Toyota Sienna Maintenance and Repair (2003 earlier)

jlewelling

At what mileage did these start?

My Sienna is only a few months old and there are no rattling noises. It is quiet as a sleeping baby.

carleton1

It is not possible to make a minivan as tight and quiet as a sedan. The sliding doors, folding seats, etc. are potential sources of noises that simply are not had on a sedan. There is also the far greater interior with the large floor space INSIDE the vehicle...that is not on a sedan.
Now, if there are squeeks and rattles not associated with these extra locations, please let me know. We had put 2002 Sienna LE with VP at the top of our list but these postings of doom and gloom are troubling. I had always believed Toyota to be the most trouble free make (and we do not yet own a Toyota).
I had read many dire predictions about DC minivans but none of my friends have had problems. Our 99 GC SE has been perfect in 29 months and 32,628 miles...contrary to data contained in CR and this very Troll Hall. Our daughter needs a minivan and we are willing to sell our exceptional 99 GC SE to her if we can find a suitable replacement. Your clarification of squeeks and rattles would be greatly appreciated.
My friend has a 98 Sienna LE and says the right sliding door has a rattle the dealer can not fix...but otherwise, the Sienna is a marvelous vehicle. He had a Previa and preferred the extra space, but the Sienna is much nicer to drive. He has driven Toyota since he got his first Toyota...a Chevy Nova and then Chevy Prizm until he decided if he were going to drive Toyota, he would get a Toyota with Toyota name.

dardson1

I've posted here a number of times with praise for the Sienna engine/drive-train (absolutely top notch) and complaints about the Sienna interior rattles, groans, and buzzes. The service tech I've gotten to know says the body is full of great big openings and flexes too much to come across as a tight vehicle. The flexing body may explain the rear sliders groan, but not the squeaking leather or the rattling rear seats. Toyota has not done their home work on this car.

drew_

For more information about tires, check out the Tires, tires, tires discussion topic in the Aftemarket & Accessories message board.

On a personal note, I have the BFGoodrich Control T/A M65 tires on my van (they were one of the top rated tires in Consumer Reports' comparison, which factors in dry, wet, snow, and ice accelerating, braking, and handling) and have found them to be excellent all-round tires, just as the CR review found.


Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards

truckdude

Both sliding doors creak and groan over the smallest irregularities. Toyota has tried to fix, and in doing so now the interior parts of the doors are loose and rattle. The rear seats rattle. There is an annoying clunk from underneath when making a right turn. There is also a metallic clang from underneath the back that can be heard when going over a large bump (curb, speed bump, etc). Of course no one at Toyota can hear these...

Like I said, this is our sixth Toyota and last. No warranty work needed on the previous five - good thing, Toyota service is horrible.

dpandey

Thanks, lamm. I took it to another dealer who agreed to replace the seatbelt under warranty without any fuss. Now I have to see whether I can recover the $69 the first dealer charged for looking at the problem. BTW, who is a regional rep -- is that someone at Toyota?

lamm9733

Thanks for the feedback regarding my suggestion. A regional rep...is a toyota representative who works with dealers in a particular region. They sometimes can get things done that a dealer isn't authorized or unwilling to do. There were references to regional reps in various previous postings. I am unaware how you contact them. "Cliffy" who posts from time to time in this forum would probably know more.

I would certainly request the $69 from the other dealer. Bring a copy of the completed work order for the warranty repair and ask them why you were charged $69 for something that was a warranty repair at another Toyota dealer. If the service manager refuses, see the general manager. Of course I assume regardless of whether your money is returned, you will not be visiting this dealer again.

carleton1

Squeeks and rattles may be annoying, but the supurb performance and reliability of a Toyota are probably much more important than the little annoyances that may manifest. I have been stranded exactly ONCE: my 14 year old (at the time) Oldsmobile Delta 88 once stalled enroute to work. My almost 15 year old 1987 Chevy R-10 still runs like it is new although paint job was inferior. My sister's 1985 Toyota Camry was sold to her daughter in 1994 and now has over 200,000 miles and is running very well.
I do NOT know one person who has had any mechanical reliability problem with any Toyota.

