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Toyota Sienna AWD Problems/Questions
I notice my AWD sienna has a leak from the rear "gear box?"
it's kind of a clear fluid.
I used to own a AWD Town and country and I had the same problem. Not sure if it is common to AWD
it's kind of a clear fluid.
I used to own a AWD Town and country and I had the same problem. Not sure if it is common to AWD
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We got a disappointed 16mpg in avg.
I am not sure how my wife drives the van but I will consider "normal" driving with 70% freeway. Don't know why and what to do to improve the mpg. any idea?
Maybe the run-flat tires?
Please share your opinion.
FYI, I know AWD won't stop better so no need to talk about that part.
If you drove in heavy slush, sounds like the weather is not that cold.
I remembered I couldn't steer my car when living in eastern washington many years ago but only happened under cold cold weahter because the ice built up around the front suspension.
I don't think you need to worry about this because the worst case is the drive shaft got stuck and the lost of AWD for a while until everyting melt
In that case the vehicle would be entirely NO GO.
If the front wheels rotate but not the rear then the AWD tarction control system will apply the front brakes along with dethrottling the engine. If that doesn't work to "force" the rear driveshaft to turn you're dead in the (frozen) water.
We live in NH and not sure we can afford the AWD version.
Laz
Still, I'd spring for a low mile CPO AWD model. Should cost no more than a new one, and the warranty is effectively longer in most cases.
Does anyone now what kind of differential thats in the 2007 awd?
Electrical or something else?
How fast does the awd comes on if a weel starts to spin?
And how are the normally spread on the driveshaft 50-50% or 70-30% or something else.
Thanks for any replays.
Basically the power goes to both axles (50/50 by default IIRC), and when one rotates at a speed quicker than the other, they temporarily lock together.
The fact that it's full-time means it's pro-active and should be very effective.
Combine that with traction and stability control and if you get stuck, it's your own fault.
Absent the VC you have a simple open differential with a slight overdrive ratio to the rear such that you get a little extra "kick" at the rear when TC activates and applies brkaing on the front, presumably slipping, wheels.
That same overdrive ratio results in a normal F/R torque distribution of 95/5 absent TC intervention. And even with a VC it takes several seconds for the VC to stiffen up enough for a maximum of 75/25. Those numbers were obtained with my '01 AWD RX300 on a 4 wheel dyno so later VC formulations, say an RX350, may vary.
In my judgement the FWD version with VSC/Trac will give just as good, maybe better, wintertime performance as would an AWD absent the VC. If the VC is again being used the fluid formulation has likely been changed for the better.
This article says it's still old 50/50 type system:
http://www.trucktrend.com/multimedia/wallpaper/163_0705_2007_toyota_sienna_photo_gallery/
It seemes to be a rather old solution of awd.
Volvo uses the Haldek much quicker system.
Its a long time left to winter here in sweden ,but i will let you now what i think about it when it comes.
The LE AWD works great on snow but I believe FWD works fine on light snow based on what other posted.
If budget allows, get the AWD. We got our 04 used with 40K miles (we could have gotton a 06 12K mile FWD) but my wife and I decided to got the AWD since we don't have any 4WD or AWD at home.
One caution about the AWD is the run flat tires. They are pricy and don't last that long.
Our 2000 AWD T&C has a VC, viscous coupling, to the rear driveline that is ALWAYS in effect at a reasonably high level, additionally the fluid is obviously formulated to have a very high "attack" rate, rapidly increasing torque coupling coefficient, upon front wheelspin.
Whereas the Sienna has a simple open center diff'l and relies on TC braking (and engine dethrottling) to apportion engine torque to the rear driveline ONLY AFTER front wheelspin/slip occurs.
http://www.trucktrend.com/multimedia/wallpaper/163_0705_2007_toyota_sienna_photo_gallery/
I have never spun a tire in the snow or slush or off road when camping. The ride is a little too low to attempt serious off-roading in a Sienna, but its the most reliable people and luggage hauler on the market that isn't a giant SUV. We have made trips to SC beaches, the Gulf Coast of Florida , Louisiana and Michigan, and the same car that enables our family to quietly and comfortably eat up interstate at at 75 mph (while my wife reads or works on the laptop via wireless data modem,my mother-in-law reads or sleeps, the 17 yo and the 11 yo watch DVD's or listen to whatever they want on headphones) also allows us to ride along with a great sense of safety and security in snow and heavy rains. The seats are so comfortable and supportive that I choose to drive the Sienna on my business trips to Eastern NC, etc.
My average over 45,000 is 18.9MPG, and we get around 22 MPG on long trips with 5 people and all the luggage, etc. That is the same as my other vehicle , a 2004 Subaru Forester XT, which requires premium fuel. The Subaru is a lot more fun to speed up, down and around mountain roads, but it was a crowded, packed situation going to the beach.
Mark
Or just keep this thought in mind when the day arrives that your F/AWD Sienna begins to PLOW toward the outside, DROP-OFF side, of that curve.
Keeping it in gear and using engine braking will shift the weight forward, reducing understeer. Tapping the brakes may help, too.
If you put it in neutral and coast you will have to use the brakes alone.
Yes, that is true, VERY true, right up to the point wherein the level of roadbed traction is no longer sufficient to support both the braking and lateral (stearing/directional) loading.
Believe me, it WILL happen. You can either be prepared for the event, ready to quickly shift the transaxle into neutral (as recommended by the AAA), or have previously shifted onto neutral. A second bit of advice is that if you do not have VSC and your FWD or F/AWD vehicle begins to understear then you can apply the e-brake, parking brake, lightly to slow the vehicle just enough, hopefully, to bring the vehicle back into control.
With VSC the rear brake(s) will be applied automatically in this instance.
"If you put it in neutral and coast you will have to use the brakes alone."
Yes, but you can alleviate the effects of actual braking virtually INSTANTLY. Alleviating the adverse effects of braking on the front tires by shifting the transaxle into neutral and then waiting for the transaxle to actually complete the shift is not so quick.
Juice, great to see another guy with a Sienna/Subaru family!
We liked the Tribeca but it just isn't big enough for what we wanted. This weekend we took another family with us to our beach condo, 3 hours each way, and everyone was comfortable, with room for their luggage.
When it snows, we have the Legacy. My wife stays home, so we really don't need 2 AWD vehicles.
On my Subaru it was fairly simple, remove two bolts, drain, replace one bolt, fill, replace the 2nd bolt. The "fill" part is a little tougher than it seems because if you are under the van you have to pump oil up into it, but I got a $7 hand pump that did the job.
Synthetic gear oil was $4 for the one quart required, so we're talking about an investment of a whopping $11.
Gear oil stinks to the high heavens, so take a shower before you come in contact with your significant other.
Silicon gear oil..??
And gear oil doesn't STINK unless it has been subjected to extreme HEAT, which is not the normal case.
It looked like melted chocolate, too, coming out.