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Toyota Sienna Maintenance and Repair (2003 earlier)

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Comments

  • rsbasu12rsbasu12 Member Posts: 2
    Thanks user777, for your input. Would an overfill of oil cause the car to hesitate when the accelerator is pressed, as well as white smoke? RB
  • steine13steine13 Member Posts: 2,818
    Who knows what happens in a computer controlled car when one parameter goes seriously out of spec? If I were you, I'd leave my computer and run not walk to the car to check the oil level.

    Overfilling is seriously bad if it's more than a quart or so... if the level in the crank case is high enough, the crankshaft throws will whip it up into something frothy and creamy... and then it lubricates about as well as a latte...

    Always always always check your oil level after someone else changed your oil.

    Make sure you still have an engine, and worry about driveability problems later.
    -Mathias
  • penizzlepenizzle Member Posts: 104
    try to remove the carpet next to the lever and squirt some kind of lube or penetrant like wd-40 in the tube that holds the wire for the release. Try tracing the wire for kinks and such all the way back to the fuel door. Since the lever is starting to bend, try getting a new lever. While your a it, look at my post before yours and see if you can answer my ?.
  • penizzlepenizzle Member Posts: 104
    White smoke isn't oil, its engine coolant. Your car is leaking coolant through the enginge and it is being burnt, but i dont know why it is doing that all of a sudden, but i am certain that white = coolant and blue = oil.
  • 32valveuser32valveuser Member Posts: 31
    Sorry to here you are having these problems with your Van. It's been ages since my last post. If I read your post correctly you indicated you had the throttle body cleaning done. When this is done the car will produce a ton of white smoke out the tail pipe. Driving the car around will eventually clear you engine of this strong cleaner and no smoke. However, while doing this cleaning the car can trip the check engine light as your car did. In an extreme case they may have fried your 'o2' sensor thus your hesitation problem. If the car ran well and the MPG was perfect you should be ok. It sounds like to me they want to replace your engine and get the money for that and then pop in a new 'o2' sensor. Planting the sludge seed may have started something? You may try a different dealer and tell them what happened. As far as I know the service you had done should not have caused a engine replacement.
    Bob
  • gunga64gunga64 Member Posts: 271
    No catch, but sometimes the code can mislead you from the real problem
  • scoti1scoti1 Member Posts: 676
    "My questions to you are:
    1. Could sludge cause the symptoms I described?
    2. The car had been running very smoothly before I took in for service...how is it that these problems happened right after the service? Why would an oil change cause this problem to surface?
    3. Are there any other explanations for these symptoms (aside from sludge?) "


    1. Yes, sludge could cause these symptoms, but the only way to tell is have the valve cover pulled. if you want to be sure for yourself, be present when they do this to see for yourself.

    2. Yes, the car can be running fine up to a certain point. Usually there are other signs before you notice the engine acting up, like the smoke in the exhaust, high usage of oil, check engine light illuminating, or visible signs of sludge on the dipstick. It may not be that noticeable on an oil change except the oil would have looked old and less than the normal amount would have drained. This could have lead to an overfill of oil as others have suggested and caused your immediate problems. I don't know, but it is possible that draining the oil that was still liquid could have stirred the remaining sludgy oil up enough to make it clog the system.