sensfan

I recently had a problem with the battery in my 4 month old 2001 Toyota Sienna CE. The battery had a crack in it and had leaked out over the engine while going up a steep incline at our cottage. It had to be towed 80 miles back to the nearest dealership. The dealership told me that my Sienna was no longer covered by any warranty because it had been in an accident.
This car was never in an accident. The dealer said that he knew that it was repaired because the underside of the hood and the inside of the fenders was black. My Sienna is dark blue. Apparently, when Siennas are painted, they are dipped into the paint, thus proving that these were not original parts as both sides of every piece should be the same color.
I was very upset and brought the van over to the dealership where I had bought it. They investigated and now say that the factory in Kentucky made a mistake. My van was supposed to have been a black van but at the last paint stage, (at the last stage, the final coat of paint is sprayed on), it was accidentally painted blue.
I have checked the whole van over, and sure enough, the inside portion of every part of the van is black. Toyota Canada says that this is not a quality control issue and denies that this will affect the resale of the vehicle. They say that they will give me a letter to carry around to prove to dealers that the van is original and to honor my warranty.
I think that this is a glaring defect. I think that it is ridiculous to simply offer me a piece of paper to carry around to get a dealership to honor the warranty. I paid extra money, ($1400 Cdn), for the extended warranty, rust protection and paint sealant. My own dealership has offered to buy out my lease and sell me a new van. But I am going to lose money no matter what I do.
I am curious to see if anyone else has ever even heard of this strange paint problem. Would you want a van that had to have a letter of authenticity with it to get your warranty honored?
My dealer has been very helpful, but he is in a battle with Toyota Canada and they have basically told him to shut up and go away.
I am really disappointed.

dardson1

My theory....lol....I drive an XLE, my wife an ES300....both are '01's. My Sienna listed for $33k and the Lexus for $35.5k. Same engine, basically...same power-train, basically...same, same, basically....it is surprising how many parts the cars have in common. Why, I ask, does the Lexus feel like it's carved out of a block of granite, quiet as anything I've ever owned, and my Sienna reminds me over every rough patch of road that I'm not driving a Lexus? It's not just the large cabin. The leather squeaks. The leather in my wife's Lexus doesn't squeak. The rear view mirror in my Sienna vibrates....not so in the Lexus. Every switch and button on the Lexus is lighted...not so on the Sienna. My Sienna has a rod to hold up the hood, the Lexus, pneumatic assist. I've never heard of a $30k+ with a rod to hold up the hood! On to my theory.....Toyota purposely dulls down the Toyota line to separate it from Lexus. They dull the styling, plain-jane the interiors, and short-change Toyota buyers on options to identify Lexus as luxury.

2ksienna

My 2000 Toyota Sienna has had persistent squeaks in the driver seat, particularly
when cornering or moving sideways in the seat. The problem has been noted
on a service bulletin by Toyota as occuring in both Siennas and Avalons. My
dealer has attempted to fix the seat several times, including sending it out to
an upholstery shop for checking the internal springs etc. Nothing seems to have
worked.
Any suggestions?

carleton1

Sensfan: Perhaps you own a "Special Collector's Edition" Sienna? Stamps, coins, etc. with a slight blemish or defect are often VERY valuable.
dardson1: Are you writing tongue in cheek? It appears to me that Toyota uses more TLC with Lexus to merit the prestige it has earned. The Toyota formula for conservative, well built vehicles has been very successful. I happen to like conservative, reliable vehicles.
Before you laugh since I own a 99 GC SE, ours has all the SE options of a 1999 except remote door opener and security system. SE is the next to plainest DC minivan. The 99 GC SE has been as tight and well built as Toyota sedans.
We were scared away from Sienna in 1999 due to rubbish I had read in Motor Trend, etc. about the Sienna being "too pricey and too small". We had looked at Previas early and they had seemed pricey so I had no reason to know MT was not telling the truth.
I feel the squeeks, rattles, etc. some notice in a Sienna are just inherent in a minivan... and we were most fortunate to get a zero defect GC.

ltastet1

We have a 2000 XLE with 10,000 miles with power front driver's seat. I've noticed the seat moves a little during acceleration. The seat is not moving along the track but I noticed a little play in the backrest. It seems the rod that connects to the motor is loose. Does anyone out there have the same problem?

