Toyota Sienna Maintenance and Repair (2003 earlier)

jeprox · November 2002

you have a strange problem.
are you saying that when you stop, no air is coming out of your vents or there is air coming out but just that it's not cold enough or warm enough? you said your fan keeps blowing so your heat and a/c must be working.

when you're stuck in traffic, the thermostat maintains your cold or hot temp. i find that the sienna a/c is not that cool during hot summer days.

when you're using the a/c, make sure you set your air flow to recirculate - this helps a lot in keeping your interior cool.

fffrosty · November 2002

jeprox,

Let me try to be clearer with my explanation. I have two separate problems, one with the a/c, the other with the heat.

The problem with the a/c is that when sitting idling (or in slow moving traffic) the cold air turns warm. The flow of air through the vents does not change. As long as the car remains stationary, the air remains warm. A couple of minutes after the car starts moving again, the air gets cool again.

A local mechanic seems to think the problem may be with a fan inside the engine which blows on the coils when there is too much heat. He believes that it may not be working correctly.

My other problem, with the heat system, seems to have been corrected. This problem appeared to be exactly the same issue as the a/c in that warm air turned to cold when sitting idle. We were advised that this problem was due to a low coolant level. Once the fluid level was topped up, the problem went away.

cliffy1 · November 2002

Allow me to comment on the AC issue. Is this problem only with the rear AC or the front as well? The reason I ask is because the rear AC issue is well known, as is the reason for it. The ducts are in the roof. That means, when you are sitting still with the sun beating down on the roof, the air in the ducts can't remain cool. When you move, wind outside the car dissipates the heat on the roof, rather than the air in the ducts. Nothing can be done about it.

pjksr · November 2002

I had a similar A/C problem in my old Ford Aerostar. It was caused by bad refrigerant pressure sensor, causing the compressor to switch off inappropriately. You probably need diagnosis by someone really familiar with A/C systems.

It is also normal, I believe, for A/C temp to rise a little bit at idle, then to get cooler after your RPMs go up.

duckshooter · November 2002

You said you "topped off" the coolant. Is it time for a complete flush and fill? When my wife's 2000 was taking longer and longer to blow warm air when it was cold outside, I checked the book and I was overdue for flush and fill (I think it's every 20K). Check the book and see if you're due. This would affect both heating and cooling efficiency.

deepan · November 2002

on our sienna there are two ducts(vents) under the font seats for the rear. When its blowing heated air i can feel that the passenger side vent blows considerably more than the driver's side. Was this design intent.

jasdmw · November 2002

Did you check to see if the drivers side vent is fully open? There is an adjustment wheel on the top of the vent to restrict the flow of air from this and the passenger side vents. I usually have to close the drivers side down a bit to reduce the air flow as it's quite strong.

momomeister · December 2002

I'm planning to buy my sister-in-laws 1998 Sienna, purchased around August of 98 with about 65K miles. Oil has been changed regularly every 5k miles the first 20K. Thereafter, every 3K miles.

I'm thinking of changing to synthetic oil. First, using Amsoil Engine flush, then going to Mobil 1, changing oil every 5K miles or 6 months, which ever comes first.

After reading about the engine sludge issues, I'm worried about the sludge breaking loose and blocking those ports during the flush process.

Does anyone have an opinion?

Thx

pjksr · December 2002

momo: How do you know you have any sludge? The only way to tell is to open it up (valve covers)... If the oil was changed as indicated, the engine should be fine.

If I were to do a "flush," I'd probably just go with a high-detergent/dispersant oil, like a Delo or Delvac, which are tricky to find in multigrades...

Running actual, true synthetic oil (PAO) like Mobil-1 is a good idea if you don't wish to change your oil within 3000 miles or less.

You, of course, will also like to update things in the engine comparment like the air filter, pcv valve, hoses, ATF, coolant, themostat, fuel filter (on the fuel "rail"), etc.

