HP for '96 Toyota Corolla?

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A colleague of mine was astonished that her aging-but-still-reliable '96 Toyota Corolla had trouble ascending the relatively steep pitches of the Greater New Orleans Bridge when she had to go to the West Bank of the river recently. She managed to get to 47 mph by downshifting her automatic tranny; but then everyone else on the bridge, SUV drivers and others, thinks driving here is a sort of 3-D version of Grand Theft Auto, and she found herself a hazard to navigation.

The Corolla of that year apparently has 105hp. My old '84 Ford Escort was even more underpowered, but I don't recall having trouble navigating the bridge. (Of course that was in '88 to '91. Back then SUVs were not so prevalent and the West Bank was less overpopulated.) Is it possible her Corolla needs a tuneup, or is this normal for a 20-year-old economy car?
 
Does it still have 105hp? How hot and humid and was the AC running?

It's quite possible it does need a tune-up, or it's just worn out and having a hard time in your hot, humid environment.
 
Both? It's normal for a 20 year old car to be worn out... or in need of a tuneup.

Looks like 100-115hp, depending upon year and engine size (1.6L and 1.8L).

Sounds like it is time to throw some parts at it. Does she have any history on the car, like when the last time plugs, wires, filters etc were done?
 
Yeah, something is wrong. Those cars should be fine for normal traffic if you use your right foot. Fuel filter or clogged injectors, or plugged cat?
Our 1992 115hp sentra was quite decent with the manual trans anyways. It also had a mysterious minor power loss problem but it was a $500 car at that point and never got fixed.
 
Originally Posted By: javacontour
Does it still have 105hp? How hot and humid and was the AC running?

It's quite possible it does need a tune-up, or it's just worn out and having a hard time in your hot, humid environment.

Come to think of it, yes, she was running the A/C, and had 1 passenger, too. The car is normally used for surface street commuting and grocery-getting. I've ridden in it, and it's fine for that sort of driving. She doesn't care for driving on the Interstate, though she will if necessary. So it's quite possible the engine is carboned up. It was her mother's car, and that lady, to hear my colleague tell it, had less interest in cars than a cow does in calculus.

She stops every week at a local neighborhood garage/mechanic shop to buy gas, and to have done whatever they say needs done. The shop has a good reputation, however. And she's not clueless, just uninterested in cars. The issue may never come up again, as she never plans to go to the West Bank again (a sentiment I concur with, even though I live there). But if she does need the car to get up and go at some point, she'll need it.
 
Corolla requires very little maintenance however, it is still necessary.

When was the last time the trans fluid changed?
When was the oil changed?
When was the spark plug changed?
When was the Throttle body cleaned?
How is the condition of the parts like spark plugs wires, O2 sensors, coolant, etc.
etc.

If she can answer that has been done within the last 6 months, then something is wrong with the engine.
Otherwise, do those maintenance and go from there.

Yes, it needs more than a tune up.
 
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We had a 94' Corolla with the same engine.
Ours ran like a scalded ape.
No issues on the interstate even with a/c on and three people in it.
Maybe carboned up like you said.
 
Recently went over that bridge in the RV and didn't think it was that steep.? Didn't think the traffic was that either, anywhere after Minneapolis just seems tame. Sounds like a issue somewhere as other's have mentioned. Maybe you need to drive it for her.Some are afraid to bounce it off the rev limiter a few times.
 
Originally Posted By: Bud_One
We had a 94' Corolla with the same engine.
Ours ran like a scalded ape.
No issues on the interstate even with a/c on and three people in it.
Maybe carboned up like you said.


Thanks man, I needed that LOL, The Ape in my Corolla must have died......
 
Originally Posted By: Bud_One
We had a 94' Corolla with the same engine.
Ours ran like a scalded ape.
No issues on the interstate even with a/c on and three people in it.
Maybe carboned up like you said.


That sounds awfully optimistic.

My ECHO with probably slightly more power, VVTi, lighter weight, etc.. will definitely struggle in the hills with the AC on.

105 horse is 105 horse. A new O2 sensor or plugs isn't going to change that.
 
