2011 RAV4 2.5L 4CYL O2 Sensor/CAT change

amanwithaplan · Sep 9, 2019

Hi.

We've got a 2011 RAV4 2.5L that's had the p0420 code for about two months now. The code came up after we replaced both sensors, downstream first then the upstream afterwards. We havent really driven the car that much, probably about 1k miles total in both months. But during the times we did drive it, all we have noticed is a MPG drop in our drives (because of running rich I'm assuming?).

That leads me to my question. How likely is it that it's actually the O2 sensor(s) that's still the problem for this code? We replaced the downstream sensor when the P0136 code came up. After about fifty miles, the same code came up again and then afterwards, we replaced the upstream sensor. After another fifty miles, the p0420 came up and no longer the P0136 code.

Furthermore, if it's likely that the CAT needs to be changed, will I be wrong with going OEM or is there another cheaper yet OEM quality aftermarket solution (i.e DENSO)?

Furthermore, I'd like to ask about some of the preventative maintenance we should start looking into. We've had the car since new, and it has about 126k miles on it now. We've replaced the spark plugs at about 120k miles, did rotors and pads just last month, front and back wheel bearings last month as well (thank you east coast shitty roads), as well as a full coolant flush about six months ago.

We're looking into doing a transmission fluid change as well. Any other thing that we should also do (that we can do in our garage)?

@2011rav4 · Sep 9, 2019

Did you use DENSO 02 sensors? Some of the other sensor brands don't work so well with Toyota's.

amanwithaplan · Sep 9, 2019

Yep, both were DENSO branded.

DL175 · Sep 9, 2019

The OEM catylitic conveter are expensive but last much longer then aftermarket ones. Some people replace the cat and still get the code so they use O2 spacers.

Did you clear the P0420 code after you installed the second O2 sensor? I heard some people clear the code and they don't come back.

amanwithaplan · Sep 9, 2019

I've cleared it about 4 times since the code has come up. Each time after, it comes back on quicker.

OEM Cat is about 600 with the manifold. Is there any aftermarket solution that has similar quality but is on the less expensive side?

Thanks for your response and time.

@2011rav4 · Sep 9, 2019

Do you have TECHSTREAM?

amanwithaplan · Sep 9, 2019

No, but I do have an OBD2 reader (crappy third party one) but however, it doesnt really read the downstream O2 sensor that well.

@2011rav4 · Sep 9, 2019

Might want to think about getting it. It's a great tool to have. You can get it on EBAY or AMAZON. Here's a sample

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@2011rav4 · Sep 9, 2019

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Benjielo · Sep 10, 2019

To clear code p0420 permanently you need O2 sensor adopter from Amazon or AliExpress shop to fix this code and increase fuel economy of your vehicle. I had saw problem some months ago after notice my downstream O2 sensor had cracks beneath the tread and this what I did to solve

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DL175 · Sep 10, 2019

I already suggested that O2 Spacer and the OP is planning to buy the Cat instead. He may even get the code after the cat is installed like some members.

jbwood5 · Sep 12, 2019

We used to use a spark plug extender on the downstream 02 sensor to 'fool' the 02 sensor into thinking the cat was good. I don't know if that still works and you only get by in 'non-emission' testing areas because a good inspector with a mirror can spot this. I only recommend trying this for a test. lol

Kauri · Sep 13, 2019

amanwithaplan said:
How likely is it that it's actually the O2 sensor(s) that's still the problem for this code? We replaced the downstream sensor when the P0136 code came up. After about fifty miles, the same code came up again and then afterwards, we replaced the upstream sensor. After another fifty miles, the p0420 came up and no longer the P0136 code.

For what it's worth, many years ago the check engine light came on for our 4Runner, and our mechanic said it was an O2 sensor and he replaced one of them. But the check engine light was still on a while later (I recall they only reset after so many starts of the vehicle), so he replaced the other O2 sensor. The check engine light still (!) stayed on, and a member of the 4Runner forums suggested replacing BOTH O2 sensors at the same time, which we did. The check engine light hasn't been on since. So, we were thinking that if one O2 sensor is faulty then it'll destroy the other one, and they both have to be replaced at the same time. Not sure if this helps, but maybe one of the more knowledgable folks here can determine if this makes sense?

amanwithaplan · Sep 13, 2019

Hi, thanks for the reply.

