Toyota - Rav4 :: 1997 Vehicle With 185k Miles Burns Some Oil
Feb 11, 2008
1997 Rav4 with 185k miles burns some oil. I replaced the PCV valve thinking that may be the issue. That seemed to stop the visible smoke at a cold startup but alas, the problem still persists. We bought the car for a song at 180k so I don't feel I'm out much. The previous owner took incredible care of the car so it is solid in most areas.
I did learn the previous owner followed a dealer recommend oil change interval and changed the filter with every other oil change so this may explain some things.
My real question, if the engine does need a refresh, what is the best option? I've not at all afraid of tackling a major overhaul myself and, in the past, have had pretty good luck with aftermarket rebuilt short blocks. But that was years ago. The dealer cost for a crate motor is outrageous and not justified for a '97 anyway. So at this point, I'm just looking for some advice from others who may have been down this road. Again, the rest of the car is solid and we don't have much money in it at this point so would like to keep it as our 'second' car for awhile.
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I have a 1997 Toyota RAV4 with 137,500. I got it in 2004 with 93,000 miles. Since I've had it, it burns about 1 quart of oil every 1,000 miles or so. I don't think it's been getting worse since I've had it. I had the compression in the cylinders checked last year, and the compression's good in all four of them. What the problem might be? It the problem worth repairing, or should I just keep adding a quart of oil every 1,000 miles? Also, does burning oil damage other parts of the car?
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I would like to tow a camper with my 2015 Rav4 4 cylinder. The tow capcity is 1500 lbs. Is it even possible to tow a small camper with this vehicle safely? If so, what type and style of camper?
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Friday I went to pick my daughter up from the school. Turned 2010 Rav4 off while waiting on her and then attempted to turn back on. I have a smart key, so it is just a matter of pushing the button, but nothing. Band teacher attempted jump starting it with no results. Next day my husband purchased a new battery from AutoZone and we installed it. Have lights, etc. now but it still won't start. tried putting the key up to the on off switch to get it to start, still nothing. It doesn't even sound like the car is even attempting to turn over.
There are multiple lights on in the dash, the check engine light, oil pressure light, electric power steering light, and the automatic transmission fluid temp light. I just had my car into the dealer to have the oil changed, tires, rotated, and the 25 pt. inspection done on it. Upon raising my hood the other night, I noticed that the reservoir for the radiator was empty. It should have been full, as I just had it into the dealership, so where did it go. Should I add coolant to it. Is there something that needs to be done after changing the battery?
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I have a 2007 RAV4 Sport and it is making a noise..... kinda like a rubbing noise, almost a squeaking noise. It happens when I first start up my car and more when the weather is colder. After a few minutes of driving it stops. It also seems to be louder when I am idling, and quiets down once I begin driving again. It seems to be coming from the right front part (the right side if you are sitting IN the car, the left side if you are standing in front of the car and looking at it) of the engine. I can see a belt down in that area...... is that probably it? I have not ever had any other issues with my car and I have had it since it was new.
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Yesterday, I was driving on the highway at a 65-70 miles per hour (basically pushing it for my '96 RAV4). Suddenly, the car turned off. The engine cut out and the battery and oil signal came on. It did not lurch as if I had popped the clutch, nevertheless, I went to restart it as I was going down the hill and it made it home for the next 40 miles.
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I have an 01 Ex, 6"lift, 35" tires, 185,000 miles. I have gradually gotten to this point where the steering is very loose. I can roll the steering wheel back and forth with out "catching" the wheels & with the bigger tires, they catch grooves in the road & pull the vehicle side to side. I took in to a reputable 4x4 shop & he suggested the steering gear box was going bad. So I had them replace that. That did solve about 50% of the problem. So what is the next thing to look at??? Ball joints?
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We have recently had an intermittent problem where, when I put the truck in drive after backing out of a parking spot, the truck lurches forward and then stalls. Then, when I put it in neutral and fire it back up and put it back in drive, it charges forward, and I'm hardly able to hold it with the brakes. But then, when I put it into park and turn it off and turn it back on, it's fine.
