Rav4 D4D Limp Mode

[archie104]

Thought i would just pass this info on,i have a 2005 Rav D4D diesel that was going into limp mode on a regular basis,once a month depending on use,acceleration was poor and jerky, mpg was`nt very good,generally running pretty rough, i had been told the turbo was faulty and needed replacing which was going to be very expensive.so i did some research and found an independent web site that recommended putting Archoil 6400 in with a full tank of fuel.The results were amazing,no more limp mode,acceleration is outstanding and fuel ecconomy is back to it`s new car level.I bought mine through eBay from a company called power.enhancer but you can get it through Amazon and other outlets.It`s expensive compared to other fuel additives,£25 for a 430ml bottle,but a hell of a lot cheaper than replacing the turbo.

Robin,"archie104"

[sich1]

tks for the tip, may have a bottle and see if it helps mine

was it the fuel one or the turbo cleaner product?

[redlew]

How many miles has your car done? According to http://www.turbotechnics.com/www/?page_id=123 a turbo has an average life of 75k miles -though of course an aveerage is exactly that.

[gjnorthall]

What fault code accompanied going into limp mode? Turbo life is usually dictated by bearings and seals which may cause smoke etc but doesn't really affect performance (unless the bearings seize). Performance issues are often due to sticking vanes or actuator which is a fairly easy fix. Theres absolutely no reason why a turbo of the type fitted to the Rav4 shouldn't last for 150000+ miles. Biggest factors affecting life are regular oil & filter changes using good quality synthetic oil and not switching off immediately after a fast run.

[archie104]

the product i used first is the fuel one AR6400,i bought both but don`t think i am going to need the turbo one, AR6600, just yet,my car has covered 92000 miles with full service history so not neglected. i can`t remember the fault code number but it had to do with the air flow sensor

[archie104]

just a follow up,the independent web site was " www.oilem.com. "

[sich1]

Performance issues are often due to sticking vanes or actuator which is a fairly easy fix.

ginorthall,what would you suggest in this case?my actuator is fine but the vanes seem to be sticking

[archie104]

Hi sich1,i know you asked ginorthall about what to suggest but i am almost certain sticking vanes was my problem,i have since emailed archoil and they recommended putting the Ar6600 through on fresh fuel as it is a dedicated cleaner for variable geometry turbochargers it also helps clean the DPFand the catalytic convertor,although i don`t seem to have a problem now, so seeing as i have already bought the two together i am going to put it through this week.i will post here on the outcome

[sich1]

fairly sure its my issue too, have cleaned and checked everything else i can.vsv,.egr etc.

thanks for the update.

[gjnorthall]

Usual problem is that the vanes stick open so that the turbo overboosts and the engine goes into limp mode. It's possible to disconnect the actuator and free off the vanes by moving the actuator shaft backwards and forwards until the movement becomes smooth. In many cases this solves the problem for a fair period. In more serious cases, it's necessary to remove the unit in order to clear buildup from the vane unit.

[sich1]

can this be done with the turbo still in place? there seems very little space even with the heat shields removed.

would appreciate a few more detaills on how to disconnect the linkage and try this. as long as its fairly easy to

do and get connected back up again i might give it a go.

[Nigebob Squarepants]

my head hurts!… I’ve had the usual limp mode probs but just recently it has really struggled, you can hear the turbo struggling to boost, not whistling, no smoke, but the car is so flat to drive.

I had the fuel filter changed, had the egr blanked off just it eliminate it from the equation, no change, so removed it.

Spoke to a mechanic about using these additives to clean the turbo, and he said “waste of time, in 25 years he has never cleaned a turbo manually or otherwise, but he has replaced plenty” cue my time to leave!

Others on this forum say “in x amount of years as a Toyota mech. “I have never replaced a turbo’

Quotes on the internet say a turbo should last 70k miles

Ford owners are resorting to using Mr Muscle to clean all sorts of bits and bobs

VSV’s, SCVs, Linkages seized, Variable Vanes Sticking, Dirty MAFs

Plenty of people on here have replaced parts in the hope it fixes the problem to no avail.

