Clutch

[tom who?]

hi all, not having driven a rav before, would you class the clutch as 'a bit on the heavy side', the one i have just bought is a D4D on a 51 plate, if it makes any difference.

cheers tom

[anchorman]

I came out of a Corolla into my RAV and had to use both feet to start with. I had my RAV from new so I don't expect there is anything wrong with it. I suppose it has to lug a ton and a half and cope with quite a lot of torque so it will have to be on the heavy side.

It's surprising, you soon get used to it. I don't think you have anything to worry about.

Regards

[SteveR.]

I came out of a Corolla into my RAV and had to use both feet to start with

Blimey! Even though my last two cars have been automatics I don't find our RAV's clutch at all heavy (07 D4-D). I just checked with my wife (who has driven manuals even less than me in the last six years), and she reckons it's actually nice and light.

[Steve@Aberdeen]

I wouldn't consider the clutch on my '56 reg XT4 D4-D heavy, either - but it's a different engine and clutch to the '51, so not much help to Tom!

[tom who?]

hi all, well, i have no reason to suspect anything is wrong with it, just found it i bit heavy compared to my last few cars. only done a few trips to work and back, so on and off the clutch a lot, but the bank holiday will see it get run out, (earthquakes permiting)

tom

[Novac]

hi all, well, i have no reason to suspect anything is wrong with it, just found it i bit heavy compared to my last few cars. only done a few trips to work and back, so on and off the clutch a lot, but the bank holiday will see it get run out, (earthquakes permiting)

tom

My Beloved RAV4 2 litre petrol X reg and less than 30 thousand miles was recommended a clutch exchange after a Toyota Main Dealer "70,000mile due to its age " service. The quote was in excess of £1000 because they said " it takes a whole day"

Yes it is heavy compared to our 2 year old Carolla and heavy compared to my BrotherinLaw's RAV same vehicle but younger with 70Kmiles plus on the clock.

Apart from being heavy it pulls away cleanly from rest and steep hill starts in Shropshire ie the Longmynd & Burway 1:4 tracks.

I would be very interested in other owners comments and if the worst has to be faced where to take it for the clutch replacement job without being taken to the cleaners. Or is a grand for a clutch change the going rate ?

(My S reg mondeo was £400 - main dealer; my Wreg Astra £85 at a Quickly Fitted Depot (but only lasted 12000miles ) my Renault 12TL 1972 vintage £60 self installed)

PS Happy New Year everyone !!

[bothwell_buyer]

The clutch price renewal quoted way back for my 1994 RAV was £600 book price. It was the first one the Toyota dealer had ever done and they took days at it. A shambles.

As you'll notice, I've changed the engine over to the twin cam 3SGTE turbo and the engine compartment is quite tight. However, the mechanics I use are non-toyota but experts in Japanese cars. They were able to change the clutch to a racing clutch without taking the engine out which is what the dealers do.(or did). It does mean loosening off engine mounts and tilting engine; dropping right hand side suspension/driveshafts; but the gearbox does come out to allow clutch - saves a bit of time at not having to strip out all the wiring etc.

The new clutch is a bit heavier but then its able to handle a lot more power. Incidentally, I think we got around 80,000 from the first clutch.

I'd imagine things like making sure the pivots and pedal mechanism isn't stiff - what with the age of the car....all that heat blasting away in the cabin....

[anchorman]

No1. It sounds very very expensive to me.

No2. If it pulls away no trouble on hills without slipping don't have it done. They'll have you changing the pistons as a precaution next. Petrols have no flywheel issues and at that mileage there should be no issue.

You tell them when you want a new clutch.

Regards

[Novac]

No1. It sounds very very expensive to me.

No2. If it pulls away no trouble on hills without slipping don't have it done. They'll have you changing the pistons as a precaution next. Petrols have no flywheel issues and at that mileage there should be no issue.

You tell them when you want a new clutch.

Regards

Thanks for the reassurance fella's. My Good Lady says she has no problem changing gear in it , and she tore her way through 4 clutches in a vauxhall ashtray over a period of five years. I'll see how it goes as they say. Sorry for the lateness of my reply, Ive had a few distractions frm the keys of late.

I liked the comment re the pistons and I must ask my Dealer when they last did a clutch job !!

[WER]

Back to tom who?'s original issue: Is there any way to adjust the clutch pressure? I broke my left ankle last fall. I bought a '01 RAV4 last month, and after city driving my ankle hurts! I took a look under the dash and found a powerful-looking coil spring but no obvious way to adjust it. Just thought I'd ask the experts before I give up and live with it.

[anchorman]

Well a new pressure plate would make a difference but just how much would be a gamble and an expensive one. This is a bit different than the case above as you are not changing it simply because of the age but because of how difficult it is to press.

The spring under the dash is just to return the pedal to the "off" stop. It might make a difference but you should not take it off as the weight of the pedal could cause the release bearing to stay in permanenet contact with the pressure plate. You could try a new spring that is lighter but it should be just strong enough to lift the pedal back to the stop.

[bothwell_buyer]

I didn't notice if you have a diesel or a petrol. Nor what age the RAV is. When in France, do as the French do - ignore junctions etc and just keep the right foot hard down on the 'go-faster pedal'

If the clutch isn't worn (you'll know from where the 'bite' comes to drive the car on the clutch travel, then I'd try simple things like oiling or greasing all pivots on the clutch pedal mechanism.

I have some problems myself as I've been told one leg is shorter than the other by wur beloved NHS Consultants. Not a lot I can do, altho I'm considering having the clutch pedal modified to bring it up a bit to compensate for my shorter left leg. I don't want to drive an automatic quite yet, altho I've been told I should.

One thing that might help is walking with 1 foot on the pavement and 1 foot in the gutter - strengthen muscles etc.

Otherwise you start to talk about serious money to change clutches. By the way, the clutch can be changed with the engine in situ altho it may well need the front cross member removed. depends on the model. Thought about asking a young male/female with a long left leg (France is left hand drive?) to help you out by activating yer clutch???? B)