>
>
>
>
> > "RonG"...
> > A couple of weeks later....
> > (By the way, if you follow Toyota's diagram for removing the 2000Sienna= 's
> > rearturnsignalassembly, you're just about guaranteed to snap the
> > two white fasteners that secure the forward portion of theturnsignal
> > assembly to the side of the van. [The back of theturnsignal
> > assembly is attached to the back of the van by two screws; the side
> > portion is held in place by the two plastic fasteners. Any torque on
> > those fasteners will cause them to just snap. That's what happened to
> > me.] Since the fasteners looked unusual, and would have been tough to
> > replace, the forward portion of myturnsignalassembly now is
> > attached to the body of the van via several adhesive "mounting
> > squares"; i.e., the type sold by 3M for mounting pictures on wall.
> > We'll have to see how long that holds up!)
>
> > Although I didn't want to mess with the rearturnsignalassembly
> > again (since it's now held in place on the side by the flimsy adhesive
> > mounting squares), I did remove the frontturnsignalassembly again,
> > took out the new bulb, and pulled out the metal ground strip somewhat,
> > so that it would press more firmly against the bulb. However, that
> > didn't solve the problem, either.
> > ______________________________________
>
> > I went through this too with the rear bulbs on my 98Sienna. The trick i= s
> > that once the seal between the assembly and the car is broken, one need= s
> > to
> > wiggle it a _lot_ to get those pegs to let go. I got mine out without
> > snapping them totally, although one it cracked if I am remembering righ= t.
> > It still works tho.
>
> > I think that you had a good idea on using the foam tape to stick it bac= k
> > on.
> > The thing now is that if you take it off again, just reapply a new piec= e
> > of
> > foam tape like you just did with no fear.
> > Tomes
>
> Two more weeks later....
>
> The new battery appears to have run down. =A0We're having the same
> problems starting the van that we had before the battery was replaced,
> so it wasn't simply a "bad battery." =A0Now I suspect that something is
> draining the battery current while the van is not running. =A0We will
> have to get this problem diagosed at an auto electric shop. =A0I wonder
> if what is causing the turn signal problem (e.g., a bad relay or
> fuse?) also is causing the battery to drain.
>
> Does anyone have any thoughts? =A0I will let you know what I find out. >
> ***************
> Your local Toyota dealer should be familiar with measuring parasitic draw= in
> your Sienna. =A0 =A0Basically, parasitic draw has to be measured over a p= eriod
> of time instead of instantaneously.
> --
>
> Ray O
> (correct punctuation to reply)- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Hi Ray,
As it now turns out, the battery is not run down. (I incorrectly assumed it was run down, because the starting problem did not occur at all during the first two weeks after my wife got the new battery. So, when it suddenly didn't want to start after two weeks, I assumed it was because the battery somehow had run down.)
Today I thought I would jumpstart the van, and then would drive it around enough to get it charged up. But before I hooked up the jumper cables, I decided to just try to start the van. To my surprise, it fired right up. The battery didn't seem the least bit weak. So I drove the van about a mile, and parked it at the store. When I came back out to the van a few minutes later, it did not start on the first try (there was nothing but a "click"; otherwise, it did not even respond), but then it fired right up on the second try.
So the problem simply seems to be intermittent starting, as I'd described in my original post. The battery is fine, so I no longer suspect parasitic draw on the current. Therefore, I think you had it right the first time: the problem may be due to worn starter solenoid contacts. That's what we'll investigate next.
Another possibility: Since the problem went away completely for a couple of weeks after replacing the battery, I'm wondering whether there may be a wiring issue between the battery and the starter. Possibly the position of the wire shifted when the new battery was installed, but it's now shifted back, or loosened up, etc.
At this point, I believe the problem with the left turn signal is completely unrelated, and probably has to do with a faulty combination switch. However, if we had to, we could live with the intermittent turn signal for a while (at least until the next inspection!). But we don't want to be stranded somewhere by an intermittent starting problem that suddenly becomes the rule rather than the exception.
I'll post again when I know more. Thanks again!