Home » Here’s My Idiotic Plan To Drive A Broken 240,000-Mile $500 Toyota Minivan 1000 Miles To Save My Ailing Coworker

Here’s My Idiotic Plan To Drive A Broken 240,000-Mile $500 Toyota Minivan 1000 Miles To Save My Ailing Coworker

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I just bought a one-way Southwest flight from LA to St. Louis. Luckily, it comes with two check-in bags, because I’ve got a ton of tools I need to bring with me, as the trip’s purpose is to revive a dead 2005 Toyota Sienna Minivan that I bought for $500. I have exactly one day to turn it from “immobile, been sitting for years” to “ready to drive 1000 miles,” and my plan isn’t great. Hear me out.

The truth is, I’m not entirely sure what’s wrong with the minivan that a reader named Dave sold me for $500. When I visited him, he showed me that the struts are broken (like this), but as the vehicle has been sitting, there’s no telling what else might be wrong. I do know that it was his trusty all-wheel family drive minivan for years, but is no longer needed, so it just sits on the side of the road, awaiting a blogger to finally pick it up after over a year of promises.

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Well, the time has come for me to finally save this van and bring it to my coworker, Jason, who has suffered far too many automotive mishaps, and is in desperate need of a car that just works — you know, a Toyota (the fact that it has 240,000 miles and cost $500 doesn’t change anything, right?).

A week from Monday, I’m off with my tools to St. Louis, where a bunch of parts that I’ve ordered from eBay will await me. Here are those parts:

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Screen Shot 2024 01 05 At 8.01.36 Am

Now, do I necessarily need control arms and sway bar links and tie rods? No, but I will say that the odds of only the struts being bad are pretty damn low, and I’d like to have replacement parts on hand, just in case.

Screen Shot 2024 01 05 At 8.02.48 Am

I may have actually gone a bit overboard with front-end replacement parts, but I do think having a set of front wheel bearings on hand is a smart idea, so I snagged those as well. And I know, I know, many folks will say “damn, those are some cheap eBay parts,” and it’s true, but if I’m honest, I’ve had good luck with eBay front-end kits, especially for cars that aren’t driven a ton. Plus, those two purchases added up to almost the cost of the van, so they weren’t that cheap.

Screen Shot 2024 01 05 At 8.05.14 Am

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Above you can see my planned route. It’s 811 miles to VA, where The Autopian will be doing some exclusive testing on a secret test track, and another 110 or so miles to Jason in Chapel Hill. I look forward to hooning the all-wheel drive minivan around that track, but most importantly, to getting Jason a car he can depend on: a Toyota.

Will it live up to the hype? Will it solve Jason’s seemingly-unending automotive woes — the broken Ford F-150 flywheel, the seized beetle engine, the overheating VW Tiguan, the janky battery’d Changli, the MacGuyver’d Yugo? Will this minivan be the salvation he deserves, allowing him to stress less so that his recently-burst heart can truly heal?

We’ll find out soon. Hopefully I still remember how to wrench on rustbuckets.

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Fred Flinstone
Fred Flinstone
10 months ago

Will this minivan be the salvation he deserves, allowing him to stress less so that his recently-burst heart can truly heal?”

Of all the dumb-ass dumb-assery ever inflicted on us by this or the previous site, this is the dumb-assest.

“STRESS LESS???” Sweet jumpin’ Jesus with a defibrillator, you’ve just sent his blood pressure through the roof and he’s probably on a second heart attack by now.

Here’s poor Jason the Polish leprechaun, struggling to put up the odd post because he’s being matched weird-for-weird by Thomas the Canadian elf (seriously – I’ve met him at a Toronto Autopian get-together). And now, his co-editor who needs to be filling in for him is embarking on this condition-unknown Toyota rescue while simultaneously freaking out over his latest Jeep project.

Someone tell Torch’s wife to keep him off the site and feed him more happy pills. NOW.

Jack Beckman
Jack Beckman
10 months ago
Reply to  Fred Flinstone

Maybe the Autopian has an expected large “donation” from a life insurance policy taken out on an employee as part of the 2024 budget…

Rippstik
Rippstik
10 months ago

Just a friendly reminder to avoid speeding in Virginia at all costs!

