does my odometer cluster need replacing?
What is your question?
Toyota 2005 RAV4 Location: CA I took this car for it's smog check. First shop said that car failed visual part of the check because the "Check Engine" light didn't illuminate when key was turned and wanted to replace the cluster ($700 + labor) saying that the bulb is burned out. The "Check Engine" light came on two days later for the second shop and the car passed the smog check. Took the car to a Toyota Dealer to diagnose the problem but the light came on they couldn't find anything wrong. However the light didn't illuminate when I started the car to go home. Since then the light illuminates sometime. When it works it works repeatedly when it fails it fails repeatedly. Also the car has recently been repaired for a tail end collision. Any thoughts? Robert
What makes this problem better or worse?
I haven't tracked the problem long enough to see a pattern.
How long has your 2005 Toyota RAV4 had this problem?
I became aware of the problem 3 weeks ago.
1 Reply
Hello, it sounds like the check engine light is not "proving out" consistently, which is why it failed a visual smog test. This can be because of a faulty intermittent circuit board on your instrument cluster. If your light is coming on while driving, it could be indicative of a problem with engine performance. Since your vehicle just passed the smog test, it is unlikely any kind of failures like that are occurring -- so I would think the light and circuit itself is of issue. If there were diagnostic trouble codes related to engine performance issues, that would be another story.
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Hi Dave, - There was an error code during the diagnosis but the service guy said it wasn't relevant. He said that they cleaned an evap something (I didn't understand what he was talking about). - The light doesn't come on during driving. - I've been keeping the car outside lately. In the morning when it's cool outside the light comes on when the key is turned, which is what it should do, but by noon when the car heats up in the sun, it doesn't (a visual fail). - Is there a sensor that is sensitive to to heat or condensation?
Hello, An evaporative emissions code indeed would not have anything to do with instrumentation issues. This truly sounds like a printed circuit issue. In all honesty, I would not be terribly concerned about pursuing it, as it is a cosmetic issue at this time. When it comes time to smog test the vehicle again, it may again take some work to get it to prove out and pass smog. But, spending money to fix something that's more an annoyance than anything is not that worth while in my opinion.