Come to think of it...why not just buy a 2003? There are some great deals going--and the headlamp assemblies are more cool!

momomeister · December 2002

Pete,

It appears that I made an assumption (dangerous, I know) that with the regular "dino" oil, that there would be some build up of sludge on the gaskets in the engine, maybe drying up the gaskets which is another issue that I think may come up if I go to synthetic. With the engine flush, I was thinking that this would "remove" this build up from the gaskets, thereby blocking the oil ports. Also, do these engine flushes really work?

Maybe I'm being paranoid.

As for buying a new Sienna, the boss (wife) would rather go for the Odyssey if that was the case....

Thx
MoMo

pjksr · December 2002

Momo,

I am not sure if the engine flushes really work, but they are well touted, and lots of questions about oil are answered, on www.bobistheoilguy.com . It is cautioned there, though, that really dirty engines could have problems with clogged oil passages....!

About "oil gel," if you are not aware, Toyota is backing their engines for 8 years if they do show this problem.

If you try an Ody, make sure both of you sit in the passenger seat and decide if you have enough leg room. Although it's the biggest mini-van, the glove box protrudes toward your shins. We also found the Sienna quieter. But both are great vehicles.

My boss and I really like our Sienna, having zero complaints over about 1 year and 18,000 miles. I use conventional oil and have been changing it at home about each 1700 miles (I am a home-Dad), but might be able to go double that on Mobil-1. )

Just beware that many "synthetic" oils are not synthetic in the traditional definition. That's a long story...Mobil-1, Exxon Superflo, Amsoil, and Redline are, BTW (Valvoline Synpower too?).

deepan · December 2002

I have a 2000 ce and after taking a look i dont see any adjustment wheel on the vents. What i did notice was that the vent under the drivers seat is partially closed (there are about 8-10 holes and 5 of them are closed permanently. Passenger side vents are fully open. This could attribute to the reduced air flow.

brodie6 · December 2002

I bought it used in 2000 with 35,000 miles on it. It has had two major engine problems,it blew blue smoke in the morning, and numerous other relativley smaller problems, ie. it pulled to the left (or was it the right?), the brakes groaned upon hard braking, the sliding door lock malfunctioned, the tire pressure light stayed on. It is now currently getting a new engine installed as it falls under Toyota's Gel (sludge) extended warranty. My wife uses this van mostly. She drives like a Granny. No, make that a Great Granny. I change the oil very frequently, (I'm not anal about it though.) So I really can't say the problem was our fault. I do love Toys. This is my third one. I hate to say it but this one is a real dog. Don't get me wrong though. When the engine works it is real peppy, and it is a very comfortable van and rides nice, I really can't wait till it gets out of the shop to unload it. I will say this in closing. Toyota has been very good about fixing up this lemon. They do stand behind thier product, at least in my case.

steine13 · December 2002

right-ho!
I bought a used '98 Sienna, too. It has none of the problems you mention above, but part of the reason i bought the silly thing was the toyota sludge policy. 1st owner no changee oil, they fixee for free. no other engine on the road with THAT feature.
brake groan? maybe the abs at work?
mine had serious electrical trouble (or so I thought), blew fuses left and right for a week. when the cause was determined, it turned out that a $1 light bulb had melted solder out the bottom, causing a short. coulda happened in any vehice.

one thing, though: the instructions in the user's manual on removing the rr corner lamps are suicidal... it does NOT work like that, and i spent $160 proving it. had a tech at the dealership show me how to do it right...
-Mathias
East Lansing, MI

duckshooter · December 2002

I love our Sienna, but I think it's a stretch calling it peppy. Or even "real" peppy.

kw6 · December 2002

Mine is peppier with the K&N air filter. It got rid of that nasty hesitation.

duckshooter · December 2002

I guess I don't get it. I recall reading a review (here or C&D or wherever) comparing minivans. The reviewers really got into acceleration. They still do. Like this is an important feature or decision criteria in a front-wheel drive minivan. It's not - I want a "safe" acceleration in my family hauler, not a race car. I'll get the vette or Ferrari when the kids are all grown up. For now, just give me something that smoothly and safely gets me on the highway.

thewolverine · December 2002

Just catching up here.

