• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.

    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Toyota O/D

Baz

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
Can anyone shed light on why my overdive (2003 RAV4) doesn't engage when until it has warmed up?
It's really annoying.
I guess something has to be warm enough for it to engage, but it's the first vehicle I've encountered that does this.
TIA!
P.S. Owners manual doesn't mention it.....
 
My 4runner and another guy I know who has a 4runner does the same thing. in winter, you might go 2-3 miles before O/D kicks in. I was going to change the fluid in my O/D unit to see if that helped any, but then the head gasket blew before I got to it.

Banjo might know domething more technical about it.
 
kennypinkerton said:
in winter, you might go 2-3 miles before O/D kicks in.
2-3 miles at 4000+ rpm gets expensive!
I'm glad that it's not just something quirky with mine then.
Cheers Kenny.
 
Engine coolant temprature has to reach 168 deg F. before the O/D will work. it's pretty much standard across the newer Toyota line.
The Echo, Yaris,and Scions have an indicator to let you know it's still cold, but the other cars don't
 
Good stuff, Banjo!

Wouldn't it be great if all ODs were that easily "fixed"???
 
It's gonna take longer in the winter for the O/D to kick in.
couple of things to try:
Put some cardboard in front of the radiator to block the icy wind. that'll help warm it up quicker.(just remember to take it out when the weather gets warmer)
or, if it seems to be a year round thing, replace the thermostat. it might be hanging open a bit too much (but that usually throws a code if it's too bad)
 
Back
Top