[ELzekio]

Hello all.

About a month ago I’ve purchaced a 2007 Toyota RAV4 V6 with about 127000 and I wanted to see if anyone would mind sharing some advice on some things I should get checked out on it before I take it out on a 1,354 mile trip to South Carolina for a internship next summer.

I know the brakes may need to be looked at as well as the rear rotors. Also a simple tire pressure sensor.

I’ve done lots of looking at it seems a couple of the common things that go bad at around this time include:

The alternator typically gets replaced at around 120000. Don’t see any prior history on car fax regarding alternator replacement. Would it be to silly of me to think about replacing the alternator before hand it it looks original? I’d hate to have it die on me on the highway with cars doing 80 all over the place.

The water pump on these vehicles always seems to be going bad, I also don’t see any history on car fax regarding replacing the water pump, but the previous owner of this vehicle has purchased it from a Toyota dealer in 2015 and so it is possible that the water pump may have been replace then, or sometime before as by the looks of it it seems that the water pump is usually going out a lot sooner than 120,000 miles.

I Also see a lot of people recommending you change the spark plugs at around 120,000 miles so that will be looked into!

I’ve seen lots of people complain about the engines burning oil, but that only seems to be for the people with the 4 cylinders and not the V6 engines. So I’m sure that as long as the oil is changed and I keep and eye on it, then I should have no problems correct?

Any input is always appreciated!

 

[Dr. Dyno]

Our '06 V6 has 147K and has had a new DIY waterpump but alternator is original. I also replaced the plugs at 100K.

 

[Relayman]

I would change the alternator before the trip. On the road it will cost about 75% more than if you change it yourself now. When ours quit, the car lost steering and died immediately as well. Plugs, change them now as well...very easy and not expensive.

 

[Blogson]

Suggest not changing the alternator unless it fails - it can be tested at most auto supply shops. Alternators appear to be the sort of luck of the draw item where some go bad and some last forever. Spoke with a RAV4 owner who has about 250,000 miles on his vehicle and still has the original alternator, and has not had a coolant pump problem.

 

[DL175]

There is no point in changing the alternator since it is working perfectly and would be a waste of money. What you can do is get a usb volt meter to monitor the battery and alternator that fits in the cigarette lighter. This way you know when your battery and alternator is on its way out ahead of time. As for preparation ensure all your fluid is up to the proper level and your tire air is 32 psi. I would carry a tire inflator if you needed to fill up your air on the go.

 

[@2011rav4]

I agree with DL175. That Alt voltmeter is a good thing to have. Lets you know how your charging sysyem is doing.

 

[Dr. Dyno]

I agree on the 12V outlet voltmeter. I have several of them that also have a USB charging port built in.
Reminds me that you should check the battery since a weak one can leave you stranded w/o much warning. Unless it's new get a load test done.

 

[@2011rav4]

This is how i have mine set up

Change AUX to USB

I have a 2011 base and changed the oem radio to Android head unit and no longer have a use for the AUX on the console and am thinking about changing it out to a double USB port for my phone! Anybody changed theirs and remember the size? I'm thinking of using this one and it says it fits...

www.rav4world.com

 

[ravenuer]

ELzekio: I agree with most of the opinions on here i.e. if it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Brakes obviously have to be checked. You mention TPMS sensor. Do you have a defective one, or just a low tire?
You can register your car, using the VIN, on Toyota.com/owners and any service or repairs done at a Toyota dealer will be on there.
Spark plugs could probably be changed, but if it's running fine this could wait. Otherwise, just a general check of the car should suffice.
Good luck on your trip!

 

[RTexasF]

Plugs, change them now as well...very easy and not expensive.

Actually they can be rather expensive and changing them can be a total nightmare on the back bank of the V-6. They range from $50-$85 for six. Pull one plug and match it exactly before ordering/buying.

 

[JuneBug]

Hello all.

About a month ago I’ve purchaced a 2007 Toyota RAV4 V6 with about 127000 and I wanted to see if anyone would mind sharing some advice on some things I should get checked out on it before I take it out on a 1,354 mile trip to South Carolina for a internship next summer.