Momo - I have two Sienna's (98 LE & a 2001 XLE) both using Mobil 1 - both run great - around 24 MPG with plenty of acceleration (for a Minivan) although I tend to keep it under 70 MPH.

I do drains around 5K and could probably go higher but want to test with Blackstone first.

I definitely recommend the Mobil 1 5w-30 for the Sienna as well as the Sythetic ATF.

Also, I didn't start with Mobil 1 - went to it around 15K on both vans.

Never had a sludge problem and expect you won't as long as the Sienna has been properly maintained.

Good luck

larryintn · December 2002

You're changing the synthetic oil every 5,000 miles? I thought synthetic can go a lot longer than that?

momomeister · December 2002

Thanks for your personal experience.

I'm buying the 98 (with 65k miles on it) from my sister-in-law and her husband. He is pretty thorough and by the book (Oil changes every 3k miles since 20k. Prior to 20k, every 5k) He said he spoke to the master mechanic at the dealer he had his last oil change at (2 weeks ago), and the person said that he saw no problem with the car right now. The mechanic didn't open up the valve covers, which doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy about his opinion. But from what I'm hearing/reading, as long as the oil changes were done at 3k mile intervals with dino oil, it should be just fine.

Still, just not sure about the engine flush. I may just buy 2 bottles of the stuff and give it a whirl. Hopefully with 2 bottles of this stuff, I won't have any problems.

Regarding 5k miles, between oil changes with synthetic, I figured that this would be a very reasonable mileage. I have been running all our cars in the past 8 years with Mobil 1 and never had a problem, changing at 7500 miles/6 mos. With this car, I'm reducing the mileage to 5k/6 mos, just to be on the safe side.

momomeister · December 2002

Yep, that is what I'm questioning and looking into. Some sites say that the engine flushes really work well and some say that they don't. I did go to www.bobistheoilguy.com and look around.

From what I can find so far, the flushes have a lot of detergent/solvents in them. So, as long as there isn't much (if any) sludge in the engine since oil was changed every 3k, the flushes should not (I sure hope not!) cause something to clog an oil passage.

I'm aware of the Toyota 8 year warranty, but their wording, paraphrasing here, "as long as an effort is made to do oil changes", makes me wonder what is an effort is in there eyes.

As for the "synthetic oils", you're right in that the definition of "synthetic" subject to debate. However, I figure that as long as Mobil 1 is used in Porsche's, M-B's, it can't be that bad..

Just waiting for the day to get that flush going.

fran0 · December 2002

I recently purchased a 2003 Sienna. I was surprised that the van did not have an automatic door lock feature when the car is started or when it gets to a certain MPH. All of my recent cars have had this type of feature. I called the dealer and they said the feature is available but the door locks must be programed. They want to charge at least $30 to do it. The service rep stated that the process is listed in the owners manual and it is not listed anywhere. Does anyone know how to program the door locks to lock when the car is started or moving?

deepan · December 2002

a word of warning. be sure not to program to lock the van by itself if it stays idle for a few minutes. a royal pain when the weather outside is -15c like today. I put an after market alarm that initailly did all sort of locking but have disabled everything "automatic"

pjksr · December 2002

Great to hear you're buying the van! You shouldn't have a problem with existing sludge, and your Mobil-1 5000-mile interval sounds reasonable (and more so if you use the 10W-30 grade, containing fewer VIIs to shear).

In terms of your maintenance, Toyota recommends checking/adjusting valve clearance at 60,000 miles. This is one way to get that valve cover pulled. Note that checking valve lash on this engine is routine, but any adjustments are intricate and probably better done at a dealer or reputable shop.

jasdmw · December 2002

I asked the same question when I bought mine. The response from the dealer service folks was that it was not possible to program them to lock automatically.

