hope you find what you're looking for. probably not necessary to post 3 times, tho'

 

Sorry, desperate.

 

You say it "appears" they are broken? So they might not be?
Over 5 yrs on this board and do not think I ever heard of them breaking,not saying there not but I would be dang sure.
First I would find where ans see if it can be repaired with JB weld,soldered or a new end maybe.

 

somewhat long time member, first post though.

shifting is not smooth, especially when cooler temperatures outside.

dealer says shifter cables are frayed and has offered a $1.2K solution which includes 5 shop labor hours.

please direct me to where these cables can be purchased.

1997 rav4 203K miles. (standard 2WD)

only major work has been rack and pinion.

 

Next time it is cold and not shifting good try pushing in the clutch.letting up and push in again then move shifter and if it is better look towards the slave cylinder.
Could be after 10 plus years water,air and seals can make it so when you push pedal clutch does not move as far as it should and cold temps do not let fluid move as good as when it is warm.
Mine is auto so cannot help you on how or where cables go.

 

The part numbers are in the picture below.
The shifter it's cables are pretty expensive and very durable.
Look around for this part and i am sure you can do it a lot less expensive then quoted. However, do notice that replacing these is quite a hassle.
You might also want to download the official manual concerning the transmission.
A link to a location with many repair manuals (detailed with pictures) can be found at my profile. Look at that location for the file MAN TRANS OVERHAUL.pdf

Also check the level of the transmission fluid first (should be up to filler plug) and check if the fluid is clean and can be seen through. If not, replace. Recommended to use high quality fluid from Red line for it. 75 W 90 NS oil. Would be optimum to flush before putting high quality fluid in. Flushing requires about 10 quarts fluid, so it might be wise to use cheap fluid for flushing.
Greetz

Pim

This picture is for a 4WD but displays a bit where to find the drain and filler plugs.

 

Checking the clutch was a good idea.

I wonder if a little grease at both ends of the cables and on the moving mechanisms would be worth a try.

 

the clutch is perhaps part of the issue.

where does one obtain these cables?

 

If your part is "33821-42070", see 33821-42070 - OEM Toyota CABLE, TRANSMISSION -- but then that price is higher than what you named.



Or, just try Google , and see what you like. Now I am not saying that is the part you want. But the places that carry it may have the part you want.

 

That the cables are 200 dollar a piece is about correct carbon.
He said the total quote has been 1200 dollar for the entire replacement. (likely including fluid replacement).
You can indeed buy the parts at your local toyota dealer or search them online for a webshop selling the parts.
Greetz

Pim

 

thanks ya'll.

i had about resigned myself to getting rid of the rav4.

running across this forum again has inspired me.

the 1.2K figure was for the complete job, i.e. labor and materials at the local dealer.

thanks for finding the toyotaparts place and sharing that with me.

that's a big help.

 

Do notice you need TWO cables
one with partnumber 33821-42070 (left) and one with 33822-42030 (right)
If they really are 'fried'.
Greetz

Pim

 

i did notice that there were two part numbers and the diagram shows two cables. i haven't verified that the cables are frayed.

first thing is that the clutch needs to be replaced.

great forum.

 

first thing is that the clutch needs to be replaced.

If your clutch diagnosis is based on the second pump of the clutch pedal helping things, that would tend to suggest that you might get by by bleeding the clutch fluid to get rid of air. If your diagnosis is based on something more, it would not be surprising to have the clutch worn out on a '97.

 

Cable was frayed

Aloha all,

The right cable WAS frayed. It's actually not that hard to determine. If you remove the air intake assembly, the cable ends attached to the transmission forks/levers are visible and reachable. You can feel your way along the cable all the way to the firewall as I did and determine if they're frayed or not. I had disconnected the cables from the forks/levers and was able to determine that the forks/levers shifted gears in the transmission properly. Reattaching the cables and then manually moving the forks/levers allowed me to determine the actual gear positions by seeing where the gear shift moved in relation to my manual positioning of forks/levers. I then learned that my "left" cable (relative to sitting in driver's seat) was fine, pushing and pulling properly, and that my "right" cable could upshift from 2nd to 3rd and 5th, but I couldn't downshift any, and couldn't upshift from 2 to 4. That's when i did my hand-feel along the cables and eureka found the "right" cable was WAY mangled. It was actually quite easy to remove, just need 10mm boxend wrench and ratchet to remove engine and cabin firewall grommets (metal plates and rubber grommets). Disconnect cable ends, remove grommet plates, and pull cable out of engine into cabin. Cable out.

Now, however, I was hoping to pay less than $250 for a cable. Just one of those silly comparisons, you know. $1000 for a new transmission and vs. $500 for 2 cables? Oh well, never mind. So there appears to be 2 or 3 Toyota-specific online sites that sell the cables. The first part of the item number is the concept of the cables (right vs. left) and the next set of numbers is specific to model and year. Why is a '97 camry cable $150 and my '97 rav cable $200? Again, oh well, whiny me.

