2003 Nrg Querys

[Andrew2ndRav]

Hi I am new to this forum but have had a swb Rav 4 Auto since 95 and did 170,000 miles in it until last October when an idiot drove into the back of me and shortened it further. I was devastated as it was good for many more miles. I have replaced it with a swb 2003 NRG auto. It may have leather seats and other bling but its performance is not a patch on the 95 model which I miss.

Query 1. Cigar Lighter relay Location. The Battery will not hold it charge when away on holiday. I have replaced it with a new one (what a palava to get to it with that crazy cover which makes jump starting impossible) but the problem still occurs. I would like to fit a solar trickle charger while I am away next and want to bypass the igntion switch. Could someone please tell me the location, how to access it, and the connections. Many Thanks

Query 2. Low MPG. My old Rav would always do 300+ miles on a tank full of petrol. The new one struggles to get over 200 on the same size tank under the same driving conditions and with tyres at the correct pressure. The average over the last 6 months is 23mpg. I suspect it is down to the auto gearbox changing. The new model does not have the Sport/Economy switch the old model had and seems to delay changing up so one is driving too long in a lower gear. Any opinions please.

Many thanks

[anchorman]

Hi Andrew

Welcome to the club.

Your new RAV is somewhat different to the old one in that it is permanent 4WD instead of switched (only 2WD until you engage the diff lock. The upside of that is that this RAV will out handle the previous one and prove much more stable under extreme conditions. With regard to the pulling power, the VVTi engine needs to be revved higher in order to realise the power but you should find that if you take it above 4000rpm things should start to liven up a bit. If not something could be wrong. In any case, this fuel consumption would seem to confirm that so you should start by checking the plugs have been changed and that they are the proper Iridium type. They are expensive but important to make sure it performs as it should. The next thing is the air filter and after that then unless you are quite competent, you might need some help from a garage.

Now with regard to that charger, my wiring diagram shows that the cigarette lighter is not fed by a relay but directly from the ignition switch (attached). I personally wouldn't use one of those solar chargers, I prefer ctek chargers which will not only charge it but condition it to get most capacity and cycle it to keep it healthy. They can be left on almost indefinitely without any ill effect.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CTEK-Multi-XS-4003-Battery-Charger-Reconditioner-XS4003-/320554871789?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_BoatEquipment_Accessories_SM&hash=item4aa28f2bed

Better still, find that discharge!

02wiring.pdf

[Andrew2ndRav]

What a wonderful club you run here. Many thanks for your information and download. It is good to see an actual wiring diagram at last.

Cigar Lighter Query:- the diagram is clear so that rules out a relay bypass to liven the socket. There is a second cigar lighter in transmission tunnel between the front seats, is this wired in the same way? Thanks for the charger details. I do have a good digital charger but dont want to leave it connected to the car outside while I am away for two weeks. Hence the idea of the small solar panel via the cigar lighter. Meantime I will get out my ampmeter and investigate the discharge.

MPG Query:- Well I had always been led to believe that my 95 RAV was a permanently connected 4 wheel drive and interesting to find that it isnt. How and when was the diff lock activated? I will follow up on your suggestions. Do dealers have a diagnostic tool that can check the revs that the automatic gearbox is changing at?

Thanks

[anchorman]

What a wonderful club you run here. Many thanks for your information and download. It is good to see an actual wiring diagram at last.

Cigar Lighter Query:- the diagram is clear so that rules out a relay bypass to liven the socket. There is a second cigar lighter in transmission tunnel between the front seats, is this wired in the same way? Thanks for the charger details. I do have a good digital charger but dont want to leave it connected to the car outside while I am away for two weeks. Hence the idea of the small solar panel via the cigar lighter. Meantime I will get out my ampmeter and investigate the discharge.

MPG Query:- Well I had always been led to believe that my 95 RAV was a permanently connected 4 wheel drive and interesting to find that it isnt. How and when was the diff lock activated? I will follow up on your suggestions. Do dealers have a diagnostic tool that can check the revs that the automatic gearbox is changing at?

Thanks

I can't find any reference to the second plug but you could ron some new wires to the Battery with a line fuse. The ctek chargers come with quick release lugs for that sort of thing.

4.1s had a diff lock switch on the dash. It was activated by vacuum and had a buzzer that would sound until the selector had gone back to neutral. It was to avoid torque lock up holding it in 4WD.

A good auto specialist will follow a standard set of tests for the gearbox. Keep in mind that that model has a known fault that can pop up if you are unlucky. If the gearbox starts acting up it is usually down to the ECU but don't worry unless it happens

[Andrew2ndRav]

What a wonderful club you run here. Many thanks for your information and download. It is good to see an actual wiring diagram at last.

Cigar Lighter Query:- the diagram is clear so that rules out a relay bypass to liven the socket. There is a second cigar lighter in transmission tunnel between the front seats, is this wired in the same way? Thanks for the charger details. I do have a good digital charger but dont want to leave it connected to the car outside while I am away for two weeks. Hence the idea of the small solar panel via the cigar lighter. Meantime I will get out my ampmeter and investigate the discharge.

