1998 TOYOTA SIENNA Engine And Engine Coolingengine Problems

ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON IN MY 1998 TOYOTA SIENNA ON I75 IN ATLANTA GA WHILE VISITING FRIENDS, WAS ABLE TO GET TO MEDIAN BEFORE IT DIED. HAD IT TOWED TO INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO VERIFIED SLUDGE BUILD UP. CALLED TOYOTA ABOUT ENGINE FAILURE. WAS TOLD TO TAKE VAN TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN SC (WHERE WE LIVE) TOWED THE VAN HOME TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP WHO ALSO VERIFIED SLUDGE BUILD UP. WAS TOLD BY TOYOTA THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS IN THEIR ENGINES BUT WAS NOT GOING TO PAY FOR ENGINE REPLACEMENT BECAUSE WE DID NOT HAVE RECEIPTS PROVING THAT OIL/FILTERS CHANGES WERE MADE. WE CHANGED OUR OIL EVERY 3000 MILES WITHOUT FAIL. IF WE DIDN'T ENGINE WOULD HAVE DIED SOONER. TOYOTA DID SAY THAT WE COULD PAY FOR REPAIRS $9000 AND THEN SUBMIT RECEIPTS FOR REVIEW AND MAY BE REIMBURSED FOR REPAIRS. STILL FIGHTING WITH TOYOTA, HAVE MADE...

WE LEASED A 1998 TOYOTA SIENNA BECAUSE IT WAS THE SAFEST VAN OUT THERE AT THE TIME. TWO YEARS LATER I WAS DRIVING TO WORK, WHEN THE ( DUMMY GAUGE) FOR THE OIL LIGHT TURNED ON. I STOPPED AT THE FIRST GAS STATION AND CHECKED THE OIL IT WAS FINE. ON MY WAY HOME THAT MORNING FROM WORK ON THE FREEWAY. THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN, THEN SUDDENLY THE ENGINE STALLED & I HEARD SOME KNOCKING NOISE , I PULLED OVER, AND HAD IT TOWED TO THE TOYOTA DEALEARSHIP WHERE WE LEASED THE VAN. THEY HAD IT CHECKED OUT THEN TOLD US THAT THERE WAS OIL SLUDGING AND HAS CAUSED ENGINE DAMAGE. THEY TOLD US THAT THE VAN NEEDED A NEW ENGINE AND IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE WE HAD GONE OVER THE WARRANTY MILES. THE ESTIMATE WAS OVER 5,000.00 , WE DID NOT HAVE THE FUNDS,...

WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD AND THE VEHICLE STALLED ON THE HIGHWAY. THE DEALER EXAMINED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND A BUILD UP OF SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE. A NEW ENGINE WAS INSTALLED. TWO YEARS LATER, THE SAME PROBLEM RECURRED AND A NEW ENGINE WAS NEEDED. *AK ON MARCH 22, 2004 THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON. ON MARCH 23, 2004 THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A SERVICE DEALER WHO SUGGESTED THAT SLUDGE WAS THE PROBLEM. *SC *JB

THE ENGINE STOPPED OPERATING DUE TO ENGINE SLUDGE. THE CONSUMER INDICATED THAT THE ENGINE BURNED OIL TOO FAST WHICH CAUSED THE SLUDGE TO BUILD UP. THE DEALER SAYS THE ENGINE HAS TO BE REPLACED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *NM

WE HAVE A TOYOTA SIENNA VAN. IN 8/02 WE HAD 'OIL GEL SLUDGING' AND THE ENGINE WAS FIXED UNDER WARRANTY. NOW, WE HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM AND TOYOTA REFUSES TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. WITH THE INITIAL REPAIR, THEY ACKNOWLEDGED IT WAS A DESIGN FLAW. SINCE THE ENGINE WAS POORLY DESIGNED, AND THERE IS A RECURRING PROBLEM DUE TO THE DESIGN, WHY DO THEY THINK A ONE-TIME REPAIR WILL SUFFICE? *LA