Crank Shaft
Crank Shaft
10 months ago
Reply to  Rippstik

WV too! They don’t take a shine to Yankees disrespecting their laws much either.

JDE
JDE
10 months ago
Reply to  Crank Shaft

worse yet a Californized Yankee to boot.

TriangleRAD
TriangleRAD
10 months ago
Reply to  Crank Shaft

Virginia police make WV look like the Good Sam Club. With the possible exception of those in the area of Summersville.

Jalop Gold
Jalop Gold
9 months ago
Reply to  TriangleRAD

Only a problem around Summerville if you have a kayak, or at least a roof rack, on your vehicle.

Peter d
Peter d
10 months ago
Reply to  Crank Shaft

It used to be you got to the WV border and moved to the right lane where you would get passed like you were standing still by the locals, but if you with an out of state (Northern) plate were going 5 mph over the limit you would get pulled over. Based on my most recent experiences in WV, that does not seem to be the case any more. Va, on the other hand seems to have become an even bigger police state – which is saying something because they have been bad for a long time, this is one of the reasons I don’t live in the state and don’t visit my friends there as much as I should. Good Advice.

Casey LaCaze
Casey LaCaze
10 months ago
Reply to  Rippstik

Don’t forget, in Virginia any speed over 80 is automatically reckless driving, even if you’re on a 70mph highway.

And make sure you have some small bills with you. Part of I-64 in WV is a toll road.

Óscar Morales Vivó
Óscar Morales Vivó
10 months ago

I feel like Mr. Tracy’s need to one-up himself with his extreme junker repair hijinks are going to end up in uncanny places.

“I have 90 minutes to repair this Bugatti Veyron that fell off a cliff, caught on fire and has been used as a cliffside nest by a flock of rabid seagulls for 10 years”

“Here’s my ultimate idiot plan to build a VW type 4 out of iron ore I mined myself”

“I have to drive this Jeep out of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, the doors of the ship it sunk in are rusted shut and used as a nest by a swarm of rabid octopi”

MATTinMKE
MATTinMKE
10 months ago

I’m here for that last one.

Dan The Manwich
Dan The Manwich
10 months ago

David Tracy will be the first human on Mars if we can just get an abandoned manual Grand Cherokee there first.

Double Wide Harvey Park
Double Wide Harvey Park
10 months ago

Mars looks like it’s basically made of rust. I’m surprised David doesn’t live there yet.

Gee See
Gee See
10 months ago

Ssh.. we don’t let the world know we have an alien in our midst.. especially if he is ever going to run for president.

Last edited 10 months ago by Gee See
JJT554
JJT554
10 months ago

Preferably a Holy Grail GC

B3n
B3n
10 months ago

Not an idiotic plan. Put in some fresh gas, oil, top off fluids, free up the calipers (they will be surely stuck), maybe fix the strut if it’s really sketchy.
It’ll make the trip just fine.

Chronometric
Chronometric
10 months ago
Reply to  B3n

It might make the trip but dumping a $500 crap-can on someone with Jason’s suspect wrenching skills will certainly NOT lower his stress levels. Soon, something else will fail and he will have another lawn ornament causing he and his longsuffering wife angst every time they venture out their door.

B3n
B3n
10 months ago
Reply to  Chronometric

I agree, I just meant it doesn’t need to be fixed up in front of the sellers house on the side of the road to make the trip to Chapel Hill.
But it should be brought up to snuff at Jason’s place before he takes ownership.
The man really deserves a reliable vehicle.

Hondaimpbmw 12
Hondaimpbmw 12
10 months ago
Reply to  Chronometric

The car LOOKS great. No real signs of rust. Fix that front suspension, some new fluids and tires, it will be fine.

Gee See
Gee See
10 months ago
Reply to  Hondaimpbmw 12

Don’t forget an alignment after messing with the front suspension.

Last edited 10 months ago by Gee See
JDE
JDE
10 months ago
Reply to  B3n

02 sensor is also likely going to be an issue, but many a beater has rolled around with the check engine light on. as long as it does not cause rough idle, I suppose it is ok.

Parsko
Parsko
10 months ago

Has anyone asked Sally what her thoughts were on this????? Good luck, just did suspension work myself. SOOoooo fun.

