Car talk? Free Repair Advice from an Expert?

I'd like to get one of those....Rick, is there a reasonably affordable one you would recommend?

I think the best deals are usually on Ebay or Amazon. The most popular seem to be the orange ones, I think they are called Actron scanners. I've seen them on Ebay for $20... these little ones give you the code but not the spelled out issue. The bigger ones spell out what's wrong like "misfire cylinder #2"... it wont tell you why there is a misfire (could be ignition, fuel, or low compression) but it gives you a direction to start. If you get the scanner that only gives the code, it's easy to just google it along with your make and model... you will find the answer but check two or three different ones to make sure it's accurate). I'll get into using the internet to not only diagnose your problem, but to also do the repair yourself if you have the tools and the will. Even with all I've learned, there are too many issues on too many models to know everything... the net will save you big bucks if you know how to use it.

I haven't used the single unit scanners, only a laptop (Digimoto 5) and a couple of apps on my phone with the bluetooth. One thing I noticed was that for newer cars there seemed to be a bunch of sensors that were not supported - meaning you could read the code if they went bad, but you couldn't interpret the data while the engine is running.

In your experience, are the manufacturers sticking pretty close to OBD2 standards, or is there a whole bunch of "Toyota muffler bearing knock sensor not supported" brand specific stuff coming out now?

Hi Rick,
I recently bought a 1997 Toyota Corolla. It runs great and I am happy, but when I'm driving on the highway the temperature gauge sits at the bottom cold reading. (And the heater doesn't work bery well.) If it sits idling it will warm up to the normal range. Is this a problem I should take care of immediately or is okay if I continue to ignore it? Thanks

If the gage is giving an accurate reading, then your problem is most likely the thermostat being stuck open. The thermostat regulates the amount of coolant that is allowed to exit the engine and enter the radiator to cool. A normal operating thermostat will stay closed until the engine reaches 170-190 degrees depending on the car. This ensures that your engine is operating in the ideal heat range which is important for air/fuel ratio... a colder engine will need a richer fuel mixture and when it warms up the engine will lean out.

For the heater to work at max temp, you need to make sure your coolant is full and no air in the system (if you hear water movement/gurgling behind the dash you have air in the system). If coolant is full, then it's the thermostat not being closed or opening too soon which allows too much cold coolant from the radiator to enter the heater core (which is like a small radiator that air blows through to give you cabin heat). The thermostat is pretty cheap easy for a novice to change on that car... I can give you detailed instructions if you want to tackle it.

Nobody that matters wrote: I haven't used the single unit scanners, only a laptop (Digimoto 5) and a couple of apps on my phone with the bluetooth. One thing I noticed was that for newer cars there seemed to be a bunch of sensors that were not supported - meaning you could read the code if they went bad, but you couldn't interpret the data while the engine is running.

In your experience, are the manufacturers sticking pretty close to OBD2 standards, or is there a whole bunch of "Toyota muffler bearing knock sensor not supported" brand specific stuff coming out now?

Some codes on the cheaper scanners are too generic to be useful, so it just depends on the car and scanner I guess. But for the most part, they are worth buying because most of the common codes do help point you to the right area.

Mr. Peabody, let me start by saying how much I appreciated your performances in the cartoons! I especially like your adventures when you and Sherman jump into the way-back machine and time travel.

I'm not nearly as experienced as Rick when it comes to being a mechanic but it I had to guess from the information you shared I'm guessing you have a thermostat that is stuck open. A thermostat, gasket, and a tube of blue glue ought to do the job and unless you like really pricey parts stores I have to believe you can get all of the parts inside $20 (maybe a bit more more if you need to buy a jug of anti-freeze). I will also admit that I have never replaced a thermostat on a 1997 Corolla so have a look here for the "how to:"

otisptoadwater wrote: Mr. Peabody, let me start by saying how much I appreciated your performances in the cartoons! I especially like your adventures when you and Sherman jump into the way-back machine and time travel.

I'm not nearly as experienced as Rick when it comes to being a mechanic but it I had to guess from the information you shared I'm guessing you have a thermostat that is stuck open. A thermostat, gasket, and a tube of blue glue ought to do the job and unless you like really pricey parts stores I have to believe you can get all of the parts inside $20 (maybe a bit more more if you need to buy a jug of anti-freeze). I will also admit that I have never replaced a thermostat on a 1997 Corolla so have a look here for the "how to:"

Yup, good find Otis, I was going to mention youtube videos as well but forgot. And Mr Peabody, I forgot to address your question about whether it's harmful to drive as-is, and the answer is no. However, you fuel mileage may suffer just a bit if the air fuel mixture stays richer than optimal but you'll probably not notice.

Edit to add, for those of you who also have inefficient heaters but normal temp, you probably have a restricted heater core, especially if you've ever dumped stopleak in the system (I don't recommend unless its an emergency)

Rick, not sure if that particular car has problems with air locking in the cooling system. I had a Dodge Sprint with a inline turbo six cylinder engine, changed out the coolant in the spring one year just as a matter of routine maintenance and that sumbeach immediately over heated. Turns out on that particular model when you drain and refill the coolant Dodge recommends jacking the front end up in the air at a 30 degree angle because air would get trapped in the thermostat housing and it would drastically reduce the flow of coolant. Not sure why that was but it seemed to me that it was more of a design flaw than a special maintenance procedure!

Thanks Rick and Otis
Now that I know what it is I will probably take a shot at fixing it when the weather allows. I have replaced a thermostat before although this one looks a little harder to access. ( Otis-Thanks for the kind words but its great to be retired here instead of the Hollywood rat race.) Great column Rick. Thanks