RAV4 Transmission Issues

[ChrisBaker]

1998 2 door, petrol, automatic, 95K miles, full time 4 wheel drive. 
I pulled up at traffic lights after about 6 miles at around 70mph. All perfectly normal except speeedo would not register above 60mph. Attempted to pull away, lots of revs but very little movement. The car soon stopped completely with no drive to the wheels in any gear. I was then towed home by the RAC, about 1 mile. Upon restarting the car, it drove normally. 
Any ideas as to what might be going on?

Thanks in advance. 

[Bper]

Hi Chris,It's possible it may be low or dirty transmission fluid. When this happens, the gears can slip, causing the engine to rev high without the car moving much. It can also play with the speed sensor readings.

Check the transmission fluid, make sure it's at the right level and isn't burnt or grimy. If the fluid looks good, it's possible the transmission overheated. That might explain why the car seems to work okay again after it cools down for a while.

If neither of those things solves the issue, try a scan .This may show up any specific transmission error codes.

[ChrisBaker]

Thanks for your reply.  
The electronics and transmission have been checked and no fault found. 
Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated. 
 

chris

[Mjolinor]

The smell of the oil is the way to tell if it is OK. It will probably smell burnt and not be transparent.

If so then there is little that can be done. An oil and filter change/clean may make it work OK for a while but it will go again.

Once an auto box starts slipping the paper on the plates burns and the only option is to replace them. Not a job for your typical home mechanic.

Beware of fitting a used box. If it has been stood for more than six months they usually go the same way due to water ingress while stood. You really do need to see one working under some arduous testing before you buy one off another vehicle.

 

 

[Pogle]

There is a known issue with the automatic gearbox ECU on that generation of RAV. Carry out a search of this forum and there should be information which may help you. There are specialist companies that can repair the ECU for reasonable money if that’s what the problem turns out to be.

[ChrisBaker]

8 hours ago, Pogle said:

There is a known issue with the automatic gearbox ECU on that generation of RAV. Carry out a search of this forum and there should be information which may help you. There are specialist companies that can repair the ECU for reasonable money if that’s what the problem turns out to be.

People 

 

Thanks very much for your interest and responses. I’ll try all the things you have suggested. 
 

Regards. Chris 

[ChrisBaker]

People. 
Are there separate ECUs for the engine and transmission?

Is an ECU swap straightforward or are there problems with the alarm?

Thanks in advance. 
Chris

[philip42h]

48 minutes ago, ChrisBaker said:

People. 
Are there separate ECUs for the engine and transmission?

Is an ECU swap straightforward or are there problems with the alarm?

Thanks in advance. 
Chris

I fear that you may have been set off in the wrong direction. There is an issue with the dedicated transmission ECU on the RAV4.2 (2000 - 2005/6) as described here.

Your car is an earlier 4.1 ...

[ChrisBaker]

Yesterday, I took the car out to see what was going on. 
All started out well. After about 7 miles, there was a vibration which appeared to be coming from the near side front. This stopped. After another couple of miles, it reappeared and drive to the wheels began to fail. Parked up and turned off the engine. After about 10 minutes, started off again and all seemed well. But after another couple of miles, the symptoms reappeared. 
As background, the car makes crackling noises on slow, sharp, powered turns. 
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. 
Regards

Chris

[TonyHSD]

2 hours ago, ChrisBaker said:

Yesterday, I took the car out to see what was going on. 
All started out well. After about 7 miles, there was a vibration which appeared to be coming from the near side front. This stopped. After another couple of miles, it reappeared and drive to the wheels began to fail. Parked up and turned off the engine. After about 10 minutes, started off again and all seemed well. But after another couple of miles, the symptoms reappeared. 
As background, the car makes crackling noises on slow, sharp, powered turns. 
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. 
Regards

Chris

Cv joints needs attention, replacement.