Double Wide Harvey Park
Double Wide Harvey Park
10 months ago
Reply to  Parsko

I expect Sally’s eyes have rolled back farther than an odometer at Marvin’s Motor Mart, where we finance everyone!

Last edited 10 months ago by Double Wide Harvey Park
Parsko
Parsko
10 months ago

Good one! 🙂

Mike B
Mike B
10 months ago

Just curious what you do with these vehicles that have been sitting for years with presumably bad gas in the tank. Add some fresh gas and let ‘er rip? Or anything further than that?

The Dude
The Dude
10 months ago
Reply to  Mike B

If zombie shows and movies have taught me anything, everything will be just fine.

Mike B
Mike B
10 months ago
Reply to  The Dude

This is true, batteries included.

Vic Vinegar
Vic Vinegar
9 months ago
Reply to  The Dude

Yes, I’m always impressed with how The Walking Dead always had fueled up operational vehicles years after industrialized society broke down.

Taargus Taargus
Taargus Taargus
10 months ago

I loled that this is the follow up to the “I’m totally screwed getting this GC ready for Moab” article. Somehow I totally forgot about the van plan.

I didn’t recall from the last article that the van had been sitting for years? Must have missed that. That… changes things a little bit. That being said, those underbody shots certainly don’t scream “rust bucket” to me.

I’m usually a skeptic but I actually think this one will go fairly well.

Rust Buckets
Rust Buckets
10 months ago

I’m kind of surprised to see that rear differential hanging down there with no brackets or subframes or anything around it or supporting it. I guess it’s just bolted in through the top. I was also kind of surprised to see a differential with a removable cover instead of the standard Toyota/Nissan/Ford 9 inch removable center section and welded cover. Maybe that’s only for solid axles.

I haven’t spent much time around AWD/4wd cars that aren’t Subarus or jeeps, so the whole thing is kind of weird to me. I guess that’s a twist beam rear suspension? Is that what the standard Sienna uses too? All I’ve really looked at is the Dodge minivan with a De Dion rear axle, which is cool.

PL71 Enthusiast
PL71 Enthusiast
10 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

You can see the bracket bolting to the cover in the one pic.

These Haldex-style AWD systems don’t need that strong of a rear end because they can’t put a lot of power to it.

Rust Buckets
Rust Buckets
10 months ago

That’s what I figured. That diff and those axle shafts actually look like they’re in the beefy side for how little torque that must see.

PL71 Enthusiast
PL71 Enthusiast
9 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

Next time you’re behind a 1st Gen crv in traffic look at the cv axles. They are absolutely tiny.

Hiram McDaniel
Hiram McDaniel
9 months ago

Can confirm. Owned a 4wd Element. Rear axle shafts were the diameter of my pinky.

The Clutch Rider
The Clutch Rider
10 months ago

Good luck with it. I have done all the suspension on my wife’s 15 odyssey last year and used mevotech and KYB stuff. Both are OE suppliers to honda. I think it ran me like $700 plus my labor and beer.

I really never had good experiences with aftermarket parts, especially the cheaper ones. I always had to go ahead and redo it in a year or so.

Rust Buckets
Rust Buckets
10 months ago

A 2015 odyssey already needed all new suspension? I guess that car is 9 years old now, but that’s still not very long…….

The Clutch Rider
The Clutch Rider
10 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

well it was at 140k miles on it. Now it’s 165k. Besides 2 sets of brakes all around and the 105K service, it never needed anything else, and my wife is abusing the damn thing.

Well, i am not counting flats because the damn thing is always getting one every 3 or 4 months. If someone drops a nail on the road this car will pick it up for sure. I am thinking even the replacing the car for this reason alone. we had a streak where within 2 days we had 3 flats

Last edited 10 months ago by The Clutch Rider
Rust Buckets
Rust Buckets
10 months ago

Well I don’t know how hard she drives it but 140k is significantly less than I’m used to. I replaced a bunch of suspension parts that weren’t that bad on a Dodge minivan with 190k. I really need to redo all the bushings on my Accord, but that’s because they’re all 32 years old and have 280k miles.