    3. Probably.
    --------------
    If you feel uncomfortable with this dealerships diagnosis, take it elsewhere. If you can show records of reasonable maintenance, the 8 yr, unlimited mile sludge policy should cover you.
  • donb13donb13 Member Posts: 4
    I tried as you requested to hear the fuel prime on my sienna but could not hear anything as well.
  • penizzlepenizzle Member Posts: 104
    THank you. I guess its just the way these are built. Oh well.
  • allanpogiallanpogi Member Posts: 3
    I was just driving a week ago and making a left turn, then all of a sudden, the signal light didn't work. After I parked the van, I did some troubleshooting, checked the fuses(and they're fine), press the emergency lights switch and still didn't work. Should I go to the dealer to have it fixed(even though they'll charge me pretty high)? Is there any other way to fix it (myself)? :confuse:
  • gartmacdgartmacd Member Posts: 27
    You probably need a new flasher. Low cost item, you can pick one up at autozone or any other auto parts store, and change it yourself. If you don't want to do it yourself, any gas station with a service bay can do it in less than 15 minutes. They don't last forever, no matter who made the automobile.
  • allanpogiallanpogi Member Posts: 3
    Thanks. Appreciate it.
  • allanpogiallanpogi Member Posts: 3
    Just have another question, where exactly is the flasher located? Thanks.
  • penizzlepenizzle Member Posts: 104
    It depends on your dash setup. If you stick your head where the brake pedal is and look up, you may see a box looking thing that is small, but since my discription is bad, heres what you should do. Buy a haynes manual for the 1998-2002 Siennas. The info is in there and it is good to have in any repair situation. Make sure you get one
  • 01siennaja01siennaja Member Posts: 4
    I am experiencing the squealing brakes again in my 2001 Sienna, this problem has occurred on and off. I am totally out of warranty so the TSB from 2004 won't cover me to get new brake drums. My question is, do you think that non-toyota brake parts such as pads etc will affect the squeal? The dealer suggested that if I had non-toyota brakes the squeal would be worse. Well I do have non-toyota brakes as far as I remember but I am not convinced this is true. Should I invest in A. toyota brand brakes and/or B. new brake drums. Thanks.
  • penizzlepenizzle Member Posts: 104
    The dealer is right. Always buy OEM parts from the dealer. They are more expensive but in the long run, they are better.
  • gunga64gunga64 Member Posts: 271
    Theres a TSB on 2001 siennas breaks? Where can I find this? Anyway, I put in ceramic break pads and brand new rotors in my 2001 camry. It cost me about $90.00 for the parts the labor was free since I did it myself. The rotors were very cheap about $25.00/per disk, beats grinding the old ones down, because they are a lot smoother and not warped from heat. When I asked the dealer if they put ceramic pads on my camry they said they werent available. But going through any auto part store they are. Ceramic break pads are known to be quiet and last longer. Of course the dealer won't want that would they. My camry breaks are quiet as a mouse now.

    The squealing usually comes from front discs not the rear break drums make sure they work on the right breaks.
  • garandmangarandman Member Posts: 524
    We're going to start looking at 2001-03 Siennas as we need a shorter van than the large models now available.

    It seems sludge is a persistant problem wit hthe Toyota V6 of this vintage. Can you tell by the way the engine sounds or runs, or must you open up the valve cover?
  • coonkycoonky Member Posts: 1
    I recently turned off my 1998 Sienna and my headlights were flashing. When I went back into the car to turn them off my Automatic locks would not work and I could not see my clock display. I dont know much about cars so was wondering if anyone knows of common things that would cause this so i dont have to go into the dealer. Thanks.
  • scoti1scoti1 Member Posts: 676
    Toyota made some minor changes to the design sometime in 2002, so the ones manufactured later in 2002 and 2003 are less likely to develop sludge. Really the only way to tell for sure is to have the valve cover pulled, and take a look, but I am not sure I would go that far with a 2003.

    I heard that the design was modified further in 2004, so you may want to consider getting one of that vintage.

    If you do go for a 2001 or early 2002 (really this goes for any year and any make/model car you buy), try to get all the maintenance records from the owner and make sure it was properly maintained. That way, if something happens down the line, you may be covered under the 8 year sludge warranty.
  • penizzlepenizzle Member Posts: 104
    There is a way to check for short driving periods or not letting the engine warm up as well. Doing those things it what causes the sludge. You dont have to pull the valve cover, which by the way isn't hard, just remove coils, plugs and bolts. Anyway, remove the oil fill cap. Flip it upsidedown and scratch the underside, especialy right in the corners and edges. If an oily crusty slimylike substance comes off, that is sludge. With that being the case, there is a higher chance of slludge being in the engine. While the cap is off, stick a flashlight in the oil fill and once again scratch the surface below if crusty crap comes off, there may be sludge. We bought a van with this, a 1999 Sienna with 60'000 miles. After we got it. We drove it on the highway in hot weather and did some city driving. Then we did an oil change right after that and we did get most of the remaining sludge out. We have never missed a 3000 oil change. I do it right at 3000. Here is the biggest thing. CHANGE THE OIL EVERY 3000 MILES WHILE THE ENGINE IS HOT. :) Get the van if you like it. Take the 15 minutes to remove the front valve cover and inspect it. If only trace sluge, do a hot oil change and you will be good to go. ;)
  • steine13steine13 Member Posts: 2,818
    2003 Sienna 57k miles.
    Owned since new, and I did all the oil changes on the car myself & documented them. Winter oil changes at 3k miles; summer up to 5k, depending on conditions.
    And there is plenty of crud on the top surface of the baffle under the oil filler cap. No circulation; it gets hot, there's junk on it and has been since 10k miles. I would guess the filler cap isn't much different. I doubt that these indicators are all that helpful.

