Good evening,
I have a 1997 Toyota Corolla, 175,000 miles. I've had it for over 6 years now and was given to me by my mother.
It has been a good little runner, and I've had lots of repairs made to it:
- new gas tank
- new fuel pump
- new fuel filter
- new gas line
- new struts/shocks
- replaced transmission filter/fluid
- kept up with the oil changes
- complete tune up
- new tires
- new tie rods
- new CV axle
However, one repair made has caused me problems with the engine. I had the front oil seal replaced, and ever since I cannot accelerate normally. If I do, the engine wants to spit and sputter, or stutter as I call it.
I have to accelerate VERY slowly and let my foot off the gas, just a tad, as the transmission shifts in order to get up to speed. The original mechanic cannot figure out what went wrong. They replaced the timing belt, twice, the tensioner, the crankshaft position sensor, the MAP sensor, all to no avail. He says the engine is timed correctly. But he still can't figure it, and what's even more crazy is that the car is throwing no error codes. He had the car for a week last year and still couldn't figure it out.
I like my car. Yeah it's old, and other than this problem it still operates fine. But I would sure love to have this problem fixed. Do you have any recommendations? Do know of any reliable mechanics in or around the Kokomo, IN area? My older brother is a mechanic and he says to have the crankshaft gear and the harmonic balance replaced. I dunno.
I'm at my wits end and I would humbly appreciate any help you can lend me. Thank you for your time.
I had the front oil seal replaced, and ever since I cannot accelerate normally.
Replacing the oil seal itself would not in and of itself cause the engine to stutter. Unless the problem is coincidental something must have been disturbed.
The original mechanic cannot figure out what went wrong.
You need a better mechanic.
They replaced the timing belt, twice, the tensioner, the crankshaft position sensor, the MAP sensor, all to no avail.
In other words they just tossed a bunch of parts at the problem rather than diagnosing it. That almost never works. Hopefully OEM parts were used, especially for the sensors. Aftermarket sensors frequently do not work properly.
what's even more crazy is that the car is throwing no error codes.
Why is that "crazy"? Not every problem throws a code. Did the mechanic bother to analyze live data for problems?
My older brother is a mechanic and he says to have the crankshaft gear and the harmonic balance replaced.
What does he base that recommendation on?
Do know of any reliable mechanics in or around the Kokomo, IN area?
There are a few mechanic referrals in the FAQ but unfortunately I don't believe there are any in your area. You might ask friends, co-workers, and family members about their experiences with local mechanics. Avoid dealers and chain shops such as Pep Boys, Midas, etc.
Make sure the exhaust system isn't plugged up
1. Replacing the oil seal itself would not in and of itself cause the engine to stutter. Unless the problem is coincidental something must have been disturbed.
* I was thinking the same thing. I wonder if something was damaged, disturbed as you put it, and they couldn’t figure out what it was.
2. You need a better mechanic.
* HAHA, yeah, in this case. Thing is I can’t find one. Even the local junk yard folks, who are very good folks, don’t know who to recommend.
3. In other words they just tossed a bunch of parts at the problem rather than diagnosing it. That almost never works. Hopefully OEM parts were used, especially for the sensors. Aftermarket sensors frequently do not work properly.
* Yep, pretty much. In their defense, however, they did say that they did a lot of research during the week they had the car last but came up empty. So at least they tried. I’ve been going to this same mechanic for over twenty years and this is the first time something like this has ever happened so overall their track record has been pretty good, but in this case they messed up somewhere.
4. Why is that "crazy"? Not every problem throws a code. Did the mechanic bother to analyze live data for problems?
* They test drove the vehicle during the last time they had it. They even hooked up some kind of device to hopefully catch any error codes it may provide but it didn’t give them anything. I don’t know what else they did in the way of analyzing for live data though. But I just thought it weird, crazy, that no codes were thrown. But, I also understand that not every problem throws a code. My 1973 Nova sure didn't back in the day.
5. What does he base that recommendation on?
* Practical experience. He was thinking maybe they somehow damaged the crankshaft gear when they removed it then put it back on. As for the harmonic balance, he said 29 years is a long time and maybe it was also damaged and could also have degraded over time.
6. There are a few mechanic referrals in the FAQbut unfortunately I don't believe there are any in your area. You might ask friends, co-workers, and family members about their experiences with local mechanics. Avoid dealers and chain shops such as Pep Boys, Midas, etc.
* I took the car to the local Toyota dealership when the problem first occurred and after spending $145 and wasting two hours of my time, all they could recommend was to adjust the valve shims, BUT they could not guarantee me that would fix the problem. I said no thanks and left. I’ve been looking for a local shop with folks who will properly diagnose the problem but so far have come up empty.
Thank you for taking time to answer my question. I really appreciate it.
I took the car to the local Toyota dealership when the problem first occurred and after spending $145 and wasting two hours of my time, all they could recommend was to adjust the valve shims, BUT they could not guarantee me that would fix the problem.
A dealer is not going to want to do much with a car that's nearly 30 years old. Most of their technicians were in diapers or not even born yet when that car was made. Also the way dealer technicians are paid discourages taking the time to do a proper diagnosis.
There are a lot of things that can cause the kind of symptom you are experiencing. I would first look and see if there are any vacuum lines or electrical connections that were disturbed when the oil seal was replaced. Since the crank pulley/vibration damper needs to be removed to do that job possibly something was messed up there, causing problems with the crank sensor. (The crank sensor is likely generating position data based on reading that pulley. Possibly that's what your brother was thinking of when he said to replace it.)
I'd think any mechanic would look at those things first but we have no way of knowing exactly what troubleshooting steps have been taken. Obviously on a car that old everything has to be considered suspect but if the problem occurred right after that seal was replaced it is highly probable that something was messed up when that job was done.
For what it's worth, a free repair manual for your car containing diagnostic and repair information can be found at the link below: