediate pipe back, and there should not be any flat spots in it. That may be the problem you are having with your noisy exhaust. Regards, Aaron
Thank you once again. When we have time we will have it done. Right now school's shelling out tons of projects for us to cram for. I can easily check that exhaust manifold as per your instructions, seems I have the tools too. Hope the screws aren't too deep though.
If my memory serves me right the tires have already been upgraded to 185/XX/13 so I'm not sure about the XX but it's pretty much what you often see on the road.
When the car's up at the lift I'll also have the exhaust pipe kink checked too.
Thanks again. Will update you when it's done, or if anything comes up.
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I can easily check that exhaust manifold as per your instructions, seems I have the tools too. Hope the screws aren't too deep though. 
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