I recently got an oil change at EZ Lube and since then my engine seems to be running a little harder. You can feel it vibrating more than normal while idling and when stopped at a light when it turns off, it REALY turns off like it's choking out and sort of kicks the whole car a bit when it shuts off. Any idea what this is or if it's a common problem? I just switched the air filter just in case as it seem similar to my old car that would die if the carburetor wasn't bringing in enough air, but I'm not as familiar with fuel injected engines. Could it be the fuel filter or other engine issue? Thoughts?
I would check the oil level......then stay away from these drive through oil change places. The guy changing your oil was probably flipping burgers the day before. Pay the extra few dollars, have a experienced mechanic work on your car.
That sounds like a misfire problem. I would go through the engine bay and ensure everything is plugged in. I don't see what they could possibly unplug on accident but weird things happen.
Go check the oil level now. They could easily have over-filled it. You *did* use the correct Toyota air filter, right? And you didn't put it in upside down? It's easy to do that...
Assuming that you've checked oil level already, take a look at the igniters (top of the valve cover just behind the oil filler hole). Check that there's not a huge puddle of oil in the recess there where the igniters sit.
Since you seem to think its aspiration related and it sounds like it is be aware you may be due for a thorough throttle body cleaning. Lots of posts about it lately. I have a complete post about how to easily & safely to clean it. Please search back about 20 of my posts.
yep, looks to be overfilled (about a half inch above the F dimple). The problem was happening before the air filter and yeah I have the right one and it's upside down etc... I'll have to get this oil thing sorted out, hopefully too much damage hasn't been done. My oil was changed Feb 3rd. :/ So how much do I need to drain? 1/2qt, 1 qt...? Or should I go back to the place and have them fix their mistake?
If it's only half an inch above the full mark then don't sweat it. That's not your problem and it's not going to hurt the car. The dealer just did the same thing to me and my car is running perfectly.
Did you knock the air flow meter when fitting the new filter? Or had you been tinkering with it before you fitted the filter?
I'm not sure what it is but a slight overfill of oil will not cause the problem you describe. I wish you were closer so I could help you diagnose the problem because we have nothing else to go on except your initial description. Have you verified that all of the visible plugs in the engine bay are plugged in properly and that no wires appear to be broken or burned through? 2. Ensure that your air filter is seated properly and that your MAF sensors are clean. 3. Ensure your spark plug wires are bolted down and seated properly and there is no oil in the area. Many oil change companies will perform a multi-point inspection after they change the oil. This can include checking and adding fluids, windshield wipers, battery, serpentine belt, air filtration system, lights, etc.. It is possible for someone to lean into an engine bay and knock something loose or even unplug something and forget to plug it back in. I'll assume there are no malicious workers who want to screw with you by deliberately messing up your car.
Half inch overfilled is getting up there, not good. Air filters have to get very dirty to restrict flow enough not to meet engine needs, especially with a small displacement generally low rev engine like this one.
They overfilled the oil. Who knows if they even used the correct viscosity grade? An overfill, esp. with 10W-40, fits what you describe. Take care of the obvious problem first.
Again, this all happened BEFORE I switched the air filter. I did the air filter to see if that would help. Any ideas where I can take it for a free estimate? I went into Toyota since I have an appt tomorrow to do the pedal recall, and they'll check it but I found out they charge over $100 just to look at it (unless they find nothing then they don't charge you). Would I be better off going to a regular mechanic instead who will check it for free because I'mm broke.
Why don't by looking at the things that have already been pointed out. Half an inch overfill on the oil is too much, you should drain some until you get it correct. I've had 1/8" or 1/4" overfill before and it's no real problem, but 1/2" is where I'd start to get concerned. Also look were I said to see if the igniters are swimming in oil, it's easy to spill oil into those recesses on the top of the valve cover if you're not careful filling the oil. (and obviously these guys weren't careful because they overfilled.)
