@larky, try any of these steps, either will confirm if the famous rav 4 transmission probs is abt to hit ur car.
1. go to a diagnoistic center, let dem use their scanner, if the get error code p0755 or so, or the solenoid malfunction error.

2. put ur key in the ignition and open the bonnet, turn the key to ON position, but dont start the car, listen carefully in the engine bay, if u hear a humming sound, then its probablly the shift solenoid probs = early warning signs of ecm probs

3. when u put the car in reverse, does it enter reverse with a thump?

4. on the highway when accelarating, does the car hestitate in changing gears, ie a time lag b4 it responds to ur pedal input on the accelarator?

other signs,
Symptoms could occur any time and quite suddenly, without any warning signs. Shifting of gears will become erratic, bumpy, sometime even slipping. Car may start taking off from high gear, reverse engagement often harsh, forward too soft. Check Engine Light might comes on, but not always.

ABOVE ALL, GO TO A DIAGNOISTIC CENTER AND HV THE ERROR CODES READ, THAT WAY U CAN KNOW UR STAND, COS IF ITS THE ECM PROB and u continue driving the car, u will damage ur transmission/gear box, and that my friend costs abt 4k usd in the states, though it might be cheaper in naija,.
there is a thread on nairaland on this rav4 ecm issue, search 4 it, will post it if i see it.

@ siena sorry 4 going offtopic!

Well, some of these things I have noticed, like delay in gear shift, but I guess I really need to do a scan to be sure of the true situation. I will look for somewhere and get that done this weekend. Like you said, no need to derail this thread with this issue. I will also look out for that ecm thread, You can mail me at olalarke@yahoo.com if you find something I might use. Thanks,

'larky
final word on ur rav 4 issue.
go to this link.

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=597009.msg7648693#msg7648693

I was going to promote this thread, but then I noticed that it was all about US and UK gallons and miles and whatnot.  Nothing about the system we use in Nigeria, which is kilometers and liters.  So I suggest that a new thread be created with units that Nigerians can relate to. Thanks.

Hello siena,
I have a 1999 CRV and this ride is consuming fuel.
What can i do?

siena posted the conversion to nigerias units,
see them below.


And for cars without fuel computers. In this instance, the usual way to determine consumption will be to fill your tank, then zero your trip meter, then see how many miles you can achieve before a refuel is required. Of course, you'll need to know your fuel tank capacity in litres or gallons. We'll go by UK and US values:

UK ---4.55 litres = 1 gallon.
US----3,79 litres = 1 gallon.

So, for example, your car has a 66 litre tank, and you cover 389 miles from full to empty, your result should be derived in this way:

UK------ distance covered (miles) divided by fuel tank capacity. So: 389 / 66 = 5.9 miles per litre.
To get miles per gallon: 5,9 x 4.54 = 26.8 miles per gallon.

US------distance covered (kilometres) divided by fuel tank capacity. So: 630 / 66 = 9,5 litres per kilometre.

To convert your kilometre per litre to miles per gallon, simply multiply your result by 2.82. So, 9,5 L/km) x 2.82 = 26.8 mpg.

Seun:

I was going to promote this thread, but then I noticed that it was all about US and UK gallons and miles and whatnot.  Nothing about the system we use in Nigeria, which is kilometers and liters.  So I suggest that a new thread be created with units that Nigerians can relate to. Thanks.

That's not good enough.  On a Nigerian forum, people shouldn't have to manually convert figures to the local units.  It's not the same thing.  The figures should be presented in kilometers and liters and, if need be, you can include instructions for converting the figures to colonial units.

Seun, I did ask people to just give me figures, if they need help with calculations.

Besides, it's probably a good thing, if Nigerians try to work things out for themselves, once in a while.

Question for you Siena:

My Car is 55 ltrs and i want to calculate miles/litre. Is the 55Ltrs inclusive or exclusive of the lower reservoir?

Here is a simple way.

Fill your tank to the brim(hope the shut off works) full level; at the same time reset your trip meter by pressing and holding the knob on odometer.

Once your trip is zeroed, drive till your fuel level indicator reaches half way mark(half tank).

Fill up your tank again from the half mark and write down how many litres it took.

Then divide the number of miles/ km you have in your trip by the volume of gas you just used to fill it up in gals/litres.

Basically calculating how long you drive half tank. If its far off from the EPA ratings of you car, then your check engine light is definitely on, or you have a lead foot.

i use a rover 620si with a honda hala engin 1.8l. 1997ed. full tank about 66l of fuel
cover 200km on 30l of fuel  in town and 310km on same volume of fuel on high way. i.e 9.4km/l

Hello House!

Most cars and trucks in Nigeria run below optimum engine working temperature. This is because the " mechanic" has removed the thermostat in the engines cooling system. Their reason is that " oga e dey cause overheating".The thermostat regulates the flow of coolant hence the engine temperature. Removing the thermostat allows the circulation of coolant as soon as the engine is started. Consequently, the engine does not get to its opt. performance temp.

