Toyota Corolla is a compact passenger car, one of the best-sellers among other Toyota models. Produced since 1966. In Russia, the car has been best known since the early 2000s. Then they sold the 9th generation Corolla, and in 2006 the next generation appeared. This generation was equipped with 1.4 and 1.6 liter gasoline engines (97-124 hp), with which the car was delivered to Russia. In 2012, the 11th generation Corolla premiered. This car was delivered to the Russian Federation from Turkey until 2021, then restyling took place. On the Russian market, the car was presented with petrol engines of 1.3, 1.6 and 1.8 liters. In 2021, Toyota released the 12th generation Corolla.
What gearboxes and what kind of oil for them can be found on a Corolla
The manufacturer installs manual and various automatic transmissions in Toyota Corolla. It all depends on the modification of the car. For example, the Toyota Corolla 150 has a K311 variator. Therefore, only the following brands of oil are used in the box:
- for warm climates - Toyota CVT Fluid TC under catalog number 08886-125;
- for the harsh regions of the far north, the manufacturer recommends Toyota CVT Fluid FE.
Attention! If you fill in any other oil, then there will be no such clutch between the belt and the pulleys in the automatic transmission that the original provides. This means that the service life of the variator will decrease. Therefore, it is so important to comply with the regulations of the Japanese manufacturer.
If the driver is in doubt about what kind of oil to pour into a robotic gearbox, it is recommended to read the manual for the operation of the automatic transmission. Or fill in the following oil in the box, which the manufacturer initially uses:
- Geniune Manual Transmission Gear oil LV under catalog number 08885-81001.
For a four-speed hydraulic automatic, the manufacturer recommends ATF Type T IV. This oil is found in almost all automatic transmissions from the birth of vehicles at the Toyota plant. Such oils are suitable for early Corolla models up to 2004.
After 2004, the manufacturer recommends ATF WS for hydraulic automatic transmissions. But you can use analogues, since the U340E automatic transmission itself is quite durable and, with proper care, covers 300 thousand kilometers without major repairs.
Analogues include:
- Total Fluid XLD FE;
- Mobil ATF 3309.
If the car owner has an 11th generation Corolla and does not know what oil is in the box, then he should refer to the owner’s manual. It should be taken into account that from the 11th generation the manufacturer stopped producing automatic cars. Only mechanics and a variator are used.
- for mechanics, all lubricants that have the specification APi GL IV, SAE 75 W are suitable;
- The same oils that were listed above for CVT gearboxes are suitable for the CVT.
Experienced car owners and mechanics do not recommend saving on CVTs and robots. You cannot fill them with cheap oil or use them without changing the lubricant and carrying out preventive maintenance until the last breath of the box. Since restoring a CVT transmission or purchasing a contract one will cost the car owner a high price.
It is recommended to replace the filter device along with the transmission fluid. Usually it is a rectangular metal case with a felt membrane inside or mesh.
It can only be reached by opening the automatic transmission pan. It will also need to be cleaned and metal dust or shavings removed from the magnets. You also need to change all gaskets and seals on the drain and fill plugs to prevent the rubber from drying out and lubricant leaking as a result.
If a car owner doubts not only what kind of oil should be poured into a Toyota Corolla vehicle, but also how much, then the operating book for the machine will help him with this. Usually it takes 4 liters for a partial shift, and up to 10 liters for a full shift.
If a car owner wants to know what oil to pour into the engine, then the next block will tell him about it.
What's new?
In this generation (2012-2018), the car’s appearance has become more expressive. The improved aerodynamic performance of Toyota https://www.toyota-kurgan.ru/ was ensured by the smoothness of the sedan's silhouette; as for the drag coefficient, it is only 0.28.
The increased wheelbase (10 cm longer) gave the model a sportier profile. This entailed an increase in length (+ 9.9 cm) and length (+ 1.6 cm), but the height of the car, on the contrary, decreased, by 1 cm at once, which was done deliberately - this makes the car look more aggressive.
In addition to this, the overhang indicators have changed: the rear has decreased by 2.4 cm, and the front has increased by 2.3 cm.
Corolla engine oil
If a car owner is in doubt about what kind of oil should be poured into the engine of a Toyota Corolla vehicle, here are the following tips from the Toyota concern manufacturer itself:
- Idemitsu Zepro Eco. This type of lubricant completely compensates for poor fuel. Recommended for use in areas with low quality gasoline or diesel. Reduces the load on the mechanical parts of the motor during operation;
- Toyota Fuel Economy 5W30. Reduces fuel consumption while driving around the city. Reduces wear of mechanical engine parts;
- SN0W20. This is a semi-synthetic lubricant for car engines. Provides effective pumping even at low temperatures, as it covers the surface of the entire system with a film. This differs from those lubricants that cover only the rubbing parts with a film;
- Mobis Extra Gasoline 5W20. This is a Korean manufacturer. When using this oil, the engine does not become dirty during the time it is supposed to pass according to the regulations without replacement. The same lubricant has good viscous and lubricating properties and envelops rubbing parts with a protective film;
- Xenum Nippon Runner 5 W30 for Toyota Corolla 150 engines. For cars with mileage exceeding 150,000 kilometers. Protects mechanical engine parts from rapid wear, restores the functions of oil seals and gaskets. A car owner who fills this oil will start the car in frosty temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius.
Attention! It is strictly not recommended to pour a lubricant called Getriebeoil LV75W into a Toyota engine. It is not designed to work in temperatures below minus 15 degrees.
When choosing a lubricant for the engine, you need to pay attention to the year of manufacture of the car. For example, for car engines produced in the 1990s, any lubricant manufactured according to ILSAC GF 1 standards is suitable.
