1997 Toyota RAV4 - Page 7 - Answered Questions & Fixed issues

Check for the alignment of your muffler. As you depress thye accelerator the engine tilts and so does the muffler.

3.9 qts. use a high quality oil and change it 7500 miles.

One of two things has probably happened. Either you have water in the distributor cap or you have water in the spark plug tubes. Both of these are an easy fix. Pull the wires off the spark plugs and check to see if there is moisture in the tubes or on the wires. If there is you can either blow it out with a blow gun (if you have an air compressor) or you'll have to do your best with rags and paper towels. If using paper towers it may not be a bad idea to leave the wires off over night to let the moisture evaporate. Next remove the distributor cap and see if there is moisture in the cap/distributor. Once again it can be dried with a blow gun. You can also use brake cleaner to help remove the moisture from the cap. Make sure the brake cleaner has dried before reassembling as it is flammable and there is open spark inside of the distributor. One or both of those should solve your issue. If not let me know and i'll see what else we can figure out. I’m happy to assist further over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/jeremy_d728a59f986299fa

TIMING BELT HAS JUMPED A NOTCH OR TWO TOYOTA SPECIFIES TO REPLACE TIMING BELT`S EVERY 60.000 MILES AND RETORQE THE HEAD EVERY 40,000 MILES ANYTHING OVER THIS CONSIDER YOU SELF LUCKY .IN JAPAN THEY DISCARD WELL SELL TO AMERICANS AND ANY OTHER COUNTRY THAT WILL BUY THEM, ENGINE`S WITH MILAGE OVER 60,000. REPLACE THE BELT AND TESNOR!?

Cleaning is not the problem it mean its not sufficient yor problem reside in either the back pressure tranducer or the solenoid has failed more than anything you will highly need a backpressure transducer where the EGR is rev the engine do you have vacuum if you do then you need a backpressure transducer if you dont go to the VSV is there vacuum on either line check this on line attached at a time. while reving the engine

Find out what the ticking sound is. Maybe check valve clearance. Changing the timing belt wasnt going to fix any "sluggish" running. have a shop check it out, verfiy that the MAF is good, fuel pressure is good, cat converter not plugged. . A good shop can diagnose it for you.

What specific code number did you get? If you do not have the diagnostic code number have the computer scanned again at any autoparts or similar parts store and let me know what the code number is and I can then help further.

This fuse should be in the fuse panel under the das on the left, it's sometimes marked "power outlet".

If you need to ask this question you should consult the service department at a toyota dealership.....
but i will save you the time and them the agony.... maximum i would change any oil in any vehicle is
5000 miles (8000kilometers) but as i say it never hurts to do it early. oil cahnges are cheap in comparision to replacement engines. break-in period of a toyota engine is closer to 20,000miles (32,00kilometers) in that time i would recommend replacing the oil at 100miles, 500miles, 1000miles, 2500miles and 5000miles on the odometer (not between changes).. break-in period is the most critical in an engines life. after that, regular oil changes make the difference between 150,000miles and 500,000 miles.
I got a '97 rav with 282,000miles and it still runs llike a champ. treat it good and it will run forever...
FOREVER TOYOTA....

Check your instrument cluster lights, interior dome lights and radio. Some of these are usually tied into the clock fuse. The radio is definitely on the same circuit in the rav4. If nothing else is out, it is the clock itself. It is a very common issue with this, and many other clocks of this era. I offer a repair solution with a lifetime guarantee. Check it out: www,autoclockrepair.com
I have info on how to remove the clock etc there as well. Drop me a note if you have any questions, thanks!

