Trying to diagnose front end issue in Corolla... - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Mölyapina · #1 12-15-2015, 09:59 PM

...asking this here because I'm guessing it's a "generic FWD" question.

The Corolla has been having some mild issues lately:

For a little bit, I've been suffering from the following:

Occasional popping from the front end when turning close to full lock/full lock.
Occasional squeaks when going over aggressive bumps slowly with the right wheel.
Occasional scraping from what sounds like the front left when making an aggressive left turn (kind of like a brake dust shield, don't know if that's it or not...).
Brake pedal has a slight dead zone before engagement.

This evening, this got thrown in:

Hummy groaning noise under braking.
Louder pops.
Hummy grinding noise under other moves, such as slight turns etc.
Squeaking more apparent...

Any thoughts? I replaced the front left wheel bearing a this summer, but haven't touched the front end other than that.

tbomachines · #2 12-15-2015, 10:10 PM

Inspect the CV boots for cracks, holes or dryness.

Sent from an abacus

P.C. · #3 12-15-2015, 10:27 PM

Yep.

Mölyapina · #4 12-15-2015, 10:36 PM

That's what I've been reading... thanks, guys.

So thankful that this happened 3 hours after my last final and not anytime before it...

INSIDIOUS · #5 12-15-2015, 11:15 PM

That ... and lube the brake parts?

Mölyapina · #6 12-15-2015, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by INSIDIOUS

That ... and lube the brake parts?

To address...?

Asking because I mentioned multiple issues re: brakes.

INSIDIOUS · #7 12-16-2015, 12:24 AM

The pads slide, and those points should be lubed. They can hang up, and make noises.

Mölyapina · #8 12-16-2015, 11:17 AM

The boots on the axles still look fine. Should I try just regreasing the CV joints, or should I replace them at this point?

If I replace them, is there an aftermarket brand that anyone likes or should I try to get my hands on a used one and reboot/regrease it? OEM axles are >$500...

Dudesky · #9 12-16-2015, 12:09 PM

What kind of noise do you get on jackstands while rotating the wheels?
I've seen these come apart from severe wear on occasion.

Zulfiqar · #10 12-16-2015, 04:57 PM

here goes

put the car on jackstands, get a large prybar and try to lift a wheel upwards while feeling the ball joint with your hand, if it moves - you need new joints - worn ball joints will cause the pop/clunk - corollas are quite light cars - their joints dont wear out early.

while on jackstands, rotate the steering wheel slowly and put your hands on the strut hats also listen carefully - if you hear a soft pop pop pop - the strut bearing is jammed. Needs replacement.

the most usual cause of such noise in a toyota camry/corolla/sienna/venza etc is the round vertical mount bushings in the control arms, take a 2ft pry bar and muscle it - if you can see the rubber is torn up - you need a new bushing. with it worn your car will handle like a bowl of custard and jelly and even vibrate the wheel at speed. in really bad cases you will encounter a sudden steer feeling when at parking lot speed.

its easy to change them though as you dont need to pop the ball joint out, just remove the bolts. Then its just hammer, hacksaw, hammer etc.

when servicing the brakes, get a packet of dielectric grease and use that to lube the pins and pad ears - make sure to wire wheel the brake pad carriers first so the abutment clips remain seated - if the pad carriers get rusty the rust lifts the clips and siezes the pad.

tbomachines · #11 12-16-2015, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zulfiqar

here goes

put the car on jackstands, get a large prybar and try to lift a wheel upwards while feeling the ball joint with your hand, if it moves - you need new joints - worn ball joints will cause the pop/clunk - corollas are quite light cars - their joints dont wear out early.

while on jackstands, rotate the steering wheel slowly and put your hands on the strut hats also listen carefully - if you hear a soft pop pop pop - the strut bearing is jammed. Needs replacement.

the most usual cause of such noise in a toyota camry/corolla/sienna/venza etc is the round vertical mount bushings in the control arms, take a 2ft pry bar and muscle it - if you can see the rubber is torn up - you need a new bushing. with it worn your car will handle like a bowl of custard and jelly and even vibrate the wheel at speed. in really bad cases you will encounter a sudden steer feeling when at parking lot speed.

its easy to change them though as you dont need to pop the ball joint out, just remove the bolts. Then its just hammer, hacksaw, hammer etc.

when servicing the brakes, get a packet of dielectric grease and use that to lube the pins and pad ears - make sure to wire wheel the brake pad carriers first so the abutment clips remain seated - if the pad carriers get rusty the rust lifts the clips and siezes the pad.

Great advice. More diagnosis is needed on this one. Unfortunately clunks and squeaks could come from anywhere. CV boots are an easy diagnosis/win but if they check out fine it's a matter of wiggling and jiggling everything in there looking for lack of smoothness. Depending on how long you want to keep the car it may be due for a full rubber overhaul. If it were me Id rule out anything brake related, CV joints and wheel bearings and wait until spring to do a full rebuild.

Sent from an abacus

PARSHOOT1 · #12 12-16-2015, 09:03 PM

What year is your Corolla? I was bot an '01 five speed on the cheap.......with the obligatory it needs work.

Mölyapina · #13 12-17-2015, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PARSHOOT1

What year is your Corolla? I was bot an '01 five speed on the cheap.......with the obligatory it needs work.

'04, so one generation newer than yours. The one thing that I can think of that I'd watch for on yours is oil consumption.. there's an issue with the design in the oil drain holes in the piston that causes them to clog and the engine then burns the oil that it can't drain.

The good news (

) is that the burning shouldn't affect the running of the engine or get much worse, you just need put in a little oil every now and then. 2003-up (the next generation) have this issue resolved.

You also have IRS where I have a torsion-beam setup and a slightly lower overdrive than I do.

What does your car need? I've always admired those cars from a distance.

Zulfiqar · #14 12-17-2015, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbomachines

Great advice. More diagnosis is needed on this one. Unfortunately clunks and squeaks could come from anywhere. CV boots are an easy diagnosis/win but if they check out fine it's a matter of wiggling and jiggling everything in there looking for lack of smoothness. Depending on how long you want to keep the car it may be due for a full rubber overhaul. If it were me Id rule out anything brake related, CV joints and wheel bearings and wait until spring to do a full rebuild.

Sent from an abacus

These are very easy cars for front end work, the problem is almost always the price of parts, OE parts like ball joints and bushings etc are in mercedes benz price range.

Zulfiqar · #15 12-17-2015, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mölyapina

'04, so one generation newer than yours. The one thing that I can think of that I'd watch for on yours is oil consumption.. there's an issue with the design in the oil drain holes in the piston that causes them to clog and the engine then burns the oil that it can't drain.

The good news (

) is that the burning shouldn't affect the running of the engine or get much worse, you just need put in a little oil every now and then. 2003-up (the next generation) have this issue resolved.

You also have IRS where I have a torsion-beam setup and a slightly lower overdrive than I do.

What does your car need? I've always admired those cars from a distance.

the oil burn issue can be slowed down by cleaning the rings with some solvent sitting in it overnight, some saturn brand cars had this issue. In those engines there are no holes at all in the oil ring channels