2006 Rav4 Problem

[thewizard16]

A friend of mine is having some trouble with his RAV4. It has suddenly started getting poor gas mileage (I don't know what numbers exactly, all he said is it's about 8mpg less than it normally is). There are no abnormal engine noises, smells, roughness, etc. Tire pressure is fine, oil and maintenance have been performed as scheduled. He's planning to take it in in the next week to the dealership and have it looked at, but in an effort to save him what will undoubtedly be at least a $400 bill, does anyone have an idea on what might cause this drop in mileage with no discernable problems elsewhere?

[The Pirate]

What's the mileage?  On my Honda, mileage dropped to the tune of 10-12 mpg highway for a few tanks.  I attributed it to bad gas (which could be the culprit in his case), but a week or so later things got worse, and the CEL came on.  It ended up being an oxygen sensor.  Depending on miles, that could be the issue here.

[TheIntrepid]

Warranty should cover stuff like this, shouldn't it? If the car's only a 2006, it should still have a balance of the factory warranty.

[The Pirate]

Warranty should cover stuff like this, shouldn't it? If the car's only a 2006, it should still have a balance of the factory warranty.

Unless it's over on mileage.  It's 3 years or 36K miles, whichever comes first.

[TheIntrepid]

Unless it's over on mileage.  It's 3 years or 36K miles, whichever comes first.

True. My dad's Caravan is a 2006, 2 years this week and 75,000 on it.

[Pancor]

Could be many things, from an engine temperature sensor, to an O2 sensor, to a MAF sensor.  (I hate new cars!)  All of these should throw a CEL, but I've heard of it not happening right away.  It can't hurt to disconnect the battery for 15 minutes to reset the ECU, you could also check to see if the parking brake is released...

[Raza]

Unless it's over on mileage.  It's 3 years or 36K miles, whichever comes first.

Toyota only has a three year warranty?

[The Pirate]

Toyota only has a three year warranty?

I don't know.  I assumed, as that's the industry standard.  Last I checked, Honda and most other non-premium brands had the 3/36 combo.  I know Mazda was 3 years or 50K miles when my car was new; I don't know if that's changed.

[ifcar]

3/36 isn't uncommon, but it's one of the lowest if not the lowest. GM, Chrysler, and Hyundai brands of course all have their extra-long powertrain warranties, and a number of other mainstream brands have more than 3/36.

[S204STi]

It's called winter gas.  You have no idea how many complaints I've seen about this recently, all on vehicles with no major problems, or even minor ones.  For an 06 there is no other logical explanation.

[The Pirate]

It's called winter gas.  You have no idea how many complaints I've seen about this recently, all on vehicles with no major problems, or even minor ones.  For an 06 there is no other logical explanation.

Ah, I didn't even think of that!  I'm just so used to the massive hit for 5 months of the year, I guess.  Good idea there, R-inge!  That's why they pay you the big bucks, right? 

[S204STi]

Ah, I didn't even think of that!  I'm just so used to the massive hit for 5 months of the year, I guess.  Good idea there, R-inge!  That's why they pay you the big bucks, right? 

G-D right!

[thewizard16]

No CEL, and it's 20 some thousand miles.

R-inge, thanks for the input. I'll tell him to wait it out a tank or two and see if it goes away.

[S204STi]

No CEL, and it's 20 some thousand miles.

R-inge, thanks for the input. I'll tell him to wait it out a tank or two and see if it goes away.

He should wait till the late spring, and observe the trend.

[JWC]

R-inge is right on this one. The other factor is warming the car up in the driveway during the winter. If there was a malfunction, the MIL would come on.  If there are no DTC's in the system, the dealer will not be able to help.

[giant_mtb]

Put 'em in your gas tank.

[S204STi]

Put 'em in your gas tank.

Or use them as a personal lubricant, either way they are completely worthless.

[Secret Chimp]

At least Marvel's has some novelty to it as an excuse, unlike Slick 50 or whatever.

[S204STi]

You may as well put kerosene in your gas tank.  Oh wait, you actually don't want to do that.

[Eye of the Tiger]

You may as well put kerosene in your gas tank.  Oh wait, you actually don't want to do that.

It works in my lawnmower... it just smokes a lot. 

[280Z Turbo]

You may as well put kerosene in your gas tank.  Oh wait, you actually don't want to do that.

My brother did that to his Jetta once. He's too poor to afford gas so he used our blue "gas" can to fill his tank. He has no sense of smell, so he couldn't smell the difference.

It wouldn't even start. My dad and I had to pump gallons of it out by opening up the fuel line and running the starter.

[Byteme]

Toyota only has a three year warranty?

kThat kind of drop in mileage, if not caused by a fuel leak or the gasoline formulation would likely indicate something wrong with one of the emissions components.

Check the ower's manual or call the dealership.  The basic bumper to bumper warranty may only be 3 y/36K miles but certain emissions components are covered by longer warranties.  Again, check the owner's manual, it's all spelled out in there.

[S204STi]

My brother did that to his Jetta once. He's too poor to afford gas so he used our blue "gas" can to fill his tank. He has no sense of smell, so he couldn't smell the difference.

It wouldn't even start. My dad and I had to pump gallons of it out by opening up the fuel line and running the starter.

Next time just pull the fuel pump relay and jump the coil source terminal to the pump source terminal with a fused jumper wire.