2001 Sienna won't idle...sometimes - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

blane gardner · 10-01-2005, 10:36 AM

I have an intermittent problem where my 2001 Sienna won't idle. It will start right up and then shut right down. If I depress the gas pedal it will stay running.

The first time it did this I took the key all the way to "off" and then tried again. The van ran fine. The second time it did this that fix did not work. I had to drive home with my foot on the gas pedal the whole way. When I got home and took my foot off the gas the van kept running

In both cases the van was cold, having sat for eight days the second time.

Anyone have any ideas what this could be

drunken_panda · 10-03-2005, 02:10 PM

Do you notice that the idle is rougher? Gas milage? Performance?

blane gardner · 10-04-2005, 10:35 AM

The van is running fine other than the idle problem that has happened twice. That's part of what makes this confusing and hard to pin down

drunken_panda · 10-04-2005, 01:57 PM

What about performace and gas milage? Could be a clogged EGR system or any other numerous problems. Do you have a CEL or every have one when it stalled?

blane gardner · 10-05-2005, 10:58 AM

Performance and gas mileage are much the same. Even when it won't idle, it will idle and run smoothly with manual input. As soon as you let your foot off the gas pedal, it smoothly shuts down.

You used an acronym with which I am not familiar. what is a CEL? Without knowing what it is I can't say for sure if I have one.

drunken_panda · 10-05-2005, 02:55 PM

Sorry, Check engine light (the little light on the dash that shows a picture of an engine and says "check" below it). Have you had any work done on the car (even as simple as changing the air filter or chaing the oil)?

blane gardner · 10-07-2005, 01:32 AM

The check engine light has not come on. I changed to a K&N air filter a month or so ago

***RningOnFumes*** · 10-07-2005, 01:46 AM

my camry often did that....i would go to start after it's sat for a couple of days. or even over nite---no go, i would have to resort to sitting in the car and giving light gas until the car reeved on its own *to warm up*

it didn't give a CEL either.

i did two things which seemed to help:

1---when mom had it, she would put in 89 gas-- i only put in 87
2--- i did a throttle body cleaning (reason was for a stuck pedal but hey, two birds with one stone--lol actually, it didn't fix the stuck pedal but it did get rid of this problem you guys are talking about.
3--- changed pcv and fuel filter

i don't know whether those two are related, but that second and third one is an easy thing to do.---the pcv and the throttle body cleanning that is. i don't know how the fuel filter would affect this.

to conclude...i haven't the problem since.

drunken_panda · 10-07-2005, 10:05 PM

A PCV and fuel filter would be too early to be bad, I would try to clean the TB.

deekay140 · 10-08-2005, 09:14 PM

thats sometimes caused by carbon build up in the combustion chamber, the gas is being soaked up by the carbon on the first start up, causing lack of fuel, then stall.

blane gardner · 10-12-2005, 12:13 AM

If I remember correctly, my mechanic cleaned the throttle body once when the engine was idling way too fast. Logic would indicate that this could also cause it to idle too slow or not at all.

I'll try cleaning the throttle body at the next opportunity

SR20DE_MAN · 10-29-2005, 11:26 AM

I'm having the same problem as well, but this is on a 2003 Sienna. Sometimes you start the van & it won't fire up. You have to depress the gas pedal to keep it running & if you let it go, it will turn off. This is even after you have been driving for a very long time & you stop for a short while. Sometimes the car won't idle when you turn it on unless you give it some gas & you have to hold it for a long while.

So yeah. Two people here with a similar problem. I'm going to try that throttle body cleaning.

If anyone has any other info, please let us know! Thanks! ( ^_^)/

drunken_panda · 11-15-2005, 09:21 PM

Check the MAF on the air box. I also know that there is a sensor that is suppose to keep the RPMs up when the engine is cold, might want to have that checked out.

lsac · 11-29-2005, 10:12 AM

A dirty IAC usually does that. K&N feeds more air with less filteration. Take off the intake tube btw air box and TB. There is a small opening right in front of throttle plate. Spray good amount of carb. cleaner. This works better on a cold engine and fixes warm start and unstable idle problem.

Nad1370 · 11-29-2005, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drunken_panda

Could be a clogged EGR system or any other numerous problems.

98-2003 Siennas don't have EGR valves.

I also would suggest cleaning the T-body and IAC motor.