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Hi everyone,
I’m having intermittent problems starting my 2002 Toyota Sienna. Sometimes it starts right up fine. Sometimes it cranks weakly when starts. Sometimes the thing will not start at all. When it does not start, I have found that if I hold the key in the ENGINE START position for around 5-10 seconds, it eventually kicks into life and starts. I tried jumping the battery but this has no effect in this situation. Any ideas to what this can be? My daughter uses this to take to work and I’m worried she will be stranded alone in a parking lot so I’d like to get this fixed.
Thanks!
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Check the battery, it should be no less than 12.6 volts… may need a load test. Also ensure the battery cables are clean and tight. A voltage drop test of the line may also need done. If all of that is fine then the starter is suspect…
Karl
Check all battery connections, not just the terminals. Check the alternator, the starter and underhood fuse box aka power distribution box. The negative leads to a body connection and at the block of the engine.
Some parts stores like Autozone and some advance auto locations can do a free test of your charging system. Worth a shot.Thanks a lot for your help guys.
It turned out to be the battery. I checked it out with my battery/charging system tester. CCAs were down and the battery was 12.3v. I’m still a bit curious as to why my jumpstarter had no effect when I used it to try a start, but I’m not going to lose sleep over it.
Lesson of the day learnt though: Took my car to Costco for the new battery, locked the doors with the remote as I knew it would not lock once the battery was removed. I unhooked the old battery, took it in for core and came out with the new battery, and then remembered I had changed my ignition switch cylinder last month due to the key jamming in the lock. So the new key would not manually open the car door :S . I Had to call my kid to come pick me up so I could search my house for the old keys (with 1% battery on my phone).
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