1). I finally got a 2003 rav4 2.0 vvti with 150.000km, and it got a bad oxygen sensor wich as i understood trigger the check engine and VSC/TRC lights on. Is it bad for the car to run with a bad sensor?
2). Also, should i be afraid of often reving its engin up to 4-5000 rpm? 😀
3). I changed the clutch cylinder pump as scotty showed in a video because the pedal was stucking to the floor. The problem is fixed(THANK YOU!) but some mechanics told me i need to change the entire clutch or the pump will wear out again due to excessive force caused by the wore clutch. Is that true? The clutch is still ok for me, i can change gears with no problem (manual transmission)
Not so fun story: I bought the sensor from a repair shop where i previously changed oil and filters + bought other parts from them but the labor is insane. When the sensor arrived i asked them if they can show me where the sensor is placed so i can change it myself. They wont show me unless i pay them to change it themselves, they told my its not their problem anymore hahahaha. I told them they lost me as a customer
P.S: Thank you all so much for answering our questions. I appreciate it so much!!
Just Google '03 Rav 4 02 sensor locations and click on "Images."
I think i have 2 sensors on my car. I dont know wich one is bad
On the cars I know, the front and the rear O2 sensors are different part numbers. So if they sold you the right sensor which needs replacement, and if on your car the front and the rear sensor are different part numbers, you should be able to figure out which one to replace.
Go to a chain auto parts store, they will scan it for free and tell you which one it is, or both.
1) For a car, it is bad enough to run with a bad oxygen sensor.
If the ECU thinks that it is still OK, but it is bad, this will result in the oxygen-and-fuel mixture being always wrong (engine running always lean or always rich, which can damage the engine (detonations, carbon sediments) and the catalytic converter(s)).
If the ECU already detected that the sensor is bad (and keeps generating an active "O2 sensor defective" error message), this will result in the ECU falling back to using some "limp mode" table values, which usually result in higher fuel consumption and lesser power (= in the ECU deliberately letting the engine run too rich as the lesser evil - but it is still evil, so better not disregard this, but replace the sensor asap).
2) Generally, it is very wise to not rev your engine high if you know that the air-and-fuel ratio is generally wrong. Unless you have a spare engine in your garage 🙂 Although in the high rev - high load mode most ECUs are considered to disregard O2 readings completely for the sake of max acceleration, I would not bet my engine on that.
If you know what the car exhaust line is, you can locate the O2 sensor yourself, just checking this line visually from engine to the tail pipe and searching for an object looking similar to the new sensor you`ve bought. Unless you have an ancient vehicle, the 02 sensors are usually two on each exhaust line - one in front of the catalytic converter, and one behind. On all cars I know, the front and the rear 02 sensors are different and not interchangeable (which one did you buy, I am asking myself)... Unscrewing old and rusty O2 sensors may require serious force / effort, but replacing them is technically easy - just one sensor to unscrew / to screw in, and one connector to reconnect. I have done this myself multiple times. Clean the thread before inserting the new sensor; only remove the protective plastic cap from the new sensor before you actually screw the sensor in; only use the original thread lubricant which is (should be) on your new sensor under the cap. That would be it.
Thank you so much! Unfortunately the sensor didnt come with anti-sieze paste (altough its Denso). I will try to match the sensors OEM codes and see wich one it is that i will replace (hopefully they made me buy the right one). {black}:blushed: