Toyota Sienna Maintenance and Repair (2004+)

wwest · June 2004

Maybe this explanation will help...

When not "locked up", the torque converter input shaft will always turn faster than its output shaft, that's simply the way it works.

So, when you're driving up an incline and the system downshifts from OD you will oftentimes see two distinct increases in engine RPM. One when the transmission shifts down from OD, and another when the torque converter is unlocked.

I don't know which will happen first and sometimes they will both occur simultaneously, so you will only see one "bump", increase in RPM.

In overdrive the input shaft of the transmission will be turning slower than the output shaft which would normally result in very poor efficiency of the torque converter. Torque converter efficiency increases with increased differences in its input shaft and output shaft.

Since the object of an OD system is to run the engine at a lower and more efficient RPM, less friction and wear, it is extremely beneficial to lock the torque converter's input shaft to its output shaft in OD.

warubozu · June 2004

I don't think the lockup function works in 4th. I leave mine in 4th driving in town and have never seen the RPM change indicating lock-unlock.

(04 XLE Ltd AWD)

wwest · June 2004

Lockup only works in the top, OD, gear. And I would assume that on some models you might never see two separate RPM "bumps".

carol152 · June 2004

I have had my XLE AWD for 10 months now. I was wondering if anyone else was having a problem with the tires wearing out. I have the Dunlop run flat tires. The van went in for an oil change at 10,500 miles. I asked them to check the tires because the steering wheel was shaking. The Toyota service dept told me there was a problem with my tires. They rotated the tires and did an alignment(the alignment was fine). Two weeks later (at 11,100 miles) they put 4 brand new Dunlop tires on the van. At 13,500 miles, I took the van in for an oil change and had them look at the tires because the steering wheel was shaking again. They rotated the tires and aligned it again(the alignment was fine). Toyota had them take pictures of the tires. The service dept had to send in the pictures and the alignment information. The response I received so far is that they are monitoring the situation. At my next oil change they will rotate the tires, take pictures, and align it again. This should be in about 4 weeks. Has any one had a similar problem? Does any one know of a problem with the Dunlop run flat tires?

Thanks

hopeful8 · June 2004

HELP me in advance please....
Does anyone have any ID number or date for the bulletin for "retiming the transmission" that people are quoting? I am sure when I mention it to my service department, they are going to say they don't know what I am talking about. My van always shifts pretty rough in low speeds and I'm going to bring it up as a possible problem on the next visit. I would like to quote the exact service bulletin so they don't deny it is a problem.

They already think I am a troublemaker because I said my front strut was leaking. They said they never saw a bad strut in a new vehicle with less than 1,000 miles on it, period! Well I guess I made history. (They thought I ran over some oil on the road and it splashed up on the strut! And I am not intelligent enough to see fluid is dripping out of a shock! Only a service manager has that technical expertise.)

Unfortunately I was right.

stever · June 2004

This may be of interest:

You, Your Vehicle and the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB)

Any other dealers nearby? Your's sounds awful. If they give you the run-around this time you might escalate it to Toyota. If the dealer already thinks you are trouble, you may as well live up to their expectations and run them through the customer service hoops!

Steve, Host

raydahs · June 2004

see hatcher8 Jan 4, 2004

woodytwo · June 2004

Thanks for the reply. Interesting to hear that lock-up only works in overdrive. My service dept and another that I know of, think it should also work in 4th gear. My 98 Sienna, although only 4 speed, the lockup worked in OD and third when i was towing. Is your info generic or specific to the Sienna?

wwest · June 2004

It's just that I have never heard of lockup being used for anything but OD. Really makes no sense to use it in lower gears where torque convertor produces the "extra" torque needed in lower gears.

You're in a lower gear because you need the extra torque for some reason, accelerating, towing, uphill, etc, so why handicap your need for extra torque by locking up the torque converter/"multiplier".

vcheng · June 2004

...the use of torque converter lockup on the top two, even top three gears, has been fairly widespread over the last ten years.