WE ARE ON OUR THIRD MOTOR FOR A TOYOTA SIENNA 1998 VAN, PURCHASED NEW. SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, WE HAD THE MOTOR REPLACED. WE WERE CHARGED $4-500, THOUGH TOYOTA HANDLED IT UNDER WARRANTY. NOW, 10,000 MILES LATER, WE MUST REPLACE THE ENGINE AGAIN, AT A COST OF $6000. THE PROBLEM, AGAIN, IS 'SLUDGE'. WE ARE ALSO, LIKE OTHERS FILING COMPLAINTS ON YOUR SITE AND OTHERS, BEING HARASSED BY THE DEALERSHIP, WHO CLAIM WE HAVE "NEVER CHANGED THE OIL." FOR ARGUMENT, LET'S SAY THIS IS TRUE. IN 10,000 MILES, YOU WILL UTTERLY DESTROY A NEW ENGINE IF YOU MISS AN OIL CHANGE, RECOMMENDED FOR BETWEEN 5,000 AND 7500 MILES? I BELIEVE THE PUBLIC HAS BEEN SOLD A DEFECTIVE DESIGN, AND THAT THE COMPANY, DELIBERATELY OR NOT, IS REFUSING TO TAKE OWNER COMPLAINTS SERIOUSLY. *LA

APPROXIMATELY 5 YEARS AGO WE PURCHASED A NEW 1998 TOYOTA SIENNA BECAUSE WE WANTED A NEW VEHICLE WITH AN EXCELLENT REPUTATION FOR QUALITY AND SERVICE. BECAUSE OF TOYOTA'S REPUTATION, WE PAID APPROXIMATELY $10,000 MORE FOR THE VAN THAN WE COULD HAVE PURCHASED ANY OTHER VAN IN OUR AREA. RECENTLY OUR VAN STARTED EMITTING BLUE SMOKE. WHEN WE TOOK OUR VAN TO OUR LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE THEY SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM, AND OFFERED TO TEAR DOWN THE MOTOR AND SEND PICTURES TO TOYOTA WITH A FEE OF ONE HOUR'S LABOR. WHEN WE SCHEDULED THIS SERVICE, AFTER TEARING DOWN THE MOTOR, WE WERE ASKED FOR DOCUMENTATION OF OIL CHANGES. ALTHOUGH WE HAVE HAD THEM DONE REGULARLY, WE DID NOT SAVE THIS PAPERWORK. SINCE WE ARE OUT OF OUR WARRANTY PERIOD, I THOUGHT THIS WAS AN UNUSUAL REQUEST. HOWEVER, AFTER RESEARCHING MY VAN ON THE INTERNET, I...

WE HAVE A 1998 TOYOTA SIENNA. FOR SEVERAL YEARS WE HAVE HAD PROBLEMS OPENING THE REAR PASSENGER DOORS BECAUSE OF FAULTY SPRINGS ON THE DOOR BUTTONS. NOW THE VEHICLE SPEWS OUT BLUE SMOKE WHEN STARTING UP OR ACCELERATING. THE OIL IS ALSO SLUDGEY. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AFTER HEARING THAT THE BLUE SMOKE PROBLEM IS A RECALL ISSUE, BUT THE DEALER WANTS PROOF OF ALL OIL CHANGES, EVEN THOUGH I CHANGE THE OIL AND FILTER MYSELF. A FRIEND AROUND THE CORNER HAS THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH THE FAULTY DOORS. *NLM

OIL SEALS AROUND SPARK PLUGS FAILED IN BOTH FWD AND AFT BANK OF VALVE COVERS.*JB

AT ONLY 30,000 MILES, WHILE VEHICLE STILL UNDER FULL BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY, SMOKE BEGAN EMITTING FROM EXHAUST PIPE. TOOK TO DEALER - DEALER SAYS IT IS STEAM. NEXT SMOKE GETS WORSE (ITS BLUE) & OIL LIGHT FLASHES WHEN BRAKING. TAKE IT BACK TO DEALER - DEALER SAYS NEED OIL CHANGE. DO IT. NEXT - SAME STUFF. TAKE IT BACK. DEALER SAYS OIL LEAK IN VALVES OR RINGS - WILL CALL TO SET UP APPT. FOR REPAIR. NO CALL. I CALL DEALER. DEALER SAYS WANT OIL CHANGE RECEIPTS. I GET THEM. DEALER SAYS NO FIX UNDER WARRANTY, NOT COVERED, CAUSED BY CONSUMER LACK OF MAINTENANCE. I COMPLAIN TO MANUFACTURER. NO LUCK. I LOOK ON INTERNET - HUNDREDS OF IDENTICAL COMPLAINTS ON VARIOUS WEB SITES. CAUSED BY SLUDGE IN ENGINE, WHICH ANALYSIS OF SHOWS WATER & FUEL IN OIL. I CONTAACT YOU. *AK

ENGINE--CAMSHAFT AND BELT.

CRANKSHAFT BALL BEARINGS ARE DEFECTIVE, CAUSING DECREASE IN OIL PRESSURE AND CRANKSHAFT AND OIL PUMP FAILURES