Towing a Rav 4 Auto Trans
Of course we all know that Toyota never recommends towing one of their vehicles with an Auto Trans. My wife has a cherry 2001 Rav with 80,000 km. I was considering a Remco lube pump. I was glancing th...
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moisheh wrote:
Page 173: Dinghy towing. BTW: never trust just an online manual. Some vehicles need to have certain options to be towable. The manual that comes with a vehicle is the best bet. Or call the mfr. with your VIN. I know a fellow who bought a used Chev PU and that particular model was NOT towable. My manual is for a Canadian vehicle and is different but still has the same dinghy towing section. I even called Toyota and they said that it was OK to tow if you follow the guidelines. I installed a Blue OX baseplate. Not an easy install. I am stymied as to how to install toad wiring. In order to access the tail lights you have to remove all the plastic side panels. They are held on with clips and are 17 years old and probably brittle. Car only has 50,000 miles and I don't want to damage anything. Might go for wireless lights.
Moisheh
Apologies for the delay in getting back to this. I somehow missed your reply.
I wonder what Toyota changed from the 2001 to 2002 RAV's since they both use the same U140F transmission. The 2002 RAV4 manual specifically states for dinghy towing with an automatic tranny, "NOTICE Do not tow your vehicle with four wheels on the ground. This may cause serious damage to your vehicle." I towed our 2002 RAV4 over 30,000 miles with a REMCO lube pump installed and never had any tranny problems, so it'll be interesting to see how you make out with no pump on the same transmission.
