4wd Info On 2000 W Reg Rav4

[William36]

Hi,

I just moved to a country village that get's a fair bit of snow in the winter so I just bought a 2000 W Registration Rav 4 Reebok.(Date of registration is March 2000) Lovely car, inside and out with only 50000 miles on it.

I talked to friends and people at work about it before I bought it but I've heard different answers about about whether the car is 4WD permanently or interchangeable 2/4WD. I see the little switch on the dash, but I dont want to start playing with things until I know a little more about it.

I never got a users manual with it so I'm none the wiser.

Could I get a definitive answer please. Is it permanent 4 wheel drive? What does the little switch on the dash do when pushed in? And also is there a correct procedure to use when pushing the switch?

Thanks in advance.

William

[Parts-King]

William

You have the last of the 4.1 RAV's which are permanent 4 wheel drive. The button on the dash is the centre diff lock. This button should NEVER be used UNLESS you find yourself stuck in mud/snow. You then press the diff lock which allows all four wheels to lock up and turn at the same speed, alowing you to get free, as soon as you are out of the mud/snow, release the diff lock. If you do happen to drive with the diff lock on, when you come to a corner you will go in a straight line, NOT to be recommended.

The Bothwell_Buyer will be along here shortly to tell you about his RAV. It has been turned into an Inter Continental balistic missile on wheels and doesnt need a diff lock anymore. He has a button to remove your underpants after you have been in it

Kingo

[anchorman]

William

Welcome to the club.

Your RAV is not permanent 4WD. It normally runs in FWD and the rear axle is activated through a vacuum operated electro-pneumatic (EP) switch. To engage the rear axle, stop the car and press the switch - the light will come on.

As with any manually engaging gears, if you attempt to disengage them while they are under load they will bind up making disengagement difficult or impossible. When you press the switch to disengage the rear axle you may hear the vacuum exhaust to atmosphere - this is normal. The mechanism has a warning feature which detects that the operating servo has returned to the FWD position but the gears are still engaged and a buzzer will sound. You should only disengage the gears when stopped or moving at very low (walking pace) speed. If the buzzer sounds just reverse the car back and forth under very light throttle loads to take the load off the gears and they should pop into neutral and silence the buzzer.

Enjoy your vehicle. That 4.1 model has a very good reputation on this forum with very few reported problems.

Kind regards

[William36]

Thank you both for the help.

I guessed right that joining and posting on an owner's club forum would be the best bet for advice.

It is greatfully appreciated.

William

[anchorman]

William

You have the last of the 4.1 RAV's which are permanent 4 wheel drive.

Kingo

Do you mean the very last one made was permanent 4WD? :D

There must be 2 versions of that box if you are correct but all my info says that only 4.2s are permanent 4WD.

Lets be sure though so William knows what he has. Can you confirm that there is a permanent 4WD 4.1?

Regards

[bothwell_buyer]

I'm confused.com!

The 1994 4.1 RAV4 that I have and that our young chap has one of the last in its line, is permanent 4wd. I can confirm this as the front wheels lift off on the standing 1/4 mile and only by engaging diff lock can I keep power going to the tar. Without the diff lock, the front wheels spin which stops if I use diff lock.

Last time at Crail, I managed to enjoy rear wheel spin as well as the fronts were off ground and the rears were slipping on the greasy wet surface. If the 4.1 was front wheel drive, my launch times would be well above 2 seconds. With diff lock on, it locks all wheels to rotate at the same speed regardless of traction and I get 90mph+ terminal speed despite the bhp loss on the transmission drag....cos the 4wd wi diff lock consumes 80bhp+ !!! at speed. I should say that I'm running around 270bhp+ just now. Looking to take that up to 350bhp soon with a larger turbo.

The reasons why diff lock is to be used carefully is

1. cos its hard work going round a corner and

2. it puts a strain on the transmission if the road is not slippy.

However the 4.1 gearbox and drivetrain is engineered to accept 350bhp+ and as the engine only coughs out 127bhp on the standard 3SFE, then theres little chance of doing any harm to the box etc.

If you want any more info, PM me as things are busy just now so not checking the forum as much.

Oh, and William, as you are in Ayrshire its not far and you're welcome to give the beast a try!!

[bothwell_buyer]

I meant to add that the wee button should be activated while yer wheels are in a straight line, and that you can disengage at slow speed or stopped. If it doesn't disengage, sometimes I have to reverse for a short distance.

For my 1/4 mile times, they are posted up on the Crail raceway website - search for RAV4 and you'll probably find them. Otherwise under the AWD category

[anchorman]

OK we are saying it has a lockable third diff.

The advice on the use of the switch still applies.

If I come across a very clean 3 door 4.1 I might just have it as a toy.

[William36]

Thanks gents.

I think I get the picture now of what I've bought.

Sounds like I've bought a wee cracker.

Much appreciated on the advice.

Best Regards

William

[bothwell_buyer]

Thanks gents.

I think I get the picture now of what I've bought.

Sounds like I've bought a wee cracker.

Much appreciated on the advice.

Best Regards

William

You'll not get better!