maintenance TOYOTA RAV4 2023 Owner's Manual

3906-2. Maintenance
Brakes
• The vehicle should not pull to
one side when
the brakes are
applied.
• The brakes should work
effectively.
• The brake pedal should not feel
spongy.
• The brake pedal should not get
too close to the
floor when the
brakes are
applied.
Head
restraints
• Do the head restraints move
smoothly and
lock securely?
Indica-
tors/buzzers
• Do the indica-tors and buzzers
function prop-
erly?
Lights
• Do all the lights come on?
• Are the head- lights aimed cor-
rectly?
Parking brake
• Does the park-ing brake oper-
ate normally?
• When parked on a slope and the
parking brake is
on, is the vehicle
securely
stopped?
ItemsCheck points
Seat belts
• Do the seat belts operate
smoothly?
• The seat belts should not be
damaged.
Seats
• Do the seat con-trols operate
properly?
Steering wheel
• Does the steer-ing wheel rotate
smoothly?
• Does the steer- ing wheel have
the correct
amount of free
play?
• There should not be any strange
sounds coming
from the steer-
ing wheel.
Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Doors
• Do the doors operate
smoothly?
Engine hood
• Does the engine hood lock system
work properly?
Fluid leaks
• There should not be any signs of
fluid leakage
after the vehicle
has been parked.
ItemsCheck points

3916-2. Maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
The OBD system determines
that a problem exists some-
where in the emission control
system. Your vehicle may not
pass the I/M test and may need
to be repaired. Contact your
Toyota dealer to service the
vehicle.
When the battery is discon-
nected or discharged
Readiness codes that are set
during ordinary driving are
erased.
Also, depending on your driv-
ing habits, the readiness
codes may not be completely
set.
 When the fuel tank cap is
Tires
• Is the tire infla-
tion pressure
correct?
• The tires should not be damaged
or excessively
worn.
• Have the tires been rotated
according to the
maintenance
schedule?
• The wheel nuts should not be
loose.
Windshield
wipers/rear
window wiper
• The wiper blades should not show
any signs of
cracking, split-
ting, wear, con-
tamination or
deformation.
• The wiper blades should clear the
windshield with-
out streaking or
skipping.
ItemsCheck pointsEmission inspection
and maintenance (I/M)
programs
Some states have vehicle
emission inspection pro-
grams which include OBD
(On Board Diagnostics)
checks. The OBD system
monitors the operation of
the emission control sys-
tem.
If the malfunction indica-
tor lamp comes on
Your vehicle may not
pass the I/M test in the fol-
lowing situations:

3926-2. Maintenance
loose
The malfunction indicator
lamp comes on indicating a
temporary malfunction and
your vehicle may not pass the
I/M test.
The error code in the OBD sys-
tem will not be cleared unless
the vehicle is driven 40 or more
times.
Contact your Toyota dealer to
prepare the vehicle for re-test-
ing.
When the malfunction
indicator lamp still
remains on after several
driving trips
If your vehicle does not
pass the I/M test

3936-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
6-3.Do-it-yourself maintenance
Do-it-yourself service
precautions
If you perform maintenance
by yourself, be sure to fol-
low the correct procedure
as given in these sections.
Maintenance
ItemsParts and tools
Battery con-
dition
( P.403)•Grease
• Conventional
wrench (for termi-
nal clamp bolts)
Brake fluid
level
( P.401)
• FMVSS No.116
DOT 3 or SAE
J1703 brake fluid
• FMVSS No.116 DOT 4 or SAE
J1704
• Rag or paper towel
• Funnel (used only for adding brake
fluid)
Engine cool-
ant level
( P.400)
• “Toyota Super
Long Life Cool-
ant” or a similar
high quality eth-
ylene glycol-based
non-silicate, non-
amine, non-nitrite
and non-borate
coolant with long-
life hybrid organic
acid technology
For the U.S.A.:
“Toyota Super
Long Life Cool-
ant” is pre-mixed
with 50% coolant
and 50% deion-
ized water.
For Canada:
“Toyota Super
Long Life Cool-
ant” is pre-mixed
with 55% coolant
and 45% deion-
ized water.
• Funnel (used only for adding coolant)
Engine oil
level
( P.398)
• “Toyota Genuine
Motor Oil” or
equivalent
• Rag or paper towel
• Funnel (used only for adding engine
oil)
Fuses
( P.428)• Fuse with same
amperage rating
as original
ItemsParts and tools

3946-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Light bulbs
( P.432)
• Bulb with same
number and watt-
age rating as origi-
nal
• Phillips-head screwdriver
• Flathead screw- driver
• Wrench
Headlight aim
(  P.431)• Phillips-head
screwdriver
Radiator and
condenser
( P.401)