    That said, sludge in these engines is very rare, just not as rare as in, say, the Toyota 1.8l engine.

    Good luck,
    -Mathias
  • typesixtypesix Member Posts: 321
    Your front disc brakes automatically adjust for wear. Parking brakes are usually rear only(except for some Saabs).
  • penizzlepenizzle Member Posts: 104
    First off, I made a mistake, the place where you pour oil in is not a good indicator place, but under the oil cap for sure is. Your lucky, your 2003 has the most advanced 3.0 V6 out of that Sienna's era. The 98-2000's had most of the problems. If you really want to know, take 20 minutes and take the valve cover off and look.
  • pgunapguna Member Posts: 1
    Hi Alan_s,

    I do have the same problem that you experienced in item(7). Can you please guide me how you resolved the issue? I am having 98 Sienna XLE and it is a manual door.

    Appreciate your help in this regard.

    Thanks
    Guna
  • penizzlepenizzle Member Posts: 104
    Alan_S hasnt posted in 6 years so I'll answer. There is a TSB for your problem. Here is how you get it. You will neeed to buy a new handle assembly. Go to dogpile.com. Type in "AARC auto repair" in the search box. Then click on Bedford Public library link. Then click on the ARRC link/picture. On the next page, click on 1998 then click on toyota then sienna then service bulitins and recalls. Then down to Glass Doors Hood Deckid, etc..... There are a couple of TSB's regarding your problem. Look through them and read them.
  • penizzlepenizzle Member Posts: 104
    There is a new kind of alternator that has better output while sitting at a light or idling with accesories on. That is your prob.
  • mitsymitsy Member Posts: 3
    2003 Sienna were just on a road trip noticed a noise that sounded sort of like static everytimeI would accelerate it would go away when crusing but come back during acceleration. any guesses as to what this would be??
  • penizzlepenizzle Member Posts: 104
    If the radio is on, it very well could be static from various engine compnents. If not, then it can't be static. It could be a rattle, which sounds like static somewhat. If it is, then check the following:: Secure objects in the cabin, secure engine and transmission mounts, secure exhaust hangers and clamps. Check those and get back with me.
  • mitsymitsy Member Posts: 3
    The radio is not on. I said static because i was trying to describe the noise. It only makes the noise when accelerating.
    Once i ease on gas the noise stops
  • penizzlepenizzle Member Posts: 104
    Just look at the things I told you. Also, I thought of a couple more ideas. Check drive belts, and pullys too. Since I can't see or hear your van, its hard to help you. I have never heard of such a thing.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    could be hard to diagnose issue, but some additional sleuthing may strike paydirt.

    some ideas from a fellow motorist:

    sit in the passenger seat and have someone else drive to re-create the noise. often helps you determine the thing causing the noise (localizing or better pinpointing the source). you will not be distracted with the act of driving and you can move about in your seat to get a better sense. you can roll the window down and stick your head out.

    you might even let someone drive the car by you when your standing in the parking lot.

    trust me - it can all help.

    i'd try to determine if you can re-create the sound when reving the engine in park. if so it's probably not transmission related (which is good - 'cause a transmission issue could be expensive).

    try this: shut the car off, open the hood, make sure car in park and parking brake on, restart the car and have someone else hit the gas while you listen to things in the engine compartment. maybe you can localize it. have them cycle getting on the gas hard and letting up. listen listen listen. move around the car while this is done. let your ears help localize the sound. we have 2 ears and the ability to move our head and body for this reason.

    you have correlated it to acceleration / cruise. that is a good good start but still a bit too general.

    it could be belts on your pulleys, it could be a loose something or other in the engine compartment (a loose windshield fluid resevoir for example), a piece of metal or plastic somewhere.

    with the car off and cool, use your hands to gently determine if anything is loose (has excessive play) in the engine compartment. perhaps a bolt holding something on or tight to the engine side walls or another engine component is loose.

    penizzle has suggested an exhaust issue. very probable.

    many cars have heat shields on the exhaust manifold (where the gasses from each cylinder exit the engine and are collected and sent to the catalytic convertor and muffler), and/or around the catalytic convertor, and/or the muffler.

    a loose heat shield could be the issue. with the engine cold, car in park, emergency brake on, you could try to sneak under the vehicle, even using a long stick or piece of wood and see if there is any loose shield from the engine back to the exit of the muffler at the back of the car.

