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Toyota Sienna Maintenance and Repair (2004+)
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Comments
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.
(04 XLE Ltd AWD)
Thanks
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.
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
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".
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.
Isn't the whole POINT of a fader to vary the volume between the front and rear speakers???
I guess I'm just confused......
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?
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
Thank you, thinking of buying Seanna AWD but didn't want runflat tires.
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!
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.
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....?
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?
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?
Thanks for your advice!
Recalls, Technical Service Bulletins, and Other Good Stuff
You, Your Vehicle and the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB)
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.
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.
Wwest, thanks for the tips. I think it makes sense and could be exactly how the Sienna was designed.
Steve, Host
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.
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.
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.
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?
Is this a known problem? Other than replacing the radio with a different brand, what can I do?
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.
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.
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?
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.