[jacobariel]

Hello, I am a newbie here and don't know much about vehicle repairs. My wives Rav4 oil light comes on for a second while driving and then turns back off. It happened to her once the other day and once for me yesterday. The light is hard to catch because it comes on and off in a blink of an eye.
I do not see any oil leaks.

 

[JuneBug]

The oil light is coming on because your oil level is low. Check that dipstick and check it often! Your 2.4L engine is a known oil burner and Toyota has issued a special service campaign to fix it. You must take it to a Toyota dealer so they can do an oil consumption test to determine if you can get the free fix. There are several threads in this forum about the problem.

 

[jacobariel]

The oil light is coming on because your oil level is low. Check that dipstick and check it often! Your 2.4L engine is a known oil burner and Toyota has issued a special service campaign to fix it. You must take it to a Toyota dealer so they can do an oil consumption test to determine if you can get the free fix. There are several threads in this forum about the problem.

I took it to the dealer for the oil consumption test a few months ago and it passed.

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[JuneBug]

I took it to the dealer for the oil consumption test a few months ago and it passed.

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Find out when the service campaign will end for your 2006 and take it in for another test just before then. You might even try a different dealer this time. Maybe it will have gotten worse by then.

 

[jacobariel]

Find out when the service campaign will end for your 2006 and take it in for another test just before then. You might even try a different dealer this time. Maybe it will have gotten worse by then.

I just called the dealer and they said I can take it in July to retest for the oil consumption.
Now while I wait for the test. I checked the oil and is tricky because the oil stick has no min nor max indicator like other cars.
The oil stick has a little stain here and there only.

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[vanib]

You should have those 2 dots or at least 2 notches at the end of the dipstick.

 

[jacobariel]

My wife just told me the light came on twice today after she pressed on the brakes kinda hard or quickly.
Why does it do it when applying the brakes hard?

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[staax]

Oil is sloshing around on hard turns/braking thus causing the sensor to blink intermittently.

You're extremely low on oil, trust me.

Stop driving the damn thing and put oil in it before you seize it.

 

[jacobariel]

Oil is sloshing around on hard turns/braking thus causing the sensor to blink intermittently.

You're extremely low on oil, trust me.

Stop driving the damn thing and put oil in it before you seize it.

What kinda engine oil is it?

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[staax]

Any 5W20 oil will do.

Listen, I don't mean to be rude but your wife needs to stop driving the thing and add oil. You will do irreparable damage and she'll be stranded.

Do some research on the 2.4l engine in your car - you have an oil burner.

You are going to need to constantly check the oil level.

If you don't know how, take the time to learn how to and teach your wife or you will destroy your engine.

 

[jacobariel]

Any 5W20 oil will do.

Listen, I don't mean to be rude but your wife needs to stop driving the thing and add oil. You will do irreparable damage and she'll be stranded.

Do some research on the 2.4l engine in your car - you have an oil burner.

You are going to need to constantly check the oil level.

If you don't know how, take the time to learn how to and teach your wife or you will destroy your engine.

No worries. I understand. She's bringing the car home and I'll make sure to check the oil tonight and add some. I'll keep checking it at least twice a week.
Can it actually pass the oil consumption test the first time and yet still have a burning issue?

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[staax]

Yes. They have a specification that your vehicle must burn X amount of oil in X amount of miles. At the time your vehicle wasn't burning enough to qualify... Now it may very well qualify.

Even if it doesn't fail the 2nd time, it still does burn oil and will need to be checked periodically (one a week to be safe).

I have an 06 with 285,000 kms which has gone through the test and fix already. I was burning oil at the rate of 1L per 700 kms.

I burned oil for 100,000 kms before finally Toyota adressed the issue.

Anyway, you have some research to do. There is a thread on these forums called "Start oil consumption test......" Where I shared my entire process from the test to the repair.

I guarantee when you check the oil the dipstick will be dry. You'll add a quart and it'll still be dry. Add another and you should are some. Add oil until the level measures to the 2nd dot on the dipstick but don't go over.

