E12/E120 Corolla ?

[Joe144]

Hi All new to the forum, first post and new to the Corolla. I bought a Corolla for the first 

time at the beginning of the Pandemic March 2020. A trusty Clio i had owned for a few weeks

decided to die lol..and had stuck diesel injectors, my goodness, broke my heart. So the 04 

Corolla with 198,000 was like an emergency buy and i bought it on a chance really, so we could 

get to the shops etc. Well i've driven the car for over 14 months, woww what a pleasure and a great little car.

My first question is a simple one and probably obvious but ..Is the E12 and E120 designations for the Corolla the 

same thing ?? is it just an abbreviation ? 

I put the Corolla through NCT/MOT about a month ago and it failed on axle imbalance over 30 percent, some CV boots/ 

transmission oil is what they called it too but not sure if they meant the driveshaft transmission area/ Seal . Anyway i will find that out

too hopefully. and rusted break line/ lines, not sure which yet. Anyway i'm going to try and start with the suspension..the left hand 

shock absorber is shot i think, weeping. So a mechanic friend of mine gave some/ get it done as quick and cheap as possible advice/

and said just get a left sided second hand strut ? But wouldn't it probably be better to get two second hand struts ? from the same car and 

replace ? Perhaps get two new shock absorbers and recoil the springs etc. and replace ? I'm presuming this is causing the imbalance which 

it might well be. 

Anyway sorry for so many questions, I'm just a fairly inexperienced DIY driveway mechanic learning and im not too young either but i know 

in my heart of hearts that i want to keep this little Corolla and see what i can learn. Thanks very much. Joe. 

 

  

 

[flash22]

E12 and E120 is the same thing its part of the model code, the 2 letter before it is the engine code

30% Imbalance - refers to the front brakes - the brakes need to be checked for wear and are moving freely, and the caliper is not seized

Split CV boots will lose their grease or do you mean the gearbox is leaking

 

What is the exact wording on the NCT sheet

[Joe144]

Excellent thanks. Thanks for the diagram 🙂

 

[oldcodger]

Would never dream for fitting second hand shocks,  and never just one, always axle pairs.

You can get reasonable quality New ones for as little as £25 each.

You will need a set of spring clamps and ideally have the camber and toe settings reset once all back together.

Get a can of penetrating fluid to treat all the nuts and bolts a day before you start work.

Brake imbalance  Front or Rear or both ?   - as said, check pads, discs, Slider Bolts and caliper pistons are moving freely, doubt its really down to a leaking shock.

Oil, could be CV rubber covers and /or driveshaft to transmission housing oil seals.

Brake pipes,  could be anywhere, but where the metal pipe joints the rear brakes rubber hoses corroded on mine,  more a garage job with the right brake pipe tools.

 

 

 

 

 

[Joe144]

8 hours ago, flash22 said:

E12 and E120 is the same thing its part of the model code, the 2 letter before it is the engine code

30% Imbalance - refers to the front brakes - the brakes need to be checked for wear and are moving freely, and the caliper is not seized

Split CV boots will lose their grease or do you mean the gearbox is leaking

 

What is the exact wording on the NCT sheet

NCT says,     Suspension : Front Axle  Nearside 69mm  Offside 36mm ...Imbalance 48% .... Imbalance above 30% .... Major Fail 

So not the brakes, as i said the shock is weeping oil so as good as done I would say but could be other factors involved. 

 

It also says, CV boot  frayed/cut  NearsideFront, Outer ...Major Fail 

This is the one that's a bit confusing ... CV Joint /Excessive wear at universal joints/couplings or transmission chains belts ...

 

Shock absorber ..leaking ...nearside ...Major Fail ...

[Joe144]

4 hours ago, oldcodger said:

Would never dream for fitting second hand shocks,  and never just one, always axle pairs.

You can get reasonable quality New ones for as little as £25 each.

You will need a set of spring clamps and ideally have the camber and toe settings reset once all back together.

Get a can of penetrating fluid to treat all the nuts and bolts a day before you start work.

