My Rav Keeps Dying!

[fionaw]

I have a 2004 XT3 D-4D, which has been a great wee car, but recently has caused me a few problems.

I'm driving along, and all of a sudden it dies on me - doesn't cut out, just no power, even though the rev counter is going up, the speedo is going down. It went on the computer and as a result had a new EGR valve fitted. All was rosy for a month or so, but it's doing it again. When it dies I have to either stop and turn the engine off for a couple of minutes, or drive at slow speed until it does a sudden leap and catches up with itself. I can't tow the horse trailer at all, and think twice before pulling out of a junction or passing anything, as the problem is intermittent and doesn't give a warning. Also, not sure if it's connected, but I've noticed a "puh, puh, puh" noise coming from under the bonnet when I stop the car - also intermittent.

Hope someone knows what I'm talking about - I just get blank looks from the menfolk around here!

Thanks for reading (and hopefully replying??)

Fiona

[crofter]

Welcome to the club Fiona, just hang on in there and I expect you will receive help from members "in the know"

Del

[fionaw]

Thanks Del, I'll look in tomorrow

[gjnorthall]

A new EGR sorted the problem for a significant period - if this was replaced by a garage then return the car and complain. Your description, however, indicates the classic symptoms of faulty SCV valves! Is the car an auto - I don't understand the comment that the RPM rise whilst the MPH fall?

[philip42h]

Clutch? Wouldn't a slipping clutch allow the RPM to rise while the MPH falls?

[Not a well informed technical diagnosis but ... feel free to disregard]

[gjnorthall]

Quite right - it is the symptom of a slipping clutch - however it doesn't tie in with the other comments - hence I don't fully understand. Fiona, could you please explain further - you might have 2 problems - an engine malfunction + slipping clutch.

[fionaw]

Sorry - I meant speed, not speedo - quite an important error I think! The revs go up but the speed goes down, hence the "dying". The fella that does my mechanic-ing works on the oil rigs alternate months, as soon as he comes back I'll ask about SCV valves and ask him to also look at the clutch. Toyota garage never mentioned that possibility. I hope I'm not heading into an expensive old age (the RAV not me!) (Well, probably me too!)

Thank you very much to everyone who replied.

Fiona

[gjnorthall]

If the car is manual transmission and the road speed drops or remains the same when the rev counter shows increasing engine speed - the clutch is slipping and needs replacing. It's not a cheap job so get your mechanic to check it out. It sounds as if there is also a secondary problem and the first thing would be to check for fault codes.

[fionaw]

Thank you for all your advice, hope to have it all sorted and running well soon