Drive By Commenter
Drive By Commenter
10 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

140k is time to redo that stuff. Especially stuff with bushings since those are ragged at that point. I did a front end redo on our 140k RAV4. There was an incipient bad ball joint and tie rod end. New control arms, front struts and sway bar bushings all the way around completed the job. But wow, I’m scarred for life after doing the rear stuff. There’s zero clearance back there! The car drove noticeably better after all that. My Cruze needs new struts/shocks every 60k miles or so. They’re easy to DIY like most stuff is on that car.

Rust Buckets
Rust Buckets
10 months ago

I’ve heard that newer cars usually use much softer rubber in the bushings and they wear out faster. On old cars the bushings should not be shot at 140k. Bushings look great on my XJ with 230k. Like I said, 190k miles on a 2008 Caravan and the bushings weren’t too bad.

Drive By Commenter
Drive By Commenter
10 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

Salt, man. The salt does a number on everything. Between the cold shrinking stuff along with making it more brittle and the salt drying out the rubber, it’s a rough environment for a car. I do soak the underside of the cars with Fluid Film yearly every fall. That helps immensely at keeping the salt at bay! With a good sprayer the prep work of removing underbody shields takes longer than spraying the cars.

TriangleRAD
TriangleRAD
10 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

Granted they were all older, ranging from 1988-2006, but the main weakness in every Honda I’ve ever owned was front suspension. Ball joints, tie rod ends, CV’s…they’ve been problem areas.

Rust Buckets
Rust Buckets
10 months ago
Reply to  TriangleRAD

My 1992 Honda has front suspension issues, and rear suspension issues, because it has 280k miles. My other 1991 Honda with 154k? miles has suspension in great shape.

EmotionalSupportBMW
EmotionalSupportBMW
10 months ago

David yesterday: “I have three month to finish my Jeep or I’m out of the Jeep Super Friends!”

David today: “So, anyways I’m flying to St. Louis to fix some dude’s van. That’s now my van. I’m giving myself 24 hours to fix it before driving it halfway across the country.”

You do really like a deadline.

The Clutch Rider
The Clutch Rider
10 months ago

can you imagine this being a “reality tv” show

EmotionalSupportBMW
EmotionalSupportBMW
10 months ago

“David has found a ’93 Dodge Neon that’s sat on bottom of Lake Huron for six month. At only 100 dollars, David meets the guy at a local boat launch in Alpena. He has given himself two days to get the Neon into top shape, before driving it to Vancouver, Washington for his cousin’s uncle’s wedding. He plans to give the pristine five speed Neon to whoever happens to be working valet that night. Join us this week on David Tracy and the Holy Grail(s)”.

Toecutter
Toecutter
10 months ago

If anyone can meet such a deadline, it is David. Project Cactus was quite something.

Bqpqfb
Bqpqfb
10 months ago

“Plus, those two purchases added up to almost the cost of the van, so they weren’t that cheap.”

With logic like that, what can go wrong?

Disclaimer: I fully support this endeavor, motive, undertaking. Go be David.

Michael Beranek
Michael Beranek
10 months ago

I’ve done all these parts on my wife’s ’04. A few things-

  1. When you pull the front CV axle out from the hub, or unbolt the knuckle from the ball joint, it will be a free agent with nothing holding it together besides the boot clamps and the spring clips on the transaxle ends. Be very careful that the CV axles don’t come out or apart, as this will massively extend your repair time and frustration.
  2. To swap out the control arms, some of the motor mounts need to come out. This is necessary to access the two front hinge bolts. Each motor mount is secured by a nut that is accessed through a hole in the bottom of the subframe, and threads onto a stud at the bottom of the mount. Judging by the rust on this puppy, those nuts are gonna be a bitch and a half. Kroil the piss out of them, let it do it’s work, and then use an impact, 120V electric if necessary. The torque it would take to loosen these nuts with a breaker bar would pull the van right off the jackstands.
Double Wide Harvey Park
Double Wide Harvey Park
10 months ago

> To swap out the control arms, some of the motor mounts need to come out

Whut

Michael Beranek
Michael Beranek
10 months ago

The two bolts for the front hinge of the control arm can’t be accessed with the motor mount in place.

Gee See
Gee See
10 months ago

The trade off of transverse engine layout, you can stuff a lot in a smaller space. Not a problem if you never need to take those things out. Those plugs against the firewall will be a pain to access.