Other minor problems the CD skips and their is slight vibration from the road. The vibration is caused by those crappy Firestone tires which will be replaced in the near future

deepan

We have a sienna without the pwr drivers seat. The seatback or backrest of the front seats have a little play in them. I took it in and was told this is very common on the sienna's. I have had other minor warranty repairs done so i took then at their word. I have also chked a few other sienna's and they exhibit the same play. we also have 87 camry and my dad a 2000 camry and the back rests dont have any play. Is this a design spec that toyota follows.

jvkalra

Toyota has designed the Sienna exclusively for the US market. My understanding is that such vehicles are designed with looser tolerance levels (for fit and finish), because that is acceptable to US customers, most of whom might otherwise buy a Chrysler or Ford (of course, some will buy the Odyssey). Toyota does not sell the Sienna in the Japanese market, and therefore does not have to be concerned with high levels of fit and finish as demanded by finicky Japanese customers. The fit and finish on the Sienna will be OK, just not high enough to meet customer expectations of a Toyota.

A Toyota certified technician at a local dealer told me to stick with models made in Japan, and stay away from models designed exclusively for the US, if I was picky about fit and finish.

Check out the Mazda MPV, the only Japanese made van sold in the US.

dardson1

I'm very serious. My point is...the Sienna listed for 6% less than the Lexus ($32.5k on the Sienna and $34.4 for the Lexus). For that $1900 the Lexus has high dollar tires, bigger and better looking wheels, traction control, lights everywhere including all the window switches, sunroof, wooden steering wheel, a more powerful stereo with a subwoofer on the rear deck, a six disc changer, memory seats, side airbags, 10 more horsepower, insulation under the hood (not to mention pneumatic assists rather than a rod to hold it up), a longer warranty, much better looking leather, and an unbelievably quiet interior. Either the Lexus is too cheap or the Sienna is too high.

bobsmith3

I am not 100% pleased with my 32,000 mile 1999 LE, it has some creaks, but basically drives great. I plan on keeping it for some time; The lexus ES300 is basically a upscale Camry, for several 1000 more, I would expect that the car should feel more luxurious!! A few years back, my wife and I Both drove V-6 Camrys, while my next-door neighbor drove his ES 300. I couldn't figure out why he needed to spend the extra $$$ on "luxury", but it did make hm feel good. With the Sienna, you are spending the extra $$$ changing the Camry into a minivan.

greg121

I agree the money you shell out is disproportionate to what you get when you move up the scale. Had to go LE/Extra Value to get 2d row captains chairs which aggravated me to no end. Very good value at low end, questionable at high end. I had to work real hard to get a Sienna without all kinds of extra cost items stuck on.

AC definitely seems to lack oomph at start and when its running close to 100 outside it never does get real cold as our other vehicles do.

Greg

wheels4me

brakes are making noise at 25000 mi on my 2000 le
Is this typical for brake lives?

siennaguy32

I have a 99 XLE Sienna with 35K miles. Brakes were fine/noise free until mid-2000. Rear brakes started making a noise right before van stops. Noise is similar to a hum/squeal/groan. Two different dealers have looked at the van for a total of 5 service trips JUST for the brakes. Dealer replaced entire rear brake components and installed a thicker backing plate per a TSB related to brake squeal on the 98 Sienna's.

Noise is still there. I have run out of Toyota dealers in my area to look at it (next closest dealer is in a small town over 75 miles from here). Dealer has been helpful in trying to resolve issue but has run out of ideas. Dealer says it is not a "safety" issue but more of an "annoyance" issue (hope he means the van and not me).

I have learned to live with the small squeaks and rattles that the interior has but the brake thing is driving me crazy (noise is quite loud). Taking it to a non-dealer shop is not an option as there are no qualfied mechanics in this area that work on Toyotas (domestics are king here).

Wheels4me: If you have a similar problem and your dealer manages to fix it for you, please let me know how. If I can't resolve brake issue I will be selling Sienna in fall and buying a new mini-van.

Thanks.

P.S. - dealer's courtesy vehicle is a 99 Sienna. When they drive me home it makes the same brake noise as my 99 Sienna. If they can't fix their own brakes how are they going to fix mine!

gunga64

Squeaks and rattles in a 33k Sienna. Are you guys that own over 30k Siennas in Canada?
I really don't see a reason to pay over 27k for a Sienna, I have an LE paid around 24k for it. I don't expect this to be rattle free. But then again my 2001 has'nt really rattled. The only thing I don't like about my Sienna is the leg room in the front. When your driving you don't notice the limited leg room but when your the front passanger and 6 foot tall you can tell. I don't know if the Honda had more leg room, I know the Mazda had about the same. Since I would never buy a "American Labeled product" I don't know if they have this problem.

fischda

Just so readers don't think every Sienna is a noise maker, my 99 XLE with 45k miles does not make any noises. It's very solid, rides nice and takes all the abuse a family of four plus dog can dish out. I'm about to replace the factory Dunlop tires - haven't been real happy with those...

leslieldf

I have a '00 LE with 16k and haven't noticed any squeaks or rattles either, FWIW.

