Toyota

Toyota Corolla Door Handle Inside

Replacing the inside door handle on a Toyota Corolla can be done by removing one screw. Once you have the screw removed you will need to release the clip that holds the linkage to the door handle and then replace it in reverse order. The inside door handle seldom cracks, but it can happen making your Toyota Corolla unsightly.


New Toyota Corolla inside door handles are fairly inexpensive if you buy one from someone other than the dealer. After market inside door handles can be bought for less than ten dollars and they are good enough quality that you would never know that they were after market unless you studied them up close. A few quick searches ought to yield you several places to choose from to buy an inside door handle.

2003 Toyota Matrix Door Handle Covers Chrome

Our 2003 Toyota Matrix has painted door handles and they are always getting black surface marks on them from daily use. The marks look unsightly and they need to be removed with wax every time it happens.
To fix this annoying problem with my 2003 Matrix I found some chrome door handle covers and put them on the doors and no more problems. The chrome is durable and it doesn't show any blemishes after use and accents the look of the doors at the same time.
If you keep getting the door handle blemishes, or worse chipped paint on the door handle you really need to consider the protection of chrome door handle covers.

2003 Toyota Corolla Door Handle Covers Chrome

The 2003 Toyota Corolla has painted door handles and they are always getting black surface marks on them from daily use. The marks look unsightly and they need to be removed with wax every time it happens.
To fix this annoying problem with my 2003 Corolla I found some chrome door handle covers and put them on the doors and no more problems. The chrome is durable and it doesn't show any blemishes after use and accents the look of the doors at the same time.
If you keep getting the door handle blemishes, or worse chipped paint on the door handle you really need to consider the protection of chrome door handle covers.

1995 Toyota Corolla Outer Door Handle

One of the most important things to do if you are going to keep an older car is to keep it in shape. If it is left to deteriorate and get ugly you will get turned off to it and wind up spending tons of money and tax on a new car.
Keep your Toyota Corolla in shape.


One problem that I have found with my 1995 Toyota Corolla is that the door handles get ice built up under them and usually causes them to crack. Replacing the door handle is easy, all you have to do is remove the inner door panel. First remove the screws in the arm rest and the inner door handle. If you have power windows you will need to unplug the window/lock switches in the armrest by popping the switch panel up off of the armrest so you can see the wires and plug. Unplug the wires and remove the switches. If you have manual windows you will need to remove the window crank. There should be a clip behind the crank than needs to be pulled out, once it is out the window crank should come right off.

Once you can see inside the door you will see the back of the outside door handle, remove the bolts and linkages for the door mechanism and the handle should come right out from the outside of the car.

Replace the door handle and re-assemble in reverse order. That should be an inexpensive fix that should last you for years.

1995 Toyota Corolla Power Window Stops Working

It starts off slow, first the window starts to close slower and then, after a few months the window will be noticeably slower in both directions. No, spraying WD-40 inside the door won’t help. The only thing that will fix it is to replace the unit that raises and lowers the window, called a regulator. The window regulator is essentially a slide mechanism with a cable coming out of each end and an electric motor in the middle to drive the slide either up or down.


Once the slide wears out it creates drag on the cables and motor slowing down the window.
Replacing the window regulator is a fairly straight forward job.

1) First thing to do is remove the inside panel off of the door and unplug both electrical connectors in the door armrest that go to the window switches and power locks.

2) Carefully remove the plastic vapor barrier, it is stuck on the door with a non-hardening rope caulk and it will peel away easily.

3) Once the plastic vapor barrier sheet has been removed you will see the window regulator and the window attached to it. You will have to position the window so you can get to the two bolts that hold the window to the slide. Once you can get at the bolts, all 10 MM bolts and nuts, and support the window while loosing the bolts and lift the window out of the door.

4) With the window removed from the door you will be able to remove the window regulator easily. Looking at the regulator you will see four nuts holding it to the door. Remove all of them from the bottom up and take the regulator out through the largest opening in the door panel.