Sid Bridge
Sid Bridge
10 months ago

Can confirm the Sienna is unbeaten when it comes to access to cupholders. It will accommodate numerous Slushees.

Andrew Wyman
Andrew Wyman
10 months ago
Reply to  Sid Bridge

I am excited for David to join the ranks of those who enjoy minivans. Those Sienna’s are a great “they just work” car.

Jalop Gold
Jalop Gold
9 months ago
Reply to  Andrew Wyman

Umm, welcome new friend!? David loves minivans, and has one he keeps in Germany for tooling around Europe and visiting supercars.

Andrew Wyman
Andrew Wyman
9 months ago
Reply to  Jalop Gold

He enjoys that minivan, because it is a holy grail. I wouldn’t say that he enjoys minivans, but that he loves Jeeps and the odd holy grail.

Nico
Nico
10 months ago

Can someone tell me how this Sienna can be an XLE and a Limited? I was pretty sure those were two different trims, maybe just an added badge?

Michael Beranek
Michael Beranek
10 months ago
Reply to  Nico

I think it was CE, LE, and XLE. Limited was maybe just an option package.

GreatFallsGreen
GreatFallsGreen
10 months ago
Reply to  Nico

For the first few years of this gen, Toyota did label it it as “XLE Limited” for whatever reason, even though it was indeed a separate trim at the very top. Not sure if they were just concerned that people wouldn’t think it was the top Limited was already the top on Toyota’s SUVs and it’s rare for “Limited” to have ever meant a trim that wasn’t higher end. The Avalon would add a Limited trim above XLS the next year (but not XLS Limited). Or perhaps they just felt it was too copycat of the Chrysler T&C having a Limited trim at the top.

Nowadays we still see it like Kia with SX and SX Prestige but it’s more common in two “names” for the trim – like Honda with Touring and Touring Elite, as Touring and Elite might not mean anything on their own, but more words = fancier I suppose.

Madewithgenuineparts
Madewithgenuineparts
10 months ago

It was also Limited Platinum for a few years on Highlanders before that was spun off into its own trim level

Nico
Nico
9 months ago

Thanks for the info, I always like hearing about the odd ball manufacturer naming conventions. Toyota seems to have a history of spinning off names and trims. My aunt had a Celica Supra model back in the day and then they became two separate models.

GreatFallsGreen
GreatFallsGreen
9 months ago
Reply to  Nico

Same, this is one of the few outlets I have for such obscure vehicle knowledge I acquired over the years, lol.
Yeah – Camry Solara, Corolla Matrix, etc etc – they do have such a habit of rolling names together.

Data
Data
10 months ago
Reply to  Nico

Toyota Sienna XLE. Mobility currently Limited.

IRegertNothing, Esq.
IRegertNothing, Esq.
10 months ago
Reply to  Nico

XLE was the top standard trim in those days. Any major factory options would sometimes be indicated with a second badge next to the trim badge, for example you could get a V6 in any Camry and they would add a V6 badge next to the LE/SE/XLE badge. I’m not sure when Toyota started using Limited as a full trim above the XLE.

GreatFallsGreen
GreatFallsGreen
10 months ago

I think the 4Runner was the first Toyota in the 90s to have a “Limited” and then it trickled into their other trucks/SUVs by the 2000s. The Sienna was the first “car” with a Limited trim IIRC, maybe they felt they had to bridge the two as XLE Limited since the Sienna did follow CE/LE/XLE. The Avalon followed in ’05, but the only other Toyota car that ever added a Limited that comes to mind is the Prius. OTOH Toyota crossovers never followed the LE/XLE format until the 2010s so that sort of converged too.

Boxing Pistons
Boxing Pistons
10 months ago

Good luck! Treat yourself to a hot salami sandwich from Gioia’s if you get a chance. Plenty of other great Italian places on The Hill for pastas you can eat in the shower as well..

Toecutter
Toecutter
10 months ago
Reply to  Boxing Pistons

For cost to quality ratio, I recommend Amighetti’s.

Michael Beranek
Michael Beranek
10 months ago
Reply to  Boxing Pistons

I’d grab some Imo’s. I love it and I’m a Chicago pizza snob.

