Ra4 1994 Centre Diff Is Locked & Wont Unlock....help...!

[leggyloo2]

Hello, can anybody please help. I have a rav4 manual, 2.0 litre ingection, GX, 3sfe. The engine needed to be replaced so I have spent the last week putting in a replacement 3sfe engine from a 1997 rav4. The engine is running great but since replacing it, on starting her up for the 1st time there was an intermittent buzzer noise which I have found out is to tell me the diff lock is on (the diff lock button is not pressed in or lit up). If i press the diff lock button in, to the on position the buzzer stops, I'd hoped the hoses were just fastened up the wrong way round but after slowley reversing out of my drive then back in, I can feel that the diff lock is on. it wont come off. ive found the vacum pipe & undone this & i can hear air so this is working. one thing is concerning me & that is when I replaced the engine, gearbox, transfer box etc there was a bracket that slightly bent. i managed to straighten it when replaciing everything & i think this bracket is the diff lock arm that is now stuck & not disengaging. as anybody got any advise. I cant think of how I can get the diff back out without removing the engine again. im not that bothered about having the diff lock & i wondered if anybody knew if it was possible to remove the propshaft & use the rav4 as a 2 wheel front drive only. if anybody knows how i can unstick the diff lock, id really appreciate. im doing the engine replacement on a tight budget & to now have a new engine in, thats running as sweet as a nut but still not been able to use my rav - due to a probelm that wasnt there before i started is reeally frustrating.....please any advise would be great...thanks....... Laura

[anchorman]

Hello Laura and welcome to the club.

The diff lock doesn't work quite like you might think in that the buzzer works when you disengage it and not the other way around. When you engage it an electro pneumatic switch allows vacuum to suck the diff lock into engagement so when you switch it off atmospheric pressure disengages it. However, it is not uncommon for them to stick and in that case when the vacuum is released but the diff doesn't disengage, the buzzer sounds as a warning. In that case you slowly reverse the car and the diff lock will drop out of engagement. Try it first and then report back.

[mrbilly]

check all of the pipes for enough vacuum there might just be a leak possibly from pinching a pipe on installation

[leggyloo2]

Hello Laura and welcome to the club.

The diff lock doesn't work quite like you might think in that the buzzer works when you disengage it and not the other way around. When you engage it an electro pneumatic switch allows vacuum to suck the diff lock into engagement so when you switch it off atmospheric pressure disengages it. However, it is not uncommon for them to stick and in that case when the vacuum is released but the diff doesn't disengage, the buzzer sounds as a warning. In that case you slowly reverse the car and the diff lock will drop out of engagement. Try it first and then report back.

Hello Anchorman thanks for the quick reply. Ive tried to reverse the car & the diff lock is still not disengaging. I can feel its still on when i drive. if i go backwards & forwards its ok, if i turn the steering wheel its stiffening up, as though the breaks are on & the buzzer is buzzing all the time. if i press the diff lock buzzer to on, it stops buzzing (beeping). could i have damaged something. when i pulled the engine & gearbox apart the tie bar from the engine to the inlet manifold slightly pulled back the servo that operates the diff lock. when i pushed the servo back into position it seemed to be a lot harder than it should have been to push back. this is concerning me & im thinking i could have damaged something...??? any ideas...?? thanks

[leggyloo2]

check all of the pipes for enough vacuum there might just be a leak possibly from pinching a pipe on installation

hi thanks for your reply. ive checked the pipes to the top of the engine & when i pull the top of the pipe off i can hear air comming out. is there a way of getting to the diff lock without having to take the engine back out..??? ive just spent 5 days taking the old engine out & putting the new one in, its something i really dont want to have to do again. i would have thought though if there was a leak in the pipes that when i take the top off the pipe from under the bonnet that i wouldnt be able to hear the air that comes out.... would you agree...??