Tire inflation
pressure
( P.416)• Tire pressure
gauge
• Compressed air source
Washer fluid
( P.404)
• Water or washer
fluid containing
antifreeze (for win-
ter use)
• Funnel (used only for adding water or
washer fluid)
WARNING
The engine compartment contains
many mechanisms and fluids that
may move suddenly, become hot,
or become electrically energized.
To avoid death or serious injury,
observe the following precautions.
■When working on the engine
compartment
●Keep hands, clothing and tools
away from the moving fan and
engine drive belt.
ItemsParts and tools●Be careful not to touch the
engine, radiator, exhaust mani-
fold, etc., right after driving as
they may be hot. Oil and other
fluids may also be hot.
●Do not leave anything that may
burn easily, such as paper and
rags, in the engine compart-
ment.
●Do not smoke, cause sparks or
expose an open flame to fuel or
the battery. Fuel and battery
fumes are flammable.
●Be extremely cautious when
working on the battery. It con-
tains poisonous and corrosive
sulfuric acid.
■When working near the elec-
tric cooling fan or radiator
grille
Be sure the engine switch is off.
With the engine switch in ON, the
electric cooling fa n may automati-
cally start to run if the air condi-
tioning is on and/or the coolant
temperature is high. ( P.401)
■Safety glasses
Wear safety gla sses to prevent
flying or falling material, fluid
spray, etc., from getting in your
eyes.
NOTICE
■If you remove the air cleaner
filter
Driving with the air cleaner filter
removed may cause excessive
engine wear due to dirt in the air.

3956-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
1Pull the hood lock release
lever.
The hood will pop up slightly.
2Push the auxiliary catch lever
to the left and lift the hood. 3
Hold the hood open by insert-
ing the supporting rod into
the slot.
Hood
Release the lock from the
inside of the vehicle to open
the hood.
Opening the hood
WARNING
■Pre-driving check
Check that the hood is fully closed
and locked.
If the hood is not locked properly,
it may open while the vehicle is in
motion and cause an accident,
which may result i n death or seri-
ous injury.
■To prevent injuries
The support rod may be hot after
driving the vehicle. Touching the
hot support rod may lead to burns
or other serious injuries.
■After installing the support
rod into the slot
Make sure the rod supports the
hood securely fro m falling down
on to your head or body.

3966-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
■Front
WARNING
■When closing the hood
When closing the hood, take extra
care to prevent y our fingers etc.
from being caught.
NOTICE
■When closing the hood
Be sure to return the support rod
to its clip before closing the hood.
Closing the hood without return-
ing the support rod properly could
cause the hood to bend.
Positioning a floor
jack
When using a floor jack, fol-
low the instructions in the
manual provided with the
jack and perform the opera-
tion safely.
When raising your vehicle
with a floor jack, position
the jack correctly.
Improper placement may
damage your vehicle or
cause injury.
Location of the jack point

3976-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
■Rear

3986-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Fuse boxes (P.428)
Engine oil filler cap ( P.399)
Engine oil level dipstick ( P.398)
Battery ( P.403)
Brake fluid reservoir ( P.401)
Radiator ( P.401)
Electric cooling fan
Condenser ( P.401)
Washer fluid tank ( P.404)
Engine coolant reservoir ( P.400)
With the engine at operating
temperature and turned off, check the oil level on the dip-
stick.
Engine compartment
Components
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
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3996-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
■Checking the engine oil
1 Park the vehicle on level
ground. After warming up the
engine and turning off the
engine, wait more than 5
minutes for the oil to drain
back into the bottom of the
engine.
2 Holding a rag under the end,
pull the dipstick out.
3 Wipe the dipstick clean.
4 Reinsert the dipstick fully.
5 Holding a rag under the end,
pull the dipstick out and
check the oil level.
Low
Normal
Excessive
The shape of the dipstick may differ
depending on the type of vehicle or
engine.
6Wipe the dipstick and reinsert
it fully.
■Checking the oil type and
preparing the items needed
Make sure to check the oil type
and prepare the items needed
before adding oil.
 Engine oil selection
P.488
 Oil quantity (Low  Full)
1.6 qt. (1.5 L, 1.3 Imp. qt.)
 Item
Clean funnel
■Adding engine oil
If the oil level is below or near
the low level mark, add engine
oil of the same type as that
already in the engine.
1 Remove the oil filler cap by
turning it counterclockwise.
2 Add engine oil slowly, check-
ing the dipstick.
3 Install the oil filler cap by
turning it clockwise.
■Engine oil consumption
A certain amount of engine oil will
be consumed while driving. In the
following situatio ns, oil consump-
A
B
C