bought 07, seems "hyper"

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climberbry

New member
Don't know how else to put this. 07 4runner, v6 seems hyper. By that, I mean, when I put it in gear, the thing will easily and quickly get up to 15 mph without my touching the gas pedal (flat parking lot). Happens in reverse too. Makes it a pain in parking lots (can't do anything slowly). It more less lurches when I let off the brake.

Also, not sure it's related, but when I'm coasting, say under 50, when I let off the accelerator the truck seems to downshift a little on its own. Almost like I'm riding the brake a little.

I just got rid of my 02 4runner with 285k, and I know the 07 has a lot more power, but my old one seemed so much more mellow. I thought this was due to high idle, etc, but those threads make it sound like the 600-700 RRM range I'm getting is normal. I don't get anything over 1000 with AC on. Anyway, I'm at a loss. Any ideas anyone?
 
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In my '04 I noticed when I first got it that it seemed to coast (especially at low speed) more readily than any other vehicle I'd owned. Sorta like it didn't want to stop; however, it was never invasive or irritating, and it certainly hasn't ever made parking difficult. Sounds like transmission issues to me. Maybe the wrong trans fluid? Aftermarket torque converter?
 
Can't help you with the problems, but I do experience the same "braking" sensation when I let off the gas. I suspect it's normal.
 
climberbry said:
Don't know how else to put this. 07 4runner, v6 seems hyper. By that, I mean, when I put it in gear, the thing will easily and quickly get up to 15 mph without my touching the gas pedal (flat parking lot). Happens in reverse too. Makes it a pain in parking lots (can't do anything slowly). It more less lurches when I let off the brake.

Also, not sure it's related, but when I'm coasting, say under 50, when I let off the accelerator the truck seems to downshift a little on its own. Almost like I'm riding the brake a little.

I just got rid of my 02 4runner with 285k, and I know the 07 has a lot more power, but my old one seemed so much more mellow. I thought this was due to high idle, etc, but those threads make it sound like the 600-700 RRM range I'm getting is normal. I don't get anything over 1000 with AC on. Anyway, I'm at a loss. Any ideas anyone?
Click to expand...

Is it "hyper" when the engine is fully cold or warmed up?

My 08 only has an elevated idle when cold. Most vehicles do.
 
Great ideas. Haven't thought of these:

1. Mountain Mike. The Sprint Booster is a thought. Though, I'm not sure where to look for it. I'll have to dig into this. Thanks for the tip!

2. Salong53. Thanks, it's probably a good idea to to the trans. fluid replacement anyway. I'll definitely do that. As far as the torque converter, where would I look to see if it is non-OEM, or has been changed, etc?

3. CXS, thanks. I'll check that out. Sounds promising!

4. Fullboogie. Thanks. I hope it's not normal. See more below!

5. gm350reratliff, Yes, it's definitely more "hyper" when it's cold.

Yesterday when I was going down a hill about 40 mph, I tapped the brake pedal and it "downshifted" and spiked the RPMs from 1000 to about 2500. It even threw me forward slightly. It's like the car sensed I wanted to slow down by touching the brakes, so it downshifted. If this is "normal", how do I turn it off? I don't want my car telling me when to slow down. No thanks - I don't want a Google car that drives itself!

Thanks again, all
 
climberbry said:
Great ideas. Haven't thought of these:

1. Mountain Mike. The Sprint Booster is a thought. Though, I'm not sure where to look for it. I'll have to dig into this. Thanks for the tip!

2. Salong53. Thanks, it's probably a good idea to to the trans. fluid replacement anyway. I'll definitely do that. As far as the torque converter, where would I look to see if it is non-OEM, or has been changed, etc?

3. CXS, thanks. I'll check that out. Sounds promising!

4. Fullboogie. Thanks. I hope it's not normal. See more below!

5. gm350reratliff, Yes, it's definitely more "hyper" when it's cold.

Yesterday when I was going down a hill about 40 mph, I tapped the brake pedal and it "downshifted" and spiked the RPMs from 1000 to about 2500. It even threw me forward slightly. It's like the car sensed I wanted to slow down by touching the brakes, so it downshifted. If this is "normal", how do I turn it off? I don't want my car telling me when to slow down. No thanks - I don't want a Google car that drives itself!