If the engine idles normally and then is suddenly stalls then you have either a fuel problem - dirt in the tank is temporarily clogging the intake spout of the fuel pump so clean the tank - or a bad electrical connection: check the ignition key switch, the fuel pump relay, the connections to the coil, the distributor and its head and finally the high tension lead between the coil and the distributor cap.

without being there to listen to it then it is going to be hard to say what the problem is......but since my 20 plus yrs working on toyota and lexus and depending on the mileage and whether or not you have ever replaced the timing belt......i would first start by checking the timing belt because when the motor is cold the rubber on the belt gets hard and if the belt is streched when first started it will start flapping and will slap against the timing cover and as it warms up the rubber on the belt softens up and the noise will reduce to a less noticeable sound......i have also the wrist pin bushings and the pins themselves that are connected to the pistons make this noise and also if the oil rings are sticking it will leave the pistons loose in the cylinder wall and as the motor warms up the noise will go away.....i hope that this info will help and if you need anymore info let me know with more detail.....also if you could let me and fixya know if i was able to help you in any way and a comment and a thumbs up would be greatly appreciated....thanks and good luck.......have a blessed day...........

Is the EGR valve dirty or are the EGR ports clogged? EGR valve failures are EXTREMELY RARE (although the parts retailers sell MILLIONS of them to people who nothing about EGR systems, but are trying to fix EGR codes).
Depending on which engine your RAV4 is equipped with, the intake plenum may have to be removed or partially disassembled to clean the ports out.
As for the valve itself, you can use a little carb cleaner and an old tooth brush to clean the pintle area if it is caked with carbon deposits. If the pintle lifts when vacuum is applied to the valve and the valve holds vacuum, there is no need to replace the valve. This can be tested with a hand-powered vacuum pump with a gauge like a "MightyVac". (see picture)

Sounds like a dead battery, either try and get a boost, take a multi meter and see what your current voltage is, should be around 10 - 12 on a good battery, or remove your battery and get it tested most auto parts stores will charge and test it for free.

Assuming a healthy car battery - most probable cause is dying alternator not supplying enough current to recharge the battery. The battery light lights up when it doesn't supply enough power.

Most plausible fix either a replacement of the alternator or the voltage regulator. Refurbished alternators can be supplied by Toyota as well.

Less common is a broken belt driving the alternator.

get your fan working asap. i wouldnt even start your vehical until you get your fan on. it could just be a wire that came loose or even the fuse. if its a belt driven fan then make sure the belts are turning. worst case senareo be sure to top your fluid cuz you could have created a bubble in your cooling system and after all that let your car warm up and check for any leaks and check your oil and make sure its not watery or milky after because you might have a leak inside from letting it run so hot

not always,, check the bulbs first , to check the alt ,, check the battery for voltage with the motor off, you should have a reading between 12 and 12.5 volts, now start the motor,, check the voltage again, you should have a rading between , 13.5 volts and 14.5 volts, if you do the alt is fine,,

To remove the radio, start with removing the faceplate for the stereo by removing the two phillips screws on the bottom of the faceplate, then there are two tabs on the top that will come loose once you swing the bottom of the radio faceplate out. Then there are 4 phillips screws holding the radio in place, two on the sides and two on the bottom.

The ECT (Engine Coolant Temperature) sensor is a thermal variable resistor (also known as a "thermistor"). The ECT delivers a signal to the THW terminal of the Engine Control Module (ECM) which varies with engine coolant temperature. The ECM uses this signal to control the fuel injection system, the overdrive operation on vehicles equipped with electronically controlled overdrive transmissions, spark timing control, idle speed control, fuel pressure control system (if equipped), heated oxygen sensor system (if equipped) and EGR systen (if equipped)

Hi, assuming you have the 4-cylinder engine, this is your downstream oxygen sensor. Look carefully at the picture to find the right sensor, as there are several similar sensors on the truck. Before buying a new sensor, check the resistance of the heater in the sensor by disconnecting the sensor and connecting an ohmmeter to the terminals indicated in the second picture. The resistance should be 11-32 ohms, depending on the temperature (if the truck is hot from running, the resistance should be at the higher end of the range). If the resistance is outside this range, replace the sensor. You'll need a line wrench or special socket to remove the sensor, as the pigtail is an obstacle to a regular deep well socket. Please let me know if you have more questions, and thanks for using FixYa.