The alternator typically gets replaced at around 120000. Don’t see any prior history on car fax regarding alternator replacement.

As ravenuer suggested, log in and register at https://www.toyota.com/owners/home. You can then see your vehicle's entire service history, at least what was done at Toyota dealers, all the way back to pre-delivery inspection.

 

[ELzekio]

Thank you everyone for your input. I’ve been doing some more research and one Other thing I found is that in an ideal scenario, the transmission fluid should be changed every 15-30 thousand miles or something around That range to keep the transmission in good Knick.

I contacted The previous owner and said they did not change the transmission fluid, and so unless it was done at the Toyota dealer where is was re-sold in 2015 at 67000 miles(I don’t see any indication it was changed on the service history), then it is Unlikely that the fluid was never changed on this vehicle.

The fluid does have a very dark color to it in mass, like a dirty purple or reddish brown, which would indicate that it is pretty dirty and very possibly has never been changed since Toyota doesn’t recommend it.

The transmission and everything else seem to be operating just fine since I have owned it. No issues at all.

Anyone happen to have any input regarding of it is worth the risk to drain the transmission fluid and change it? I would certainly hate to have it start slipping, but of course that would mean I was only living on borrowed time anyway.


Thanks!

 

[c00lman]

We did our 2006 Rav4 i4 at around 156000KM, the original fluid was very dark brown. What we did, we initially did a drain and fill only then monitored it it didn't slipped or anything but shifted really nicely. We have a hard shift once in a while before changing the fluid especially shifting from Park to Drive. Doing a drain and fill only replace 50% of the whole transmission fluid (most of the fluid are in the torque converter)

After few months, the transmission has been shifting really good. That's when we decided to replace all fluid via the transmission return line method. Some users have done multiple (3 to 4) drain and fill. Some dropped the transmission pan and replaced/reused the transmission filter (I think v6 has a paper filter? our i4 has a reusable filter). I would avoid those transmission flush that uses the machines to flush the fluid into the transmissions.

We will try to do a drain and fill when our rav4 hit 200000KM. that will at least maintain the transmission fluid

You may want to check your Transfer Case and Rear Differential fluids and breather too as preventive maintenance.

Attached is the picture of our old fluids for your comparison on your fluid. The transmission fluid is really dark (almost black)
From the Sticky: https://www.rav4world.com/threads/v6-tranny-fluid-replacement-notes-photos.83329/

welcome to Rav4 forum

 

[DL175]

Thank you everyone for your input. I’ve been doing some more research and one Other thing I found is that in an ideal scenario, the transmission fluid should be changed every 15-30 thousand miles or something around That range to keep the transmission in good Knick.

I contacted The previous owner and said they did not change the transmission fluid, and so unless it was done at the Toyota dealer where is was re-sold in 2015 at 67000 miles(I don’t see any indication it was changed on the service history), then it is Unlikely that the fluid was never changed on this vehicle.

The fluid does have a very dark color to it in mass, like a dirty purple or reddish brown, which would indicate that it is pretty dirty and very possibly has never been changed since Toyota doesn’t recommend it.

The transmission and everything else seem to be operating just fine since I have owned it. No issues at all.

Anyone happen to have any input regarding of it is worth the risk to drain the transmission fluid and change it? I would certainly hate to have it start slipping, but of course that would mean I was only living on borrowed time anyway.


Thanks!

There is no risk in doing a drain and fill. Toyota recommends the transmission fluid be changed at 60,000 miles or less (20,000) depending if is driven in mountainous, towing, short trips, and dusty roads. The Canadian models like mine does come with maintenance information but the US models do not. This kinds of leave most owners scratching their heads what to do.

 

[ravenuer]

15-30k might be a little overkill, although you're certainly overdue for a drain-and-refill now, so go ahead and get that done. If it was my car, I'd only use Toyota WS fluid. Maybe in another 5-7k, do another D&R and I think you'll be good to go.