Car engine cut out & crashed!

[AtW]

Manual, Toyota Rav 4, Petrol.

[MarillionFan]

Just taken it for a spin. Seems that the engine is ticking over properly while idling and just sort of dies. So I must have been going too slowly while turning. There's no splutter it just sort of goes quiet and then dies. Will drop at the garage.

[fullyautomatix]

Car had been off the road for a few weeks(one when I cycled to work), the second when I was away. When we got back, flat battery. It's the second time it had happened so I had the AA out to fit a new battery last night.

Jump in this morning and it starts fine, drive a few miles. Sounds like it needs a bit of oil, turn a corner albeit at about 10 miles an hour & all of a sudden the steering locks, the wheel won't turn and I go straight into a wall. Luckily I wasn't going very fast and was able to brake so no real damage. Then I notice that the engine has died!!!

I've parked up now. Is this related to the battery or probably just needed a longer run? If it does it when I'm going faster I could be in a lot of trouble???

Any ideas?

Okay, so the power steering needs the engine to be on to work. So essentially your engine cut out first and then the steering locked and would not work. If you had instantly restarted the engine you would have steered okay.

Happened to me a few times and all I had to do was turn the key back in and carry on.

[SupremeSpod]

One on't cross beams gone owt askew on treddle.

[EternalOptimist]

One on't cross beams gone owt askew on treddle.

well, ahll gor t' foot of our stairs

[Bagpuss]

Oh, the water pump will probably be driven by the toothed belt wot drives the cam.

Guess what happens if the waterpump seizes.



Also the power steering pump (what this rav probably hasn't got) usually has a separate belt to the alternator.

Dunno about the aircon compressor though.

You are probably right on the Water pump (I was thinking of the time I changed the pump on an astra) but whether the steering is driven by an independent belt depends on the model, some have one belt..


"The Toyota engine uses a serpentine belt to rotate many of the accessories of the engine, such as the air conditioning compressor, the alternator, the power steering pump ."

Others have two.

[escapeUK]

Okay, so the power steering needs the engine to be on to work. So essentially your engine cut out first and then the steering locked and would not work. If you had instantly restarted the engine you would have steered okay.

Happened to me a few times and all I had to do was turn the key back in and carry on.

This is bulltulip, its called power assisted steering. The steering still works in the event of the assistance failing, it might feel heavier when the car is stopped but it would be fine while the car was moving.

[AtW]

I had one snap on me on the motorway once, first the electrical warning lights came on then the steering became heavy, then it died.

You are a very unlucky person Baggy, do you know that?

[VectraMan]

This is bulltulip, its called power assisted steering. The steering still works in the event of the assistance failing, it might feel heavier when the car is stopped but it would be fine while the car was moving.

He's obviously too weedy to turn the wheel without assistance. Worse than the steering is that you lose the brake assistance too, although you usually get some time and a couple of pumps of the pedal before that happens.

If the steering really did lock, there's no way I'd be driving anywhere. Stop where you are and get it trailered to a garage.

I vaugely remember a story of somebody cutting the engine "to save fuel" and "stop global warming" whilst going downhill and then finding he was unable to steer or brake.

[BrilloPad]

I see the fixes that admin made to your car have worked then.