Sienna Engine Sludge Problem

[tfret]

We have a 98 Sienna with 115K miles on it. Runs like new. We use regular 10W30 changed every 3K or so. Never had any problems.

[Brian R.]

Originally Posted by Clyde Mays

I have the same question! I own a 99 Sienna and it seems to have every single problem listed in the vast amount of service bulletins out there. I will be writing to Consumer Reports and recommending that they NOT make the Sienna a recommended vehicle. Not only are there numerous problems with the Sienna, but Toyota makes the customer out to be the criminal when we expect the company to act in good faith. Sludge problem - HAD IT - despite changing my own oil every 3,000 miles faithfully. Transmission problem - HAD IT - now fighting to have Toyota cover the repairs. Auto Door Problem - HAVE IT - scared to take it to my dealer for fear of having to pay for that repair or never getting my van back. I've been a loyal Toyota customer for the past 10 years owning 3 and was ready to purchase my 4th when the transmission problems arose on the Sienna.

Do you think it is because these vehicles are made in the US and not Japan?

Although some people think so, I doubt it. Many Toyotas are only made in the US (for this market) and have excellent overall reliability records. No manufacturer is perfect. There will always be a percentage of vehicles that are not as good as the others. Can't get around it.

[jmetz58]

I have a 2000 Sienna with 113k miles. I have not had any engine sludge problems (yet). Since it was new I've been using full synthetic oil, (first Castrol Syntec, and now Mobil 1) keeping to a 5,000 mile change interval as best as I could. The engine burns zero oil. I do notice the oil is pretty dark when I change it, but no evidence of gelled oil exists. It seems to me Toyota really should have required synthetic be used in this engine, but probably was afraid of how a significantly more costly oil change would have been received by critics and the public. If what I read is true that Toyota raised the operating temp. as high as 260 degrees F, then it was irresponsible to not require a synlube.

[gearjam1]

My pristine '98 that I bought 3 weeks ago blew the engine. I had changed the oil before a 400 mile trip to Mobil 1 full synthetic. I have Volvo Turbowagons, and I love the stuff-'cus it doesn't coke like the dino oil... I get 400 miles from home, the oil light came on, and I pulled over. I check the oil level (it was fine), start her up, and the knock started... Took Amtrak home, got my truck and car trailer, and trudged up to get her. The dealer where I bought her, says he will give me $350. for my trouble...this is better than a kick in the teeth, but less than the $2,000 or so it is going to be, to get a used engine and have it installed... Toyota says to tow it in, and they will have someone "from the company" decide if they will do anything... The P.O. has receipts for oil changes every 3,000 miles (but he was the 2nd owner). I pulled about a fist-full of hard, crunchy sludge out of the oil drainback area under the front valve cover... I feel that my changing to full synthetic probably cleaned this engine out too well, and clogged the oil pickup... I have a 200,000+ mile Toyota 4wd that I have had no trouble with...I expected the same with this. Unfortunately, it wasn't until my engine trouble that I researched the problems associated with this particular engine. If I wanted a vehicle that would kick me in the a## I would have bought the used Land Rover I looked at right before the Sienna... Tony B

[ozzie32]

I am sorry to hear of your troubl, but I read on a website that Toyota has offered a warranty for this problem. 8 years unlimited mileage. Your van goes to 9 years old in a few months as it is still 2006 for now. You can read about it here: http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/re...a&model=Sienna

I just finished getting my 98 Sienna cleared up, but all I had to do was clean the throttle body and the injectors. Engine light no longer comes onand performance is good again. The engine code was P304 which meany misfire on cyclinder 4. Repair cost was under $200 CDN.

Good luck and let us know if Toyota comes through with this.

[gearjam1]

-Thanks for the reply. I gave up trying to fight with Toyota over this... I ordered an engine out of a crashed Sienna with 50,000 miles today, and it is being delivered to a local shop that will install it. I am out the cost the engine ($1,000 delivered), and the installation ($700). but in the long-run, I think I am getting by on the cheap-side... I have heard of a lot of Sienna owners, paying a whole lot more money to get their vans back on the road. I am going to pull the valve covers and pan on this engine prior to it going into my van. If it is sludged, I'll have it cleaned out prior to installation. (Also a good time to have them install a new timing belt...) Wish me luck. -Tony B.