MPG Query:- Well I had always been led to believe that my 95 RAV was a permanently connected 4 wheel drive and interesting to find that it isnt. How and when was the diff lock activated? I will follow up on your suggestions. Do dealers have a diagnostic tool that can check the revs that the automatic gearbox is changing at?

Thanks

I can't find any reference to the second plug but you could ron some new wires to the Battery with a line fuse. The ctek chargers come with quick release lugs for that sort of thing.

4.1s had a diff lock switch on the dash. It was activated by vacuum and had a buzzer that would sound until the selector had gone back to neutral. It was to avoid torque lock up holding it in 4WD.

A good auto specialist will follow a standard set of tests for the gearbox. Keep in mind that that model has a known fault that can pop up if you are unlucky. If the gearbox starts acting up it is usually down to the ECU but don't worry unless it happens

Thanks Anchorman, Regarding the 2wd/4wd on the 95 model, I never had any manual dif lock switch anywhere and still assume it was a permanent 4wd and therefore the MPG on the NRG should be similar. I will make a visit to the local distributor regarding the gearbox/MPG performance.

Regards Andrew

[vRS Bob]

What a wonderful club you run here. Many thanks for your information and download. It is good to see an actual wiring diagram at last.

Cigar Lighter Query:- the diagram is clear so that rules out a relay bypass to liven the socket. There is a second cigar lighter in transmission tunnel between the front seats, is this wired in the same way? Thanks for the charger details. I do have a good digital charger but dont want to leave it connected to the car outside while I am away for two weeks. Hence the idea of the small solar panel via the cigar lighter. Meantime I will get out my ampmeter and investigate the discharge.

MPG Query:- Well I had always been led to believe that my 95 RAV was a permanently connected 4 wheel drive and interesting to find that it isnt. How and when was the diff lock activated? I will follow up on your suggestions. Do dealers have a diagnostic tool that can check the revs that the automatic gearbox is changing at?

Thanks

I can't find any reference to the second plug but you could ron some new wires to the Battery with a line fuse. The ctek chargers come with quick release lugs for that sort of thing.

4.1s had a diff lock switch on the dash. It was activated by vacuum and had a buzzer that would sound until the selector had gone back to neutral. It was to avoid torque lock up holding it in 4WD.

A good auto specialist will follow a standard set of tests for the gearbox. Keep in mind that that model has a known fault that can pop up if you are unlucky. If the gearbox starts acting up it is usually down to the ECU but don't worry unless it happens

Thanks Anchorman, Regarding the 2wd/4wd on the 95 model, I never had any manual dif lock switch anywhere and still assume it was a permanent 4wd and therefore the MPG on the NRG should be similar. I will make a visit to the local distributor regarding the gearbox/MPG performance.

Regards Andrew

My wife also has a 2003 3 door NRG auto - on a long motorway/A road run we can average 30mpg, but it's never been higher! Real world day to day usage, which is mostly short town/rural runs returns us around 26mpg average. Not renowned for their economy I'm afraid, but we don't care, it's a brilliant car and we have a diesel Skoda Octavia for the serious journeys.

Bob

--

[anchorman]

Bob.

Welcome to the club.

Andrew

Quite right, I have got my terminology wrong. It was indeed permenent 4WD and the manuals had a lockable centre diff. I thought they were all alike but if you are telling me auto's were not then I have to take your word for it. I have very little experience of 4.1s except for what I pick up here. I keep thinking how nice it would be to have a really clean one as a toy that I could pull apart but I would need to live in it or risk certain death.

I know 4.2s and 4.3s quite well.

[vRS Bob]

Bob.

Welcome to the club.

Andrew

Quite right, I have got my terminology wrong. It was indeed permenent 4WD and the manuals had a lockable centre diff. I thought they were all alike but if you are telling me auto's were not then I have to take your word for it. I have very little experience of 4.1s except for what I pick up here. I keep thinking how nice it would be to have a really clean one as a toy that I could pull apart but I would need to live in it or risk certain death.

I know 4.2s and 4.3s quite well.

Thanks Anchorman, I thought I'd posted before but obviously not (assumed I had as I'm always posting on the Skoda Octavia and Triumph Stag forums, which are our other two cars), although I've been a lurker for the past 5 months since we bought the Rav and learned a lot, not least of all that we bought the right car! We live down the bottom of a sloping unadopted lane, and in the snow back in January we were stranded for a week with our puny front wheel drive euroboxes, which was what prompted us to trade in the wife's Peugeout for the Rav, so I'm hoping if the same happens this coming winter she'll get us out of the lane no problem!

Bob.

[bitman]

indeed you will not have any problems in the snow as my swmbo does have a 2003 3drs NRG auto. she is a nurse so needs to go to work as there is no break at a hospital :!Removed!: and otherwise i can pull her with my truck