Also...my front Dunlops got worn, but pretty sure due to a bad pothole I hit 3 times this winter, also needed realignment. I went with the Pirelli's recommended by Consumer Reports and noticed an improved ride and braking right away. Haven't had wet weather yet, but suspect (almost) anything would be better than the Dunlops.

bobsmith3

Getting to the point of needing replacements for the stock Firestone Affinitys. Anyone know anything about Yokohama Avid Touring? It looks, on paper, like a high mileage, smooth riding, quiet, while non aggressively handling tire. he price, at least from TireRack.com, is VERY attractive. I drive in a primarily dry climate, almost never on snow or ice and don't plan on driving faster than 85 mph.
Any comments??

lynne29

We switched to Michelin Symmetry Tires, at approx 46,000 miles. They are quieter that the original Affinities and seem to hug the road better. We now have 15,000 mostly highway miles on them and are very satisfied.

Ours is a 2000 LE bought new in January 2000, and has 61,000 noise-free, trouble-free miles, thanks to the "every 3000 mile" oil changes and a great mechanic who looks for preemptive situations. I hope he rememebers he promised us 200,000 miles on this one!

drew_

For more information about tires, check out the Tires, tires, tires discussion topic in the Aftemarket & Accessories message board.


Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards

fischda

YES! I like the Yoko Avid Tourings on paper, too! Only drawback that I can see to the tirerack thing is not having road hazzard warranty or free rotation/balance deal that you can get at Sears, Wal-Mart and Sam's.

Host, hopefully you don't object to tire discussions here as they are related to Sienna tires...

stever

Tire discussions here are fine - we just know of some great posts over in Tires, tires, tires, (like ones by tireguy and bretfraz) that are real helpful, if you have time to browse over there too.

Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

dardson1

Today, I spent some time greasing the rear sliders. My van is an '01 XLE. Why, I ask, do I have to grease the rear door on a 10month old car to keep them from squeaking? The grease does the trick for another few months. Seems strange to me from the world's premier car maker. Maybe I expect too much but my '89 Dodge van never got a lick of grease.

jonkao

My 98 XLE with almost every available options on it has cost me in 3.5 years, 45K miles:

- 2 sets of tires (original + Michelin XGT H4($400) ) are gone, due to factory alignment problems, current set is Michelin X radial ($430, Sams club)

- spent $310 (two alignment jobs $50 + $260), it seems to get fixed after the second alignment work (the mechanic had to put insert to correct structural problems), He agreed that this must be a factory problem.) The van was driven on freeways and local streets in LA. I do bot hit curbs.

- first set of front brake pads completely gone
at 22K miles,

- air valve malfunctioned at 34K mile, ($100+ to repair), I wonder if I can get toyota to pay for it since it started malfunctioning during warranty period.

- Check engine light came on at 40K miles, already spent $120 for oxygen sensor and the light is still on, don't know how much engine control unit will cost yet,

- passenger side sliding door rattles since $10K miles (replaced a door latch already under warranty)

- brake squeaks (normal, no safety concern, so i heard)

- radio knobs broke ( hardly ever touched it, the van is maily driven and has only one person, me, in the van), my kids are in my Suburban almost most of the time when we go out.

- driver side power window makes noise when coming down

I definitely want to get rid of this XLE, I think it was the first model year lemon.
I am struggling whether to get a 2001 XLE or to get a new Yukon XL Denali. I am quite satisfied at by 1997 GMC Suburban (80K miles).

I can get a Yukon XL Denali for $40K including Tax, destination change. (MSRP 48K + tax). So the out-of-the-door price difference will not be too much for these two options.