In most car manuals, the manufactures indicate the normal working temperature range, and the temp at which the thermostat is set. For Peugoet 306(1,8L petrol) , 1997 model, Station wagon A/C, the engine heats up to 89 degrees celcius( centigrade), before the thermostats opens up.

I sent the above car to my family in Nigeria. It was cleared in Tin can. The agent and my bros called me on their way from the sea port, complaining that the car was "seriously over heating". The following dialogue took place:

AGENT: Ah Oga the car dey overheat o!
ME: what is the temperature?
AGENT: Oga e don pass middle.
ME: Did it get to the red zone?
AGENT: No. But it has risen?
ME: where do you expect the temperature indicature to be? Is the fluid in radiator boiling?
AGENT: Ah! It is suppose to be very low. But it is not boiling.
ME: Don't worry. It is ok. it will not boil. The thermostat will open soon.
AGENT: Oga we go remove the themostat now.
Me: Don't tamper with the themostat.

The thermostat was not removed, and the coolant fluid is a mixture of water and radiator coolant(glycol) 70:30% ratio. The engine could get as hot as 110degress celcius without the coolant boiling off.

If you fill the radiator of this car with water only, the water may boil and evaporate when the engine heats up to about 95degrees. Then you have problems. (user problem)

The car has been performing perfectly.
Before it was sent to Nigeria, the car was doing 14.5km/L on highway.

ASK YOUR MECHANIC THE ROLE OF THE THEMOSTAT AND WHY HE REMOVED YOUR THEMOSTAT.

Happy driving

Correct me if am wrong somewhere

@Siena:

Jucol, wrong place to post this. Would you mind starting your own thread? Thanks!

I am surprised that in all your wisdom you did not see any correlation between my posting and the subject matter. You very well know that a car is a piece of machinery- a system. There are components ( organs) that work together for efficiency of the system. So, if you want to achieve system efficiency, you must ensure the components are working as they should.

Note: The type of spark plug also affects fuel consumption. This has to be discussed too


Threads are meant to be commented on. If you do not entertain supplementary info on your postings, ok. I respect that.

Cheers!

^^^ Jucol, there are lots of defects that could affect an engine's fuel consumption, and I could list a whole page on here,

That is precisely what I am hammering on . People are interested in covering more kilometers per litre of fuel. You expressed that when you screemed "Good Lord" at Cretin's figures above. Sir, kindly list those defects.

If all the system components in your Audi A4 are working perfectly and it does 8.2 km/L for example, it will be wrong for me to expect my Audi A4 with tampered components( themostat, plugs, sensors etc) to have thesame consumption.

Anyone with that same Audi A4 will be tempted to go their mechanics to make unnecessary adjustments/ changes to reach the 8.2km/L.

In comparison, you normally say "all things being equal" or under same conditions etc.

I am expecting your list. I guess others are too.

Cheers!

@siena. jucol, you guys are both right, we need any necessary info to help us make better mpg values

am doing about 210miles per full tank in traffic/intercity driving and 310miles per full tank [55LITERS) in my 4wd auto gearbox car, i wud appreciate any info that wud give me higher values.
seems the nigerian fuel is bad. hv changed 2 post CAT oxygen sensors and 1 pre CAT oxygen sensors within 8months, totaling 3 sensors within 1yr, and the 4th pre CAT SENSOR has gone bad 2 weeks ago too, giving me intermittent check engine lights!

WOW NICE!, CONSIDERING ITS A V8 ENGINE,

how does it fare in traffice?, say lagos traffic?, whats ur mpg like?

tiptronic, am too lazy 2 google now, pls what/how does it work?

hw u dey siena pls if vehjcle display VSA on dash board what does it sjgnify

aug 27:

hw u dey siena pls if vehjcle display VSA on dash board what does it sjgnify

It means there is a problem with the Vehicle Stability Assistance. This can happens when you oversteer or the car slides
Read More

The VSA system is an active safety system that consists of three technologies. Two of them are existing safety systems – Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Traction Control System (TCS) – previously offered in Honda vehicles. The third technology in a VSA system is a Side Slip Control feature.

An example of when side slip may occur is when a driver engages a corner too quickly on a wet road. When the cornering forces of a vehicle are greater than the available tire grip levels, side slip occurs. If the front wheels are slipping sideways, the car is understeering. On the other hand, if the rear wheels are slipping sideways, the car is oversteering.

There's a button on the dashboard that you can press to reset it.

nice thread

COS OF COST, am looking at  04/05 4runner, SINCE  03  TO 09 PROLLY HV THE SAME SHAPE, dont wanna go for 03, since its the first series in the 03-09 model, and u know what they say abt the first series in any model, and prolly a v6.chked - the 4runner is just 4.5 inchies longer than the highlander, tot the diff was  much  bigger

so whats your take on maintaining a hybrid  in nigeria?, is the engine/parts  radically diff from a conventional highlander?