Toyota Rav 4 with manual transmission, pros and cons, different generations of models

Manual Transmission

RAV4 vehicles with a manual transmission are distinguished by a pedal unit that includes a clutch drive. The machine is equipped with a different rocker and a handle for selecting speeds; on the tip there is a pictogram with the trajectories of movement when switching. The design does not have a separate automatic transmission control unit; the engine crankcase and flywheel are designed for use with a manual transmission. The instrument cluster also differs in that it does not provide for displaying the selected automatic transmission operating mode.

In early versions, the mechanics provided improved dynamics while simultaneously reducing fuel consumption. Subsequently, automatic transmissions appeared with an increased number of steps and modified operating algorithms that are not inferior to manual transmissions.

Starting with the XA50 generation, the manufacturer began to use a variator, which provides a smooth change in speed and reduces fuel costs. The manual transmission was available with all-wheel drive until 2018, with the XA50 pairing the manual transmission to front-wheel drive only.

The difference between permanent and all-wheel drive

Permanent all-wheel drive is reliable and allows the vehicle to be used on any type of surface. Its disadvantages are structural complexity, difficult control settings, increased weight and high fuel consumption.

All-wheel drive is more reliable from a mechanical point of view, easy to operate, and provides high cross-country ability to the vehicle. But the car cannot be driven on asphalt.

If you choose a drive type for Toyota RAV 4 - full permanent or plug-in - you need to check and evaluate the operating conditions. If there is no need to frequently move on soil with such changing properties as icy asphalt, snow ruts, hard surfaces with mud areas, then a plug-in drive is suitable. Otherwise, you will have to either frequently switch the system manually or overload the transmission, which does not always suit the owner of a RAV 4wd.

Design and principle of operation of mechanics

The box is equipped with an aluminum crankcase, in which shafts with fixed and movable gears are located on rolling bearings. A stage selection mechanism is installed on the cover, connected to the rocker by cables in a protective sheath. To switch, you need to press the pedal and break the power flow, and then move the handle to the required position. The selection is made by moving the gear blocks along the splines.

To ensure smooth connection of gears, synchronizers are provided (except for reverse gear).

Peculiarities

To lubricate the gears and bearings, a special transmission oil poured into the crankcase is used. The housing is equipped with screw plugs for checking the level and adding lubricant. There is no pump in the design; oil is supplied by splashing. The main gear and differential are located inside the crankcase. On vehicles with all-wheel drive, the design includes a gearbox with a rear axle engagement clutch; at the output there is a flange for connecting the driveshaft.

pros

Advantages of cars with manual transmission, noted in owner reviews:

• the possibility of forced activation of the stage when driving in difficult road conditions;
• fast acceleration (compared to automatic transmission);
• ability to withstand increased loads;
• reduced fuel consumption;
• ease of repair and maintenance of the gearbox.

Minuses

Disadvantages of a manual transmission:

• the need to constantly switch and press the clutch pedal when driving in traffic jams;
• if you work carelessly with the clutch, you can burn the friction linings;
• To engage reverse gear, you sometimes need to press the clutch pedal several times;
• the need to periodically check the oil level in the crankcase;
• corrosion of cable end bushings, which causes difficult shifting;
• rapid wear of synchronizers, leading to spontaneous shutdown of speeds.

How does four-wheel drive work?

All-wheel drive is an option, thanks to which all 4 wheels of the car are driven in permanent/temporary mode. As a result, the car is provided with excellent traction even with imperfect grip and does not suffer from skidding.

All-wheel drive layout:

All-wheel drive wheels rotate at different speeds, and if one loses momentum, the speed of the other increases, while at the same time the torque decreases.

With a single motor, torque power is delivered to the axles in several ways. The choice depends on the chassis typology, design priorities, and rotation method. Today there are 4 methods:

1. Connectable.
2. Constant.
3. Multi-mode.
4. Permanent on demand.

The differential lock system is used for difficult-to-pass surfaces. In this case, the revolutions of all 4 wheels are equal, and the torque depends on the degree of adhesion to the road surface.

What generations of Toyota RAV 4 are equipped with mechanics?

The manual transmission was used on the following generations of the crossover:

• XA10 with 3S-FE engine with 128 or 135 hp. With. and with any body option. When using a 5-speed manual transmission with increasing speed, the car was equipped with a hydromechanical locking of the center differential, which increased the vehicle's cross-country ability.