[mrbilly]

when the engine is running you should no hear air coming out of somewhere

when you switch on the diff lock you dont hear much but when you turn it off you just hear a scchhhhh sound as it allows the vacuum to release to atmosphere.

it basically has another brake booster to hold the vacuum from which you can see from the drivers side wheel arch there should be vacuum pipes coming off this

[leggyloo2]

when the engine is running you should no hear air coming out of somewhere

when you switch on the diff lock you dont hear much but when you turn it off you just hear a scchhhhh sound as it allows the vacuum to release to atmosphere.

it basically has another brake booster to hold the vacuum from which you can see from the drivers side wheel arch there should be vacuum pipes coming off this

When I start the car the beep starts this is b4 I press the diff lock button. If I press the diff lock button the beep stops. I cant hear any air. Its only when I lift the bonnet + un do the vacum pipe that I can hear the suction. All pipes r connected when I look threw driver wheel arch. Please read both my threads to anchorman when ive explained whats gone wrong + let me know what u think. Im worried ive damaged sumthing while I was replacin engine as this problem came on 1st start when the engine was replaced. Please read what I did + let me no your thoughts. I realy need sum help. Do u think its poss to remove the propshaft to rear wheels + av just front wheel drive as a temp fix so I can drive my rav..? Thanks

[mrbilly]

ok the problem is possibly the two vsv switches may have thier vac piping the wrong way round, removing the propshaft is something i would not do. i think the vsvs are on the firewall near the clutch fluid

[anchorman]

The diff lock is spring loaded so with all the vac pipes off there should be no way it can be held into engagement. If you take the rear prop off it is still engaged in the box and TBH I wouldn't like to speculate on the affect of all those bits continuously whizzing round. It might be OK but I wouldn't like you to cook it. I tend to think when you pushed that vac unit back in you have just put enough strain on it to hold it engaged. If I were in your shoes I wouldn't risk it (I'd probably get strange looks as well) but my point is that at the moment it stands you at taking it out again but if you do fry that diff lock you're going to need a new transmission and the labour.

[leggyloo2]

The diff lock is spring loaded so with all the vac pipes off there should be no way it can be held into engagement. If you take the rear prop off it is still engaged in the box and TBH I wouldn't like to speculate on the affect of all those bits continuously whizzing round. It might be OK but I wouldn't like you to cook it. I tend to think when you pushed that vac unit back in you have just put enough strain on it to hold it engaged. If I were in your shoes I wouldn't risk it (I'd probably get strange looks as well) but my point is that at the moment it stands you at taking it out again but if you do fry that diff lock you're going to need a new transmission and the labour.

thanks again for your help & i do understand what your saying about the diff lock. im just so annoyed with myself for pushing the vac unit back in the way i did, i shouldnt have done that but hey its done now & ive to solve the problem. ive taken all the vac pipes off, ive gone underneath & tried to pull the diff lock & its going nowhere, it just wont move. im going to go have another look when i get in from work this afternoon & make sure that everything is definitley off but ive got an awful feeling the engine is going to have to come back out. ill let you knwo how it goes, thanks again Laura

[leggyloo2]

The diff lock is spring loaded so with all the vac pipes off there should be no way it can be held into engagement. If you take the rear prop off it is still engaged in the box and TBH I wouldn't like to speculate on the affect of all those bits continuously whizzing round. It might be OK but I wouldn't like you to cook it. I tend to think when you pushed that vac unit back in you have just put enough strain on it to hold it engaged. If I were in your shoes I wouldn't risk it (I'd probably get strange looks as well) but my point is that at the moment it stands you at taking it out again but if you do fry that diff lock you're going to need a new transmission and the labour.

thanks again for your help & i do understand what your saying about the diff lock. im just so annoyed with myself for pushing the vac unit back in the way i did, i shouldnt have done that but hey its done now & ive to solve the problem. ive taken all the vac pipes off, ive gone underneath & tried to pull the diff lock & its going nowhere, it just wont move. im going to go have another look when i get in from work this afternoon & make sure that everything is definitley off but ive got an awful feeling the engine is going to have to come back out. ill let you knwo how it goes, thanks again Laura

