Check VSC, 4x4 and Engine

[Panacea95]

I have a 2009 rav 4 with D4D engine.  Recently all three warning lights came on and EGR valve was changed as recommended.  Lights remained on. Toyota diagnosis found P0400 code.  Toyota Berkshire recommended changing EGR valve , inlet manifold as engine clogged with ‘mud like carbon’.  Cost for this work quoted at well over £800 with no guarantee of fixing the problem.  Engine has only done 84k miles and serviced regularly.  Has anyone experienced anything similar and recommendations?

[FROSTYBALLS]

Moved to the Rav4 club.

[philip42h]

Hi Andy,

It might be a good idea for you to update your profile to show more exactly which RAV4 you have - I'm assuming that it's the 140 bhp 2.2L D4D engine, so probably an XTR, manual (?) but that's just a guess.

The triumvirate of lights is not uncommon, but don't mean quite what they initially seem to imply. To quote from our friends in RAC World in the USA:

Quote

The CEL indicates that the ECM has stored a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) and means something is not quite right in the engine. It could be any of a hundred different things such as a bad spark plug or coil causing a misfire to a bad oxygen (O2) sensor or yes, even a loose gas cap. Fortunately, the code can be read from the ECM with an OBDII tester and will usually point to the area of the problem and often to the specific part. But why would a CEL shut down the VSC or 4WD systems? Many of these features depend on the engine running at peak performance. The VSC for example, uses not only the braking system, but also controls the throttle to help get the RAV out of tricky situations. If the engine is not running right, the ECM shuts down those systems that would affected.

- i.e. the engine light is lit because there is some kind of an issue and the VSC and 4x4 lights are lit because the engine light is ... you simply need to read the stored code and act on that.

... which it appears you have. I'm not too sure of the sequence of events, but it appears that you have had the EGR replaced but that doesn't appear to have resolved the issue. And now Toyota are suggesting changing it again. Assuming that the correct part was correctly fitted it really shouldn't need changing again ...

The D4D engine is prone to a build-up of carbon and doesn't really like large numbers of short runs. It would be interesting to know the profile of your journeys? And what fuel you have been using - they do run better / cleaner on premium diesel that contains additives to try to keep the engine 'cleaner'?

As a next step, more in hope than real expectation, I'd add a bottle of additive aimed at EGR cleaning (Millers, Archoil, Wynns etc.), top the tank with premium fuel, and take the car for a good long run - keeping the revs relatively high so as to give it a decent chance of burning off the muck ...

[Panacea95]

Tx Phil that’s very helpful.

it is a D4D XTR manual.

i’ve recently got the car so not sure of the journey history.  It’s only done 84k over the past 9 years so guessing it’s been short journeys so far.

the EGR that has been replaced was not Toyota replacement part.

the sludge like carbon comment from the dealer was a worry - but this is being cleaned as I write and then plan to have a terraclean treatment put through the system.

my first experience of a Toyota and I only bought it as I was told they are bomb proof.  Seems to me Toyota should be doing more to address this as feels a poor design.

 

[Konrad C]

1 hour ago, Panacea95 said:

Tx Phil that’s very helpful.

it is a D4D XTR manual.

i’ve recently got the car so not sure of the journey history.  It’s only done 84k over the past 9 years so guessing it’s been short journeys so far.

the EGR that has been replaced was not Toyota replacement part.

the sludge like carbon comment from the dealer was a worry - but this is being cleaned as I write and then plan to have a terraclean treatment put through the system.

my first experience of a Toyota and I only bought it as I was told they are bomb proof.  Seems to me Toyota should be doing more to address this as feels a poor design.

 

When you are talking about 'bomb proof' you are talking about the older Toyotas. When it comes to diesel engines, the 1CD was known to be reliable, but like most engines with the EGR, it must be cleaned. The AD series diesel engines will also suffer from EGR issues, unless routinely cleaned. Most of the 'bomb proof engines' have been petrol engines like 3S, 4A and 7A. The earlier ZZ had oil burning problem until modifications fixed that, and the engine was fine for the rest of production. The recent ZR seems to be fine too.
Toyota can only do so much with EGR and other brands are worse! Also Toyota ceased producing diesel engines for a while now, so any updates and cures will down to aftermarket companies. Everything went into researching hybrid technology. The last diesel cars that Toyota produced used BMW engines!  

[Panacea95]

Thanks again.

do you know any independent specialists who could blank the EGR valve and remap the ECU to prevent the warning light it would cause?

[Shockuk]

Sorry to bring up this thread a month later, but my Rav4 of the same spec has just experienced the same issue.

2008 RAV4 xtr with 85k miles. I was driving along, and all of a sudden had complete power loss (max 20mph) and the three messages in a cycle "check engine, check 4x4, check vsc". Luckily, I was close to home, so the RAV4 limped the rest of the way at 20mph.

When I got it home, hooked it up to my bluetooth obd2 adapter, to find error P0400.

Going to contact terraclean to get it booked in, just wondering did this work for you? Or did it end up being an expensive problem?

Thanks 😀

Shockuk.

[Dippy]

From my experience; clean EGR; replace EGR; force regeneration to clean DPF; replace DPF (if your car has DPF).  

[K4to]

Hi, just bumped into this thread. Same issue here on a diesel 2006 Rav4 2.2L. Same sequence of warnings and loose of power just before the 2k revs. Car is now in the garage who said it might be a faulty sensor or the DPF which would need replacement at perhaps very expensive cost.

Fingers crossed, I’ll keep you guys posted. 
 

All the best and happy new year. 

[Dippy]

I replaced my DPF for £250 for a respectable aftermarket part, plus labour. I posted a thread here a few years ago with the details. 

[robo1]

Bizarrely whilst driving by previous  4D4 RAV XTR for its  second or was it third year service all the same warnings came up. They looked into it at the service and said one of the injectors had failed which they replaced under warranty. When asked why the VSC and 4x4 warning lights had come on they said this often happened depending on the fault 

[philip42h]

As indicated above:

On 11/8/2019 at 9:36 AM, philip42h said:

the engine light is lit because there is some kind of an issue and the VSC and 4x4 lights are lit because the engine light is ... you simply need to read the stored code and act on that.

It's a not uncommon 'feature' of these cars / engines and has been commented upon many times. Having detected the engine issue the management system 'chickens out' and limits functionality of the VSC and 4x4 systems 'just in case'. You really need to read / get the codes read and act on that rather than simply guessing and hoping - you might get lucky, but ... 😉