The rationale is that at steady speeds lower than those in which top gear is used (around town on smaller roads, for example), lockup reduces transmisson temperatures while improving the gas mileage, albeit slightly.

postman · June 2004

After filling up my tank the past few times, I noticed it takes about 45 minutes for the DTE (distance-to-empty) indicator to reset. In fact, after filling up today, the display didn't budge, gradually went down to "0" and stayed there for a while. Eventually it did reset but I'm wondering if this is normal? I thought it used to reset immediately but can't be sure. How long does it take for your's to reset after filling up? Thanks!

davenow · June 2004

I just noticed, albeit very slight but noticeable, a small difference between the volume in the front speakers vs the rear when i use the fader and switch back and forth between front and rear speakers to compare. Has anyone else discovered this anomily? (04' LTD HF Package) Should i bring this to my dealers attention when i bring it in for its first scheduled oil change?

rorr · June 2004

?????

Isn't the whole POINT of a fader to vary the volume between the front and rear speakers???

I guess I'm just confused......

cybernut04 · June 2004

The problem I was having (and may still be having - haven't driven it enough since the "repair" on Friday) with my Sienna wasn't that the transmission was rough or jerky, but that there's a noticeable pause, usually at low speeds, from when I put my foot on the accelerator and when the transmission engages and the van starts to pick up speed. I took it to the dealer on Friday. Looking back, I have to say it was a HUGE mistake mentioning the TSB - the "service" manager seemed to take it as a personal affront that I would be doing research on the Web trying to identify the nature of the problem I was experiencing. I should have stuck to just a good description of the problem, but when the "service" manager seemed to dismiss what I was experiencing as just normal transmission performance, I mentioned the TSB.

I have no clue what they did, whether they did whatever service the TSB calls for or not, and whether the problem has been fixed or not. The work order said they recalibrated the ECM. I also got a nice lecture, first when I called to set up the appointment and again later Friday afternoon when I called to see if the van was ready, on how it's common for automatic transmissions to hit the "shift point" and thus cause a lag between when the gas pedal is hit and when the vehicle responds.

And perhaps it's just a coincidence, but now there's a rattle in the dash that wasn't there before. I didn't think they'd be doing anything that would involve the dashboard, but then, what the hell do I know?

Anyone know a GOOD Toyota dealership in Northern Virginia?

danog · June 2004

I've noticed poor reception with the JBL system as well. I doubt short of replacing the radio with a better FM sensitivity rating will correct the problem. We could try calling JBL and asking what their rating is for this system as a reference. I think the system lacks some sound quality and requires more tweaking than other systems we have owned.

stever · June 2004

My sister lives in NW Virginia, and from what I've heard from her diatribes, there are no good dealers up there. But she doesn't drive a Toyota either.

Here's a TSB article that mentions how touchy dealers can get about TSBs:

You, Your Vehicle and the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB)

Steve, Host

wheels13 · June 2004

Does someone know if the wheels used on the AWD cars using runflat tires are the same as the wheels that are used with regular tires?

Thank you, thinking of buying Seanna AWD but didn't want runflat tires.

danog · June 2004

After spending a week on the Gulf Coast I noticed that the A/C appears to be cycling between cold and warmer air. I've seen a few posts here about this but have not seen any information about a dealer fix. The compressor cycling on/off should not exhibit this amount of cooling loss or this would be a more common experience.

Aside from the A/C performance we couldn't be happier at the moment with our Sienna. The interior room, appearance and ride makes it a jot to drive. And I was definitely one that had said I'd never own a mini-van!

wwest · June 2004

I notice that the new Prius has a feature that allows the evaporator to operate closer to the desired setpoint rather than always at 33F, assume for fuel economy reasons.

Some of the Prius C-best aspects are already available in the RX330 so maybe the Sienna also. I would check with the dealer and make sure your Sienna's A/C hasn't been inadvertantly set in the c-best economy mode.

cybernut04 · June 2004

I was one of the people who mentioned this problem in a post. When I had the van in for service last Friday, I was going to get them to look at the A/C, but first they gave me a hard time when I described the problem I was having the transmission lag (they told me it was normal), and then they gave me a hard time when I described the A/C (again telling me it was normal), and so I gave up on the A/C ... I now regret that.

