abun

my wife has an 06 rav with a 4 cyl. engine and 60,000 miles. i have been noticing that it is getting harder to start (cranking over a little longer than normal before it starts). all i have done to it is change the oil. any ideas would be appreciated. also, what other routine mx should i do to it at this millage?

thanks
scott

Adam F

Not sure what plugs are in there (might want to check with the dealership for intervals) but you might want to put new spark plugs in. Drain and fill on the transmission fluid. PCV valve. Clean out the throttle body with throttle body cleaner. Add some fuel system treatment. Drain and fill the coolant. (unless its pink (NOT RED) then its good to 100k) Thats what they do at the dealer for a 60k service for a few hundred bucks.

abun

anyone have any recomendations on what atf is required in a 06 rav4 4cyl? and there is there no transmission filter change required? just drain and refill?

mt_goat

The ATF spec should be in the owners manual. The ATF filter is probably ok at 60,000 miles. Might think about changing it at 100,000 miles. I'd do a full flush rather than a drain and fill, but that's just me. On the long cranking time you might be losing fuel pressure after sitting for a while. Sometimes a leaky fuel injector or 2 can do that. Or does it do this on warm starts too?

abun

warm starts too. i've heard not to flush or it may start slipping. what do yall think? if i do flush it, is this a diy? never flushed one before.

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

Flushing it will not cause slipping, but you want to make sure you keep the fluid in the Rav4 transmissions very fresh. They have a high failure rate, often due to the "Get in and drive" syndrome that 95% of owners experience.

I would take the car to the dealer for the 60K service. If anything, it will help detect problems before they become catastrophic failures. A few hundred bucks goes a long way in a Toyota.

Btw, the Rav4 takes a new fluid called "T-IV"

Godzilla

Hows your battery?
Granted its only about 3yrs old, but depending on your location it can go out prematurely. It is pretty easy to rule it out by quickly testing it.

abun

batts fine it just turns over a little more before it starts.
i'm in south texas.

mt_goat

I'd probably start by pulling out the spark plugs and see what condition their condition is in.

Flushing is a good thing IMHO, especially early in the tranny life. Now if you had 180,000 miles with no maintenance and fluid was brown and burnt, then I might just do a drain and refill.

abun

just got off the phone with 4 dealers. all had a different 60,000 mile service. one of them said he would drain, flush and refill the tranny. other one said there is no possible way to flush this trans. and said he would only drain and refill it but he had to use a computer to do this. but it was at 100,000 miles. most of them recomended to clean the injectors at 60,000 which i think i will go ahead and do at $120. guess i will wait and drain and refill the trans and flush the coolant system at 100k. anyone know for sure if it can be flushed? again it is a 06 rav4 4cyl. with 60,000 miles.

thanks again
scott

mt_goat

I've got a BMW that I wasn't able to flush because there wasn't any good place to tap into the ATF cooler lines. Its like the lines are all sealed up. I've been thinking about cutting one of the rubber lines to do the flush and then using something to splice it back together, like a hose barb connector and hose clamps. Its also hard to do because there isn't any dip stick/fill tube. The only way to fill it is with a fill plug under the car with the engine running and hot (at least 105* F IIRC). Sorry don't know much about Rav 4s. Good luck