Random sluggish starting

[marchvet]

I have a 2007 Sienna with about 56k miles. All stock and a new battery put in about 8 months ago.

Sunday(5/8) after driving a few hours I stopped to do some things with the family and afterwards went to start the van. The first time it clicked several times and would not turn over. I let it sit for a few minutes and tried again, but it did nothing.

Called Triple AAA and they had me put the car into neutral and start. It started with no issues and the rep mentioned the neutral safety switch might be going bad. Took the van to Advanced auto where the battery was purchased, they ran a test with no problems reported.

It ran fine the rest of the day Sunday. Monday the van was only used for one hour in the early morning(7-8am) and then again from 12 to about 1:30. It then sat until 4:30. Went out to start it and it was sluggish to turn over. Turned it off and tried again with the same results. It did however start up and run.

Took it over to my local mechanic and had him go over it today(5/9) and the only thing he noticed was that the battery seemed a bit low in amps at one point. He suggested I take the van back to Advance auto where the battery was purchased and have them check it again. They ran a full test of things and everything came back normal.

I am at a loss and confused what it could be. Any suggestions or comments from others that have experienced this issue in the past?

I want to replace the battery again, but at $150 a pop it gets expensive.

[TOYOTAndy]

Make sure the cables are tight on the battery and clean. Sounds like you could have a parasitic draw on the battery..i.e something staying on when its not suppoesd to etc. draining the battery enough to make it hard to start. If the battery is checking out ok and its just making the clicking thats usually the starter contacts, but i dont think thats your problem on a sienna with 56k. Did they check the charging system and make sure that the alternator is working ok?

[marchvet]

After getting really frustrated with Advanced I took it over to Auto Zone and they ran a test on the battery. Of course it came back as a bad battery. The guy printed out the results and I took it to Advanced.

The manager tried to argue that it wasn't the battery and I asked if he could simply replace it and if its not, then its one less thing to trouble shoot.

He tested the battery after it was out and said it tested 100% no problems and that he thought it was the starter going bad. I just kept quiet about the battery change and didnt want to go any further with him, as he was in the mood for arguing.

Whatever it is/was will show itself in the next few days maybe. If it was the battery it should be fixed. Time will tell...


My van is stock and there are no devices hooked up that could draw from the battery while the vehicle is off. So it will be interesting to see what happens.

[grandpapa]

start from battery, then the starter, that will be my approach.

[marchvet]

Here it is Thursday the 12th and the van is still running fine with the new battery.