Yes, your description of the cold and warm air from the A/C is exactly what we are experiencing with our '04 Sienna LE. And as soon as I find a competent Toyota dealer in Northern Virginia, I'll be taking it in to have it looked at.

How do people cause a TSB to be written? Is it the number of people bringing their vehicle in for the same problem? Or the number of calls to Toyota complaining about the problem? Or....?

davenow · June 2004

Yes you are correct, but...

If I keep the volume constant on a talk radio program, let's say at 25, and i fade to the rear speakers (sit in the back seat) and then to the front speakers (sit in the front seat), it just seems as though the front speakers are more powerful at the same volume. (taking into account the distance to the speakers as factors as well) Is it because of the 60/40 split front to rear of speakers? Does it have something to do with "surround on"?

Or is it just i've got to visit the ear doctor soon?

rorr · June 2004

Could be due to the relative efficiency (db/watt)of the fronts vs. the rears. I don't know the speaker sizes or composition in the Sienna but the fronts are probably somewhat smaller than the rears. Smaller speakers (generally speaking) tend to be more efficient (ie. produce more db for the same amount of input power) but distort more under higher power levels.

Have you tried sitting in the 2nd (or 3rd) row and have someone adjust the fader from 100% front through to 100% rear to see if the fronts still seem louder than the rears?

sxdesant · June 2004

I have 18,000 miles on my Dunlop run flat tires and they are basically worn to the indicator bars. I rotated them every 8,000 miles and now they are starting to feather and make a lot of noise. I most likely won't even get two full years out of these tires. My next oil change I plan to complain but don't expect much success. You should ask that the tires be replaced with the Bridgestone run flats. Most LXE vehicles sold in my area had the Bridgestones and not the Dunlop tires. The Bridgestone's look like they have a more aggressive tread for wet and winter driving. Good luck

wwest · June 2004

Think about how you would design the 4 channel amplifier if you were the design engineer. With the fader at neutral I would want the front speakers, near the controls, "controller", to be loudest so as not to upset my rear seat passenger by turning the sound up too loud.

momstruck1 · June 2004

"throw up " out of leather seats? I used a leather cleaner on the seat should that help . The rugs are being cleaned. there goes the "new" car smell for a foul odor. any ideas on how to clear it out? thanks

davenow · June 2004

rorr - Thanks for the advice - i did just that and... i figured out that if i turn off the "surround" sound to off that the anomily is not so pronounced. I think it is running the way is supposed to, but comming from a small sedan vehicle in my past life i thought that the rear and front speakers would be at the same volume levels at a particular volume setting on the radio. wwest's explaination sounds reasonable. But it just seems that this radio should be able to pump out a little bit more than it currently does.

Thanks for your advice!

Karen_S · June 2004

Not sure there is a complete answer to your question, but here are a couple of articles you might find interesting:

Recalls, Technical Service Bulletins, and Other Good Stuff

You, Your Vehicle and the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB)

rtaaop · June 2004

The panel on the back of the drivers seat fell off, probably from a grandson kicking the back of the seat from his car seat. A push pin clip, one of two, that holds the panel to the back of the seat was broken...kind of a mickey mouse arrangement and not up to Toyota standards in my humble opinion. Has anyone else had this problem? Where do I find another mickey mouse clip? Toyota parts didn't have a clue. Thanks for your help.

wwest · June 2004

During the recent hot weather spell here I have found the A/C in my 01 RX to be quite a bit more efficient and comfortable by running it in "max cool" and recirculate (do NOT do this in cool or COLD weather) and then manually adjusting the blower speed for comfort.

rajmoran · June 2004

Hi all. I've had the van (LE with the entertainment package) for about 2 months now. I love it except for two things. I've got a rattle/clicking sound coming from the dash/stereo. I think it's the plastic pieces that make up the stereo housing rubbing together at different frequencies but I'm not sure. Also, there is a rattle from the power side door. I'm going to bring it in for its first oil change soon. I'll have the dealer look at it then. I hope everyone is doing well.