It seems as though the torque converter is locking up when I put it in drive after backing up. The truck went to the dealer for diagnostic of an unrelated issue, and they said that it happened to them as well. They believe the trans is on it's way out, but it didn't throw any codes, although they remarked that they fluid smelled burnt, even thought it was changed about 7k miles ago. It's a 2003 F250 with a 7.3 and a 4R100, 185k miles.
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My 97 Rav4 shut down on the highway yesterday. Checked the oil when I lifted the hood. It has only been 4500 since the last oil change, but the oil was barely registering on the stick. The engine will turn over, but will not start. Do Toyotas have an auto shut off mechanism when the oil gets too low or is my Rav4 toast? There were no warnings, temperature, low oil light, nothing.
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My wife’s ’97 RAV4 has 135,000 miles on it. Two days ago it started bucking/hesitating (feels more like bucking, and its worse if you try to give it the gas) at speeds below 25 -30 mph. No loss of speed/power when going uphill. Its worse when the engine is cold.
I cleaned the throttle body with spray cleaner, no change. I added Prestone fuel system cleaner to the gas and have driven 20 miles since then. Very little if any change so far. I always use good gas (Chevron regular) and the car has been well maintained (primarily by me).
Timing belt, seals and both bearings were replaced two years ago. Just about a year ago I changed the plugs, air filter, distributor cap and rotor. The fuel filter has never been changed, and the spark plug wires have never been changed. What I can try next? Where is the fuel filter located? I have the Toyota repair manual. It shows a pic of the filter, but not where its located. I have one ready to install if that could be the problem.
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This F250 has 60130 miles on it. A week ago the transmission would not engage and we had to have it towed to the dealership, so we called roadside assistance. Finally getting the report from the dealership we are verbally told that the transmission pump failed and the clutches have burnt.
The work is submitted for warranty. Last night we get a phone call that they are denying the warranty because the truck has been neglected/abused. So I asked for the service paperwork. The service paperwork states, SEALS FAILED ALLOWING CLUTCHES TO FAIL, NEEDS CLUTCHES, SEALS, AND PUMP TO REPLACE.
When I call to get clarity on the definition of neglect and the justification, I am told the inspector was shown burnt clutches and a muddy truck. When I ask about the pump and seals, I am told the inspector was never shown 1 failed seal, and the pump was fully assembled and did not appear defective.
So I call the dealership back and ask for an explanation and they tell me they will research it and get back to me. When they call me back their story is not just that the clutches failed, nothing else and that they are just replacing the pump and seals because it is recommended. The notes given by the technician to the warranty folks now state that the clutches burnt and the truck was muddy so he knows we abused it.
It would slip and then knock into gear. Transmission was service 5000 miles ago by dealer, we were told it was good, in good working order, fluid looked great, no issues.
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Two years ago a mechanic told me that my rear differential mount was broken - hitting the floor board. He told me this was not dangerous - just annoying. This is a car I rarely use but now considering using more. It currently has 170000 miles on it driven in the mild climate of California. Just what is involved and what should the cost range be?
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I have a 1997 Toyota Rav4. 2nd owner. No accidents. Regularly maintained at a mechanic. No issues until this one. I searched the forums looking for an answer, seen similar but not exactly my issue. The car has an intermittent starting problem. This never happens in the morning. It only happens when the car is driven a short distance. When the key is turned to start the car, the engine does not crank. All the electrical comes on. We had the starter rebuilt. I have had it towed to my mechanic five times. Each time, when it is unloaded from the tow truck, it starts right up. We have left it there overnight and all day. They cannot replicate the problem. I drove the car to a friend's house 1 mile from mine and it would not start for 24 hours so I had it towed to the mechanic. Again once it was unloaded it started right up. A couple months ago we did a major service with a timing chain/belt. It did not happen for a couple months. Now twice in a week it has happened. My mechanic will not do anything more until it fails completely.
