Free Carina With Running Issues

[italianie]

Hi,

From tomorrow I'll be joining the Toyota Carina club. as we are being given a 1997, P reg, 1600 cc manual Toyota Carina in red, with 142k miles on the odometer. The car is coming in running condition but with potential running engine issues, and is taxed and mot'd until the end of the year.

I don't know the owner at all, he has been referred to me by a friend who knew I was looking for a car for little cash. Basically the owners getting a brand new car so is happy for us to have the old toyota for free, given its age and condition. I'm just going to give him a small donation, to cover the remaining road tax, which is only fair.

Here's the key part of the email the owner sent me outlining the cars condition.

"We put in new tyres in December. Just has oil change last week. New Gear box in November. It is an excellent car with 142k miles. It runs perfectly. We noticed that on long runs when the engine gets hot it shudders as if only three 3 cylinders are firing, it is intermittent and the car keeps going. So at some stage in future it may need attention, but it is going well now."

So there we have it, not knowing the car, I'd very much appreciate your thoughts on whether the heating / engine problem its coming with is resolvable without major money being thrown at it. Someone's mentioned to me it could be the piston rings which sounds expensive!!! Also the car will mainly be used for an 160 mile motor-way journey which will be done twice a week.

[toyotaowner2]

Hi,

I'm pursuing the same problem with a 'P' reg 1800 carina 'E'. I have changed plugs, ht leads, distributor cap and fuel filter. So far it looks as if the problem is gone but we'll see. The next consideration would be injectors but these are expensive! Total cost for this sourcing ht leads and dist cap via eBay approx £100. Perhaps experienced toyota people can make other suggestions?

[italianie]

Hi,

I'm pursuing the same problem with a 'P' reg 1800 carina 'E'. I have changed plugs, ht leads, distributor cap and fuel filter. So far it looks as if the problem is gone but we'll see. The next consideration would be injectors but these are expensive! Total cost for this sourcing ht leads and dist cap via ebay approx £100. Perhaps experienced toyota people can make other suggestions?

Thanks for the suggestions, at least I have a starting point. I take it the parts you mention are fairly easy to change yourself on the Carina. I guess I'll need to have a look under the hood when I get the car tomorrow, and perhaps get hold of a Haines manual.

[BALIKBAYAN]

Hi,

I'm pursuing the same problem with a 'P' reg 1800 carina 'E'. I have changed plugs, ht leads, distributor cap and fuel filter. So far it looks as if the problem is gone but we'll see. The next consideration would be injectors but these are expensive! Total cost for this sourcing ht leads and dist cap via ebay approx £100. Perhaps experienced toyota people can make other suggestions?

Thanks for the suggestions, at least I have a starting point. I take it the parts you mention are fairly easy to change yourself on the Carina. I guess I'll need to have a look under the hood when I get the car tomorrow, and perhaps get hold of a Haines manual.

It is easy to determine if the injectors are bad or not. Meassure the resistance in them. It should be around 13.4 -14.2 ohms.

[trev3635]

You mention measuring the resistence of the injectors. I was wondering how you would do this? Can you do it with the engine running and do you need to take the electrical connections off the injectors? Thanks.

[eddieinvader]

Hi,

From tomorrow I'll be joining the Toyota Carina club. as we are being given a 1997, P reg, 1600 cc manual Toyota Carina in red, with 142k miles on the odometer. The car is coming in running condition but with potential running engine issues, and is taxed and mot'd until the end of the year.

I don't know the owner at all, he has been referred to me by a friend who knew I was looking for a car for little cash. Basically the owners getting a brand new car so is happy for us to have the old toyota for free, given its age and condition. I'm just going to give him a small donation, to cover the remaining road tax, which is only fair.

Here's the key part of the email the owner sent me outlining the cars condition.

"We put in new tyres in December. Just has oil change last week. New Gear box in November. It is an excellent car with 142k miles. It runs perfectly. We noticed that on long runs when the engine gets hot it shudders as if only three 3 cylinders are firing, it is intermittent and the car keeps going. So at some stage in future it may need attention, but it is going well now."

So there we have it, not knowing the car, I'd very much appreciate your thoughts on whether the heating / engine problem its coming with is resolvable without major money being thrown at it. Someone's mentioned to me it could be the piston rings which sounds expensive!!! Also the car will mainly be used for an 160 mile motor-way journey which will be done twice a week.

Start with the plugs and the leads it is the cheapest option.

[BALIKBAYAN]

You have to take of the connectors and then meassure the resistance.

If you have the engine running and it runs bad take of the connectors you will find that the good injectors will make the engine to run even worse when disconnected and that the faulty one will make no difference. This way is easier than meassuring the resistance.

What I have heard it is normally the cylinder 3 that gets faulty injectors.

Remember that there are plenty of different injectors out there. Be sure to get the correct one. Double check the partnumbers.

[e-noel]

Hi,it is defo the injector leads i replaced mine with second hand ones

From tomorrow I'll be joining the Toyota Carina club. as we are being given a 1997, P reg, 1600 cc manual Toyota Carina in red, with 142k miles on the odometer. The car is coming in running condition but with potential running engine issues, and is taxed and mot'd until the end of the year.

I don't know the owner at all, he has been referred to me by a friend who knew I was looking for a car for little cash. Basically the owners getting a brand new car so is happy for us to have the old toyota for free, given its age and condition. I'm just going to give him a small donation, to cover the remaining road tax, which is only fair.

Here's the key part of the email the owner sent me outlining the cars condition.