danog · June 2004

I can't recall ever using the normal setting in any vehicle I've ever owned. Too hot and humid in the South not to run the Max and recirc setting. It really isn't a/c performance rather than a true issue of poor cycling. I've not been to the dealer yet but I can say this is the first out of 7 vehicles this has ever been an issue for me.

spencer30 · June 2004

I just had the same issue w/my sienna. This is the deal with mine. When the engine gets too hot, the A/C will turn off. I was in stop and go traffic, and it was 93 degrees. Once I got into clear air, and was able to consantly move, the a/c worked fine. I am on vacation in NJ, we drove from NH. I brought my van to a Toyota dealership in May's Landing on Monday. The radiator is bad. I had coolant leaking. There is an issue with the radiators on the new Sienna's. I am hoping to get mine back tonight in time to return home. Toyota put me in a rental just in case. Toyota is short on radiators, so if yours goes, you may have a long wait. This dealer is taking the radiator out of a Van they just recieved to get me on my way. The other alternative is waiting another week, and coming back down here to pick it up. If your A/c is cycling on and off, and you van is running hot (mine was 3/4), bring it in imediatly to get you radiator tested.

I know we aren't suppose to name specific dealers, but this one I brought it to has been great... if anyone is in the NJ shore area, I would check them out.

rorr · June 2004

I think you CAN name specific dealers; just not specific individuals (either service or sales) at the dealership.

wwest · June 2004

Engine water jacket temperature begins to rise above a set level and with both (??) electric fans running the next thing a designer would do is shut down the A/C.

Make sure both radiator cooling fans are running and at full voltage. Assuming two since my RX has two.

You might want to wire the fans such that they run constantly with A/C enabled rather than only turning on AFTER the temp begins to rise.

You can also improve the efficiency of the A/C by closing off all hot water flow to/through the heat exchanger using a manual shutoff valve. The more efficient the A/C is the lighter the heat loading will be to the engine cooling radiator.

danog · June 2004

Now that you've mentioned your radiator is bad I noticed a strong coolant smell a few nights ago. Enough in fact that I checked the engine compartment and below for a leak not finding anything. I'll take it into the dealer and have them check things out. I have no time for shade treeing this new van.

Wwest, thanks for the tips. I think it makes sense and could be exactly how the Sienna was designed.

stever · June 2004

Like Rror says, naming dealers is fine; no names of individuals or salespeople please. Thanks,

Steve, Host

kmead · June 2004

Closing off the hot water flow to the heat exchanger is not a good idea from the standpoint of coolant flow through the engine. As the systems now use dampers to route air throught the climate system, shutting off the flow of coolant will have little or no effect on the cooling of the air.

Almost all AC systems are wired to run the fans immediately upon turning on the AC. Even with the vehicle in motion. It maybe that in the interests of efficiency they only run them when the compressor is actually running, but I doubt it.

wwest · June 2004

I meant to say to shut off the flow ONLY to the heat exchanger within the HVAC plenum. The airflow routing vanes will not have air flowing through the heat exchanger during max cool but the radiant heat from the exchanger will still elevate the system airflow temperature somewhat and will heat the dash and console also.

wwest · June 2004

Lots of different circuits....

My 92 LS will start the two fans in series and then switch to both across full voltage if engine coolant temperature rises....

So even if both fans are running they are not necessarily at full speed.

spencer30 · June 2004

I had no coolant odor. I am not sure what the stuff is in it, but it isn't traditional anti-freeze. The stuff is pink, and you would see pink coolant. Also, check the resevoir to see if it is low.

The dealer was Shore Toyota in Mays Landing, NJ. I can only vouch for their service... They took great care of me and my family in our time of need. I have an 8 month old and a 3 year old.

stewboy · June 2004

(forgive me if I use incorrect terms to describe parts of the tow package. rookie here.)

Just got my van w/ factory Class II tow package/hitch. First time in my driveway, CKGGCKKYYMMCCKK!! (that's a scraping noise).

I looked at the light hookup, and the dealer had bolted the trailer light connector bracket on the underside of the mounting plate, so it hung well down below any other part of the hitch. I re-ran the wires above the hitch and bolted the light connector on top the plate. Hope that solves the problem. Anyone else in the same boat?

