New to me RX400H

[adrian-gregory]

Barney, you are welcome.  I know a guy I see in Manchester from time to time who has a Gen 2. drives it all over the country and it never misses a beat.  I have not had a peak underneath though.

I am hopeful we found the culprits on the RX. I will be monitoring it for the next few weeks. I think adding a digital hygrometer (as Greisingel mentioned above) is a smart move to help keep an eye on things. And is way easier than removing the interior of the car to check.

I have become mechanically competent over the years and am fortunate to have some good mates who have been turning spanners for 30 plus years. So if there is anything I am not sure of I go and pick their brains, and if the task feels way out of reach I get them to help me. Plus the forums and YouTube are useful resources.  Every day is a school day. 

Thanks for your good wishes. I slept better last night feeling like we have passed a milestone on getting it working properly. Time, and bad weather will tell!

 

[adrian-gregory]

Another quick job. The car was missing the bonnet release lever inside.

Not the right colour but it now functions as it should.

 

 

[adrian-gregory]

And still the old girl leaks!  it's been drizzling for a few hours.  I just checked the boot and I can see water oozing through the top of the seams into the boot area under those side trays. It's not pouring in like yesterday, but it is still letting water in. So I will pull the bumper off again tomorrow and add more silicone. Eventually, we will have the old girl sealed up once more. 😊

I cleaned the MAF earlier and will clean the throttle body tomorrow.

I ordered a digital hygrometer with a lead earlier from Aliexrpess. That will be here eventually and will help me monitor things.

The car recently had a 4-wheel alignment (prior to me purchasing) and still pulls left.  so I will get an ex-works rally mechanic friend of mine to help me set it up properly using tape measure and string. that never gets out of calibration. 

[adrian-gregory]

I pulled the back bumper off again and have removed the silicone I put on yesterday. cleaned up the metal with isopropyl alcohol and put a much thicker bead over everything. hopefully that will take care of that area.  I'll remove the back lights again tomorrow and rework those areas as well. and then test with the hosepipe once more.

[BarneyTT]

Adrian, the Gen2 Rav4 sounds like I hoped it might, I still maintain that 90's - mid  to late 00's was Toyota's (and perhaps Lexus) finest period. I have owned a fair few from that time and almost all were brilliant, I'm not saying they are bad now by any means but they just don't have quite the same "feel" if that makes sense?

Both your Gen3 and friends Gen2 are obviously still going strong and aside from a few issues at the start your ownership, it's all good news.

I'm not sure my "Project G2 Rav4" will ever happen as I'm  now down to one car with the RX after selling my JDM Subaru Forester, an old back injury plus increasing age has seriously curtailed my "hobbies", and besides I do little driving now.

After a bad start with my RX (a less than honest garage, I'll say no more!) and a large bill for suspension work I've commited myself the the RX for years to come, it's a lovely car, so relaxing and comfortable to drive..... but I wouldn't say never to my Rav4 project👍

Continued best wishes with the RX, with all the hard work you're putting into it you deserve to enjoy it.

 

 

[adrian-gregory]

I agree with you about the 1990's for Toyotas. also, I think that applied to BMW and Mercedes as well.

Sorry to hear of your health issues. I hope you can get into a hobby/project.  I find having a project car very therapeutic and a good balance to the mental work I do. I need the physical hands on the metal or hands in the earth to feel balanced. 

Thanks for the good wishes once more on the RX.

I removed the backlights and had a better root around and lo and behold I had completely missed sealing a seam, that had a gap about 1mm. I have no idea how I did not see that!  So removed the previous day's efforts from the whole area on both sides, another wipe down with alcohol and then back to work with the silicone bathroom sealer. I just checked it now after an hour and no water comes in when I run the hose over the whole area, so I will button it all back up and monitor from there.

Garages - hmmm I have had some experience of that. even recently. the garage I bought this from sold as seen, at least had the courtesy to have the price really low, and I found clues that pointed towards the leaks. Nonetheless, it would have been good to have been told about the it occasionally stops which is why she sold it so I would not be surprised. But never mind.

[adrian-gregory]

Cleaned the throttle body. A little dirty but not bad. I have seen worse.

[adrian-gregory]

Though today would be good to have a look at the traction Battery fans, and also clean the bus bars on the batteries. 

Aside from the obligatory cuts to my fingers from the very sharp edges on the Battery cover, I found the fans were very clean, and the bus bars on the batteries look like they are brand new. I had expected to find some corrosion or discolouration.

There is no dust or debris on the Battery module edges from the air circulation either.

[adrian-gregory]

Using the Dr Prius app, I see the red bars on the car power gauge at 39-40%. and then in D apply foot brake and gas pedal until amps start to drop off, lift off the power and then apply it again after the charge amps have fallen right down, the maximum charge i can get into the Battery is 66%. It is similar if I do a long run down the local hills until the car will not regen anymore.

Also, the Battery temp on the number 3 sensor is showing between 5 and 15 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees in regular driving, 15 degrees on forced regen or charge) higher than sensors 1 and 2 so the Battery pack is, I think, pretty out of balance and needs assistance. 

I will get hold of Richard at https://www.hybridbatterysolutions.co.uk/ and have a talk with him about options. 

[BarneyTT]

On 8/16/2024 at 10:28 AM, adrian-gregory said:

Sorry to hear of your health issues. I hope you can get into a hobby/project.  I find having a project car very therapeutic and a good balance to the mental work I do. I need the physical hands on the metal or hands in the earth to feel balanced. 

Thanks Adrian, part of my health issues relate to an old industrial injury on my back which is progressively getting worse along with my mobility, that's life I guess, but let's just say it's not conducive to tinkering on cars!

