1998 sienna electrical issue - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Thearndtfam · 09-25-2011, 07:05 PM

Yesterday the car was working just fine. My kids left the door open and I left the keys in the car. This morning the car would not start. Starter would not turn over so I charged the battery and checked the fuses and found two that were blown. I replaced the fuses and the van started but there are no dash lights or radio. The dome lights are working and the head lights turn on. Driving back from the store the 1998 sienna puttered and died and would not start but the dome lights came on. The battery is under two years old so it should be good. Any ideas about what is causing the electrical issues and the lack of turn over? The van is a 1998 sienna with about 205000 on it. Any ideas or help would be great

Cranky-Condor · 09-26-2011, 01:36 PM

Did the same two fuses blow? Does it start if you jump it? I'd take a multi meter and check each battery call to see if you have 2 volt jumps accross each cell. And remove and clean the batery terminals. to elimate the battery prom the list of possibilities. I've been bit by battery post corrosion before.

Thearndtfam · 09-26-2011, 06:35 PM

The van starts and drives for a bit but there is no power to the inside of the van with the exception of the dome lights. Also the only warning lights that come on when the key is in are the door and the air bag. There was two fuses that were replaced and they were not the same. Is there a relay that I'm missing? Is the alternator bad? Ideas would be great.

TierOneSupplier · 09-30-2011, 05:08 AM

Low voltage causes all sorts of instrument panel anomalies which might explain what you're seeing. A failing charging system could also explain why the engine sputters and dies.

Cranky-Condor is right, you have to eliminate the battery as the source of the problem before proceeding. I had a battery fail after only one year so we can't automatically assume your battery is OK. In addition to what he suggested, here's a no-cost test you can try:

* after the van has been sitting (and not running) for a while, put a voltmeter across the battery terminals. Make a mental note of the voltage. If it isn't at least 12 volts, charge it.
* start the engine.
* now check the battery voltage again, with the engine running. You should get a reading of 13.8 volts or maybe even 14.0 volts.

If you don't see 13.8 volts or more across the battery with the engine running, you have an alternator/voltage regulator problem, which is usually fixed these days by just replacing the alternator. Post back and let us know what you found.

Thearndtfam · 09-30-2011, 06:50 PM

Thanks for the information TierOne, the voltmeter read 12.3 before the van was started and once the van was running it read 12 so it seem that I need a new alternator. I will run to a store and put it in tonight or tomorrow. Thanks again.

TierOneSupplier · 09-30-2011, 06:58 PM

Glad to help. Before you leave the store with your new alternator, ask them to test it. I recently had a brand new, right-out-of-the-box alternator that failed the test even before it left the store!

Thearndtfam · 10-03-2011, 06:19 AM

New alternator tested fine at the store but so did the old one. Put the new one in and nothing changed so I went through and checked all the fuses again and found out that I missed the 140A fuse that allows the alternator to charge the battery. That is what the voltage was off when the van was running. So I replaced the fuse and everything started working again. Thanks for all the help and advice on the van guys. I learn more every time I'm on the forum.

TierOneSupplier · 10-03-2011, 07:30 AM

I'm glad you got it working but I'm sorry I didn't think to suggest the fuse. I'm glad you tested both alternators -- I guess you could have avoided buying a new one when the old one tested OK, but at least now you should be good to go for a good while.