Maybe it might be specific to the vehicle? Not sure though.

aza400 · Sep 13, 2019

amanwithaplan said:
Hi.

We've got a 2011 RAV4 2.5L that's had the p0420 code for about two months now. The code came up after we replaced both sensors, downstream first then the upstream afterwards. We havent really driven the car that much, probably about 1k miles total in both months. But during the times we did drive it, all we have noticed is a MPG drop in our drives (because of running rich I'm assuming?).

That leads me to my question. How likely is it that it's actually the O2 sensor(s) that's still the problem for this code? We replaced the downstream sensor when the P0136 code came up. After about fifty miles, the same code came up again and then afterwards, we replaced the upstream sensor. After another fifty miles, the p0420 came up and no longer the P0136 code.

Furthermore, if it's likely that the CAT needs to be changed, will I be wrong with going OEM or is there another cheaper yet OEM quality aftermarket solution (i.e DENSO)?

Furthermore, I'd like to ask about some of the preventative maintenance we should start looking into. We've had the car since new, and it has about 126k miles on it now. We've replaced the spark plugs at about 120k miles, did rotors and pads just last month, front and back wheel bearings last month as well (thank you east coast shitty roads), as well as a full coolant flush about six months ago.

We're looking into doing a transmission fluid change as well. Any other thing that we should also do (that we can do in our garage)?

I have 05 RAV4 the CAT died with about 300,000 I try to avoid using 87 octane gas. I use 89 or 93 most of the time. I replaced the original CAT with 5 year warranty CAT and have had to use the warranty twice. The converter keeps dying. The vehicle now has 445,000 miles on it. It's gonna be one of those parts that fails every few years so buy a converter with a long warranty.

amanwithaplan · Sep 13, 2019

Yeah, at this point, if I choose to replace the cat, I might just go OEM for the warranty.

Just waiting for my techstream to come in so I can get some further diagnosis.

ravenuer · Sep 13, 2019

Dang....445k? Not bad.

Foryota · Sep 15, 2019

One other thing I’ll pop in is my experience with the downstream sensor. Get underneath and have a look up the back of the engine with a strong light and maybe a mirror. You’re looking for a pipe pressed into the back of the cylinder head. Once you find the pipe, look along the bottom for a trace of dry coolant/signs of a leak. If you find this, it’s worth talking to your dealership as this is a manufacturing defect which costs about $3700 CDN to fix, and requires a new cylinder head. This happened to me while in warranty so it was taken care of with no issues, but that pipe is not serviceable at all. If you have the leak but you don’t get anywhere with that, perhaps a shield or guard can be fashioned.

I hope it’s software and not as serious as my problem was.

amanwithaplan · Dec 25, 2019

Hi all,

It's been a while since I've posted. To put it short, havent really used the RAV4 as much besides for short trips. Since winter break has arrived however, I figured, it's time to get it fixed.
My brother and I decided to disconnect and reconnect both O2 sensors to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary. After doing so and reconnecting the battery, after about 80 miles of driving, sure enough, the CEL (P0420) came back on.

I've downloaded techstream and my brother and I started to record some live data. I've attached the live data to this post, and am hoping for some feedback as to if theres anything out of the ordinary.

I've noticed that B1S2 is normal (?) as its suppose to be rich lean rich lean? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Heres when it's at idle.

IMG 7958 GIF | Gfycat

Watch and share IMG 7958 GIFs on Gfycat

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Heres when it's at around 2k RPM.

YouCut 20191224 204328800 GIF | Gfycat

Watch and share YouCut 20191224 204328800 GIFs on Gfycat

gfycat.com

Looking forward for your responses and feedback. Happy holidays!

DL175 · Dec 25, 2019

amanwithaplan said:
Hi all,

It's been a while since I've posted. To put it short, havent really used the RAV4 as much besides for short trips. Since winter break as arrived however, I figured, it's time to get it fixed.
My brother and I decided to disconnect and reconnect both O2 sensors to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary. After doing so and reconnecting the battery, after about 80 miles of driving, sure enough, the CEL came back on.

I've downloaded techstream and my brother and I started to record some live data. I've attached the live data to this post, and am hoping for some feedback as to if theres anything out of the ordinary.