Thanks again, all
Click to expand...

The downshifting when hitting the brakes while going downhill is normal. It is to help slow you down. The same for uphill, it will hold a gear so it isn't constantly up-shifting and downshifting. It's smart.
As for the "hyper" you talk about. It's drive by wire, they tend to be much touchier than vehicles with an actual throttle cable. It is very normal behavior for any Toyota and Lexus that you are talking about. No worries, you will get used to it very soon. My Fiance's Camry is so touchy I tend to squeal the tires on the rare occasion I drive it. lol
 
Thanks T-Man. That's is what I'm beginning to gather. Sounds like I may have jumped to the conclusion that this was abnormal. I just miss the melow-ness of my 02.

However, I'm not sure I can get past the downshifting automatically on downhill or slow-down. Makes me nervous to think what this could do on ice covered roads in those situations where you DON'T want to change the inertia of the vehicle at all. When you want to barely hit the brake, you want it to do just that and nothing else... If any of you are familiar with driving on ice, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Thanks again!
 
CXS, which issue specifically has a fix in the Rav4 forums? Any idea what they're calling it? I can't seem to find anything over there. Thanks!
 
climberbry said:
When you want to barely hit the brake
Click to expand...

When I'm driving on ice I don't touch the brake pedal, not even barely. If your driving at a reasonable speed (which you should be if there's a potential for ice) then the downshift to 4th wouldn't be so "violent". I've had mine for 3 winters; with a good set of tires, you have nothing to worry about.

Having said all that, if you want to disable it, find the grade sensor and unplug it. It'll probably turn on some warning lights on the dash tho.
 
climberbry said:
Thanks T-Man. That's is what I'm beginning to gather. Sounds like I may have jumped to the conclusion that this was abnormal. I just miss the melow-ness of my 02.

However, I'm not sure I can get past the downshifting automatically on downhill or slow-down. Makes me nervous to think what this could do on ice covered roads in those situations where you DON'T want to change the inertia of the vehicle at all. When you want to barely hit the brake, you want it to do just that and nothing else... If any of you are familiar with driving on ice, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

I get terrible winters up here in northern Michigan, with that being said, that traction control saved my ass this winter like you wouldn't believe. Takes some getting used to but it does work much better than you think. Have faith my friend. :cool:
 
salong53 said:
In my '04 I noticed when I first got it that it seemed to coast (especially at low speed) more readily than any other vehicle I'd owned. Sorta like it didn't want to stop; however, it was never invasive or irritating, and it certainly hasn't ever made parking difficult. Sounds like transmission issues to me. Maybe the wrong trans fluid? Aftermarket torque converter?
Click to expand...
salong53,

funny you should mention the torque converter. I just took my 4runner into the shop for an engine "whine" that developed recently. A possible faulty torque converter was on their list of causes, in addition to oil pump and transmission (they removed the serpentine belt to eliminate those moving parts). I'm praying it isn't the transmission.
 
Partial resolution

Some good news; The "whine" turned out to be just the idler pulley. The "hyperness" and downshifting still persist, however. I plan on doing the MAF cleaning tonight, as it sounds like that might help. To my knowledge, it hasn't ever been done (currently @90k miles).

I'll also add, as it might be related, that I have confirmed that I cannot achieve over 17 mpg, no matter what, even with 100% highway miles. I have calculated this by hand over at least 10 tanks. The stupid computer always reads 19 mpg. Whatever Toyota!

Will report back after MAF cleaning.
 
Both of my '07's do this. I came from a 3rd gen '97 and at first it bothered me too. I've become used to it but have noticed it's more pronounced when the truck is cold too.
 
MAF clearning results

Didn't notice any difference after MAF cleaning. One wire was black. My MPGs do seem **SLIGHTLY** better, but I've only been through 2 tanks since.
 
I've been playing around with the Torque app a lot lately, and noticed that upon decel, the A/F ratio goes into the 18's. That indicates injector shut off, which is why we feel like the truck is downshifting when letting off the gas.
 
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