"We put in new tyres in December. Just has oil change last week. New Gear box in November. It is an excellent car with 142k miles. It runs perfectly. We noticed that on long runs when the engine gets hot it shudders as if only three 3 cylinders are firing, it is intermittent and the car keeps going. So at some stage in future it may need attention, but it is going well now."

So there we have it, not knowing the car, I'd very much appreciate your thoughts on whether the heating / engine problem its coming with is resolvable without major money being thrown at it. Someone's mentioned to me it could be the piston rings which sounds expensive!!! Also the car will mainly be used for an 160 mile motor-way journey which will be done twice a week.

[Bjørn K]

You have to take of the connectors and then meassure the resistance.

If you have the engine running and it runs bad take of the connectors you will find that the good injectors will make the engine to run even worse when disconnected and that the faulty one will make no difference. This way is easier than meassuring the resistance.

What I have heard it is normally the cylinder 3 that gets faulty injectors.

Remember that there are plenty of different injectors out there. Be sure to get the correct one. Double check the partnumbers.

I bought a Carina 96 a few days ago that has the same problem. After a lot of investigation online (and on phone) the last days it looks like it is indeed the number 3 injector that is faulty when warm.

When I measure the resistance while cold it reads ~16 ohms, but when it's warm the resistance is "infinity", ie there is no longer a connection between the terminals. I also read that you should be able to use a big screwdriver as a "stetoscope" between the injector and your ear, and then be able to hear if the solenoid opens as expected.

Another tip was to swap the injector with one of the others, and see if the problem is still there with the same injector (at the new location).

Another thing is that it is very difficult to find a new/used injector at a reasonable price - at least here in Norway :(

You could probably find the correct part number at http://www.toyodiy.com/ with your VIN number.

Mine is 23250-02030 (dark blue) or 23209-02030, or Bosch no. 0 280 150 439 - 850

[toyotaowner2]

Hi,it is defo the injector leads i replaced mine with second hand ones

From tomorrow I'll be joining the Toyota Carina club. as we are being given a 1997, P reg, 1600 cc manual Toyota Carina in red, with 142k miles on the odometer. The car is coming in running condition but with potential running engine issues, and is taxed and mot'd until the end of the year.

I don't know the owner at all, he has been referred to me by a friend who knew I was looking for a car for little cash. Basically the owners getting a brand new car so is happy for us to have the old toyota for free, given its age and condition. I'm just going to give him a small donation, to cover the remaining road tax, which is only fair.

Here's the key part of the email the owner sent me outlining the cars condition.

"We put in new tyres in December. Just has oil change last week. New Gear box in November. It is an excellent car with 142k miles. It runs perfectly. We noticed that on long runs when the engine gets hot it shudders as if only three 3 cylinders are firing, it is intermittent and the car keeps going. So at some stage in future it may need attention, but it is going well now."

So there we have it, not knowing the car, I'd very much appreciate your thoughts on whether the heating / engine problem its coming with is resolvable without major money being thrown at it. Someone's mentioned to me it could be the piston rings which sounds expensive!!! Also the car will mainly be used for an 160 mile motor-way journey which will be done twice a week.

[toyotaowner2]

Hi Guys -Just an update - the misfire finally got so bad that it occurred at idle and I was able to trace it to No.3 cylinder and the injector as suggested elsewhere in this forum. Changed No.3 injector - problem solved -at last!

[blademansw]

Hi Guys -Just an update - the misfire finally got so bad that it occurred at idle and I was able to trace it to No.3 cylinder and the injector as suggested elsewhere in this forum. Changed No.3 injector - problem solved -at last!

I hope you didnt have the same problem as me after with the alarm and immobiliser throwing a spaz!

[italianie]

Ok we finally got round to getting the car on the road, and I now need more advice. I took the car out on its first run last week and noticed that it was not sometimes it was running ok, but sometimes it would slow down to a halt and even stop, then run ok again. The slowing down issue normally came when the engine was hot.

We've taken then car to a garage, who after checking have said we have 3 faulty injectors, I checked they meant 3 not the third injector and they confirmed 3 in total. I've now ordered 3 blue ones for the car at the cost of £90 inc delivery. Is the garage telling porkies or could 3 injectors really be faulty at the same time? They did check the other electrics including plugs and leads and confirmed them to be ok.

Also is their a guide on how to change the injectors as I don't really want to spend to much more cash. Fingers crossed changing the injectors will resolve the issue.

[italianie]

Ok we finally got round to getting the car on the road, and I now need more advice. I took the car out on its first run last week and noticed that it was not sometimes it was running ok, but sometimes it would slow down to a halt and even stop, then run ok again. The slowing down issue normally came when the engine was hot.

We've taken then car to a garage, who after checking have said we have 3 faulty injectors, I checked they meant 3 not the third injector and they confirmed 3 in total. I've now ordered 3 blue ones for the car at the cost of £90 inc delivery. Is the garage telling porkies or could 3 injectors really be faulty at the same time? They did check the other electrics including plugs and leads and confirmed them to be ok.

Also is their a guide on how to change the injectors as I don't really want to spend to much more cash. Fingers crossed changing the injectors will resolve the issue.

Further to this I did my own research this evening.

I let the engine run until the spluttering started, and listened for the different progressions in its spluttering. I'm now pretty sure the garage are right and 3 injectors are in fact at fault (they wouldn't tell me which for some reason, probably to stop me fixing myself). Basically going from the left side, I believe the 1st, 2nd, and 4th to be the culprits. When the spluttering occurred I found I could remove 1 and 2 injector plugs and the engine carried on getting any worse. When the spluttering was at its worse I also found I could remove number 4 without any variation. Any thoughts? I'm still hunting for a guide on how to change the injectors for when my replacements arrive.