I've noticed that B1S2 is normal (?) as its suppose to be rich lean rich lean? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Heres when it's at idle.

IMG 7958 GIF | Gfycat

Watch and share IMG 7958 GIFs on Gfycat

gfycat.com

Heres when it's at around 2k RPM.

YouCut 20191224 204328800 GIF | Gfycat

Watch and share YouCut 20191224 204328800 GIFs on Gfycat

gfycat.com

Looking forward for your responses and feedback. Happy holidays!

You may need to give more information such as the trouble code.

amanwithaplan · Dec 25, 2019

Sorry, same code as before: P0420.

kevcules46 · Dec 25, 2019

I just replaced my cat converter pipe in my 06 Corolla with an aftermarket brand from Rock Auto saving about $600. I had no codes before replacement, but it was leaking as we could hear it and smell fumes inside the cabin.. I already had changed the exhaust manifold also , so the bolts were easy coming out.
If you think your cat is bad or plugged, I would try some cat cleaner first.

If you want to keep your vehicle for a long time and your cat is still in question, buy an OEM and change it yourself. One thing to remember as I just found out. Your cat is worth some money at the scrap yard. My corolla has two cats on one pipe and they are worth $40 each at the scrap yard ,so ask around for the best price and don't just throw it away.
For maintenance at 120,000 miles, I would suggest using the cat cleaner, using seafoam and Marvel Mystery oil in your gas tank to clean and lube your fuel system. (may help straighten out your oxygen sensors) Drain and flush your transmission fluid, if you changed your antifreeze,did you replace your thermostat with an OEM one?

amanwithaplan · Feb 12, 2020

Hi all, my apologies for not posting lately. Unfortunately, with time also comes neglection and with neglection also comes the RAV4, which we've not been paying attention to for a while. But here's to hoping that will change. With the two O2 sensors already replaced with OEM replacements and no other choices, I think it's time to fork up some money for a cat replacement. I'd follow the washer trick just to pass inspection, but in the long run, keeping this car for the long hall (bought it back in 2011 and it now has over 150k miles), I think its wise to make sure everything is working like it should.

Before moving on, I'd like to thank all of you guys for your responses and advice, it's been very helpful in this ever lasting process of this darn O2/cat issue.

To Kevin from Canada, thanks for your response. I've since tried cataclean but sadly, it did not work.

With that said, I'd like to ask you and everyone else, your opinions on these different catalytic converter brands that are on Rockauto. I've attached the three images to this post, one of the daily driver, premium and economy. Which brand would you say is more reputable and has a more reliable catalytic converter? Which would be optimal for performance (lol)?

The converter sub assembly (part# 250510V070) , assuming thats the catalytic converter, under toyotas epart store, is listed for $429.53. And to be honest, I'm not quite sure if that's the only part I'll need in conjunction with replacing the catalytic converter? Would appreciate some clarification here.

Would there be any advantages to buy aftermarket over OEM, assuming the OEM part is the only one needed?

Thanks for your replies and time.

amanwithaplan · Feb 17, 2020

Bump.

amanwithaplan · Feb 28, 2020

Bump.

kevcules46 · Feb 28, 2020

Usually the "daily driver" parts are a safe bet. Search amazon also for the same parts at sometimes cheaper prices.....good luck

wevudo · Mar 1, 2020

I had the same code and some seafoam cleared it up. Been good for 20k

Ike Carlson · Mar 1, 2020

It could be coils going bad. When we bought our rav the previous owner said it was low on power and all the lights were on. The spark plugs were shot and so were the coils. This caused unburned fuel to melt the first cat and clog the second one and blow out the exhaust gasket on the down pipe, which melted the cooling fan housing.

I replaced the plugs/coils/02 sensors/melted cat, and removed the second cat. Runs fine now.

crazy series of events, but lack of maintenance will do that.

amanwithaplan · Sep 12, 2020

Hi all, been a while. Figured I'd give an update, both good news and bad news. To refresh anyone, the car has a P0420 code and has already had both O2 sensors replaced.

