98 Sienna engine trouble

[tkneary]

Hi All:

I am having trouble with my 98 Toytoa Sienna. It has been a great van. It is having a lot of trouble accellerating now. Takes forever to get to 20mph. Transmission seems to "slip" sometimes when you push on the gas. There is fluid leaking out in the garage but the dip stick says oil is full. Also smells a little like something is burning when it runs and as the engine cools. Have virtually no money for a mechanic to fix this.

I am hoping someone can give advice on what I might be able to do. It is the familiy car and we need it working!

Thanks in advance!

[eyeball96]

to TN

I moved your thread to this forum, to help you find the solution to your problems.

Good Luck!

[Black Sunshine]

Alright, you post is a little vague and a little ambiguous. What fluid/oil is leaking from your van? Does the engine seem to run OK? You said the trans is slipping but the thread is titled engine trouble. Have you checked the engine oil AND the trans fluid?

If all of your trans fluid came out you definitely aren't going anywhere. If you drive around with no oil in the engine the engine is doomed.

The trans can only leak from a few places. The pan, the hoses that go to the radiator to cool it, the input shaft, and out of the axle seals. The pan and the hoses are the most likely to be the culprits. They are also the easier ones to service. You've got to safely support it and get under there to see where it's leaking from and what it is leaking.

[tkneary]

Thanks for the input. It seems to be transmission fluid but I am not sure. It is not oil becuase the dip stick is telling me the oil level is full.

My concern now is having driven it with hardly any trans fluid (if that is the problem). I will be re-filling the trans fluid tonight and will get it to a mechanic friend of mine that can shoot straight with me. I just hope permanent damage has not been done to the transmission. I guess we will see.

Do you know if putting fluid in will be enough to allow me to drive it 15 miles or so to my mechanic without further damage to the transmission?

[Black Sunshine]

That depends on how rapidly the fluid is coming out. Typically you won't even notice until it's more than two quarts low. I don't know how much, if any, damage it will do. I've run them low without trouble before but who knows. Cross your fingers.

[chuckoff]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but those first year or two transmissions have problems. If the fluid smells burnt you probably have a damaged transmission. Continuing to drive a slipping transmission only causes more damage. How big a puddle is the car leaving in your garage? Lots of stuff can leak a little and not really show as low on the dipstick. The transmission can be full and still not work properly. Are you checking the fluid while engine running in park? Good luck, but it sounds like your transmission is fried.

[movester]

How many miles do you have on the van? Do you remember the last time
you had your transmission flushed and filled? To check the trans fluid properly you have to drive it a bit(20 miles)and make sure the engine is warmed up and park it on a level surface.