• XA20 with a 2-liter 1AZ-FE engine producing 147 hp. With. (after restyling, increased to 150 hp). A mechanical synchronized gearbox with 5 forward speeds was offered only for 5-door variants; cars with a short wheelbase and 3 doors were supplied only with automatic transmission.

• XA30 with a 1AZ-FE unit with a capacity of 152 hp. With. and all-wheel drive system. After modernization in 2010, a 148-horsepower 3ZR-FAE engine began to be used, which could work with a manual transmission and was installed on cars with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Occasionally there is a modification 3ZR-FAE, which has a power of 158 hp. With. and intended for the US and Middle East markets. Regardless of the year of manufacture and power, a unified 5-speed gearbox was used.

• XA40 with 3ZR-FAE engine producing 146 hp. s., which was installed on cars with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The difference between the transmission was the introduction of 6th gear, which made it possible to reduce fuel consumption and increase acoustic comfort in the car interior.

• XA50, equipped with a 2.0 liter M20A-FKS petrol engine developing 149 hp. With. A manual transmission is available only for modifications with front drive wheels; when ordering a car with all-wheel drive, a CVT or hydromechanical 8-speed transmission is installed. The manual transmission version is equipped with a push-button selector for selecting the engine operating mode depending on road conditions.

Technical characteristics of Toyota RAV 4 with manual transmission

The main technical parameters of RAV4 crossovers with manual transmission are shown in the table. Values ​​are given for 5-door bodies (applies to XA10 and XA20 generations). Modifications with manual transmission are distinguished by a curb weight reduced by 10-20 kg, which has a slight effect on dynamic capabilities and fuel consumption.

The table shows a gradual increase in the weight of the car, associated with an increase in interior dimensions and an increase in passive safety.

At the same time, there is a drop in gasoline consumption and an improvement in dynamic characteristics.

On the run

The ride quality of the Rav4 long is practically no different from the short car models. The engine components and classic transmission have been preserved here, so the car behaves familiarly on the road. Due to the long wheelbase, the crossover has become more comfortable, the suspension handles bumps better, and is less likely to bother you with rough bumps. Rav 4 Long is longer, so the ramp angle has been reduced, but this does not have a significant effect on cross-country ability.

The weight of the car has also increased slightly, but since it is recommended to drive the crossover only on hard surfaces, the difference is not felt when driving. The advantages include the ability to drive a car with one wheel suspended.

Photo

In general, the car handles confidently only on asphalt and hard surfaces; the former agility can no longer be achieved from an older Rav 4, but this should be considered an advantage.

Possible breakdowns of a manual transmission

Main breakdowns of the RAV4 manual transmission:

1. Increased operating noise caused by a drop in oil level. It is necessary to drain the remaining fluid and make sure that there are no metal shavings in the fluid that form when gears or bearings are destroyed. After filling with fresh oil, the extraneous noise should disappear.
2. Oil leaks through damaged oil seals; repair consists of installing new seals and adding lubricant to the required level.
3. Reverse lights not working, the problem occurs when the limit switch is broken or the wiring harness is broken. It is necessary to install a new contact mechanism or restore the integrity of the cable.
4. Difficulty switching due to improper adjustment of the rocker drive or damage to the synchronizers. The repair consists of adjusting the length of the cables or rebuilding the manual transmission and replacing worn elements. At the same time, you should check the condition of the clutch disc, which quickly wears out if used carelessly.
5. Spontaneous shutdown of the overdrive due to wear of the clutch, gear or hub. To restore functionality, you will need to disassemble the box and replace damaged parts. When the synchronizer wears out, the shift lever wobbles, which occurs when accelerating or releasing the throttle. Further wear of the ring leads to spontaneous shutdown of the speed.
6. Gradually unscrew the screws securing the plate holding the bearings in the housing. As a result, the overdrive gear and part of the secondary shaft are destroyed, and cases of crankcase rupture have been reported. It is necessary to remove the box for disassembly and troubleshooting, followed by a major overhaul.

Many owners of cars with manual transmission note a quiet, uniform hum when driving in reverse gear.

The reason is the profile of the gears and the large gear ratio. Noise is not a sign of malfunction as long as there are no abnormal sounds when using forward speeds. On cars with a 6-speed transmission, a howling noise is often observed when driving in the 1st stage. An extraneous hum is not considered a malfunction provided that other speeds are operating normally and there are no chips in the oil.