Nycbjr
Nycbjr
10 months ago
Reply to  Boxing Pistons

second this, lots of good places to eat in STL, be sure to get some toasted raviolis, super yum!

Alan Christensen
Alan Christensen
10 months ago

Because flying in to replace the flywheel on the F150 or to drop a new engine in the Beetle (or both) would lack the entertainment value of a trademark David Tracy hopeless cause project.

Rust Buckets
Rust Buckets
10 months ago

I kind of assumed he would be replacing the f150 flywheel while he’s there. We’ll see.

TOSSABL
TOSSABL
10 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

I wonder if that truck is the best thing to drive while he recovers. It is a bit agricultural—not even sure if it has power steering.
If he can drive it, I’m an hour north of NC, and I’ve replaced the flywheel in a 72 F100. It’s not hard—but you kinda need 2people for pulling & replacing the trans as it’s too big for most to benchpress.

TriangleRAD
TriangleRAD
10 months ago
Reply to  TOSSABL

Having sat in The Marshal, I can verify that it’s not the sort of vehicle one would prefer while recovering from major surgery.

Rust Buckets
Rust Buckets
10 months ago
Reply to  TriangleRAD

Having daily driven a straight six manual 2wd f150 very similar to the Marshal for several years, I can verify that it ain’t bad. Light clutch, pretty smooth ride(soft half ton springs and independent front), and a very comfortable seating position that’s quite easy to get into(although maybe a little tall for Jason). Out of all my cars, the f150 is perhaps the best of all of them if I were recovering from major surgery.

Rust Buckets
Rust Buckets
10 months ago
Reply to  TOSSABL

It has power steering, that was standard equipment by then.

Bench press? You don’t use a jack to pull transmissions? I can pull that transmission by myself if I have a floor jack, or, better yet, an actual transmission jack. I ain’t bench pressing no transmissions, even with a friend.

TOSSABL
TOSSABL
10 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

Right: one to work the jack: the other to maneuver the trans

Chartreuse Bison
Chartreuse Bison
10 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

Yeah he said he would in the first van post

Alan Christensen
Alan Christensen
10 months ago

If there’s a lack of thrills, I’m certain Torch’s chainsaw could be employed somehow. “One of the engine mount bolts on the VW was stripped, so we had to cut the entire back end off the Bug…”

Last edited 10 months ago by Alan Christensen
Scott Ross
Scott Ross
10 months ago

I drove my 286k prius to michigan and back a few times. Same with the 100k bmw motorcycle, you’ll be fine

Sklooner
Sklooner
10 months ago

Why not change the rotors while you are in there- they look a bit Krusty approved

AlterId
AlterId
10 months ago
Reply to  David Tracy

You may have to intervene if they feel overconfident. Be nice about it.

KYFire
KYFire
10 months ago

Bring a torch, heat is your friend with stuck bolts. Can also be used as a space heater in case you’re having to do all this outside!

If you break down around Lexington, KY, have trailer, will travel.

Toecutter
Toecutter
10 months ago
Reply to  KYFire

Bring a torch, heat is your friend with stuck bolts.

Watching David work on Project Cactus is what taught me how to properly use this trick.

10001010
10001010
10 months ago
Reply to  KYFire

He doesn’t get to Torch until after the van is fixed 😉

Toecutter
Toecutter
10 months ago
Reply to  David Tracy

The best part is that you made this response to someone with a username KYFire.

KYFire
KYFire
10 months ago
Reply to  David Tracy

Are you sure that wasn’t a subconscious attempt at a funeral pyre for the FC?

JT4Ever
JT4Ever
10 months ago

I had almost this exact van for several years, just sold it a few months ago. Overall it’s great. The plugs and coils tend for go bad every 100,000 miles, so keep that in mind. The front 3 cylinders are easy to access, but the rear three are a bear, as they are partially obstructed by a bunch of cladding and wiper motors and such. Taking that all apart to get at the plugs and then reassembling again takes a few hours. Also, this era of Sienna had a notorious VVTI hose failure and Limited Service Campaign, and while I don’t think it applies to this particular engine it’s worth thinking about:

https://www.siennachat.com/threads/oil-cooler-failure-no-recall-beware.60699/

Bizness Comma Nunya
Bizness Comma Nunya
10 months ago
Reply to  David Tracy

I think we’ve all been here…

The universe will probably punish you for not replacing them when you have them easily accessible. haha

JT4Ever
JT4Ever
10 months ago
Reply to  David Tracy

Far be it for me to add to your already stunning to-do list, but if you’re taking that area apart anyway then it seems worth it to zip some new ones in there, although I was shocked at the cost of the plugs and coils (but cheaper eBay/Amazon options are available). You get two jobs done with one disassembly! Is the mathematical inverse of project creep efficiency?