Wat woudl you do if you were to choose from these two deals? I could get a 5Yr/100K GM protection (offered by GM) for ~$1600 if quality is a real concern. This 98 XLE experience is really frustrating for me.

dardson1

you probably read my above post.....and if I had it to do again, I wouldn't buy my '01 XLE. To be honest, I've had no problems (1 year and 9k miles)other than the rattles, groans, pops, and squeaks. I've posted this before and will repeat for your benefit, an XLE just doesn't feel like a high dollar vehicle. It feels like a very nice mid $20k car that is trying too hard to squeeze into the $30k catagory. Worst of all, I just can't get to love the thing. I bought it because it seemed PC to exit my Expedition that got a pretty sorry 12-13mpg around town. My Sienna (far from the promised 19mpg) gets a modest 15-16mpg city but I burn premium (per the book) instead of regular in my old Ford. If you do the math, I didn't do much for the planet downsizing to a PC minivan. I think Toyotas are over-rated. My Sienna is perfecty fine but boring as h____. You gotta admit, reliable or not, people drive the darn legs off Suburbans. I'd vote for that American-as-apple-pie, slightly sloppy, not so PC Yukon. You certainly get a heck of a lot more car for the money.

jonkao

Thank you, dardson1, for the comments. I did read your post a while back and I could not agree wth you more. My XLE's gas mileage is about 18 MPG (mostly high way) on premium gas.
I am inclined to getting a Yukon and hopefully there will be a decent trade-in value for the 98 XLE.

beckp

I have a '98 XLE with 55K and love it. No problems to speak of. I never had the "drifting" problem and replaced (about 8K miles ago) the Affinity tires with GoodYear Aquatrad 3's and it rides even better. Slight sliding doors rattles nothing that's bothersome though. Been using Mobil1 since day 1.

truckdude

OK, I posted earlier about my rattling and squeaking Sienna driving me crazy, BUT, I have to say, after a 2000 mile roadtrip - this van is great! I greased the doors and added felt pads in the doorjambs (like you put on furniture legs for hardwood floors) and the door rattles disappeared. The trip was mostly interstate, 85 - 90 mph in 95 degree heat, AC on. The engine temp remained steady, the van maintained 85 mph uphill at 6500 ft, and averaged an overall 24.3 mpg for the entire trip (some city driving). Not bad.

Maybe we will hang on to it for a little while longer...

sgergen

Completely different classes of vehicles!

I own a 2000 Sienna XLE and a 1999 Suburban. Both great vehicles, but completely different uses.

Sub is great for cargo room, can easily seat 6, 7, or 8 depending on seat configuration, has 4WD available (almost standard in most places) and gets about 14 MPG combined city/highway if you're not a lead foot. Dress it up however you want, it's still a truck and behaves/rides as such. Denali will further degrade ride with shorter wheelbase than Sub.

Sienna is great for a quiet ride, seats 5 or 6, no 4WD or AWD, is low to the ground yet still performs nicely in snow (I live in MN) and you'll get 20 MPG city and 24+ MPG highway. Rides like a car, very smooth.

Denali is ~$40K, Sienna XLE with virtually all options is about $28,000 (real price, not MSRP).

Scott

dardson1

A loaded up Sienna is in the low $30's. A bottom of the line Tahoe/Yukon is in the mid $30's. Compare the two feature for feature and they're similar with GM getting points for more fun stuff. GM SUV's are a bit more, but you get more space, power, and utility. Add in the GM incentives, the aggressive competition among GM dealers, and the less competitive attitude among Toyota dealers....you get two vehicles that aren't that far apart money-wise.
I don't find it surprising we're comparing the two. If you don't tow, drive off road, and buy a 2WD version of an SUV, the cars are trying to do similar things in very different ways. A Tahoe/Yukon is a truck trying to be a car. A Sienna XLE is a Camry trying to be an upscale utility vehicle.

garyw4

I'm pretty unhappy with my '98 Sienna. I had a number of fairly minor problems when it was delivered. Most were fixed by the dealer but the front right wheel can't be properly aligned. My sliding doors don't rattle but they don't open very easily. I get some rattle from the seats. The suspension is far too soft for a fully loaded van.

I replaced the awful original equipment tires after 25,000 miles or so. The Michelin X-Ones I now have are excellent.

At about 41,000 miles the transmission and torque converter had to be replaced. The car was towed in because the dealer put me off for over a week when I complained of a transmission whine. Warranty covered this repair and I got a loaner Corolla for the week it took to complete the work.