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Several weeks ago someone backed into my '97 RAV4 in a parking lot. Body shop charged around $900 for the repair (estimate indicates labor for both headlights, but doesn't look like they replaced them). This afternoon one of the low beam headlights burned out. I went to change both sides just to be safe. On both headlight assemblies, grasping the wire assemblies to the low beam bulbs, the headlight assembly on both the left and right side is loose within its housing. I've changed the bulbs in the past, this is something new. Take it back to the body shop? What happened????
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I recently purchased a 1997 Rav4 (3F-SE Engine) with 162000 miles. Overall, it is a great car. The only problem (besides a clutch, which can wait) is that it hesitates/bucks between 1500-2100 rpm while accelerating. This happens usually on a shift change from 1st to 2nd, or while in 2nd and after decelerating to make a turn. This only happens after the engine has warmed up, i.e. the temp gauge is above 25%. When cold, there is no hesitation at all. It just passed emissions testing. Check engine light is off. I recently replaced the TPS (and adjusted it properly), with no change in symptoms. This car does not have a MAF sensor.
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On the way home yesterday I was caught in a deluge. I ended up having to go through one spot where the water was pooled, but not really that deep. Anyways, 45 minutes later I arrive home, park the car, and 15 minutes later the car horn starts blowing constantly. This went on for several minutes, stopped and started a few times, then eventually stopped. Nothing I tried would make it stop, it just eventually stopped on its own. So as not to wake the neighbors last night I pulled the fuse to the horn. With the fuse back in, the horn still works, what caused the problem?
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I had the timing belt, water pump and thermostat replaced on my '97 RAV4. The next morning while braking at a red light I heard a rapidly repeating sound that sounded like metal on metal. The car never made that sound again but now I'm hearing a noise coming from the passenger side of the engine (timing belt side). When the engine is cold I don't hear it. After driving a while its starts, then once the engine warms up it generally goes away (except for this morning which was the coldest morning since this started, temps in the 40s).
I was only hearing the noise when the car was stopped either in drive or reverse (reverse sounded louder) if I lightly let up on the brake pedal (there's no pulsing in the brake pedal). Once under way the sound goes away. This morning it was making the sound virtually every time I came to a stop (once the car warmed up) even with my foot firmly on the brake pedal. I recorded the sound Saturday while standing still with the car in drive and my foot slightly easing up on the brake pedal. The sound starts at the 20:30 mark, what it could be?
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I recently had the catalytic converter replaced on my 1999 Toyota Corolla and the gas mileage dropped from about 28 mpg to 21 mpg.
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When I took my new used car to the mechanic, complaining how there must be an oil leak cause well by now 9 bottles of oil in 7 weeks time have been put in, the mechanic told me the engine is burning the oil too fast. He said something about the piston, but I got all confused. He also said that the only way to fix this is to replace the engine, but he recommended not to cause it would cost more than the car is worth. This is a 2000 Toyota Corolla. Why this is happening and what i should do about it.
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Need to know if there is a kit available to fix cigarette burns in seat upholstery? I bought a 99 f150 to use for parts on my 2000 f150 and I want to use the drivers side seat. The previous owner smoked and there are a few little burns in the seat. Other than getting the smoke stink out, and the little holes. the seat is in great condition. The lumbar support is broke in my 2000s seat, and the seat cover is torn. that's the reason I want the "smokey" seat.
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I took my relatively well maintained '98 Camry to Texaco Xpress Lube and they changed my oil and air filter. I then embarked on a 400mile trip to Miami. The next morning when I went to start the car, I fogged the entire neighborhood with a thick low-lying white vapor/smoke. It was ridiculous. So, I opened the hood and noticed my coolant reservoir was nearly empty and my oil dipstick was bone dry. Thinking this was awfully strange, I went to inspect the air filter and noticed that they installed a filter that was short by about 1.5" in one dimension and I could see sand, leaves, and twigs in the bottom of the air box. The shop basically put a square filter in a rectangular air box. After some preliminary research, I've concluded that my engine is now completely ruined because of this. From what I gather, the sand in the airbox enterred the combustion chamber and proceeded to grind the internal components to smithereens. Is this a reasonable conclusion considering my engine has never had these problems before. Also, how would I even start to get some rectification?
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