Heavy clutch on Toyota RAV4

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Heavy clutch on Toyota RAV4

I have recently bought a (2000) Toyota RAV4 with 93,000 miles on the clock. The clutch is very heavy, biting as soon as you take your foot off of it. Pulling away quickly is very jerky and its almost impossible to get the revs correct for hill starts.

The clutch doesn't actually appear to be slipping and was replaced at 80,000. The dealer's mechanic took me for a drive to demonstrate that I was a lousy driver, but I've driven 100s of vehicles and never experienced a clutch like it. Is it me or the car?

Asked on 27 April 2016 by Andrew W

Answered by Honest John

Might be the lambda sensors in the exhaust system. The MkII RAV has at least three and if any of them are playing up it will make fuel delivery a but spasmodic. Generally, if a clutch is very heavy the reason is usually that the clutch release arm is bent and that would also explain the lack of travel on yours.

Tags: clutch judder technical issues

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