Du car people: help a sista out

So I have a 1998 Toyota Corolla automatic.

Today it was raining and the parking lot got a little flooded, so there may just be water on something.

I drove it up to the creek, and it's getting up to about 35 mph no problem, but then it doesn't seem to want to get in the next gear. When I try to punch it the engine is unhappy.

It does this when it's cold sometimes, but I drove it far enough that it should have been warmed up.

I checked all the fluids and they were all normal, as far as I could tell.

What could this be? Tell me I don't have a thousand dollar mechanic bill in my future. :(

....it meant my clutch was dying. Fingers crossed for you that it's not that.

:P

Nothing sadder than a dying clutch, though (at least if you're behind the wheel WHILE it's dying). :7

:P

You're a riot! :P

Hey, at least you're keeping your sense of humor!

That's a good thing! :hi:

At that very moment, relatively speaking, it really was the saddest thing! My bank account concurs. :rofl:

how expensive it can be to repair. I baby my little car. :hug: I :loveya: it!

Mine is black though.

Transmission? It could be slipping. :shrug:

Like, unemployment runs out in four weeks broke. :(

Call around and see. :shrug: Can't hurt to ask!

I feel your pain! :(

:hug:

and see if it's still being stubborn. I'll also take it somewhere where I can punch it a bit more and see if I can get past the point of obstinancy.

Thanks for your help. :)

there was standing water up to the bottom of the engine.

Could that be it? :shrug:

:rofl:

Let it dry out for a day or so. :P

:P

:P

Don't do that!! :rofl:

I bought a used car once and it had water in the trunk unbeknowst to me...

.... right after a huge flood in Mississippi...

I think I got taken but it ran for 2 years and then I sold it for $200.00!! :rofl:

AS IS!! LMAO!!

I fear that might be the problem with my car. Thanks.

Unfortunately, nothing auto-transmission-repair-oriented ever costs less than a G-note. :-(

However, you can always try any of the various snake-oils and magic fluids stocked by most auto parts stores. I nursed along a 1989 Toyota Corolla transmission that was slipping some by using Slick 50 transmission fluid plus maybe the Valvoline high-mileage stuff. Most reputable mechanics will state that such products are total garbage, but at $8 a bottle vs. $1K repair even for a junkyard-tranny install, it could be worth a try.

On my Corolla, it was the engine that eventually gave out, but those snake-oils kept the slushbox transmission shifting along well enough until I donated the heap to my local NPR station (hope they made some $$$ selling it for parts!).

Best of luck with the car (and the job - I read your biology career thread in E/E, but didn't have much insight to offer beyond what had already been said)!

-app

EDIT to add that water in a tranny case will cause trouble. I agree with the other posters that a flush/filter change/ refill of the transmission is step 1 in this case. You can, if you want, add some Slick 50 or high-mileage snake oil during the refill if you wish...

New trans fluid and filter can work wonders, especially if it was never done.

Also, is it a three speed or a four (three-speed with overdrive) trans? Fourth gear is disabled until proper operating temp is achieved and if the trans cooler isn't working properly it won't warm up enough in colder weather to let it shift properly.



Also, from a how-to website on car repair:

For the rough first to second shift, some of the older four speeds would wear the accumulator o-rings. Replacement of the o-rings would solve the problem in most cases. This is about the simplest transmission repair that is possible.

You can also have the transmission throttle cable adjustment checked. The transmission requires a link to the throttle position to regulate its internal pressures.

I'm in Santa Barbara, so "cold" is relative, ya know? Usually it warms up after a few blocks.

Yeah, it looks like it's time to go have it looked at. :(

Oh, and I added again: the water was probably up to the transmission case. :(

similar to the "medical advice" rule.

It's nearly impossible to diagnose an automotive problem from a post on a web site. I don't even attempt it before I ask a lot of questions, and even then I always post a disclaimer that I'm just guessing.

Some of what I'm seeing here is like:

"My ear hurts."

"Sounds like a brain tumor."

:shrug:

You'd get wet.



Okay — right now, my best *guess* is something in the secondary ignition system got wet, which inhibited the spark, which caused the loss of power. But I gotta see what kind of ignition system a '98 Toyota has before I can upgrade that from a guess to an "I figure."

So, back in a bit.



Okay, back.

Well, it's got an electronically controlled transmission (4-speed automatic), but that doesn't tell me if it's computer-controlled or just has electronic servos. If it were the former, I might suspect moisture in the control module, which could affect the upshift range — though that's unlikely, as those things are supposed to be well-sealed, and probably not located anywhere moisture would be likely to find its way.

So I'm sticking with my first guess. When you drove through the water, you probably got some splash in the engine compartment, and a bit of it may have gotten through your spark plug boots — just enough to weaken the spark. (When power's down, engines often have a hard time getting to the upshift point. The transmission senses the load differential and goes, "Do I shift now or wait?") If that's it, it'll be fine when it evaporates.

That's a damned fine little engine y'got there, btw. Good thing you got a '98, because the 1ZZ-FE was new that year and quite an improvement over the previous 4A-FE and 7A-FE.

:thumbsup:

If it were, say, a '65 Chevy, I'd bet the egg money on it. But in modern engines, all those components are supposed to be weather-sealed. They don't have distributors stickin' up through the intake manifold with just a little metal thing to keep moisture from getting through the dwell adjustment window.

You can work on the old cars. :woohoo:

I remember XemaSab talking about an abnormal amount of rain.

Oh crap. :yoiks:

This is kind of a long shot, but with the weather conditions you describe,
it MIGHT just be a combination of an older, out-of-tune engine
and water in your gas tank from condensation. (I've driven alot
of crappy cars in my day- I've seen it happen)

First (cheapest) thing I'd try is: dump a can of DryGas into the tank,
top it off with fresh gas, and then drive around for a half hour and see
if it doesn't start running better.

My wife has a 1991 Geo Prizm (same car, different logo) that was doing the same shit yours is doing. I changed the transmission fluid, and the car's fine now.

You can do this for about $25-$30 depending on the fluid you choose...get a transmission filter and four quarts of transmission fluid. Go to the library and look in their Chilton manual for the proper torque on the pan bolts and the fluid capacity. You'll need a jack and some jackstands.

Basically, you take the bottom cover plate off your transmission, let all the fluid run into a pan, unbolt the filter (it's inside the pan), bolt in a new one, put the pan back on with the gasket that came with the filter, then refill the transmission and you're set. Easy, easy job.

former could be big bucks, latter maybe not. Regardless, I wish you luck!

My Hyundai Sonata had similar (but more pronounced) problems, and I thought it was the tranny... turned out to be the innards of the catalytic converter were shot, blocking the exhaust, causing reduced performance and shifting problems.

Daughter, if it isn't better tomorrow, call Bing's. It hasn't been that long since they worked on it and I believe they are honest. Love, Mom

So I called Uncle Mike and he gave me an hour long lecture on the virtues of working for the feds starting at the bottom up.

No I am not kidding.

Oh, and he told me to take it to a transmission place and have the fluid changed. :shrug:

Sounds like good advice to me, especially since I'm sure he didn't suggest that you work for the Pentagon. Working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sounds like a good idea.

It could be as simple (and cheap) as bad spark plug wires (and coil wire, if it has such a thing).

If moisture gets between the rubber "boot" and the plug or distributor, it could cause spark failure, so you're not running on all cylinders (something I'm often accused of, esp in GD).

:hi:

If I remember correctly, Bing's changed her spark plug wires a few months ago.