Ok just spent a bit of time tryin to solve my diff lock problem + I just wondered, when the diff lock is in position does it just rely on the vacum to hold it in place or is there anything else that holds it in.??? The reason I ask is ive just taken every pipe off + its still stuck on. Im realy sorry to be a pain but ive never seen inside a diff lock servo so I dont know what mechanisms are in there so im workin blind. When the switch is off theres no vacum from the 2 actuators on the bulk head + when I put the diff lock button to on the actuators are creatin a vacum. All the pipes are marked + coupled up exactly as they were before I changed the engine + the diff lock was workin ok then, but sumthing is still not allowin it to disengage. I cant figure out what it is. Ive even been underneath the rav + manualy tried to move the pin that goes between the servo + the diff whilst rockin the wheels. It will move about 1/2 inch in + out but still wont disengage. As anyone any ideas or as anyone got a diagram or able to up-load a sketch of how the lockin mechanism works before I go mad. I need to get sum kip but I cant as this is driving me round the bend. I cant figure out why its unable to disengage when all seems to be workin ok. Thanks laura

[bothwell_buyer]

The diff lock is spring loaded so with all the vac pipes off there should be no way it can be held into engagement. If you take the rear prop off it is still engaged in the box and TBH I wouldn't like to speculate on the affect of all those bits continuously whizzing round. It might be OK but I wouldn't like you to cook it. I tend to think when you pushed that vac unit back in you have just put enough strain on it to hold it engaged. If I were in your shoes I wouldn't risk it (I'd probably get strange looks as well) but my point is that at the moment it stands you at taking it out again but if you do fry that diff lock you're going to need a new transmission and the labour.

thanks again for your help & i do understand what your saying about the diff lock. im just so annoyed with myself for pushing the vac unit back in the way i did, i shouldnt have done that but hey its done now & ive to solve the problem. ive taken all the vac pipes off, ive gone underneath & tried to pull the diff lock & its going nowhere, it just wont move. im going to go have another look when i get in from work this afternoon & make sure that everything is definitley off but ive got an awful feeling the engine is going to have to come back out. ill let you knwo how it goes, thanks again Laura

Ok just spent a bit of time tryin to solve my diff lock problem + I just wondered, when the diff lock is in position does it just rely on the vacum to hold it in place or is there anything else that holds it in.??? The reason I ask is ive just taken every pipe off + its still stuck on. Im realy sorry to be a pain but ive never seen inside a diff lock servo so I dont know what mechanisms are in there so im workin blind. When the switch is off theres no vacum from the 2 actuators on the bulk head + when I put the diff lock button to on the actuators are creatin a vacum. All the pipes are marked + coupled up exactly as they were before I changed the engine + the diff lock was workin ok then, but sumthing is still not allowin it to disengage. I cant figure out what it is. Ive even been underneath the rav + manualy tried to move the pin that goes between the servo + the diff whilst rockin the wheels. It will move about 1/2 inch in + out but still wont disengage. As anyone any ideas or as anyone got a diagram or able to up-load a sketch of how the lockin mechanism works before I go mad. I need to get sum kip but I cant as this is driving me round the bend. I cant figure out why its unable to disengage when all seems to be workin ok. Thanks laura

Phone up the guys that have done my 1994 RAVs - and ask to speak to Dennis. He has done all the development work on my 2 race cars and both have the original gearbox...and I know he will have a good idea of what you need to look for.... the number is 01698 265303 and say to Becky that big Ian will cover off the cost of advice for you. Marc owns and runs the joint but Dennis did the business - Marc knows a shed load of info on the car as well - they got the cars up to 300bhp+ and have just fitted a new racing clutch to 1 RAV. They have my other RAV in cos the gearbox speedo drive broke so they will have that apart this week.