Check it every week

 

[jacobariel]

Yes. They have a specification that your vehicle must burn X amount of oil in X amount of miles. At the time your vehicle wasn't burning enough to qualify... Now it may very well qualify.

Even if it doesn't fail the 2nd time, it still does burn oil and will need to be checked periodically (one a week to be safe).

I have an 06 with 285,000 kms which has gone through the test and fix already. I was burning oil at the rate of 1L per 700 kms.

I burned oil for 100,000 kms before finally Toyota adressed the issue.

Anyway, you have some research to do. There is a thread on these forums called "Start oil consumption test......" Where I shared my entire process from the test to the repair.

I guarantee when you check the oil the dipstick will be dry. You'll add a quart and it'll still be dry. Add another and you should are some. Add oil until the level measures to the 2nd dot on the dipstick but don't go over.

Check it every week

Thank you I will do that.

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[RAVN4RED]

No worries. I understand. She's bringing the car home and I'll make sure to check the oil tonight and add some. I'll keep checking it at least twice a week.
Can it actually pass the oil consumption test the first time and yet still have a burning issue?

You need to realize how serious this is! You are essentially out of oil, the engine can easily be ruined "bringing the car home." Have someone take a quart of oil and put it in before driving again. If need be, call a nearby gas station or mechanic and have them deliver it. The one quart should get her home, then add more to correct the level.

Yes, you need to read up on the 'oil consumption' threads. Some have reported dealers who overfill then the car tests okay. Consider changing dealers for the next test or monitor the test more closely.

 

[jacobariel]

You need to realize how serious this is! You are essentially out of oil, the engine can easily be ruined "bringing the car home." Have someone take a quart of oil and put it in before driving again. If need be, call a nearby gas station or mechanic and have them deliver it. The one quart should get her home, then add more to correct the level.

Yes, you need to read up on the 'oil consumption' threads. Some have reported dealers who overfill then the car tests okay. Consider changing dealers for the next test or monitor the test more closely.

I'll do that thanks. When you say dealers have over filed. Do you mean they over fill on purpose in order to pass?

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[Dr. Dyno]

I strongly agree with the others. You are running low or virtually out of oil. The oil light its red for a reason. It means STOP driving and add oil.

Let me add this. Oil burner or not, Toyota WILL NOT REPLACE an engine YOU RUIN by not taking YOUR responsibility to keep the oil level sufficient.

 

[Rickl]

Why is the check oil light coming on from time to time
My wives Rav4 oil light comes on for a second while driving and then turns back off.

The light that you see coming on isn't a suggestion to "Check Oil". It is a warning that you have no oil pressure in your engine. The oil pressure in an engine drops when there is no oil in the engine to circulate.

Think about pumping the water out of a swimming pool. As you begin pumping water out of the pool, you might have 50 PSI in the hose. After pumping out 10,000 gallons you will still have 50 PSI pressure in the hose. It is only when your pool is completely empty and you begin sucking air that the pressure in the hose will drop to zero.

The oil in your engine is so low, that when it sloshes to one side during cornering or braking, there is not enough left in the "pool" and your engine begins pumping air to lubricate the engine. Since you seem to be new to the world of cars, I will add that air is a very poor lubricant. An engine can be destroyed in seconds when being lubricated with air.

Please refer to the attached PDF file to see were the oil level should be on the dipstick.

 

[jacobariel]

Yes the car is parked now and will not move it again till I check the level and add oil.
Is it better to check the oil on a hot or cool engine?

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[RAVN4RED]

As for dealer over-fill during the test, it could be sloppy procedures. A lot of shops use a machine to fill and it is not uncommon to go over. For the purposes of the test, you need to confirm the starting point / level on stick.

read through some of this link, you get the the jist of it:
http://www.rav4world.com/forums/99-4-3-mechanical/177417-start-oil-consumption-test-my-2007-rav4-2az-fe-today-per-ze7-extended-campaign.html

You can check oil on a hot or cold engine to get an idea what's going on. To be the most accurate, the manual says to add oil, then wait at least 5 minutes to check level.

 

[jacobariel]

Why would the oil light come on to warn you at the last minute? Shouldn't it warn you before it's at min or right at?

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