The way it was installed seemed counter-intuitive to me. I'm thinking about asking the dealer to replace the (now-mangled) bracket. How is anyone else's factory Class II light connector installed?

With the lack of clearance, it looks to me as though I'll need a raised drawbar/ball for towing. Anyone have any 1-14" recommendations?

millersmail · June 2004

Just picked up my 04 ltd and love it, other than a seemingly poor FM reception. Many local channels sound terrible. I read a couple other posts with folks having the same issue.

Is this a known problem? Other than replacing the radio with a different brand, what can I do?

davenow · June 2004

Took it in for my first oil change and maintenance. seems to be running a lot more efficiently (based seeing higher "avg mpg" numbers on the computer screen) which is yet to be seen whether or not it will show up as better calculated... i'll keep you posted!

le04awd · June 2004

We have had our '04 LE AWD since Dec '03. We're pretty happy with it, except that the van's ride is rather rough.

When going over bumps in the road at speeds greater than 30 MPH, the rear of the van vibrates harshly and the front of the van also jerks but not quite as badly as the rear. I am wondering if this is a problem with AWD models in general, or just a problem with mine.

Reading the 30+ reviews about our particular model on edmunds, a lot of people leave positive feedback about the smooth ride. I wonder if this a suspension problem with just our van. I know if I take it to the dealer they will say "this is normal".

Any comments would be appreciated.

davenow · June 2004

Does anyone know if there is a web-site where Toyota owner's can go to track their maintenance schedules?

As an x-Honda owner, i would track my Accord's maintenance schedule on a web-site i used to subscibe to, and it would send out updates warning of up-coming work that needed to be done, as well as track all work that was completed on it. It also had area's where you could keep vital information, like VIN numbers and radio security PIN#s, etc.

raydahs · June 2004

Do you have this symptom also? raydahs "Toyota Sienna 2004+" Jun 1, 2004 11:44pm

I have the same vehicle as you. I'm curious, how many miles do you have on it and which run flats do you have? The reason I ask is, I've noticed that the rims and tires (I have are the Dunlops) have been balanced from the factory with tape weights instead of the usual clip-on the side of the rim type. Hopefully due to common sense of NOT putting clip-ons onto nice alloys, but maybe these run flats are more sensitive and go out of balance easier causing slight vibrations. Lexus dealers have a "road force balancing machine" my local dealer charges $10/wheel. http://www.hunter.com/pub/product/balancer/4159T/4159T.pdf I used this procedure with success on my Trooper.

Check out post #780, another interesting story.

I've also noticed that mine sits higher in the back than typical FWD versions. Visually, thier seems to be more clearance in the rear tire well on the AWD versions. I'm basing my opinion on the same wheels with Bridgestones on the XLE version though. Maybe someone like WWEST or KMEAD could add an opinion to this. I'm finding It's very difficult to get any info on the AWD system from Toyota or Lexus on the RX330, maybe thier is something different in the suspension on the AWD versions?

le04awd · July 2004

Thanks for your reply, raydahs.

I have 8K miles on the van. It is riding on Bridgestone B380 tires.

I took the van in to the dealership today and, much to my surprise, they found a defective shock absorber on the driver side rear and replaced it under warranty. I was pleasantly surprised becasue I was almost sure that they were going to give me the "this is normal, nothing wrong with your vehicle" line. The delaership (Herb Chambers Toyota of Boston, MA) has gained a customer for life.

jdconrad · July 2004

I have an 04 Sienna XLE. The average gas mileage shown on the computer seemed to hang up at 25.6 mpg. It never changed in the next 3000 miles. I reset it and it appears to work now ( mpg changes according to the type of driving.). Has anyone experienced this???

weedshasta · July 2004

You say you reset the average gas mileage display. How do you do that? Thanks.

byupirate · July 2004

I need info to on checklist since I'm buying Monday can you send me the checklist at hillsboroite@yahoo.com, I tried to email you but there was no details how. Please if anyone has a checklist when I go in to pick up the van, that would be nice. Thanks Larry

Toyota Sienna Maintenance and Repair (2004+)

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