I've got an automatic '93 1.6L engine car with a few problems. First I'll start with the one that has me most confuzzled.
Today when trying to take my brother to the bus stop my Corolla would not start. This has happened before. What happens is the lights on the dash turn on(I believe, "check engine", "battery" & "oil"), which I think is normal light bulb diagnostics, but when I turn the key all the way to the right the "brake" light turns on and nothing happens. I do however hear a "click" and a whirring sound, when listening to the engine while my brother tried starting it I also heard a "hiss" from somewhere near the top of the engine, almost like air is being released from somewhere.
I've heard that this could be a safety feature that protects the car from turning on while in a forward or reverse gear. This has happened maybe about five times in the month I've owned the car. Sometimes pushing the floor brake in while trying to start it makes it turn over. Sometimes shifting the shifter to neutral and back to park, then hitting the brake makes it turn over. But today it really seemed like it wasn't going to turn over at all, but then I tried very slowly turning the key to try and start it and low and behold it started up.
This has really got me confused because it doesn't seem like there is any rhyme or reason why it suddenly starts up. There is no logical series of steps I can do that makes it start everytime, it's like it has a mind of it's own. Also once it's done it, it usually will not do it again for about a week. The fuel was rather low today, but it's done it on half a tank as well.
Second problem!
Power steering leak. The hose has a leak in it and I was told by an auto shop that the rack also has a leak in it. Now I would expect to see puddles of power steering fluid on the ground under the car if the rack was leaking, but I haven't seen any fluid collection under my car. But I do lose fluid. I have located atleast one leak at the top of the hose. It's not terribly large but it does leak some fluid. This is supposedly splashing on to the belts, or has splashed in the past, which makes my car sound like it's in agony when I first start turning the steering wheel after starting it up. Give it a few minutes and the sounds die down to a barely audible chirp.
Few questions:
Power steering hose doesn't look too hard to replace. It looks like someone could snake their hand up through the bottom and unhook it, possibly. I am not sure if I could get auto shop to do this for me, I am thinking they'd want to take the rack out and I am truely not sure which would make for a quicker job. Snaking your hand up into cramped spaces or removing the parts out one by one and replacing the hose "properly".
Another question is, just not dealing with replacing the hose and possibly patching the hose or putting some sort of tape around it to seal off the leak. I am thinking this isn't the best idea since the hose has already shown that it's dying. But I am thinking it'd be nice to be able to patch it, swap the belts out and stop the squeaking. Also I'd like to drive the car maybe a few thousand miles and see if anything else craps out on me before I go plunk down a couple hundred(or more) for hose/rack replacement therapy.
Also brakes need to be done and I am thinking timing belt/water pump replacement might not be a bad idea as well.
I'd like to do the work myself, but I feel an entire rack replacement is a bad idea in the hands of a newb like me.
Any suggestions would most graciously be accepted...
- Klinky
A few issues with my '93 Corolla.
Linear Mode