5) Once the old regulator is out install the new one in reverse order.

6) After attaching the wiring harness to the new regulator run the regulator window mount down to where you can access the bolts to install the window. When you attach the window be sure to square it up on the regulator mount. Now run the window up slowly and see how the window lines up in its tracks. When the window closes it should contact all of its edges equally and you will have to loosen the window regulator and move it around slowly until the window becomes square in its track. Once square tighten the window regular and run the window up and down watching to see that it hits the closed position square.

7) Double check that all of the hardware has been put back on then re-attach the plastic vapor barrier, connect the wiring harnesses and attach the inside door panel.

When I replaced my window regulator in my 1995 Toyota Corolla a couple of years ago it cost me $375.00 at the dealer for just the regulator and motor, I still had to install it. Now Toyota Corolla power window regulators are offered on E-Bay for under fifty bucks!

Toyota Headlight Lens Care

When it was new our 1995 Toyota Corolla had a clear headlight lens covers, but through the years of road debris and weather the lens yellowed and become pitted. The yellowed look made the lenses almost look like they were permanently steamed over. I started looking for ways to clean cloudy headlights the right way.

There are several opinions and ideas on how to restore a headlight lens to its original clear look. Cleaning a headlight lens is best done with a headlight cleaner; something made specifically to clean headlights.

1) If the headlight is cracked and damaged and you just want to clean it until you get a new one using a polishing compound on the lens to remove the haze will work, the only problem with that is the compound actually removes some of the plastic film on the lens as it makes them clear. Once, the clear protective layer is removed by the compound, the lens will cloud up again very quickly so it is not the best remedy to use the polishing compound on a headlight that you want to keep.

2) The second, and best, way to clear up a cloudy lens is to use a product or system that is designed as a headlight cleaner. Headlight lens cleaners are designed with the correct chemical solutions so you will be able to clear up the lens and keep the original outer layer of plastic intact which will allow the lens to stay clear longer. This is the cheapest way to fix the problem of a cloudy headlight and let the light out so you can see better while you are driving.

3) If your headlight lens is cracked through to the inside of the headlight and heavily yellowed they will need to be replaced with a new set. The best deals that I have found on replacement headlights is on E-Bay, they are cheaper than the dealer and most auto parts stores, if you can even find them there. A new set of headlamp lenses or restoring your lenses back to clear again will make your car look great and it will almost look brand new from the front again.

Diagnose Car Trouble

I ran across a great suggestion in Popular Mechanics magazine pertaining to saving your cars computer memory when you change the battery.

When you disconnect the car battery all of the memory that saves the engine performance data is reset to zero or baseline. When that happens you have to drive your car for several miles before the computer re-learns the engine performance data which allows your engine to perform at its best.

Deleting the cars computer memory may cause your engine to run rough and possibly get bad gas mileage until the computer is re-taught. Plus, if you are scheduled for a smog test for your car right after the memory is reset your car may fail the smog test.

On way to prevent the memory from being lost when you change the battery is to hook a 9 volt battery to a cigarette lighter plug and insert it into the lighter. The 9 volt battery will be enough to keep your car computer memory active while you change the car battery so your car will run just like it did before you changed the battery.

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The Scangauge II is one of the best engine monitors on the market that allows you to track your gas mileage and engine performance while you drive.

Fuel Filter Change On A 1995 Corolla

Changing the fuel filter on the Toyota Corolla is no easy task. Unlike most fuel filters that just snap on and off, the Corolla fuel filter in mounted on the bottom of the firewall right in front of the driver. You just can't reach down to the filter and get a wrench on it to loosen the compression fittings, you will need to remove some parts to gain access.

First I removed the air cleaner and the air breather hose going to the plenum. It was necessary to remove the tire to gain access to the filter from a different angle because the threads were hard to turn. They weren't cross threaded, just hard to turn either on or off.