To start, the pandemic has really brought about a lot of time to work on the car so during the month of June, I bought an OEM catalytic converter from Toyotapartsdeal, (Part number 25051-0V070) and a manifold gasket (Part number 17173-0V010). In total, I paid about $400 with taxes, give or take. In addition to the initial purchase, during the time of actual repair (around mid-August), I purchased a new exhaust gasket, two new compression bolts that screwed into the front exhaust pipe (that connects to the cat) and an OEM oil pressure switch (plug broke off while trying to move it). All in all, it cost about $60 in additional parts bringing it to a total of $460, give or take. We did reuse the insulator/shield around the converter as it still had some life left in it.

Following a repair manual we "received", the whole replacement took about 3-4 hours. Heres the original catalytic converter.

After placing in the new catalytic converter and installing the new oil pressure switch, we hooked everything else up and turned on the car and did not see the engine check light on. After driving it for about 130 miles and counting, the engine check light has not come back, and knock on wood and fingers crossed it won't ever come on. After connecting an OBD2 reader (both a Bluetooth adapter and techstreams), it was confirmed that the P0420 code was gone. In addition to this, to recoup some of our costs, I sold the old catalytic converter to a scrap recycling center that offered me $152 for it.

So that was the good news.

Here's some of the bad news that came about. To start, the ABS light along with BRAKE light came on mid July. After checking the codes, three codes came up, one of them being C1407 and the other two relating to one the computer modules. Good thing is that after replacing the catalytic converter and rechecking for codes, only C1407 remained, indicating that the rear right wheel speed sensor needs to be checked. If anyone can recommend a brand that has a good sensor (OEM is pretty expensive), please feel free to comment

.

Secondly, after turning the car on and driving it around, the BATTERY light was coming on and off. My initial thoughts was that it was just the battery or a faulty connection/sensor due to it coming on while taking certain turns. Recently, however, after coming back from a one week vacation, the car failed to start. We tried to jump it with a jumppack but it couldn't hold a charge. Retracing our steps of replacing the catalytic converter, we saw that some wires (alternator wire/connector) could've gotten in the way and therefore been meddled with. Taking the cap off and unscrewing it from the alternator, we decided to look closer and saw that there could be a poor connection due to the rust.

After cleaning it and reconnecting the wire and battery, we jumpstarted the car with one of our other cars and it finally started. To be on the safe side, I intend to replace that wire and bolt but do not know how to approach it. Should I cut off the part that is crusted out and soder a new one on?

One of the things that worried us was that while reconnecting the battery requires the computer to relearn its fuel cycles and make it shutter/shake due to lower RPM, the car stalled out a few times while stopped/idling. Being paranoid, I stopped by Autozone to check the health of our battery and they told me it was perfectly fine. That said, the car idles normally now and doesn't stall out after driving it for 30-40 miles. Is this normal, as in, does stalling happen while the car relearn its fuel cycle?

Thank you all for your help and time. Looking forward to your responses.

SoNic67 · Sep 12, 2020

amanwithaplan said:
f anyone can recommend a brand that has a good sensor (OEM is pretty expensive), please feel free to comment

Check roackauto.com for alternatives. Since they are fairly easy to replace, and they don't affect performance directly, I would try my luck with a cheap one. Also, they usually have a 5% discount floating around, search on web for the codes. retailmenot.com usually has codes for many sellers.

I don't know why the alternator wire would look like oxidized that. I supposed it was overheated. Isn't that plastic even melted?
After you change/repair the wire I would check the alternator voltage output. It should be 14.2-14.4V while engine is running, if is something like 13V then it has shorted diode(s) inside.
Also a faulty alternator can input electrical noise in the system tricking the ECU to think that some sensors are faulty.
Also will force the battery to filter some of that noise and that is not good for it.

kevcules46 · Sep 12, 2020

Good job!
Im surprised the junkyard gave you so much for your converter. I got $40 each for the two converters on my corolla. I’ll keep that in mind.
I would just take some ignition cleaner or WD40 and a wire brush and clean the connections to the alternator. Once they are clean and you tighten the nut up, use some die electric grease and cover it up. You wont have issue with that again.
The computer re learning is a pain in the a$$ for sure. It took my Corolla a few days to get back to normal. I was sure something was wrong. All good though.
Take care.

2011 RAV4 2.5L 4CYL O2 Sensor/CAT change

For Toyota Lexus Mini VCI J2534 Diagnostic Cable Scion TIS Techstream V13.00.022 | eBay

Toyota Techstream and MVCI

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