Hondaimpbmw 12
Hondaimpbmw 12
10 months ago
Reply to  JT4Ever

I bought Amazon sourced NGK plugs for my Taco. Turned out they were counterfeit/defective (first time I’ve encountered that in 55yrs of buying NGK). Turned out O’Reilly’s had them for near the same price. Autozone were like 3X the price.

Gee See
Gee See
10 months ago
Reply to  Hondaimpbmw 12

Yup the common trick shady sellers do. They know Amazon just bin together with the same SKU eg spark plugs / sd card etc. So they sign up to be 3rd party seller that uses Amazon warehouses. CS people don’t care, they just refund the money.

It'll buff out
It'll buff out
9 months ago
Reply to  JT4Ever

“Creep Efficiency”. I like that. So true….Thats how I wound up with a new drive belt tensioner and idler pulley, along with the radiator hoses, and drive belt, while putting a new radiator in my ’06 Miata. Wait, was that a squeak, I heard…

Despite being another car that usually “just works”, I am pretty sure that when that car was built, they started by hanging a radiator from the ceiling, and then assembled the rest of the car around it.

Last edited 9 months ago by It'll buff out
Hondaimpbmw 12
Hondaimpbmw 12
10 months ago
Reply to  David Tracy

“As long as you’re in there”

A. Barth
A. Barth
10 months ago

I bought a set of hubs for a Saturn VUE from Detroit Axle – seemed like good stuff.

I’m not familiar with SCITOO, but according to their little badge they’re “100% ensure” so they should be fine. 🙂

It’s 811 miles to VA

You’ve got a full tank of class, half a pack of Raisinets, it’s dark, and you’re wearing eyeglasses.

Hit it.

A. Barth
A. Barth
10 months ago
Reply to  David Tracy

Fingers crossed, et cetera

Btw, if that last part sounded a little odd it was inspired by this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbF29c_FpV8

(AFAIK you haven’t seen the film yet, but maybe you stealth-watched it on a plane or something)

Jack Trade
Jack Trade
10 months ago
Reply to  A. Barth

I might even have gone with “he’s drunk…how would he know where we’re going?!”

Rollin Hand
Rollin Hand
10 months ago
Reply to  David Tracy

I have to say, since this is going to ostensibly be carrying a guy whose heart…just….burst… maybe spending an extra couple bucks for reputable parts (other than the Scitoos) on Rock Auto might have been worth it. You dont want him pitching forward and straining at the seat belt if a tie rod end goes. And do you save money if you put these struts on and they last a year, meaning they need to be replaced. I would have gone with Monroes at the minimum, but most likely KYBs.

Last edited 10 months ago by Rollin Hand
Redfoxiii
Redfoxiii
10 months ago
Reply to  A. Barth

Detroit Axle is good people. I live close enough to go to their factory/workshop in person. The BMW dealer I worked at used them to refurb parts.

A. Barth
A. Barth
10 months ago
Reply to  Redfoxiii

That’s good info – thank you!

Drive By Commenter
Drive By Commenter
10 months ago
Reply to  Redfoxiii

Good to hear! I’ll give them a shot if I need what they sell. Seen them on Amazon and eBay. The reviews seemed genuine but ya never know these days.

Rusty S Trusty
Rusty S Trusty
10 months ago
Reply to  A. Barth

I’ve bought a ton of stuff from Detroit Axle and I’m sure I’ll buy a ton more. Considering the price I didn’t really expect much out of that first power steering rack but that exceeded my expectations and they’ve been a go to for me ever since.

Toecutter
Toecutter
10 months ago

For $500, you got a damned good deal.

Let me know if you need any help wrenching.

