Sportivo rev problems

[BoostBoy]

Hi. Not sure if I'm posting in the right area, so I apologise if not.

I'm pretty in tune with my cars and have owned all Toyotas, but this is the first time I have owned a 2003 Corolla Sportivo. Something doesn't seem right...it doesn't seem to rev like I think it should. At first I thought it was maybe because i was used to my old turbo Corolla SX, but that went out the window when I was being out revved by a Daewoo :P

It seems to be ok until about 4000 rpm, then from 4000 rpm to red line it struggles a lot. It does eventually hit lift and there is a noticeable sound and a little bit of a kick, but by that time everything on the road has passed me. Now I know these engines are supposed to be quite revvy and are supposed to have the power-to-weight ratio of a standard Commodore V8 (so I heard), but this car is quite frankly a slug.

Is there anything obvious i should be checking for? The car has done 115,000km's was recently serviced and has a good service history. Could it be something as simple as changing the spark plugs, looking at the timing, etc? I guess I just need to know if this is a common problem with a straight forward answer, or whether i need to take a trip to the mechanics (I really want to avoid that).

Thanks for any help.

[dezzymun]

whats the oil looking like? and what type of oil is being used?

[eviltwin]

It sounds to me like a sensor is playing up , take it and have it plugged up to a diagnostics program at a dealership and see what error codes if any she throws

[dyslexik]

Have the tranny looked at as well.

[BoostBoy]

eviltwin that sounds like the go...I doubt oil would be responsible for the lack of power. Possibly spark plugs but I know for a fact they've been changed recently.

I know the owner before me was playing around with the intake and put a CAI in...he had disconnected a few things and I have noticed a vacuum line and a loose wire that are not plugged in...could an intake sensor be responsible for this you think?

[BoostBoy]

Have the tranny looked at as well.

I've noticed when cold third gear crunches really badly...but that could be unrelated and probably just needs some good oil. Also the clutch seems to be fine...not sure what else in the tranny is worth looking at. As I said it seems that the motor itself is struggling to rev...almost like there is a blocked air filter (which there isn't)

[dyslexik]

I've noticed when cold third gear crunches really badly...but that could be unrelated and probably just needs some good oil. Also the clutch seems to be fine...not sure what else in the tranny is worth looking at. As I said it seems that the motor itself is struggling to rev...almost like there is a blocked air filter (which there isn't)

Fuel filter changed at 80,000kms?

The synchros might be worn, but more often than not it's best to have the tranny fluid reach operating temp before you start hammering it. Once, warm does 3rd gear still crunch?

Might think about changing the MT oil if your concerned. There has been some extensive discussions on this forum in regards to which MT oil would suit the Corolla sportivo and some have been recommended with using Nulon super smooth 75w90 with a tube of Nulon G70 additive.

Your acceleration problem could relate to many things in regards to what others have already mentioned, so taking it to a mechanic to run a diagnostic check would be your best bet to locate the problem.

[Kenshin X]

eviltwin that sounds like the go...I doubt oil would be responsible for the lack of power. Possibly spark plugs but I know for a fact they've been changed recently.

I know the owner before me was playing around with the intake and put a CAI in...he had disconnected a few things and I have noticed a vacuum line and a loose wire that are not plugged in...could an intake sensor be responsible for this you think?

pictures would help... cuz that vacuum line should be blocked off and "left hanging". as for the wire... there shouldn't be any loose wires anywhere in the chassis (whether cai/no cai)

[dyslexik]

If your concerned about the install of a cai, you may want to check this out to see if its done correctly.

http://au.toyotaowne...p?showtopic=711

[eviltwin]

If your in Melbourne im happy for you to have a look at my stock engine bay and vice versa to try and diagnose a vac line leak and i can take a look for you and inspect the car im more than pleased with my gearbox since replacing the oil in it!

[Delvance]

Castrol VMX-80 in the gearbox and nulon additive too...good shiz. Made my gearbox shift ok at cold start and the box has over 200,000 kms of spirited and track driving on it (it's an rb25 box - known for cold shift issues too). Heard redline is good too but there's something about it being more of a band-aid fix..some info on sau from memory.

Sorry no idea on the rev issue though, not familiar with the 2zz.

[xoom]

as stated ..... could be a number of things ...... if the cai isnt hooked up right then u could def have an issue .... also could be possible that the dude before you when he put the CAI on might have over oiled the filter if its a oil based on and possibly mucked up the MAF ...... if the MAF is not right ur car will run like an absolute dog.

[BoostBoy]

Maybe I didn't explain myself properly, but the previous owner had the CAI in it....when I bought the car he put the standard air filter setup back on...leaving one of the vacuum lines hanging and blocked off as shown here

I figured out that the other loose wire was from an aftermarket alarm.

Is it true that just for a mechanic to bring up the error codes it's like $300? That's pretty pricey for some diagnostics. Also can most mechanics do this, or do I have to take the car to a toyota dealership?

The gearbox runs fine after it is warmed up...but yeah when it's cold third gear will crunch and also it can be hard to shift out of first and second.

Thanks for all your help so far

[eviltwin]

As previously stated more than pleased to take a look for you rather than you wasting your coin