[johnjnam]

The diff lock is spring loaded so with all the vac pipes off there should be no way it can be held into engagement. If you take the rear prop off it is still engaged in the box and TBH I wouldn't like to speculate on the affect of all those bits continuously whizzing round. It might be OK but I wouldn't like you to cook it. I tend to think when you pushed that vac unit back in you have just put enough strain on it to hold it engaged. If I were in your shoes I wouldn't risk it (I'd probably get strange looks as well) but my point is that at the moment it stands you at taking it out again but if you do fry that diff lock you're going to need a new transmission and the labour.

thanks again for your help & i do understand what your saying about the diff lock. im just so annoyed with myself for pushing the vac unit back in the way i did, i shouldnt have done that but hey its done now & ive to solve the problem. ive taken all the vac pipes off, ive gone underneath & tried to pull the diff lock & its going nowhere, it just wont move. im going to go have another look when i get in from work this afternoon & make sure that everything is definitley off but ive got an awful feeling the engine is going to have to come back out. ill let you knwo how it goes, thanks again Laura

Ok just spent a bit of time tryin to solve my diff lock problem + I just wondered, when the diff lock is in position does it just rely on the vacum to hold it in place or is there anything else that holds it in.??? The reason I ask is ive just taken every pipe off + its still stuck on. Im realy sorry to be a pain but ive never seen inside a diff lock servo so I dont know what mechanisms are in there so im workin blind. When the switch is off theres no vacum from the 2 actuators on the bulk head + when I put the diff lock button to on the actuators are creatin a vacum. All the pipes are marked + coupled up exactly as they were before I changed the engine + the diff lock was workin ok then, but sumthing is still not allowin it to disengage. I cant figure out what it is. Ive even been underneath the rav + manualy tried to move the pin that goes between the servo + the diff whilst rockin the wheels. It will move about 1/2 inch in + out but still wont disengage. As anyone any ideas or as anyone got a diagram or able to up-load a sketch of how the lockin mechanism works before I go mad. I need to get sum kip but I cant as this is driving me round the bend. I cant figure out why its unable to disengage when all seems to be workin ok. Thanks laura

Hi Leggyloo

Join the club- I am just as fustrated as you are trying to get information regarding the gearboxes and central diffs of the Rav . It must be a real piece of works inside there because it is kept such a secret- nobody wants to place a diagram in their manuals which will show us how it operates .

I have a similar problem with my Rav- (see my posting)

My common sense tells me that the central diff must be vacuum applied and spring released. Otherwise it will engage automatically ( by the spring) at a high speed if a vacuum hose fails and that will be fun and games .

Personally I think that your central diff vacuum booster/chamber/activator diagphragm is punctured ( if all your vacuum hoses are fitted correctly).

Anyway - if you shoukld ever be so lucky to stumble accross a manual or description on the operation of these transmissions - please let me know at johnjnam@yahoo.com.

Good luck

John

[leggyloo2]

Ok just spent a bit of time tryin to solve my diff lock problem + I just wondered, when the diff lock is in position does it just rely on the vacum to hold it in place or is there anything else that holds it in.??? The reason I ask is ive just taken every pipe off + its still stuck on. Im realy sorry to be a pain but ive never seen inside a diff lock servo so I dont know what mechanisms are in there so im workin blind. When the switch is off theres no vacum from the 2 actuators on the bulk head + when I put the diff lock button to on the actuators are creatin a vacum. All the pipes are marked + coupled up exactly as they were before I changed the engine + the diff lock was workin ok then, but sumthing is still not allowin it to disengage. I cant figure out what it is. Ive even been underneath the rav + manualy tried to move the pin that goes between the servo + the diff whilst rockin the wheels. It will move about 1/2 inch in + out but still wont disengage. As anyone any ideas or as anyone got a diagram or able to up-load a sketch of how the lockin mechanism works before I go mad. I need to get sum kip but I cant as this is driving me round the bend. I cant figure out why its unable to disengage when all seems to be workin ok. Thanks laura

Hi Leggyloo

Join the club- I am just as fustrated as you are trying to get information regarding the gearboxes and central diffs of the Rav . It must be a real piece of works inside there because it is kept such a secret- nobody wants to place a diagram in their manuals which will show us how it operates .

I have a similar problem with my Rav- (see my posting)

My common sense tells me that the central diff must be vacuum applied and spring released. Otherwise it will engage automatically ( by the spring) at a high speed if a vacuum hose fails and that will be fun and games .

Personally I think that your central diff vacuum booster/chamber/activator diagphragm is punctured ( if all your vacuum hoses are fitted correctly).