Keep us posted as to your success in this regard.

pjksr · December 2002

As far as I know, all Siennas have power door locks. When you get into your vehicle, all you need to do is press a button, and all doors lock.

jeprox · December 2002

the OEM locks will not lock automatically when you get in the van (close all doors, etc.) or start the van or when the van starts moving.
i don't know of any toyota vehicle that have this feature.

BUT, if you have an alarm system installed then it's a different story!

you can program the alarm so that when you get in the vehicle, close all entry points (including trunk) and start the vehicle - all locks will lock automatically. you can also program it so that when you press to disarm the alarm, it will unlock the driver's door only. press one more time and it will unlock the rest of the doors.

not all sienna's have power windows/locks (for canadian version anyways). the very first model 1998 have the power windows/locks as option. i'm not sure if this is still the case for current models. i know mine (1999 model) was an option as well.

dave2001auto · December 2002

My owners manual says to change oil at 5000 or 7500 mile interval with 5W-30 dino oil (API SL grade). I would expect Mobil-1 to last much longer if not contaminated. Mobil-1 has traditionally not recomended extended change interval, but that may have changed. So check the label.

sbrandon · December 2002

Seem to remember a string of entries ref: the driver seat "rocking" very slightly at acceleration/decel. When I did a search could not come up with the entries. We have a 2003 Symphany, and while the rock is slight it is getting to be disconcerting. Is this fixable. Also to board/Town Hall administrator (this is not a gripe!!!): While I may have been using the wrong terms in my search string, could this Town Hall be modified to have a better search capability?
Thanks

pj15 · December 2002

Beware. My 1998 Sienna XLE transmission has to be replaced at 56,000 miles.I bought the vehicle from River Oaks Toyota with 33,000 miles. Toyota is charging me $1200 to install a remanufactured transmission with only a 1 year warranty because the vehicle is 10 days beyond the 5 year Toyota powertain warranty based on original placed in service date.I an sure the Sienna spent more than 10 days on the re- selling dealers lot.The Sienna was making a fluttering noise in 20-30 mph range which prompted me to take it into the dealership. Apparently 10 days too late. Repairing dealership(Oak Lawn toyota) said the decision to not honor the warranty is a decision of the District Service Manager who will not discuss the decision directly with a customer. Toyota's customer assistance 800 number says decision of District Service Manager is not subject to review or customer input.
I have purchased two other Toyotas from the repairing dealership (one a 99 Camry) but they tell me while I am a "valued toyota customer" it is not their decision to make regarding the warranty and no one from Toyota is willing to discuss directly with me.
I've learned the Toyota quality and service I thought I was buying is only marketing hype. The transmission warranty did not get me 5 years of service nor 60,000 miles. It's all a matter of chance.

nortini · December 2002

Sienna 2000 le, 53k miles, dealer tells us the ABS actuator pump needs replacing....$1779.00!! I am a very cautious driver, have never had an instance where ABS came into play. I think the dealer is trying to rip me off,anybody ever have a similar problem??

smfran · December 2002

Brought my 2000 Sienna LE to my dealer for an oil change and sticking driver's side slider. Sometimes the slider would be so stuck it would not open, then it would work after some time passed; other times it would work fine for days only to get stuck again. After they found remnants of an orange soda spill under the cup holder with seepage into the door track, they cleaned and lubricated the tracks and mechanism and it now it opens and slides like brand new. They thanked me for being such a good loyal customer and sent me on my way; only charging me for the oil change.

thewolverine · December 2002

Just checking out the thread and I must have missed your inquiry the first time.

Yes, you can go longer than 5K with M1 oil but I just want to have an analysis done by Blackstone before moving beyond 5K - just being cautious although if I went a little long I wouldn't be sweating bullets.

deepan · December 2002

I infact took it to the dealer nearly couple of yrs ago and they said it was design intent. Go figure. This is the only vehicle that i have driven with this "feature". I have chked a few other sienna's and its there. I hardly notice it now but it was a spot of bother initially.

momomeister · December 2002

I tend to agree with "Thewolverine". Any good Synthetic should last more than 5k miles. I've been running anywhere from 5k-8k per half year on my family's cars with Mobil 1 (5 cars in the past 8 years).