Pat Rich
Pat Rich
10 months ago

The 3MZ is a very reliable unit, but it is a timing belt, so maybe ask when that was last done (it is an interference design). Also they are sensitive to oil changes, so check for signs of oil gelling and sludge.

Last edited 10 months ago by Pat Rich
Ben
Ben
10 months ago
Reply to  David Tracy

Thus foreshadowing Torch’s next big vehicular disaster. 😉

Torque
Torque
9 months ago
Reply to  David Tracy

I completely understand not wanting to replace the timing belt it IS a major job that easily can take a full day in and of itsself…

That said the timing belt change interval on these is 120k miles. And you said this has 240k miles…

I’m no mathematician, but I did stay at a Holiday Express last night, so unless you have proof the timing belt (plus accessory belt, and all the relates tensioner and pullys, water pump and thermostat) were replaced recently…

It will probably be fine for the drive there, but that just means you’ll be leaving Jason with another vehicle with another major maintence job that is needed.

I had my timing belt (and all tensioners, pullys, accessory belt plus water pump, thermostat and ypper and lower radiator hoses replaced* (on a 2wd 2004 Sienna XLE) the van was at 180k miles because I was concerned with the age of the belts.

My mechanic also had to replace the passenger side (upper) engine mount bc that mount had to be removed to give good enough access to replace the belts and the large engine mount bolt was frozen in place.

*I try to do as much work on my vehicles myself and I have replaced timing belts before (I replaced 3x timing belts + all related stuff noted above) on my last primary daily (98′ VW TDI Jetta, knowing what’s involved I left this big job to my mechanic 🙂

Last edited 9 months ago by Torque
Torque
Torque
9 months ago
Reply to  Torque

Ugh I stand corrected, 90k miles is the timing belt replacement interval and the 3.3 v6 in these is a non-interface engine too. Still good thing I replaced mine around 180k miles (I replaced it at 178k miles).

So IF the timing belt was replaced around 180k miles it should be OK.

Ref: https://www.timingbeltinfo.com/toyota-sienna

Bizness Comma Nunya
Bizness Comma Nunya
10 months ago

Honestly those vans are stout, overall.

Check to see if the rear diff is clunking, you can save yourself replacing the unit if you replace the bushings in time…or else if they go for too long then you need a new rear diff.

Also, those 5 speed autos are great but they really do need fluid changes since they run a little hot and degrade fluid a bit fast, especially in the AWD vans.

Since it’s a 2005, it has a timing belt, so check that out as well.

But, overall, these are very good vans. It’s just that a lot of them weren’t maintained well.

Bizness Comma Nunya
Bizness Comma Nunya
10 months ago

Also, did you know that you have the uncommon version with adaptive cruise control?

I haven’t driven one, but I’ve heard the system is decent, especially for a van that started in model year 2004 (!)

If the system still works (it should), then your long drive should be a lot easier.

Last edited 10 months ago by Bizness Comma Nunya
Bizness Comma Nunya
Bizness Comma Nunya
10 months ago
Reply to  David Tracy

Yep, it was optional on only the limited version, and there is a small hole that is on the front end, lower passenger side, that was used for the Dynamic Laser Cruise Control.

I’m not 100% sure you have it, but I’m fairly sure you do. Check it out!

GreatFallsGreen
GreatFallsGreen
10 months ago

yes XLE Limiteds have adaptive cruise! I mentioned that on the original post too, I am curious how well it works compared to today’s systems. IIRC this was a year before the Avalon even offered it.

Emmy Heatherington
Emmy Heatherington
10 months ago

If my memory serves (and it could not…), this adaptive cruise was able to control speed only through shifting gears and relying on engine braking, and isn’t actually connected to the brakes, so it’s limited in the rate it can slow you at and how slow you can go?

GreatFallsGreen
GreatFallsGreen
10 months ago

That’s a good question, I’m not sure. I found that Toyota did add brake control to the laser-guided cruise in 2000, but can’t tell if all versions thereafter had that by default or if they perhaps reserved that part for Lexus after it trickled down to Toyota. And by/around the time they began offering laser-based on Sienna and then Avalon, they had introduced the radar-based cruise and precollision systems too in the LS430.

Elons Backdoor Musk
Elons Backdoor Musk
10 months ago

Godspeed. You’re a good friend.

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