Anyway - if you shoukld ever be so lucky to stumble accross a manual or description on the operation of these transmissions - please let me know at johnjnam@yahoo.com.

Good luck

John

Hi John, I'm hoping to have some answers later today Im going to try & ring the number above that the kind Bothwell_buyer has given me to try & get some advise so if it works & i get to the bottom of the problem, i will let you know or if I manage to get any diagrams & ill email them on to you. Even if somebody understood how it works & could sketch it on a bit of paper then upload it would help. but ill certainly pass any info i get on to you, please could you also do the same. I do love my Rav4 but I have never come across so many wire, pipes, electrics etc etc on a car as this one has & all squashed into a very small area. the engine change took 4 days just to get it out, normally id have an engine in & out in a day. i have an awful feeling though that somethings been damaged during the engine change, especially the bracket above that i speak about. anyway, ill let you know any info if any comes to me...thanks Laura

[Davrav]

normally id have an engine in & out in a day

Are you spoken for?

[leggyloo2]

yes but Ive been in my garage that much over the last week he mite av packed up + left me.!

[leggyloo2]

Yippeee.!! The diff lock has disengaged. ill try+explain what the problem was. It was realy hard to get to as well, I must be double jointed.!! Cumin out of the diff is a 90 degree bar that locates threw a hole in a bar that cums out of the servo. When the diff locks + un-locks these move together one way or the other. But it wasnt doin this becos the 90 degree bar had !Removed! out of the hole + instead was jammed up against the end of it. I ad to get the bottom bolts un-done from underneath the os wheel arch which hold the bottom of the servo. Then the top 2 bolts from the top of the engine between inlet manifold + bulk head which hold the top of the servo. I cud then pull the servo back slightly + then pulled the shaft out of servo as far as it wud go. I cud then hook the hole in the shaft back onto the 90 degree diff bar. I hope this helps sumone in the future shud they av the same problem. Thankyou to everyone for all the help + advise uve been great. Im goin to post a new thread now as ive !Removed! across another problem this time its the engine.!

[anchorman]

Well hats off to you for getting stuck in. Well done!

I've pm'd you on the engine issue.

[johnjnam]

Yippeee.!! The diff lock has disengaged. ill try+explain what the problem was. It was realy hard to get to as well, I must be double jointed.!! Cumin out of the diff is a 90 degree bar that locates threw a hole in a bar that cums out of the servo. When the diff locks + un-locks these move together one way or the other. But it wasnt doin this becos the 90 degree bar had !Removed! out of the hole + instead was jammed up against the end of it. I ad to get the bottom bolts un-done from underneath the os wheel arch which hold the bottom of the servo. Then the top 2 bolts from the top of the engine between inlet manifold + bulk head which hold the top of the servo. I cud then pull the servo back slightly + then pulled the shaft out of servo as far as it wud go. I cud then hook the hole in the shaft back onto the 90 degree diff bar. I hope this helps sumone in the future shud they av the same problem. Thankyou to everyone for all the help + advise uve been great. Im goin to post a new thread now as ive !Removed! across another problem this time its the engine.!

Hi Leggyloo / Anchorman

Well done Leggyloo.

I have also solved MY "problem" and the emphasis is on the MY/ME not the Rav cause it was me that could not understand the operation - the Rav is fine . I found a diagram somewhere on the net but now cant locate the site again of the gearbox and have worked out the 4wd/awd. I will tray to attach it here

Thanks for your help

John

[leggyloo2]

Thanks John, appreciate that. Ive dropped you an email as well, laura

[three5]

Yippeee.!! The diff lock has disengaged. ill try+explain what the problem was. It was realy hard to get to as well, I must be double jointed.!! Cumin out of the diff is a 90 degree bar that locates threw a hole in a bar that cums out of the servo. When the diff locks + un-locks these move together one way or the other. But it wasnt doin this becos the 90 degree bar had !Removed! out of the hole + instead was jammed up against the end of it. I ad to get the bottom bolts un-done from underneath the os wheel arch which hold the bottom of the servo. Then the top 2 bolts from the top of the engine between inlet manifold + bulk head which hold the top of the servo. I cud then pull the servo back slightly + then pulled the shaft out of servo as far as it wud go. I cud then hook the hole in the shaft back onto the 90 degree diff bar. I hope this helps sumone in the future shud they av the same problem. Thankyou to everyone for all the help + advise uve been great. Im goin to post a new thread now as ive !Removed! across another problem this time its the engine.!