I could end up spending more trying to solve the problem than the car is worth

I think I’ll go for a lie down.

[archie104]

hello Nigebob,

you sound as i felt when i had very similar problems to the ones your experiencing !!!.before i go any further i am nothing to do with archoil !!! and i can only speak as i find and have experienced,i used the Archoil AR6400 in my rav and the results were amazing and i have since used the AR6600,mainly because i bought the pair as a sevice pack,did`nt think things could get better after the results from the AR6400 but they did and the car drives like a dream now,the only problem i have now is i can`t resist putting my foot to the floor and breaking speed limits!! lol no more limp mode,fuel consumtion up and engine seems to run quieter,will definetly be putting the AR6400 in once a year for as long as i have the car.

just as a footnote my son has just put a bottle of AR6400 in his Ford Focus diesel after experiencing similar problems and it has cured his as well,he`s not bothering with the other one as he reckons the car is ok now,i think he got his from Amazon and it was cheaper than i paid from eBay

worth a try and cheaper than a new turbo!!!, good luck, Robin

[Nigebob Squarepants]

hello Nigebob,

you sound as i felt when i had very similar problems to the ones your experiencing !!!.before i go any further i am nothing to do with archoil !!! and i can only speak as i find and have experienced,i used the Archoil AR6400 in my rav and the results were amazing and i have since used the AR6600,mainly because i bought the pair as a sevice pack,did`nt think things could get better after the results from the AR6400 but they did and the car drives like a dream now,the only problem i have now is i can`t resist putting my foot to the floor and breaking speed limits!! lol no more limp mode,fuel consumtion up and engine seems to run quieter,will definetly be putting the AR6400 in once a year for as long as i have the car.

just as a footnote my son has just put a bottle of AR6400 in his Ford Focus diesel after experiencing similar problems and it has cured his as well,he`s not bothering with the other one as he reckons the car is ok now,i think he got his from Amazon and it was cheaper than i paid from ebay

worth a try and cheaper than a new turbo!!!, good luck, Robin

Hi Robin,

definitely worth a go at that price, fingers crossed it does the trick for me!

forgot to mention I did have a diesel cleaner put through the system at the time of the fuel filter change.

I will report back with results either way

[sich1]

nigel, if you can wait for another week or so iam due to do a 150 mile trip where i will try archoil 6600D.

going to give it a good run down the A1 with a bottle of this in the tank. i have what i think is sticking vanes in my turbo.

i actually bypassed the vsv a few times,then put it back in line.... and this cured the problem for a few days but the hesitation always came back.

maybe the extra vacuum available moved the vanes....who knows. all i know is the turbo can work right so i can assume it will be fixable...

stay tuned for the results.

[battleaxe]

not 100% sure on this but even with the EGR v/v blank off it still has to work to keep the ECU happy.

B-A

[Nigebob Squarepants]

Hi Sich1… don’t know if mine will last a week, it can’t pull the skin off a rice pudding at the moment!

BA - I thought if the EGR was blanked off and it still went into limp mode then it sort of ruled it out of the equation,

I’am no expert so i defer to the more knowledgeable on here.

My head still hurts… time for another like down me thinks.

[archie104]

LOL Nigebob, another lie down always helps

i think sich1 has posted a good one,a second opinion is always good, i`ll be surprised if it`s not positive !!!, if you do try the Archoil make sure you order the AR64000D enphasis on the "D",i did`nt realise they did one for petrol engines,i was lucky i ordered the right one!!!!

[archie104]

another footnote!! Nigebob,

i spent at least 3 days researching diesel additives and most opinions we`re crap apart from the Archoil`s

additive,just have a read of the of the " Oilem " `s web site www,oilem.com , that`s where i got my info and they

are an independent company,makes for good reading on turbo problems !!!