Great site, thanks for the stickies and posts. Time for me to order and replace my cable and then move on.....

Moving on too leaky power steering gear and pump it appears. Hope I find helpful stickies and threads here.

Thanks again all.

 

Cable was frayed

Aloha all,

The right cable WAS frayed. It's actually not that hard to determine. If you remove the air intake assembly, the cable ends attached to the transmission forks/levers are visible and reachable. You can feel your way along the cable all the way to the firewall as I did and determine if they're frayed or not. I had disconnected the cables from the forks/levers and was able to determine that the forks/levers shifted gears in the transmission properly. Reattaching the cables and then manually moving the forks/levers allowed me to determine the actual gear positions by seeing where the gear shift moved in relation to my manual positioning of forks/levers. I then learned that my "left" cable (relative to sitting in driver's seat) was fine, pushing and pulling properly, and that my "right" cable could upshift from 2nd to 3rd and 5th, but I couldn't downshift any, and couldn't upshift from 2 to 4. That's when i did my hand-feel along the cables and eureka found the "right" cable was WAY mangled. It was actually quite easy to remove, just need 10mm boxend wrench and ratchet to remove engine and cabin firewall grommets (metal plates and rubber grommets). Disconnect cable ends, remove grommet plates, and pull cable out of engine into cabin. Cable out.

Now, however, I was hoping to pay less than $250 for a cable. Just one of those silly comparisons, you know. $1000 for a new transmission and vs. $500 for 2 cables? Oh well, never mind. So there appears to be 2 or 3 Toyota-specific online sites that sell the cables. The first part of the item number is the concept of the cables (right vs. left) and the next set of numbers is specific to model and year. Why is a '97 camry cable $150 and my '97 rav cable $200? Again, oh well, whiny me.

Great site, thanks for the stickies and posts. Time for me to order and replace my cable and then move on.....

Moving on too leaky power steering gear and pump it appears. Hope I find helpful stickies and threads here.

Thanks again all.

I am curious to know about the "remove cable ends' portion of this removal. At the engine side of cable where do I accees so that cable can pull through firewall(from inside I image). Thanks in advance.
Shane

 

It's VERY easy to go to a local scrapyard (or search a few online) and check out the cars there (a RAV4 is a pretty common car). Very likely you will buy the right cable for a lot less over there and that will very likely keep working for another 10 years.
Greetz

Pim

 

Salvage options

Aloha Pimm,

Let me start with my thanks to you and your posts here. They have been very helpful to me as I researched the Rav4 and an option to buy one in/on Kaua'i, Hi.

Oddly enough, the island of Kaua'i is actually a fairly small-town environment. We lost our only "salvage yard" about 6 months ago. There's not an on-island salvage option really. So I'm forced to shop online, and if there is one aspect of island life that is difficult, it's shopping for limited supply items. Try Christmas, you know?

Anyhoo, I've ordered the cable. $220 shipping included to Hawai'i they say; I'll wait till I see the invoice. They won't get here for 7 - 10 days at best, so I won't be posting any cable replacement thoughts for a bit. :wall

Mahalo and Aloha, again, for your most helpful posts. My next project seems to be leaks in the power steering gear (i.e. rack and pinion repair/replacement) AND leaks around the ps pump. For now I'm thinking about just using Lucas additive to see how bad the leaks are. If I'm lucky, we'll get another year of use before we have to overhaul the steering system. If not, I'll be doing some wrenching soon. Oh well.

Koloaman

 

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]A`ole pilikia
[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Pomaika`i[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Greetz

Pim
[/FONT]

 

Mickkotter / Koloaman -

I would be very surprised if these cables are frayed or damaged, as far as I can see - they are very sturdy.

Access the cables at the gear shift end by removing trim and inspect as far forwards as possible.Inspect the cable ends where they attach to the gearbox input levers (see photo the first pivot / cable end is dead centre and looks wet because its sprayed in WD40).

These pivot points were very rusty in my car. They are best accessed from above after taking off the air filter box and tubing and from below - by removing the left side wheel (passenger side in the UK). Greasing / oiling these pivots may improve gear shifting.

DIDN'T SEE POST 16 so maybe ignore this post - sorry.

 

i may be abit late to help with you specific problem but i found this website that maybe of use to any one looking for parts prices that i have seen are reasonable and the page says they are all original
Parts catalog for Toyota RAV4 this page you will need to know the frame number

Shift lever & retainer for Toyota RAV4 SXA11L - -INF this page is to order the 33821-42040 cable transmission control shift for floor shift this is for a late 1995 model but the website may still help thos with a newer model rav4


hope this helps anyone