Congratulations Leggyloo - I've been watching this thread with baited breath. You get 11/10 for persistance

[leggyloo2]

Thanks chris. When it fist happened I trawled the internet lookin for help + advise but cudnt find much about the diff. I joined toyota owners club + I cant believe how helpful everyones been. I Hope one day this topic will help sumone if they av the same fault. Thanks laura

[anchorman]

Yippeee.!! The diff lock has disengaged. ill try+explain what the problem was. It was realy hard to get to as well, I must be double jointed.!! Cumin out of the diff is a 90 degree bar that locates threw a hole in a bar that cums out of the servo. When the diff locks + un-locks these move together one way or the other. But it wasnt doin this becos the 90 degree bar had !Removed! out of the hole + instead was jammed up against the end of it. I ad to get the bottom bolts un-done from underneath the os wheel arch which hold the bottom of the servo. Then the top 2 bolts from the top of the engine between inlet manifold + bulk head which hold the top of the servo. I cud then pull the servo back slightly + then pulled the shaft out of servo as far as it wud go. I cud then hook the hole in the shaft back onto the 90 degree diff bar. I hope this helps sumone in the future shud they av the same problem. Thankyou to everyone for all the help + advise uve been great. Im goin to post a new thread now as ive !Removed! across another problem this time its the engine.!

Hi Leggyloo / Anchorman

Well done Leggyloo.

I have also solved MY "problem" and the emphasis is on the MY/ME not the Rav cause it was me that could not understand the operation - the Rav is fine . I found a diagram somewhere on the net but now cant locate the site again of the gearbox and have worked out the 4wd/awd. I will tray to attach it here

Thanks for your help

John

Good info John - that is the manual we want to get hold of. If anyone knows where there is one for sale please let me know.

[k1c]

Yippeee.!! The diff lock has disengaged. ill try+explain what the problem was. It was realy hard to get to as well, I must be double jointed.!! Cumin out of the diff is a 90 degree bar that locates threw a hole in a bar that cums out of the servo. When the diff locks + un-locks these move together one way or the other. But it wasnt doin this becos the 90 degree bar had !Removed! out of the hole + instead was jammed up against the end of it. I ad to get the bottom bolts un-done from underneath the os wheel arch which hold the bottom of the servo. Then the top 2 bolts from the top of the engine between inlet manifold + bulk head which hold the top of the servo. I cud then pull the servo back slightly + then pulled the shaft out of servo as far as it wud go. I cud then hook the hole in the shaft back onto the 90 degree diff bar. I hope this helps sumone in the future shud they av the same problem. Thankyou to everyone for all the help + advise uve been great. Im goin to post a new thread now as ive !Removed! across another problem this time its the engine.!

Hi leggyloo2,

Read with interest your adventures with your central diffential being stuck, and thought that you may be able to help me. Bear in mind that I'm not stupid, and I do have some mechanical skill but I'm really not upto getting the motor in and out of one of these things in a month, let alone a day, so my hat is off to you.

I just got my wife's 99 RAV4 back from a mate who replaced the clutch, water pump and timing belt. Lo and behold the center diff is stuck in what appears to be much the same way that yours was. ie. pushing the button for the c-diff has the light come on, pushing the button to unlock the c-diff has the light off but the beeping signal start. No amount of backing up or accerating forward will unlock the !Removed! thing. I can hear and feel vacuum from the pressure swtches and hoses attached to the firewall, so they seem to be working OK., and appear to be in the correct locations. I currently can't see the other ends of the hoses though, or what they attach to. Unfortunately I'm working outside in very cold temps (10 degrees F. as of this writing), and the car is not jacked up. So my question is..... Is there anything on that side of the engine that I can get to, and that my buddy might have been into, or disturbed, that may have caused this problem, or am I just the victim of circumstance and coincidence? I haven't been able to locate the servo yet, or the 90 deg. bar off the tranny that you mention was the cause of your problem, so some simple directions or pics may help.

