[Theo]

Check Engine, Check VSC, Check 4WD warnings. (Distribution chain)

The display on my RAV4 2006 Automatic Drive instantly gave the warning messages on the display: "Check Engine, check VSC, check 4WD", but I could not detect any strange behavour of the engine,

Went to my dealer, he checked the warnings with a laptop, could not find a true problem, and deleted the warnings. He advised me to come back as soon as the warnings would appear again.
This happened yesterday, so I went back to the dealer, and he did the same trick with his laptop. After a search of a hour he was almost sure it was the distribution chain. The chain would be stretched or something.

Tomorow the new distribution chain will be installed. But then, a distribution chain should be maintenance free. Why can something like this happen then?

 

[JuneBug]

It sounds like your dealer doesn't know what he's doing. If by distribution chain, you mean timing chain, I am 99% sure that is NOT the problem. Timing chains rarely stretch or fail under normal conditions. Those lights can come on when you have a loose fuel cap, bad wheel sensor, bad oxygen sensor, or many other things. The dealer's laptop with Techstream should have narrowed it down. What were the error codes displayed on the laptop? Read this thread:

http://www.rav4world.com/forums/99-...forums/99-4-3-mechanical/85765-check-engine-light-vsc-4wd-lights-explained.html

 

[Dr. Dyno]

Is the dealer guessing at your expense?
Personally I wouldn't let that happen.

 

[Theo]

Hi there, thanks to you all for the help.

My RAV4.3 is from end 2006, with the new dot matrix digital display, and not like the <2006 RAV4.2 with the more or less calculator look display.
So I don't know if the link form JuneBug can help me, because this showes the old dash of the RAV4.2

And the milage is 60.000km at this moment.

Today I contacted the dealer again to ask him what error codes he saw on his laptop.
He told me that he got an early valve timing error from the crankshaft sensor and the camshaft sensor, which 99,9% sure imply that the timing chain is not ok.
This problem with the timing chain is indeed rare with a RAV, but still can happen. (Maybe my fault explanation is not 100% ok, but I am no car mechanic.)

The timing chain will be replaced, together with the water pump (to save money later), and hopefully this is it.
The dealer told me if the error comes back, the only option can be a faulty board computer. But this is almost never the problem.

 

[Theo]

Update: the problem is back, and our RAV4 is back at the garage.

Initially the dealer thought it would be a bad gear wheel in the timing mechanism, but later they found out this was not the problem causing the error.
At this momemt the garage/dealer is out of clues, they never had such strange problem with a RAV4 before. They found one equal issue in England with this type of RAV4.
They posted the problem on the internal and international Toyota dealer/service forum or someething like that, hoping to get tips.
We find this a bit exiting... A very reliable and long existing Toyota dealer who has no clue in this problem. To be continued....

 

[Theo]

We received the car back. They changed the VVT-i hydrolic mechanism, because Toyota told that this must be the problem.
At this moment the car is error free, and the engine reacts faster and stronger than before.
The garage told me that when the engine timing is not ok, the engine's PC reduces the power in order to prevent direct engine damage.

So, at this moment all looks ok, and we hope the problem is gone fore good...