At about 48,000 miles the Idle Air Control valve had to be replaced. This is a VERY common problem with the Camry. Warranty did NOT cover this $450 repair.

I'm rather underwhelmed by this car. I've had more things go wrong with it than any other Japanese car with less than 100,000 miles. It won't take many more repairs before one of those extended warranties, typically a necessity for American cars, would have proved a good investment for the Sienna.

fourrunner

I have a 1999 Sienna XLE. It is just under 3 years and 36000 miles. Overall, it is a fine car but a few problems(e.g. replacing computer chip for power slideing door and new set of tires at 32000 miles). I am thinking to buy extended warranty. Any idea about the cost? Do I really need one?

jeprox

i started to have this drifting problem around 36,000kms. i used to have the OEM dunlops on steel rims. replaced them with michelin 215/65-15 on aftermarket mags. drifting problem seemed to disappear a bit but i gained this steering wheel shaking problem!
finally had my wheels aligned about 2 weeks ago and it's now perfect! shop i went to had a "laser alignment" system which is more accurate. they also re-balanced my mags and added weights on the inside. this got rid of my shaking problems. after the alignment, the van runs straight and with the michelins - it drives so smooth and quiet!

overall, problem fixed and i'm a happy camper now!

for people having the shakes and drifting problem, have your alignment done by a laser system and have your wheel balance checked. these two items fixed my problem! may not work for everyone but it's worth a try.

goodluck.

jeprox

read some posts earlier about brakes. here's my story!
took my van in for the regular maintenance around 42,000kms. this is the regular schedule on the owners manual. this was back in april of this year. i had 4 snows/steel rims on the van when it went in for the service. the service calls for brake inspection, check this and that. whole bill came to a total of over C$130. brake service said they will measure my pads/shoes, check lines, etc. now, last year dec. we had a snowstorm and so with the snow and salt - my rims are seized-up on the brake drums.

when i got home after the service and it was sunny day. i decided to remove my snows and put back on my mags. well, guess what??? my rims would not come off! all 4 of them are stuck coz of rust! now, with the brake service the dealer just performed which they are supposed to take off my wheels and measure my pads/shoes - why won't these rims come off? i came to the conclusion that they didn't remove my wheels! they just "guess-timated" my brake pads/shoes coz they know the van was bought brand new and with the low mileage, they can guess!

i called the dealer and gave them sh$%^&!! dealer person asked me to take it back in for inspection and said they normally take them off and if i want to be sure, take it back in to be inspected again! i told him that my family rides the van daily and if something ever happens coz of brake failure, him and his dealer will hear from my lawyer! ever since that incident, i bought my own manual and do all the repairs myself!

with regards to the brake squeals and sounds. that means (most of the time), your drums in the rear are full of brake dust like mine!!! if the front squeals, your pads could be almost gone and needs replacing. mine started to squeal and i removed the drums and it was full of brake dust!! i used a wet/dry vacuum to blow/suck all the dust. no more squeals. when i removed the rear drums and saw the amount of brake dust, it confirmed that the dealer never removed my drums to inspect my shoes when they are supposed to!

so watch out for those dealers!

bobsmith3

Regarding the recent posting @extended warranty, I have a '99 LE that I just purchased a Toyota 6yr-100,000mi warranty on (extends the 3-36K). I figured that although I have not had any significant problems with my Sienna, It would only take ONE hit to make it worthwhile. Also, it is transferable, so it should make resale a bit more attractive when that time comes.

gowenlock

I was wondering if an extended warranty was a good idea. Do you mind sharing where you got your warranty and how much it cost? Thanks

bobsmith3

First of all, let me make it clear that I bought my warranty when the Sienna had a shade over 30K miles, 2 1/2 years old. My thought was that I was going to KEEP it, so I wanted some "protection"
Toyota sells these warranties for the same $$ whether you buy when new, or up to the 3yr/36k point. My feeling is that it makes more sense to ONLY buy one once you're certain that you'll hold onto the vehicle beyond the factory warranty. That having been said, there a few different warranty options a "gold" and "platinum" plan, up to 6yr/100k miles (from new) The platinum plan is an extention of the original factory coverage and is VERY comprehensive, even including towing reimbursement, etc, etc. You can opt for zero or $50 deductibles. The gold plan is more basic coverage, although it is pretty comprehensive. well. I figured that for the difference in price that I was quoted from the dealership (which is the only place that you can buy the warranty....Toyota doesn't sell them direct) $1195 for gold, $1595 for platinum with no deductible.....it made more sense to get the far more comprehensive coverage.