    another possibility is a missing or disconnected "exhaust hanger". these are made of hardened rubber (like a black thick rubber band) and will connect to a hanger on the body of the vehicle, and another hanger on some exhaust pipe or muffler etc (there are usually a few of these things...3 or 4). it will hold the exhaust system in place, but at the same time, help hold it away from any other metal on the bottom of the car. it also allows engine vibration and movement to occur without fracturing the exhaust piping...it can move with the engine, and not be transmitted to the engine compartment.

    when the engine revs, a few things, it's position changes somewhat and it's vibration level can change, and these can can be coupled to the body of the vehicle somewhere. we already discussed the exhaust and hangers.

    a bad engine mount (the things holding the engine in place in the engine compartment - there are probably three) if damaged, can allow that engine vibration to be poorly damped, coupling vibration to the engine compartment, and the movement of the engine to be greater than it otherwise would be as you get on and off the gas.

    other possibilities include loose plastic on the under-body of the car up near the front (for example protecting the oil pan). other pieces of plastic probably exist in the driver and passenger wheel well.

    i hope i'm not confusing you. if so - i apologize.

    you're on the path of discovering what's going on. it's gonna take some work.

    good luck.
  • mitsymitsy Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the help I will take it in for service(have another long road trip ahead hate to break down in nowhere land) and atleast have some ideas as to whats wrong. Maybe they won't rip me off to bad.
  • sopmansopman Member Posts: 46
    We plug our portable DVD player into one of the outlets in the front dash. When we turn the car off and then back on the DVD player powers down and then back up. This starts the movie from the beginning. Is their anyway to rewire the outlet to keep power to the outlet continuously?

    Sopman
  • nicholemomnicholemom Member Posts: 1
    I have this same problem. We bought a used 2001 Toyota Sienna last month, two days later, the check engine light came on.....then it went off for a week, and came back on and has been on since then. I havent called the dealership as we bought it AS IS. Do you know how to get the code from the computer so i can see wh :mad: at the problem is?
  • penizzlepenizzle Member Posts: 104
    Since that person hasn't posted in 6 years, i'll answer. Unless you have a scanning tool, you can't find out the codes. Take your car to a local auto parts dealer like Auto Zone or etc.. and they will usually scan it for free.
  • mikepetrumikepetru Member Posts: 1
    Were you able to resolve the issue? I just had the same situation occure with my 2001 Sienna and I wanted to know what you did to resolve it?

    Thanks.

    - Mike
  • rednebredneb Member Posts: 5
    Fellow Sienna Owners. I have owned this '98 XLE since brand new - April of '98 and it has been a great car. No problems. We now have 79,000 miles. For the last 18 months or so have noticed a clunk/rattle on minor bumps coming from rear suspension. I have jacked the car up and had a look at all suspension mounts that I could see - can't find anything loose. Has anyone else experienced this and if so - please advise of fix.
  • deepandeepan Member Posts: 342
    is your engine knocking. the engine has a knock sensor and will adjust the timing accordingly to avoid it. try putting in a tankful of supreme gas and see if it goes away.
  • deepandeepan Member Posts: 342
    one of the changes done was to incraese the clearance of the PCV valve. a new valve costs 10$ and changinf it every 2 yrs or so maybe a cheap insurance. the procedure was listed somewhere here and have it saved . if you need it i can dig it up
  • mleesmlees Member Posts: 1
    I am having a similar problem. I recently encountered the CEL with diagnostic code P0135 - O2 sensor heater circuit malfunction - bank 1 sensor 1. I was advised that the O2 sensor in front of the catalytic converter on my 2003 Toyota Highlander 4WD, V6 with 67,000 miles on it needed to be replaced. I replaced it myself two days ago and returned to the auto parts store that did the original check. The code was reset and quickly returned. Now I need to trouble shoot the 'heater circuit'. How did your situation get resolved? Does anyone know how to trouble shoot this?
  • cfauvelcfauvel Member Posts: 1
    this is definitely a flaw and toyota know about it. They rebuilt my engine for free and gave me eight year warranty on the engine. The fix was to rebuild because of the damage, and a new valve cover baffle that allows the engine circulate the gasses beter...so farno more problems...but do persue the problem with Toyota.
  • ron_nowhereron_nowhere Member Posts: 1
    Hello,
    Anybody have an idea what's causing my problem?
    When I turn the lights on, cruise control won't work (the cruise control dash board indicator does turn on), or if I'm running on cruise control and turn on the lights, the cruise control turns off. Cruise control works perfectly if the lights are turned off.
    Also, if the lights are turned off and I hit the brake, the dash board lights turn for as long as the brake pedal is depressed. Weird!
    Could these be related?
    Thanks.
  • deepandeepan Member Posts: 342
    i would suspect an electrical problem here, one of the hardest to daignose. they do have seperate fuses right
  • dchargindchargin Member Posts: 3
    The other day, my wife took the 2002 through a low spot in the road with water flowing through. Car died. Water was below the underside of car by 2 inches or so, no water in vehicle. My wife said lots of other cars, including sedans were going through, waving at her as they went by. Dealer says water was sucked into engine, toast. New engine cost 9000. Bought car new, now has 65 k mi, with really no problems, engine was clean enough to eat off of. My questions are: 1.) Where the heck is the air intake? Is it really so low that we can suck water up through the filter? 2. On a fuel injected engine (I'm a carbuerator guy), can you get enough water to toast the engine.