However, with the Sienna allegedly having higher running temps and people complaining about sludge (in the past), 5k miles is just a conservative figure that I chose. Between spending $4-$5 per quart of oil or going through the aggrevation of having to prove that the oil changes were done and then having to wait for an engine replacement or rebuild, it is just cheap insurance.

dtownfb · December 2002

Since youwere only 10 days over pj15, I would make a call to the district or regional manager and explain the situation to them. $1200 is a good bit of change and it is only 10 days over. Also was this a certifeid used vehicle? If it was then the powertrain is covered for a longer period of time. I wouldn't pay this bill so easily. It's aworth a shot to make some more phone calls. The news can't get any worst.

epharp · December 2002

I have a 2003 Sienna LE and am encountering interference when using a store bought OEM TV/VCR combo. I get a high pitched whine from my 12 volt plugged in device that increases with engine RPM's when the device is being used. I do not get this interference when using the same device in my Tacoma or Camry. I have tried all three power outlets in the Sienna.

jp123 · December 2002

The power passenger door warning light shows that the door is open and beeps when I go from Park to Drive. The door is shut. I have taken the van in 3 times for this. The warning light will come on for a few days and then go away. The door will also open and close all on its own when I have just started the car. I have to turn the power door off to get it to stop. They told me nothing is wrong. They clean the connectors and it works ok then it starts up again. Has anyone else had this problem?

deg856 · December 2002

Not a real problem - just an FYI: Got a lemon-sized dent and some associated scratches in the right corner of the front bumper. Replacing (parts and labor) the bumper took 3 days (only 2 days were needed if the bodyshop had gotten the right bumper from the dealer the first time around) and cost $900. The bodyshop writeup guys said the cost for rear bumper (painted) replacement would be similar.

San Jose, CA

lsac · December 2002

I had installed OEM RS3000 on my 98 Sienna. The manual tells how to turn on/off Piezo, auto lock/unlock, passive mode, valet and etc. I assume most OEM alarms do have both active and passiave modes. When I bought my 95 Maxima in 94, besides OEM alarm, dealer had insisted to install a passive alarm.

lsac · December 2002

I had read some problem regarding erratic alarm behavior. I figure it is similar to garage openers. Some openers may open itself with no reason. It may happen in the night. The next morning, it is like "did I forget something last night?". In that case, reset openers and add remote back to openers' memory. Same could be done to car alarm, but security ECU is so deep buried and involves some amount of labor.

ahujasu · December 2002

Has any heard of a spark plug breaking in a Sienna leading to damage requiring a new engine?

In addition I have an extended warranty that Toyota refuses to honor saying they don't cover spark plugs. However, all the research I've done says that engine problems with fuel ratios, pre-ignition or detonation lead to spark plug failure. If that's the case then the engine caused the spark plug to brake and then caused the damage. Any advice on how to deal with Toyota would be appreciated. By the way my Toyota is a 98 with only 60K miles.

sbiss · December 2002

Anyone experienced any brake issues with their Siennas? I am not talking about squeaks, but about rusted caliper slide bolts. When I changed the front pads, I practically had to pound out one caliper slide bolt. Apparently water had intruded and rusted the bolt. My dealer acted like this was not uncommon, other than it being a bolt on the passenger side front wheel, instead of the driver's front.