Sorry to bother you, but really any help at all would be very much appreciated as I'm stuck, and my mechanic friend is out of town for the next several weeks.

BTW, I'm in the USA so time differences may complicate talking a bit.

Thanks in advance, Chris Wolfe.

[leggyloo2]

Hi Chris, Sorry I havent answered you sooner but Ive just logged in today & seen your message. It sounds like youve got a simular problem to mine. When you turn on the ignition is the diff lock beeping..?? if it is then this is usally because its trying to disengage & cant, in my case it was jammed. When I took the gearbox out, I disturbed the diff hence the probs I had. If you look on the other posts in this topic, theres one from "Johnjnam" on the 5th November. Open this & you'll see a link at the bottom of his post thats says "Gearbox". He sent me a scanned picture of the diff, servo etc which helped me figure out the problem. The hardest part of the job was getting to the bolts that had to be un-done. Coming out of the diff is a 90 degree bar (dog leg) this locates threw a hole in another bar that cums out of the servo. When the diff locks + un-locks these move together one way or the other. But it wasnt doin this because the 90 degree bar had !Removed! out of the hole. Instead it was jammed up against the end so the diff couldnt dis-engage. I ad to get the bottom bolts that hold the servo un-done from underneath the drivers wheel arch (mines a right hand drive so on yours this could be the passengers side), once these are un-done you then need to go to the top of the engine between inlet manifold + bulk head & un-do the bolts which hold the top of the servo. I had to climb on to the engine & put my arm down the back so I cud then pull the servo back slightly. I was then able to pull the shaft out of servo as far as it wud go. I cud then hook the hole in the shaft back onto the 90 degree diff bar. It wasnt easy..!! Let me know if this makes sense once youve looked at the diagram, if not ill try draw a simpler picture & scan it. If you need me to do this, send a message to my inbox with your email address, it makes it easier when sending attachments - good luck..!! If you need to speak to me, sometimes its easier to explain on the phone, let me know, if you have a landline I can always give you a ring. My house phone lets me ring the USA for free on an evening so let me know your number & I could always try explain on the telephone..I was also working out in the cold & dark which isn't good. It was so windy the night I did this repair that I had to drive my RAV on to the front lawn to get out of the wind, it was pitch black & about 2 degrees, so my heart goes out to you, I know its a nightmare of a job but im happy to help so please let me know if you need any more info...Laura

Hi leggyloo2,

Read with interest your adventures with your central diffential being stuck, and thought that you may be able to help me. Bear in mind that I'm not stupid, and I do have some mechanical skill but I'm really not upto getting the motor in and out of one of these things in a month, let alone a day, so my hat is off to you.

I just got my wife's 99 RAV4 back from a mate who replaced the clutch, water pump and timing belt. Lo and behold the center diff is stuck in what appears to be much the same way that yours was. ie. pushing the button for the c-diff has the light come on, pushing the button to unlock the c-diff has the light off but the beeping signal start. No amount of backing up or accerating forward will unlock the !Removed! thing. I can hear and feel vacuum from the pressure swtches and hoses attached to the firewall, so they seem to be working OK., and appear to be in the correct locations. I currently can't see the other ends of the hoses though, or what they attach to. Unfortunately I'm working outside in very cold temps (10 degrees F. as of this writing), and the car is not jacked up. So my question is..... Is there anything on that side of the engine that I can get to, and that my buddy might have been into, or disturbed, that may have caused this problem, or am I just the victim of circumstance and coincidence? I haven't been able to locate the servo yet, or the 90 deg. bar off the tranny that you mention was the cause of your problem, so some simple directions or pics may help.

Sorry to bother you, but really any help at all would be very much appreciated as I'm stuck, and my mechanic friend is out of town for the next several weeks.

BTW, I'm in the USA so time differences may complicate talking a bit.

Thanks in advance, Chris Wolfe.