Before I started any of the work to remove the fuel filter I disconnected the battery to be on the safe side. You really have to crawl around to get at the fittings and the possibility of creating a spark was a concern. Once you get on the fittings you just have to wrestle them off, there is no quick way.

Re-installing a new fuel filter is just as challenging. I just had to keep turning the fitting one flat at a time until it bottomed. I hope my Corolla is unique in the difficulty in getting the fuel filter on and off as the rest of the car is great. But plan on spending some time changing the fuel filter, it is no five minute job.

Once you are finished installing the new filter make sure to check for leaks. If you do see a leak, and you are positive you didn't cross-thread the fitting it just may need another turn of the wrench to stop the leak.

Toyota Corolla Power Door Locks Won’t Move

On a 1995 Toyota Corolla the power door lock on one of the back doors stopped working, the lock wouldn't even move by hand. It was actually stuck in the unlocked position and it would not move when it was pushed down manually so there was no way to lock the door.

After taking the door panel off I checked the locking mechanism and it seemed to be unobstructed so there was no real reason why it wouldn't work until I checked the locking actuator and found it to be seized up and unable to move at all.

I removed the actuator, a small gear driven solenoid made by GeCom. Carefully removing the cover from the GeCom unit I found two broken plastic gears inside the unit. The teeth were broken right off from what looked like plastic fatigue. How the actuator works is when the door is locked there is a constant pressure on the gears from a spring inside the unit holding the lock down. All of that pressure just wore the gears out after ten years of service.

One thing you can do to be able to use the lock manually is to remove the actuator and leave it off, you just have to remember to lock the door by hand when you leave the car. I had tried that for a few months and got tired of it so I put a remote door lock kit on all of the locks so now one button locks them all.
It gives peace-of-mind knowing all of the kids are locked in when driving through town.
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Find out more about power door lock replacements for your Corolla, visit: http://www.alltoyotacorolla.com

Toyota Corolla Starter Replacement

One day when you go out to start your Toyota Corolla you may hear nothing, at first, when you turn the key, then all of a sudden the starter will engage and start the engine. As days and engine starts go on you notice that it takes longer for the starter to do anything when you turn the key so you decide to replace the starter.

If you are having problems where your Toyota Corolla won't start, you may want to check one thing before you spend money on a new starter. If you have the time and can check out the starter you have before you need to buy a new one you may find that all you need to do is clean out the starter coil. If you need to remove and replace the starter quickly then consider keeping the old one as a spare and fore-go the core charge.

A year ago I had the same problem with my 1995 Corolla and being pressed for time I bought a new starter and just planned on doing an R and R job. After I was finished installing the new starter I decided to take a look at the old one. I removed the cover over the coil that engages the starter drive along with providing power to the starter itself as the gear moves forward to engage the flywheel a set of contacts moves forward as well and provides a path for the electricity from the battery to turn the engine over. The symptom you heard, or didn't hear, when you turned the key and nothing happened was the solenoid wasn't moving forward to engage the flywheel, so no power would go to the starter either.

After pulling the cover off of the coil I found a coating of rust or corrosion covering the metal piece (armature) that moves in and out as the key is turned. The corrosion prevented the armature from moving so after removing the rust with crocus cloth (a real fine type of sandpaper used on metallic surfaces) the armature moved in and out freely which essentially fixed the starter problem.

Since I had already installed the new starter I couldn't bring it back for a refund so now I have a spare, but if you are having the same symptoms with your starter you may want to try cleaning the armature first.

Removing the starter looks harder than it is. You need to remove it from the drivers side but first disconnect the battery and remove the air cleaner hose going to the air intake. If you have cruise control you may need to remove the cable for that if it goes over the starter because it will hang you up from removing the starter. It's not a five-minute job but you can get it done in 45 minutes.

Bob Crane is the author of http://www.americanwrenches.com - a site that helps many find tools they need for their projects.