Agreed, a project of some description does help the grey-matter, or in my case....what's left of it😁
👍

[adrian-gregory]

I have had a chat with Richard at Hybrid Battery Solutions. What a knowledgeable and lovely man.  The RX is booked in with him next Monday.

[adrian-gregory]

Just had a nice chat with my local Lexus parts department.  They want an eye-watering trade price of £856 for a timing belt, tensioner and waterpump. They certainly have a sense of humour. 😊 I have just purchased an INA kit for £236.16. I will get that fitted in the next week or so.

Also, I have found a good local pain sprayer so I can get the back end sorted in the near future.

[steve2006]

Adrian, take this with humour but your last paragraph sounds like a right PITA 😀

[adrian-gregory]

Awesome!  I had not spotted that! Thanks for the smile that gave me. 😊

[Greisingel]

Wow your doing a job on the old gal. nice work.

Juts get a long wire hygro. Place the sensor in known wet area of the the HB cavity and you just have to run it under the carpet to the central console for regular checking. Mine was a jury rig with sensor rammed down a carpet hole to test under rear footwell – where a swimming pool would reveal itself. Probably easier to use a wireless one, though they need recharging.

yeah i LS-Xed very liberally all the seams, light backs and hinges...and the roof rack and aerial joints. Seams to have done the job 🙂 I might go over it all again as it was 2 years ago. Oh yeah I leave those silicate humidifier pots in the trunk side bays.

When you were in the Battery area removing the relay to clean up the rust did you pull the hybrid isolator/service plug?

Think I might do similar inspect and pull relay out. sure i'll be seeing the tin worm though should be dry now i sealed it good and proper.

Got a link for the pump n belt INA kit? Reckon you'll have sourced it well. Might give it a crack too

[adrian-gregory]

Thank you.  

I have ordered a hygrometer on Aliexpress so we shall see how that goes.

I did pull the service plug before entering the electrickery area.

The INA kit was via my mate's garage and he sourced it for me from CES. I think INA or Gates belts should be fine.  I have used them in many other cars without a problem.  The water pump came with a paper gasket and not a metal one. I might see about getting the gasket from Toyota.

I might have found a decent rear bumper so that would be a quicker fix for much of the needed spray work. It is a 5 + hour round trip to get it so I am seeing if I can get a few other bits simultaneously. 

I am looking forward to seeing what this drives like with a re-balanced Battery and more available electric horses, more for the economy than anything else. 

[Russell Wheeler]

On 8/14/2024 at 1:09 PM, adrian-gregory said:

Hey Greisingel.

Thanks for the message, I feel reassured by that.

Even though cambelt and waterpump on mine was done about 15000 miles back it was a decade so I plan on doing that soon.

Great idea on the hygrometer. What set up do you have please?

I checked the boot this morning and no surprise found water on both sides. right side (from driver's view) was worse than the left.

So stripped the back out, lights off and then took the bumper off and had a good play with the hose. 

Applied silicone to every hole, clip, the top edge of the airvents on the sides under the bumper for good measure having read they can also leak.

 

That slowed the water down to a trickle. The worst offender was the body seam right side in several places.

after 3 hours in all messing about I can leave the hose running on both channels above the lights and nothing appears inside.

if it ever does again I think I will drill some drains into the boot area.

That's what I have done, a couple of small holes, therefore if water does get it, it has a way out.

[Greisingel]

45 minutes ago, Russell Wheeler said:

That's what I have done, a couple of small holes, therefore if water does get it, it has a way out.

Or take the rubber bungs out and hammerite the metal edge of the open hole for easy water egress. Couple of silicate humidifier boxes just to help with general drying

[adrian-gregory]

I have changed my mind on fitting the INA belt.  I went onto Partsouq and found the right Toyota parts for this engine . will be here in about a week. $376.16 plus taxes / duty.

[adrian-gregory]

I forgot to order the top idler pulley, so I have  asked them to add that to the order. $52.80 plus shipping. 

[Greisingel]

12 hours ago, adrian-gregory said:

I forgot to order the top idler pulley, so I have  asked them to add that to the order. $52.80 plus shipping. 

There's actually a lot of 3MZFE fits that are really clear and instructive (and a few here on LOC). Key is the crank positions and fiddly tensioner pin pull. Interested to hear how you go.

[adrian-gregory]

Many thanks.  I will be doing it with a mechanic friend of mine who has 30+ years of experience, and we will be in his shop which will make things easier.  it looks to be a straightforward job. 

[adrian-gregory]

It was not raining when I started with the Lanoguard.  And it started soon thereafter, mind you I do live in Wales.

So I am pretty damp now, and the underside of the car is largely done.  I'll get to some hard to reach areas when she is up on the ramp when we do the timing belt. There is a to be said for not salting roads.  I can’t remember having such a clean car underneath, this is the driver's side front wheel well after a wash down, dried with compressed air and then a quick squirt with the Lanogard. Not bad for an 18 year old car.

 

[adrian-gregory]

After straightening out the rear sills jacking points I ordered a rubber insert for my 2.5 tonne SGS jack to protect the seams. That arrived this afternoon so I could jack the RX up without damaging the area and get each back wheel off. Cold water and a brush to clean the rear suspension and arches, dry with compressed air and then lanoguard those final areas. 

We had a fair bit of rain last night and I found a little water in the back again. So I removed everything once more, removed all the silicone and tried a different sealer that my neighbour swears by. I then spent a lot longer with a hose testing it all. Fingers crossed we have it sorted. 

The timing belt etc is scheduled to arrive next Thursday.

Gave her a good wash and dry and vac out. 

[Greisingel]

I used LS-X