    Dealer says, no problem, covered by comprehensive insurance. Insurance says only cover to buy a used engine, since no "betterment" is covered. so we're stuck with the difference. Still waiting to see what our cost will be, beyond the deductible

    Any help or insights?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    First of all, your insurance company really sucks to pull the "betterment" clause on you---many companies have such a clause but most won't use it against you.

    As for your problem, this is called "hydraulic locking" and it is not uncommon. Mostly it's a matter of luck whether or not it happens to your car. Some intakes are more vulnerable than others, it's true. Also the speed at which you hit the puddle makes a difference.

    It doesn't take much water to lock an engine...all you need is enough to fill the space on one cylinder, between the piston and the cylinder head. A piston cannot compress water, not even a little bit...so a coffee cup full of water might be enough to jam one cylinder, and when one jams the connecting rod is immediately bent.

    I don't see why your engine cannot be examined and possibly repaired---it's unlikely all cylinders are damaged.

    anyway, nothing wrong with a good used engine.
  • dchargindchargin Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the reply. I agree that the insurance speak blows, time will tell if they really try to pull it, but I wouldn't be surprised. After all, I only pay my premiums time after time after time, with not all that bad a claims history.

    Anyway, I'm still confused about the injectors allowing a gulp of water in. I can see that in a carb, but it seems like it would be more unlikely in an injected engine. I know my wife tried to restart the car after it died, maybe that kept pumping water in and it built up. I probably would have done the same thing, and tried to get the car the heck out of the water.

    My worry with the used engine route is knowing the history of the engine. My old engine was maintained like crazy. More frequent that the owners manual, cause my wife listened to the dealer's schedule. With all the "sludging" stories out there, I'm worried I'll be trading for one that was poorly (or not even) maintained, and it'll crap out shortly.

    Any ideas on how to ensure the best for my money if we're forced to go that way?
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    i think the only difference in a fuel injection vs. carb design is how the fuel is delivered and air and fuel mix. well maybe also the way the fuel and air are metered by the computer systems. engines are air breathers (pumps) and just because it is fuel injected doesn't mean it doesn't have a big air intake leading to a filter assembly and throttle valve.
  • helofanrushelofanrus Member Posts: 6
    Really sorry to read about the flooded engine. The insurance company offer doesn't help much either, but I've learned by bitter experience they're not in business to pay claims if they can get away without doing so. I'd be aggressive in seeking better compensation than a used engine and you paying part to boot. At the very least they should repair yours. Nothing to lose by digging in your heels.
    Hydraulic lock can be a killer no matter how you look at it. A fuel injected(or carburated)engine needs 15 parts of air for every 1 part fuel no matter how the fuel is delivered. If enough water gets in to the air intake while this is going on, look out! Going thru a deep puddle is often enough to make that happen. Yours was that deep from the sounds of it. Engine flooding often depends on how fast you move through the puddle. You can't go too slow, but it doesn't take much to go too fast! Water splashes into the engine bay, and it's game over!
    Hydraulic lock used to be the bugbear of the older radial aircraft engines, where half the cylinders were below the oil sump. It was always necessary to manually pull the propeller through several rotations to clear the engine of oil settled into the low cylinders. If not, the engine would often blow a cylinder or two right off the crankcase! Always a spectacular event!
  • steine13steine13 Member Posts: 2,818
    Anyway, I'm still confused about the injectors allowing a gulp of water in. I can see that in a carb, but it seems like it would be more unlikely in an injected engine.

    You're thinking about this wrong.
    The water did not get in through the injectors -- and if it did, it wouldn't be a big deal -- but it got in through the AIR intake. And that's really just a big hole, is what that is... like shifty said, it don't take much; water does not compress, and something had to give.

    I shudder to think of the force necessary to bend a connecting rod. Ouch.

    -Mathias
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