[Daddygonz]

I received a document concerning a class action settlement. It came with a document with discription of my van and vin #. It also had a web site to go on.
www.oilgelsettlement.com.

[carrfamilynj]

So we're in the market for a used minivan. We currently own an '01 Villager Sport-very nice van, bit it's got 92,000 miles and we're ready for something a little newer. We went to the local Toyota dealer and looked at a 2003 Sienna with 38,000 miles. I made sure to take off the oil fill cap and check inside the valve cover. Sure enough, there was a crusty, gritty black layer of burnt oil on the baffle. So needless to say, we didn't buy that van. We are now looking at the Mazda MPV.

[asotovx]

I received too a letter of class auction against toyota by this time ,already paid myself for the motor replacement because toyota refuse to issue a warranty on my 1999 sienna , I hope at this time be able to recover some of the spent money for the motor replacement.
asotovx

[gearjam1]

-So far, mine has been a pretty happy ending. I changed the oil in the "new" engine before driving up North for Thanksgiving. Now that I have another 700+ miles on the first oil change, I am going to change it again-but this time to Mobil 1 full-synthetic. I feel that any gunk present in the engine (the valve train looked like new) hopefully will have been flushed out with these two oil changes.
My total was $1,000 for the engine, as I previously posted-but my installation was a bit higher. When my engine was out, they noticed the steering rack was leaking fluid heavily. I had them install a new rack, a new water pump, new timing belt, change the plugs, and change the belts and hoses. The total on the install and rack came to $1,300. With the $2,300 repair cost, and the original cost of the van-I am still well-below the blue book value on the van. It was just a lot of aggrevation. The ASC supplementary insurance that was provided by the dealership at the time of sale (although I found out it was only $500. coverage...), couldn't have been better. I was skeptical as to whether I would ever see a check-but they were polite, helpful, and really took care of me. I had the $500. check in hand within a week.
I have contacted Toyota re: any possible reimbursement, and have registered my van with them in regards to the class-action suit. They want to inspect the old engine, which I will happily dump out of the back of my truck for them to inspect to their hearts desire...
Driving on the tollway, and in downtown Chicago-the van could not have performed better! It is quick, quiet, and used no oil in the 700 miles. _This_ is finally the van that I was expecting, when I bought a Toyota! -Tony B.

[Brian R.]

Fresh oil doesn't normally clean out sludge. Try AutoRX at auto-rx.com. That treatment has been reported as useful by alot of people on this forum.

[gearjam1]

-Thanks for the tip! My van now has over 8,000 miles on the "new" engine, with nary a problem. It has performed beautifully, and is really a blast to drive. My Yoko ice/snow tires have really been an asset this winter, and the Solara rims brighten up the whole package. Hopefully, this van will continue to provide the excellent service that I expect from Toyota products. (I finally dumped the original engine at the back of my garage yesterday...) Even with all of the repairs and upgrades, I'm still well below book value, so I guess it eventually worked out for the best. -Tony

[Daddygonz]

Has anyone used Seafoam on their Sienna? Mine is due an oil change next month and I thought about putting so seafoam in the crankcase before the oil change. On the S10 forum, people put it in the oil and drive 20-50 miles and then change the oil.

[Daddygonz]

Did a Seafoam oil change and put Mobil 1 synthetic 5w30 and it seem smoother and quieter. But a week later, I traded my 01 Sienna for a 02 Infiniti I35 sport. Seafoam really clean her out. I put half a can of seafoam in oil and drove for 50 miles and then changed oil and filter. Poured the other half in the gas tank to clean injectors. It made a difference.

[Hesam]

I agree. Any idiot who does 2 oilchanges for 60,000 miles deserves a burned engine. I think their problem is brain-sludge. I personally always do Synthetic oil-changes every 2000 miles, I right-away change sparkplugs with NGK Irridium and wires with Borg-Warner wires and my cars keep running better by age and gas mileage goes up by 5-7mpg.
Plus, I've owned a 3.0Liter Camry that has the same engine as Sienna and after 270,000 miles it still ran like new.
All of people's problems come from their own mistakes.