eomckamey

A former Toyota Service Mgr. has some thoughts at Yotarepair.com. Log on to <http://www.yotarepair.com/Sludge%20Zone.html> and see what applies to you and your vehicle.

cp4h

Hi,

Today I found something unusual under the hood of my wife's 2000 Sienna. I found some oil deposit around the PCV hose near the air cleaner. The air cleaner was clean though. From my limited knowledge this is a sign that the PCV system is not functioning properly, the blow by within the engine is flowing in the wrong direction. (The hose that runs from the air cleaner to the value covers is supposed to draw fresh air into the engine, the oil deposit is a sign that the air flow was flowing in the reverse direction)

I have owned many cars and this is the first time I see something like this is a relatively new car. For your information our van only has 30k on the clock, has received synthetic oil changes at toyota dealerships at 4000 miles interval.

I brought my van to the dealership that I used to go and their response was "the hose connection was leaking". An hour later, according to the service manager, they have replaced the seal and the problem was fixed.

I argued with the service manager that the blow by is not supposed to be flowing in that direction. It is a sign that the PCV system is clogged. He said sometimes when the engine is under stress that will happen. I thought he was full of sh#t, but I did not bother arguing with him so I left the dealership with the problem fixed.

I have kept all my oil change receipts from toyota dealerships, so in case some wrong is really going on within the engine I have a good case.

So, back to the topic, I am doing a survey here :

My fellow Sienna owners, do you see oily deposit on the PCV hose connection near the air cleaner ?

dardson1

all things considered, our problems are mighty small.....

jeprox

are you referring to the black hose attached to the airbox at one end and the other to the valve cover? if so, i have a little bit of oil on the hose when i checked about 1 month ago.

i could be wrong but i believe this is normal. i've seen it on camrys, corollas, caravans, sunbirds. as long as the oil you see is not dripping by the buckets, then you should be ok. this is just my opinion.

my manual calls for oil change every 6,000kms. i do it every 5,000kms. i just recently changed my pcv valve also. i know 2000 models sienna calls for 8,000kms oil change which i think is stretching it a little too far.

cp4h

Thank you for responding to my survey, yes, I am talking about the black hose which connects the air cleaner to the valve cover.

None of the vehicles I have ever owned shows anything like this. They are all sparkling clean around the PCV - air cleaner hose connection. That includes a 1997 toyota corolla and a 1995 4 cylinder camry, or even my brother's 1992 beater mazda 323.

I surely hopes this is normal for this engine. But I doubt it. May be some toyota mechanic on this forum can shed some light on this.

Hey jeprox, I wish you have kept all your maintanence recepits like I did ! Just in case, you know. Other than this eye sore our van has been an exceptional vehicle. It's smooth, quiet, and relatively powerful. The paint job was excellent (ours is a white one)We really wish we could drive it for ten years.

You mentioned that you have changed the PCV valve. I thought it has a valveless PCV system.
But again may be I am wrong.

jeprox

you're welcome. i do keep a log for all the maintenance, etc. and i save it on a diskette using Microsoft Excel. i have saved some of my receipts but not all. my van's mileage is now over 46,000kms and i sort of figure that if if something is going to go wrong - should have happened by now.

anyways, i did replace my pcv valve. no, the V6 on sienna is not valveless. the pcv valve is located close to the firewall - on the backside of the engine. you will need a flashlight to see it. it's almost directly underneath the plastic cover with the toyota logo. it would be on left side if you are standing at the front of your van.
pcv valves are cheap and i change mine yearly - same thing with air filters.

thewolverine

Well I have an answer on why my 2001 XLE gives a big thump when hitting the brakes in reverse after starting while my 98 LE does not.

Went for another oil change (moved to Mobil 1 BTW) and according to my Service tech the brake calapers were slightly redesigned for 2001.

Hmmmm.....makes sense to me. Still annoying when you're not expecting it.

He said (of course) that the noise is considered normal but he ackowledged a lot of the 2001 buyers had inquired about it.

I assume he's right but without comparing the pre-2001 and 2001 service manuals for the brakes I can't say for sure.