Brake imbalance  Front or Rear or both ?   - as said, check pads, discs, Slider Bolts and caliper pistons are moving freely, doubt its really down to a leaking shock.

Oil, could be CV rubber covers and /or driveshaft to transmission housing oil seals.

Brake pipes,  could be anywhere, but where the metal pipe joints the rear brakes rubber hoses corroded on mine,  more a garage job with the right brake pipe tools.

 

 

 

 

 

As I said to Flash22 ..the imbalance was to do with the suspension not the brakes. Thanks for reminder of Camber and Toe ..not so familiar with it and 

yes i agree that shocks are fairly reasonable its  probably the route to take. Thanks for the link.  I think the mechanic was just thinking of getting it through the NCT quickly etc so he mentioned throwing a strut/coil spring/ absorber assembly into the car. I have another car so can take my time and hopefully put some new parts in. 

 

Yep i haven't tried to look at the brake pipes at all and fair play to you for leaving it in with the garage. I might see how far i can go with the brake pipe though as a job ..if it gets too much then get someone else to do it, but wouldn't mind having a look at least ..maybe that will be all says you lolol...Thanks for your imput. Joe 

[flash22]

Never heard of a shock imbalance

CV Joint /Excessive wear at universal joints/couplings or transmission chains belts

Just referenced the NCT handbook - the simple answer is the CV joint is shagged (the one with the split boot has shot is grease and/or got dirt in it)

page 99

https://www.rsa.ie/Documents/NCT/New 2018/NCT Manual 2018.pdf

[Joe144]

4 hours ago, flash22 said:

Never heard of a shock imbalance

CV Joint /Excessive wear at universal joints/couplings or transmission chains belts

Just referenced the NCT handbook - the simple answer is the CV joint is shagged (the one with the split boot has shot is grease and/or got dirt in it)

page 99

https://www.rsa.ie/Documents/NCT/New 2018/NCT Manual 2018.pdf

Looking at the nearside shock earlier today to confirm that it is leaking etc. so am presuming that it has less power to make a return when compressed than one which is not. Not sure how they test it though during the NCT itself. Thanks for throwing a bit of light on the CV joint and that NCT manual is a real help to contexualise stuff ..exact same wording as whats on the failure sheet. I was mooching around the Corolla this morning, spraying the Axle nut etc. I managed to break the two bolts and nuts free and undo on the Strut fairly easily. So confident enough that i can replace the shock etc. Still tempted to stick a second hand strut/coil spring/ shock into it but you never know how many miles are left on the shock..but might be a good exercise for me ..gain some experience and move onto the CV boots. What is putting me off putting a new shock into it ..is the dust cover which i think is toast and bump stop and all that jazz. 

[flash22]

You need to compress the spring to change the shock, this can be deadly as it's under compression, get a local place to swap the new shock for you

bump stops and covers are cheap and available

[Joe144]

8 minutes ago, flash22 said:

You need to compress the spring to change the shock, this can be deadly as it's under compression, get a local place to swap the new shock for you

bump stops and covers are cheap and available

Yes a very serious amount of force involved absolutely. Safety first but i would still give it a go. Seems like compressing the springs safely is critical on either recoiling the tool ..in gentle enough steps on two or two rewinders. Or rewinding them simultaneously. Having it pointed directly towards your neighbours house lol ..only joking ... have you ever tried it ? 

[Joe144]

Yes taking to the local Garage etc. seems like a good option too. thanks for the suggestion. 

[flash22]

Yes i have changed a few in my younger days, never use the single hook type compressors

eg.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274817145723

i had one slip on me once

 

 

[Joe144]

Right, i've heard it said a couple of times already to stir clear of them, what you just said 

they don't seem that stable. Presuming you escaped that slip, thank god. I had my eye

on this pair if i ever get around to it .. cheap enough but seem a bit more stable than the single hook ?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333591583265?epid=25021238736&hash=item4dab9b9a21:g:VzgAAOSwYHxWKOMT