The new strain of coronavirus AY.4.2 turned out to be 10-15% more contagious than “delta”

Scientist Geoffrey Barrett from the Sanger Institute in Cambridge and Francois Balloux from University College London said that a new strain of coronavirus has emerged, which is a continuation of the Indian “delta” strain, the Financial Times reported.

“The AY.4.2 variant was only recently discovered by virologists tracking the genetic evolution of Delta, but it already accounts for almost 10% of infections in the UK,” the scientists wrote in the article.

The new mutation AY.4.2, which British scientists discovered, will not be able to displace the dominant “delta” strain unless its characteristics are similar to this variant. The head of the laboratory of especially dangerous infections at the Federal Research Center for Fundamental and Translational Medicine, virologist Alexander Chepurnov, told Gazeta.Ru about this.

“If this strain is stronger and has the ability to multiply faster, then it can displace other strains of coronavirus. These are general biological patterns.

To do this, you need either the same advantage as “delta”, or the ability to attach to some other popular and widespread receptor. This variant of the virus will most likely become the next “nasty thing,” he noted.

The virologist explained that the delta mutation is located at the site of cell attachment to the receptor, which allowed the virus to become unrecognizable to antibodies and penetrate the body more easily.

“The virus clings to the cell, and then the cell itself transports it inside and includes it in the genetic system, after which it begins to produce new virus cells using its own resources. If this strain has something changed, but there is no specific mutation that gives the “delta” an advantage, then it will die just like everyone else. No other option is yet able to even closely compete with “delta,” the virologist said.

SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the group of viruses that regularly mutate in order to remain in the human population - it is not beneficial for it to become more deadly, epidemiologist Eduard Shunkov added in an interview with Gazeta.Ru.

“Given the nature of the coronavirus, we can expect that it will continue to mutate, but only those that will not cause severe consequences will be competitive strains. That is, if the virus is contagious and does not cause consequences, does not have high lethality, then, accordingly, it will be more tenacious than one that destroys its carriers, because with their death it will disappear from the population,” the specialist noted.

Meanwhile, there are about 50 derivatives of the original “delta” strain in the world, but none of them have become more competitive due to changes in some properties, virologist, professor at Moscow State University, Doctor of Biological Sciences Alexei Agranovsky told RBC.

“Option AY.4.2 certainly deserves close attention. If 8-10% of COVID-19 cases in England are due to this variant, then it has the potential to spread further.

Even if it is indeed 10-15% more infectious than the original delta strain, then this is a small increase. By comparison, the delta strain is 100% (twice) more infectious than the Wuhan zero strain,” he said.

Virologist Chepurnov agreed with him. According to him, many coronavirus mutations are circulating in the world, which are also highly contagious, like “delta”.

“Other already known strains were also declared as more terrible and dangerous, but in the end one came along that did not allow them to gain a foothold in the human population. If there had not been a “delta”, if, for example, the British one had been founded, the Wuhan one would definitely not have become the only one. In this case, it is not yet known what kind of variant this is and what advantages it has, so it is too early to make predictions,” the virologist added.

However, if the new variant AY.4.2, assuming it is not more deadly, manages to gain a foothold and displace Delta, this could lead to the end of the pandemic.

“Even if the strain is more contagious than all existing ones, but does not cause severe consequences, it will be able to take its place in the morbidity structure and annually provide a certain number of cases, but will not dominate other groups of acute respiratory infections,” - explained epidemiologist Shunkov.

Real reviews from mechanical owners

Vitaly, 41 years old, Kostroma

In 2021, I purchased a RAV4 crossover from a car dealership and was specifically looking for a modification with front-wheel drive and a manual transmission. The machine is used 95% on paved roads, so eliminating all drive wheels reduces fuel consumption and reduces the cost of maintenance. The gearbox allows you to quickly accelerate when overtaking on the highway, and the presence of a 6th stage ensures low engine speeds during country trips. The process of switching stages is easy, the elastic motor does not require constant use of the lever.

Kirill, 28 years old, Tula
I purchased a 2nd generation RAV4 with a manual transmission for periodic fishing and hunting trips. After registration, I changed the oil in the crankcase and the oil seal, which had signs of leakage. The gearbox shifts easily, but after several trips on muddy roads, problems with the clutch appeared. I installed a new disk and basket, and at the same time checked the condition of the ring gear on the flywheel. After the repair, I drove more than 15 thousand km on roads with different surfaces, there are no complaints about the operation of the transmission units.