Toyota RAV4: oil consumption, cam phasers, and what to check past 90,000 miles

The RAV4 has earned its reputation as a car that does not produce surprises. That is mostly true — but two topics recur often enough to check for deliberately.

1. Oil consumption

The best-known topic on some petrol engines of the middle generations. Oil consumption is noticeably higher than expected while the engine runs normally and produces no codes.

Why this matters: diagnostics cannot see it directly. There is no “how much oil has this engine burned” parameter. So the check is the dipstick, regularly.

What shows indirectly:

• Oily deposits on the spark plugs.
• Misfires P0300 at higher mileage, once deposits accumulate.
• P0420 — the catalyst suffers from oil reaching the exhaust.

What an owner should do: check the level every 600 miles, not every service. Running the level down to minimum on these engines is the fastest route to problems.

2. VVT-i cam phaser

Codes P0011, P0012. Symptoms: flat low-end response, rough idle, rising consumption.

As on most engines with hydraulic cam control, the culprit is usually not the phaser but the clogged screen on its control valve. The repair is removing the valve and cleaning it.

There is a direct link to the first topic here: the worse the oil condition, the faster the screen blocks. Covered in the cam phaser guide.

3. Oxygen sensors and catalyst

P0420 — “catalyst efficiency below threshold”.

Do not rush into replacing the catalyst. The order is:

1. Check the upstream sensor signal — a lazy sensor produces the same code.
2. Check for an exhaust leak upstream of the sensor.
3. Check whether oil is reaching the exhaust (see topic 1).
4. Only then the catalyst.

Covered in the P0420 guide.

4. Water pump and cooling

At higher mileage the pump seal starts weeping. Signs: coolant traces underneath, a slowly falling level, sometimes a whine.

Alongside it, P0128 from a sticking thermostat. Covered in the overheating guide.

5. Evaporative emissions

Codes P0441, P0455, P0456. Usually the fuel cap or the purge valve.

Before spending anything, tighten the cap until it clicks. Covered in the EVAP guide.

6. Torque converter

On automatics — vibration at a steady 40–50 mph, like driving over a rumble strip. Codes P0741, P0740.

Frequently this is fluid condition rather than a transmission replacement. Covered in the torque converter guide.

Inspection order when buying

1. Oil level on the dipstick — first and foremost on these engines.
2. Oil condition — black and thick means infrequent changes, and hence P0011.
3. Read codes, pending and permanent included.
4. Cam phaser live data: commanded versus actual as RPM rises.
5. Upstream oxygen sensor signal — response speed.
6. Readiness monitors — all not ready means the memory was just cleared.
7. Test drive at 40–50 mph — listen for the torque converter.

The full protocol is in the used car inspection guide.

In short

• Diagnostics cannot see oil consumption — check the dipstick every 600 miles.
• P0011 here links directly to oil condition: the valve screen blocks.
• P0420 does not mean “replace the catalyst” — sensor, leak, and oil first.
• Vibration at 40–50 mph is the torque converter, often cured by fluid.
• Oil condition on the dipstick matters more than most codes when buying.

Download the app — codes, cam phaser and oxygen sensor live data are read with an ELM327 adapter over Bluetooth SPP on Android.