In case you are wondering, the symptoms of this problem are very similar to a warped rotor, as this is usually the result of the caliper not moving freely.

phillipm · December 2002

My wife has a 1997 Sienna with 48,000 miles. For the past year or so she says she hears a small clunk, clunk, clunk when applying the brakes. Most noticeable at lower speeds. Sound APPEARS to be coming from the right rear. A new set of tires at 46,000 miles didn't affect the sound either way. Any ideas or suggestions as to what would cause this sound and what the cure might be? Thanks.

cied2 · December 2002

Iv'e been noticing more Siennas (since it happened to mine)with that telltale big dimple in the corner of the rear bumper. This no doubt happens because of the lack of "postive feel" when backing up and hitting another object. In my case it was a fire plug that I just kept slowly backing into. My cars with metal braced bumpers never presented this problem. I am of course very careful now with the Sienna, however, I do consider this to be a design flaw which resulted in undue damage to my vehicle. Does anyone else feel as I do? Is Toyota doing anything to give their bumpers positive feedback to the driver? Finally, is there a fix for these ugly dimples that is relatively cheap? Thanx for any and all responses.

smfran · December 2002

I've posted regarding this design flaw in the past, and even mentioned it to the service department at our dealer when my wife barely tapped a tree while backing up and pushed in the corner of her bumper. No one ever acknowledges that a design flaw exists. I have seen countless Siennas and Camrys as well as other Toyotas with a pushed in rear corner bumper. The design flaw is that there is no reinforcement behind the bumper in the corner area. Wherever the bumper is straight, there is a white reinforcing material behind it. The way my dealer fixed it (at no charge as a courtesy) was to remove the bumper and apply heat to the area and "pop" it out. Short of that, it is expensive to replace the bumper.

jasdmw · December 2002

Unfortunately, all new vehicles produced for the NA market have the same bumper design. What you see on the outside of the vehicle is a called bumper cover, a faux facia that looks good but doesn't protect anything. The actual bumper is generally a piece of high density styrofoam mounted behind this cover, but located in the center of the car. They do not wrap around like the bumpers of old.

I too have noticed cars with damaged covers, but these are not restricted to Toyota. It's not a design flaw. The cause of it is more in line with the vehicle operator. I had a similar occurance with my '92 Caravan. Just came a little too close to a curb. Easiest way to remedy the dent is to heat it slightly with a hair dryer and push it out from behind. Easiest way to prevent the dent is to avoid the curbs. You can install an aftermarket sensor system to warn you of impending obstacles when backing up. I'm sure it will be available on the '04's. Ford is putting them in the front bumper covers on their next model year vans in addition to the rears.

davedave1 · December 2002

my 2k sienna le was also the victim of my backing into a concrete column (luckily not another car) crunching the drivers side rear bumper, dinging the metal below the tail light and destroying the outboard lens.
The bumper has a 2 inch cut in it from the steel support underneath;
With some patience you can take the cover off (i did it in about 15 minutes). It is held on by a bunch of plactic fasteners that are reusable (push the center of each fastener in about 1/4 inch to release the fastener, pry out the fastener from the edge; install: reset the center to be 1/4 inch ABOVE the surface of the fastener, press fastener into the mounting hole, then tap the center flush to attach the fastener), and 4 10mm bolts ( two under the lift gate, and one under each rear wheel well - use a 12" extention to get to these under the back edge of the wheelwell liner)
I popped it off, and in a soft grassy area to avoid scratches, stepped onto it from the inside and popped it out) Reinstallation was easy.
The cut in the plastic and some scratches are still there; just got a bumper sticker.
good luck

pauld13 · January 2003

ahujasu - I have also had a similar experience. My 1998 Sienna, perfectly maintained with factory maintence, has also needed a total engine rehaul after apparent spark plug faliure.

smfran · January 2003

Regardless what jasdmw states in post 2283, The design of the bumper is flawed. There should be reinforcement behind the corners to avoid the disproportionate damage that occurs by slightly hitting something at less than 3 MPH.
I have seen this result in other vehicles but in a much higher percentage of Toyotas; particularly Siennas.
Of course damage is avoided if the "vehicle operator" doesn't hit something. Unfortunately these things do happen but the bumper should absorb the impact.

Toyota Sienna Maintenance and Repair (2003 earlier)

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