I had a 93 Corolla wagon (non functioning AC) with a 5 speed and the 1.8 which I recall was something like 110 hp or something. It wasn't fast but highways and hills were no problem. My current 2000 Corolla with 125 hp and 2 dead O2 sensors has no trouble handling hills with 2 overweight passengers and 2 80 pound dogs in the back seat. Maybe that 96 has a dragging brake?
 
I agree with the suggestions re tune up, etc. They are likely true.

But what came to mind was the really simple: is the throttle opening all the way?

It may be an easy fix with a throttle cable adjustment. Maybe it's stretched, or the accelerator pedal is not pulling it all the way open.

Just trickling around town wouldn't show it to be an issue, but the bridge climb would.

Being a NOLA native (Atlanta resident now), I have to wonder how she'd navigate the high-rise bridge on I-10 heading to/from Slidell. That would seem tougher than the river bridge.

HTH.
 
Originally Posted By: eagle23
I agree with the suggestions re tune up, etc. They are likely true.

But what came to mind was the really simple: is the throttle opening all the way?

It may be an easy fix with a throttle cable adjustment. Maybe it's stretched, or the accelerator pedal is not pulling it all the way open.

Just trickling around town wouldn't show it to be an issue, but the bridge climb would.

Being a NOLA native (Atlanta resident now), I have to wonder how she'd navigate the high-rise bridge on I-10 heading to/from Slidell. That would seem tougher than the river bridge.

HTH.

As I'm sure you know, the inhabitants here all crawl up toward the top of the High-Rise. Perhaps they're afraid they'll develop nosebleeds from the dizzying altitude.

I mentioned some of these points to the owner of the car. She admits the Corolla is overdue for certain services, though she's not sure what is involved in a tune-up. She may believe that changing the oil would make a difference in the acceleration, or something. She's definitely going to mention this lack of power to her mechanic. A clogged catalytic converter, throttle binding or not opening properly, or new plugs (or all of them) might well be the issue.
 
Originally Posted By: javacontour
Or just a floor mat that doesn't allow her to put the pedal to the floor...
+1

My grandma had a Jeep Patriot that I drove to the store and I was wondering why it would rev past 3,500 RPMs. She had 2 floor mats, one was shoved up under the pedal.
 
Originally Posted By: CELICA_XX
Originally Posted By: Bud_One
We had a 94' Corolla with the same engine.
Ours ran like a scalded ape.
No issues on the interstate even with a/c on and three people in it.
Maybe carboned up like you said.


That sounds awfully optimistic.

105 horse is 105 horse.



Considering I owned an 88' S10 with the Iron Duke 2.5 (92 hp) at the same time , I'd have to down shift from 5th to 4th for every overpass - the Corolla was a lot better off in the power dept. , no downshifting needed
grin.gif
 
Originally Posted By: CELICA_XX
Originally Posted By: Bud_One
We had a 94' Corolla with the same engine.
Ours ran like a scalded ape.
No issues on the interstate even with a/c on and three people in it.
Maybe carboned up like you said.


That sounds awfully optimistic.

My ECHO with probably slightly more power, VVTi, lighter weight, etc.. will definitely struggle in the hills with the AC on.

105 horse is 105 horse. A new O2 sensor or plugs isn't going to change that.



Corolla weights 2300 pounds. My 94 1.8L 7AFE Corolla with a 5 speed will do 75 mph up mountain passes with the A/C on no problem.

Something is definitely wrong with hers. I bet it's all carboned up and needs a complete tune up - plugs wires, and most importantly, cap and rotor. I do my cap and rotor about every 30K because it gets fouled up.
 
Originally Posted By: Bud_One
Originally Posted By: CELICA_XX
Originally Posted By: Bud_One
We had a 94' Corolla with the same engine.
Ours ran like a scalded ape.
No issues on the interstate even with a/c on and three people in it.
Maybe carboned up like you said.


That sounds awfully optimistic.

105 horse is 105 horse.



Considering I owned an 88' S10 with the Iron Duke 2.5 (92 hp) at the same time , I'd have to down shift from 5th to 4th for every overpass - the Corolla was a lot better off in the power dept. , no downshifting needed
grin.gif



You just made my morning!

Compared to a 92 HP S-10, or perhaps my old 67 HP 240D, the 105 HP Corolla must seem pretty good...

But scalded ape!??!

lol.gif
lol.gif
lol.gif
 
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