If the topic of what kind of oil to pour into the gearbox or engine of a Toyota Corolla has been discussed, then the next block will talk about replacement intervals.
Features of choice
All presented products are divided into three large groups: mineral, semi-synthetic and synthetic oils. The first ones are made from oil. They have the lowest cost, and are used in old cars from the 90s to the 70s. If you have a modern foreign car manufactured in 2000 (and later), then it is recommended to use synthetic or semi-synthetic products.
Such oils (unlike mineral oils) have many advantages, including:
- High thermal and chemical stability.
- Higher turnover.
- Resistance to temperature fluctuations.
- Long service life.
- Better penetration.
Lubricant change intervals for engine and automatic transmission
The manufacturer recommends changing the lubricant in the Toyota Corolla box at the following time intervals:
- partial change of used fluid - 30,000 kilometers;
- complete hardware replacement by replacement - 60,000 kilometers.
Attention! On older cars, it is additionally necessary to install second cooling radiators. Since the oil overheats greatly in the hot season, when standing in traffic jams, when moving on dirt roads in rough terrain.
In automatic transmissions, CVTs and robots, it is recommended to check the level every ten thousand kilometers. And after towing another car (if the towing was long - more than 100 km), it is recommended to immediately replace the lubricant.
For Corolla engines, the oil change interval is 10 thousand kilometers if the car is new. If it’s old, then the interval is reduced to 5000 kilometers.
More details about what kind of oil to pour into the Toyota Corolla engine and how to do it were discussed in the previous article.
The next block will show you how to make the replacement yourself in a Corolla machine.
Sequence of checking the lubricant level in a manual transmission on a Toyota Corolla 150
Instructions for checking the oil level in a manual transmission.
Filler plug location
Lubricant level control
Normal lubrication level
How to change the grease with your own hands in a Corolla automatic machine
Steps for changing the oil in a Corolla automatic transmission:
- Warm up the car. It is advisable to ride it so that all components of the machine are involved.
- Place the machine on a pit or overpass.
- Turn off the engine and take a container to drain.
- Get under the car and unscrew the grease drain plug.
- Place a container under the poured oil.
- Wait until everything has merged.
- Unscrew the pan bolts and remove it. You need to be extremely careful, as there may still be residual waste liquid in it.
- Clean the tray from shavings and soot. Remove the old gasket and replace with a new one.
- Unscrew the bolts that hold the filter and remove it. Install new one.
- Apply silicone along the edge of the pan and screw it to the bottom of the automatic transmission.
- Now the car owner can unscrew the dipstick from the filler hole and insert a funnel there.
- Fill in about 4 liters of oil. It is recommended not to fill everything at once, but to do intervals of several seconds between lubricant fills.
- After these steps, you will need to close the hood and start the engine.
- Warm up the automatic transmission and drive about five kilometers so that the oil spreads throughout all the components and lubricates all the mechanical parts of the automatic transmission.
- Stand on a flat surface and turn off the engine.
- Open the hood, unscrew the dipstick and wipe it with a lint-free cloth.
- Re-insert the dipstick into the hole.
- Pull it out and look at the level. If the lubricant has reached the Full level, then everything is fine. If the level drops, you need to top it up.
This completes the partial replacement of the lubricant. If the car has a mileage of more than 80 thousand kilometers and has not had a complete replacement, then it is necessary to do it. A complete change of mining is carried out in specialized workshops using a high-pressure apparatus. Experienced mechanics do not recommend doing it yourself.
After each oil change or top-up, experienced car owners recommend adapting the gearbox. You need to customize the machine for yourself in order to achieve a level of comfortable driving. This procedure is called gear ratio adjustment.
Checking the oil level and condition
A running engine, a level platform and the P gearbox set are prerequisites for properly checking the lubricant level. It is advisable that the car not be driven for 4-5 hours before the inspection. However, the automatic transmission and engine must be warmed up to an operating temperature of 80-90 degrees. You can drive 15-20 kilometers or let the engine idle for a while (the air conditioning is turned off). The gearbox lever must be smoothly switched through all steps, then returned to parking mode.
You cannot diagnose the oil level on a car that has previously been driven at high speed for a long time, operated in the heat, or towed a trailer. In this case, you need to stop the car for a day, and only after that proceed to the check.
Instructions for checking the ATF level and condition:
It should be in the Hot zone - quite often it is distinguished by notches on both sides. If the level is lower, add the required amount of fluid. Then check again. It is also important to check the color of ATF and its consistency. The oil should not smell like burning, otherwise this will indicate the need for replacement.
The Cool zone shows the fluid level on a cold engine. It is intended to approximately determine the amount of lubricant in case of replacement.
For most modifications of Toyota Corolla with front-wheel drive, the dipstick is located on the left side of the car in the direction of travel. It displays the amount of fluid in the automatic transmission - not to be confused with the dipstick on the right! But in rear-wheel drive Corollas, which have a longitudinal engine, the dipstick is located in the opening between the rear side of the internal combustion engine and the body - here it is almost invisible.
After 2000, Aisin Warner began producing boxes without a probe. The technology for controlling the lubricant level in this case is different. The manufacturer has provided a special hole at the bottom of the crankcase, through which it is possible to much more accurately determine underfilling or overfilling of automatic transmission fluid.
The process of changing automatic transmission fluid
If you want to replace the fluid yourself, you will need the following in advance:
Using a funnel, pour clean oil through the fill hole in the amount that was drained.
The process consists of several stages:
When pouring oil, pay attention to the fact that the volume of drained and new fluid must match.
It is better to add a little less lubricant than to overfill it. Adding transmission fluid to an automatic transmission is easier than pumping out excess fluid.
