EGR Vacuum Modulator

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Jarlaxle
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Jarlaxle »

It could still be the cylinder, not the switch. I have seen worn cylinders (including in a Geo Prism, which uses the same cylinder & switch) do exactly what you describe. If you replace both, you'd need to either have a locksmith re-key the cylinder or just carry 2 keys.

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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

datsunaholic wrote:
Sun Jul 04, 2021 2:02 am
I would just replace the switch, as the cylinder would have to be taken to a locksmith to be keyed to your key (unless you don't mind having to carry separate door and ignition keys). On the flip side the labor to replace both would cost the same (other than the re-keying process) since both have to be removed/replaced to install either.
Wow if I replace both and don’t get the cylinder re-keyed, I’d have the means to leave Reva running outside the store in very cold weather, without someone stealing her! Bonus!
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

I got the switch replaced. For a week I thought I was all smooth sailing, then today it did the thing again - so clearly not the switch after all.

Is it the cylinder then? Or could it be something else?

Dash electrics out of commission (odometer, speedometer, AC, fan, rear defrost, etc.), and sometimes also the electric windows but not always, and almost always the gear shift won’t engage. Usually everything kicks in within ~90 seconds of starting the engine, sometimes a little bit longer.

Any diagnostic suggestions from the mechanically inclined are welcome.

Grrrrrrr!
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

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datsunaholic
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by datsunaholic »

On a couple RAV4 forums I found that symptom (other than it starts working) is a bad 100A fusible link at the positive battery cable (it's the alternator "fuse"). I'm wondering if that fusible link has one leg blown, but somehow the system gets power once the alternator starts working.

https://www.rav4world.com/threads/engin ... ark.89673/
Death is Nature's way of telling you to slow down.

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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

datsunaholic wrote:
Wed Jul 28, 2021 11:07 pm
On a couple RAV4 forums I found that symptom (other than it starts working) is a bad 100A fusible link at the positive battery cable (it's the alternator "fuse"). I'm wondering if that fusible link has one leg blown, but somehow the system gets power once the alternator starts working.

https://www.rav4world.com/threads/engin ... ark.89673/
Oh hey thanks for that research! I bet that’s exactly it, because I had an issue for several months in Montana where the battery kept dying and one service place thought it was the stereo amp that was wired to the battery fuse box so they disconnected that. I bet that link is the root of all evil. I will take this info to my guy and ask them to replace that part for me.

🤗 🤗 🤗
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Jarlaxle
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Jarlaxle »

BoSoxGal wrote:
Thu Jul 29, 2021 12:18 am
datsunaholic wrote:
Wed Jul 28, 2021 11:07 pm
On a couple RAV4 forums I found that symptom (other than it starts working) is a bad 100A fusible link at the positive battery cable (it's the alternator "fuse"). I'm wondering if that fusible link has one leg blown, but somehow the system gets power once the alternator starts working.

https://www.rav4world.com/threads/engin ... ark.89673/
Oh hey thanks for that research! I bet that’s exactly it, because I had an issue for several months in Montana where the battery kept dying and one service place thought it was the stereo amp that was wired to the battery fuse box so they disconnected that. I bet that link is the root of all evil. I will take this info to my guy and ask them to replace that part for me.

🤗 🤗 🤗
Before you do that...next time it happens, open the hood and wiggle the fusible link. If that fixes the problem, it's bad.

My wife thinks her Blazer's transmission is on its way out. :(

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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

Jarlaxle wrote:
Sun Aug 15, 2021 6:34 pm
BoSoxGal wrote:
Thu Jul 29, 2021 12:18 am
datsunaholic wrote:
Wed Jul 28, 2021 11:07 pm
On a couple RAV4 forums I found that symptom (other than it starts working) is a bad 100A fusible link at the positive battery cable (it's the alternator "fuse"). I'm wondering if that fusible link has one leg blown, but somehow the system gets power once the alternator starts working.

https://www.rav4world.com/threads/engin ... ark.89673/
Oh hey thanks for that research! I bet that’s exactly it, because I had an issue for several months in Montana where the battery kept dying and one service place thought it was the stereo amp that was wired to the battery fuse box so they disconnected that. I bet that link is the root of all evil. I will take this info to my guy and ask them to replace that part for me.

🤗 🤗 🤗
Before you do that...next time it happens, open the hood and wiggle the fusible link. If that fixes the problem, it's bad.

My wife thinks her Blazer's transmission is on its way out. :(
I found a video by a female auto mechanic showing how to replace the alternator fuse on YouTube. I commented on her video and she replied that because my issue is happening intermittently, it wouldn’t be a blown fuse, but must rather be a loose connection. That makes a lot of sense to me.

I was just chatting with my client about it earlier today as we waited ~1 minute after I started the car for the dash electrics to kick on. I’ve pretty much decided I can live with this annoyance for another year or whatever, because it’s really only that, a minor inconvenience. I regret the money I wasted on a new ignition switch I didn’t need and don’t want to spend anymore for a while.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

Jarlaxle
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Jarlaxle »

BoSoxGal wrote:
Sun Aug 15, 2021 7:00 pm

I found a video by a female auto mechanic showing how to replace the alternator fuse on YouTube. I commented on her video and she replied that because my issue is happening intermittently, it wouldn’t be a blown fuse, but must rather be a loose connection. That makes a lot of sense to me.

I was just chatting with my client about it earlier today as we waited ~1 minute after I started the car for the dash electrics to kick on. I’ve pretty much decided I can live with this annoyance for another year or whatever, because it’s really only that, a minor inconvenience. I regret the money I wasted on a new ignition switch I didn’t need and don’t want to spend anymore for a while.
Yes, a loose connection-which could be a failing fusible link. Actually...I wonder where the dash wiring on a RAV grounds. (Seriously, I don't know.)