[Nigebob Squarepants]

another footnote!! Nigebob,

i spent at least 3 days researching diesel additives and most opinions we`re crap apart from the Archoil`s

additive,just have a read of the of the " Oilem " `s web site www,oilem.com , that`s where i got my info and they

are an independent company,makes for good reading on turbo problems !!!

Definitely going to give it a go!

[korat102]

I can see how some additives could help with combustion and help clean the injectors, etc. but I can't really see how they can possibly help clean an EGR valve and the associated inlet tract. They could maybe help to reduce build up by reducing soot generation in the first place but actually cleaning it seems unlikely. Direct injection engines insert the fuel directly into the combustion chamber so the fancy stuff going into the tank isn't going to get anywhere near the inlet tract that's coked up from recirculating exhaust gases.

Personally, I think most of the 'good' results from these cleaning additives are due to better combustion after they've removed the gunk from the injectors, etc. and that's definitely worth doing. The more complete combustion allows the emissions control equipment to work the way it was intended. If the EGR valve and inlet tract is coked up, the only way to clean it is to remove the whole lot and do it manually.

[Nigebob Squarepants]

Usual problem is that the vanes stick open so that the turbo overboosts and the engine goes into limp mode. It's possible to disconnect the actuator and free off the vanes by moving the actuator shaft backwards and forwards until the movement becomes smooth. In many cases this solves the problem for a fair period. In more serious cases, it's necessary to remove the unit in order to clear buildup from the vane unit.

Hi,

has anyone you know taken pics of this procedure,

“disconnect the actuator and free off the vanes by moving the actuator shaft backwards and forwards until the movement becomes smooth”

could be really useful as lots of people seem to be having the same problems.

Pictures paint a thousands words and all that!

[Nigebob Squarepants]

I can see how some additives could help with combustion and help clean the injectors, etc. but I can't really see how they can possibly help clean an EGR valve and the associated inlet tract. They could maybe help to reduce build up by reducing soot generation in the first place but actually cleaning it seems unlikely. Direct injection engines insert the fuel directly into the combustion chamber so the fancy stuff going into the tank isn't going to get anywhere near the inlet tract that's coked up from recirculating exhaust gases.

Personally, I think most of the 'good' results from these cleaning additives are due to better combustion after they've removed the gunk from the injectors, etc. and that's definitely worth doing. The more complete combustion allows the emissions control equipment to work the way it was intended. If the EGR valve and inlet tract is coked up, the only way to clean it is to remove the whole lot and do it manually.

Hi Phil,

your comment on it cleaning the injectors has just reminded me of the time I had a “Freelander” (to my shame) which also ran

like a pig. Took it back to the selling garage and they replaced 2x injectors (common problem on these) and all was fine.

Now you have given me another item to check/clean/change… arghhhhh!

Thanks anyway.

[sich1]

hi nigel

it sounds like you have no turbo activity at all at the moment. i know what its like as i have dis-connected the vacuum to mine a couple of times

when checking various bits. is there still some vacuum going to the round bit (techy term) on top of the turbo....sounds like there may not be.

perhaps a cracked/split pipe?. i would take the pipes off the vsv when the engine is running and see if there is any vacuum at that point.

good luck.

[Nigebob Squarepants]

hi nigel

it sounds like you have no turbo activity at all at the moment. i know what its like as i have dis-connected the vacuum to mine a couple of times

when checking various bits. is there still some vacuum going to the round bit (techy term) on top of the turbo....sounds like there may not be.

perhaps a cracked/split pipe?. i would take the pipes off the vsv when the engine is running and see if there is any vacuum at that point.

good luck.

Hi sich,

thanks for the advice, will give anything a go! I’ve ordered the Archoil AR6600 Pro Turbo Cleaner, should arrive Fri/Sat, see what happens and

take it from there. I’ll keep you all posted.