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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

I don’t either. I had the Chilton for my model year, but a mechanic along the way swiped it from me (I hope accidentally).

I’ll try wiggling the wires I can see coming off the fusible link by the battery next time it happens.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

Jarlaxle
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Jarlaxle »


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Joe Guy
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Joe Guy »

Below is a picture I just took of a RAV4 Haynes manual I have and don't need. If you want it and trust me with your address or have a safe address you'd like it sent to, you can PM me with the info.

I'll send it to you for the low low price of $0.00 plus $0.00 shipping & handling. As an added incentive, I won't ask for or expect you to ever be nice to me afterwards.

IMG_0265.jpg
IMG_0265.jpg (65.81 KiB) Viewed 1437 times

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dales
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by dales »

That's very kind of you, Joe.

Your collective inability to acknowledge this obvious truth makes you all look like fools.


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Bicycle Bill
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Bicycle Bill »

As long as we are, for the moment, on the subject of vehicle electrical issues —

Image
Click here for a larger view

Remember, this is for ALL the electronics, including sensors for gauges and safety-equipment like airbags, seat belts, and 'door ajar' alerts, interior/exterior lighting, power windows and door locks, and (for all I know) charger ports for laptops and cell phones.
Image
-"BB"-
Yes, I suppose I could agree with you ... but then we'd both be wrong, wouldn't we?

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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

This morning when it happened I wiggled the fusible link box and the wires coming off it and nada.

It shall remain a mystery, at least until/unless it advances beyond the stage of annoyance to more.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

Jarlaxle
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Jarlaxle »

Maybe I can fix it, hang on...

ALAKAZAM!

Try it now. 😎

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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

So it has advanced beyond the stage of annoyance now, with the dash electrics not popping back on within minutes of starting. I have to turn the car off and on sometimes several times to get the electrics to pop on long enough to get into gear so I can go anywhere. This morning I drove all the way to work with the electrics off because they never popped on, but when I got here after shutting the car off I turned the key and there were all the electrics. FUCKING ANNOYING!!

So I go online and type in ‘diagnose my car’ and I find this website JustAnswer where you can pay a fee to have access to experts in lots of different things. For the $5 intro special 7 day membership ($34.95/mo. thereafter; I’ve already cancelled) I got a consultation with a Toyota mechanic who told me after I explained the symptoms that it’s a faulty relay integrator module which lives under the dash on the left by where your knee is when you’re driving. He told me how much the part should cost and the labor to install it. It’s basically a box that a whole bunch of wires plug into for the various electrics.

I went online after our text chat and found numerous websites discussing the same thing, which he says is a common issue with older Toyotas.

I wish I had found this JustAnswer website before I spent $300 on a new ignition switch (yeah Jarl I know you said it would be cheaper but it wasn’t), but oh well. At least I don’t have to potentially pay for hours of diagnosis when I take it in next week, I’ll just tell them what needs fixing. In keeping with some of the advice I found on the websites I found, I’m going to ask them to check the connections going into the box first because at one point I had a wire assembly hanging down from behind the lower dash and I’m wondering if it’s simply loose going into the module. The replacement should run me around $300 total including labor if I need it replaced.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

The further adventures of Reva RAV:

Shortly after I bought the relay integrator module the car stopped doing the electrical stuff so the part sits in the closet waiting to see if the old one acts up again.

This last weekend when I drove away from the wedding my muffler pipe fell down. A friend rigged it for me to get home and yesterday my mechanic replaced the back pipe and muffler. He said the undercarriage looks great, still no signs of rust at 23 years old and with all the work I did before the pandemic to replace most of the suspension she’s rock solid.

She looks like total crap because the clearcoat continues to break down and the interior is faded and ripped in places - but she just turned over 206,000 and should be good to 300k since I’ve maintained the engine so well.

My mechanic Paul says I shouldn’t get rid of her until/unless the engine or transmission goes. However at my rate of mileage accumulation that could mean keeping her another 5-10 years unless the body starts to rust. Imagine driving a 33 year old car that’s not a classic? (Shhh, Reva I didn’t mean it!)

I’m wondering about putting new seats in her - finding a model same year and color at a parts yard and buying the seats. Is that safe in an older car without any fancy electrics in the seats? Just thinking if I can find one that was wrecked before 10 years old the interior fabrics should be in much better shape than mine.

My cousin got a new car model year 2016 it’s got all kinds of beeps and bells and whistles but so much more to break, too. Don’t think I’m ready for all that. Knock wood I’ve only spent $450 on Reva this year not counting the oil change and tire rotation. I’m saving in hopes that when my hand is forced I’ll have half to 3/4 the price of my next car in cash, but I’d love to have at least another year or so hoping the car market settles down prices now are still crazy.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

Jarlaxle
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Jarlaxle »

Perfectly safe, easy swap.

MGMcAnick
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by MGMcAnick »

Consider that you won't be likely to find a RAV 4 that was wrecked 10 years ago that didn't have its doors sold nine years ago. The interior has been sitting in the rain all that time.
A friend of Doc's, one of only two B-29 bombers still flying.

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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

I found a few around here that look decent on the yard listing photos, but who knows how they look now.

I think after all I’m just going to fix the hole in the side of my bucket seat with some foam stuffing and an iron on patch like for clothing. The rest of the fabric in front is ok, just faded but after a vacuum and shampoo of all the pollen and dirt it will be nice enough. The back bench has fabric rips from dog claws, but I cover the bench now with a blanket so it’s not even visible most of the time.

I think it’s probably not quite right how much I’m attached to this car. *sigh* All of my dogs have ridden in Reva, including my law school dog Gus who has been gone for 17 years. Somewhere in Reva is one of his hairs, I’m sure.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

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