Ah yes, yet another dumb situation I find myself in. You’d think that now that I’m older, am managing people, have a girlfriend, and find myself with all these other responsibilities, I’d have discarded my longtime tendency of getting myself into dumb wrenching-related situations (remember when I was stranded in a parking lot because all five of my cars were simultaneously broken? Remember when I reached rock bottom? Remember when the car I sold immediately blew up? Remember when my engine ingested water and then that water froze? Remember twrenchfoot and my dip in the Baltic Sea?). But no, it has become apparent that age has not brought wisdom, for I find myself about to board a plane with a bag full of tools and a brain filled with both optimism and dread. Optimism because I love wrenching, but dread because it’s cold as hell and my timeframe to rescue this 2005 Toyota Sienna is: One single day.
About a year ago, St. Louis-based Autopian reader Dave told me he’d love to sell me his old family Toyota Sienna, namely an all-wheel drive 2005 model in dark red. Asking price? $500! As I’m no fool, I committed to buying the vehicle immediately and proceeded to spend the next 12 months struggling to find time to actually pick the vehicle up. Now that it’s been a year, enough guilt has built up to force me onto a Southwest Airlines plane to St. Louis, and to convince Jason and his wife Sally that they need this reliable van. Do they actually? Probably not long-term, but it’s a $500 van, and I had to pawn it off on somebody. Also, I do think Jason needs reliable transportation in the short term, so this should be a win-win-win for everyone. Dave gets rid of his van, Jason gets a reliable vehicle, and I get to pay $500 and race against the clock in freezing cold weather trying to fix an old van and road-trip it across the frozen tundra that is America in January of 2024. OK, so maybe it’s just a win-win.
But I’m happy to do it. The truth is, I’m a sucker for a bargain, and I love nothing more than fixing up a cheap vehicle and putting it through its paces. Talk about rush!
Anyway, I’m here at the gate after having checked in 45 pounds worth of tools.
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Meanwhile, in St. Louis, Dave has been receiving extremely heavy boxes full of wheel bearings and struts. The heaviest box full of control arms and tie rods hasn’t yet arrived, and I’m still deciding if I should order some CV axles, just in case. I’m not sure what shape this Sienna’s front end is, all I know is that the struts are toast.
The plan is to drive from St. Louis to Virginia to meet Matt for a top-secret track driving session on Friday. Given that I’m writing this very article from the gate in LA, I’m arriving in St. Louis tonight at 10:30, so really I only have Wednesday to fix the van, as I’ll need all day Thursday to drive to Virginia. Then it’s off to North Carolina to hand Jason his new trusty steed.
So expect some wrenching updates tomorrow on The Autopian’s Instagram and on my own. Though I wrenched in the cold in Detroit for a decade, I am worried that this past year living in LA has made me soft and unable to bear the elements. Do I still have it in me to bring a rustbucket back to life in sub-freezing temperatures?
We’re about to find out!
You do this to yourself because your girlfriend hasn’t yet bought a project car of her own that she expects you to keep drivable. You’re like a border collie who has to be given a job to do, or he’ll get bored and wreak havoc to have something to work on. She’ll learn and buy a 30-year-old Range Rover to serve as your version of weekend herding and agility trials.
I would have loaded the minivan into a C-130 and airdropped it onto SWG’s evil volcano wrenching lair. Sure, Wilmington is like 5 hours away from Torch, but if things don’t go according to plan, giving that Sienna a super-powered Magnum look will set things straight.
Is the suspension actually falling apart? I’ve been wondering why you don’t just get the van to Torch, and you’ll see what’s really needed. Or if it doesn’t make it, then you haven’t spent a ton of time and money for nothing.
oh oh you triggered me >>>money for nothing >>>and his chicks for free
that’s gonna wonder around in my head for awhile.
Toyota suspension isn’t that bad assuming it’s like the camry and highlander which I think it is
No tricky ball joints to deal with, they are bolted to the control arms on all that I’ve done.
The axle can rust into the hub splines though.
Passenger axle has a carrier bearing on most that you aren’t getting out of the bearing bracket no matter how hard you try. You’ll need a press and oxy acyetyln torch. Just buy new bracket if you plan to replace axle but hope you don’t need to. Bolt access for the mount is a nightmare on 06 highlander.
Motor mounts will be rusted in place making getting to the control arms front bolts tough.
Thin needle nose vice grips will help get the rusted sway bar links off.
It should all be manageable.
Those siennas are great vans. In 07 they got more power and better mpgs though. I love those fcs struts. I can’t believe how cheap you can get them.
If you’re trying to press new front bearings in you’re crazy. Get knuckles with bearings in them already.
Rear bearings are piece of cake after you break the rust seal with a chisel and 5 lb hammer. Rotted backing plates might look like Swiss cheese and prevent you from snugging up the e-brake shoes inside the rotor. But they do ok for me just floating around in there.
Looks like a Fun day with an impact gun to me.
Wear a one piece mechanic insulted jump suit hat gloves and boots and you’ll be nice and cozy.
I did all this 10 years ago in the snow in Maine at 20 degrees. I’m 42 now so it would be less fun now but still doable
i second that, get the knuckles with bearings installed would save a ton of time.
I’ve been wrenching on a 2006 Sienna for more than a decade. Do not try to change out the CV axles in the amount of time you have. The driver’s side (if memory serves) is a total pia especially if there’s any rust at all.
Dear Toyota,
Remember that time you replaced a melted hero truck that literally drove through hell? Yeah, that was pretty cool. Now it is time to step up again. The founder of a beloved car community website needs wheels, and his well meaning but overly cheap and ambitious friend and partner is about to “gift” him a $500, quarter million dollar van to “help” follow a major medical emergency.
Please, be so kind as to hook our brethren and leader up with an actually reliable, new Toyota. The car and turn signal enthusiast communities need amazing folks like Torch, so please save him from David’s latest idea.
Sincerely,
Everyone
Oooops….quarter million mile. Pretty sure David isn’t dropping $250k! Proofread ya comments, kids!
Girlfriend?!? We aren’t talking about some jeep with questionable add ons?
A cat. It’s a cat.
Yes, its an actual girl! I’ve met her and she’s seriously cool……. and tolerant!
Well I assume that there needs to be some tolerance in the mix, considering amount of cars carcasses there will be in their lawn in the future :D. Lid for every cattle as they say :D.
This feels less like helping a friend and more like spreading an infection.
Is it just me, or is Jason’s place a black hole for vehicles? Every running vehicle that goes there just stops working. I am convinced that there is an evil spirit at work there. Hell, it even tried to take out Jason himself.
David, This may be too late since you’re already on the move, but if your drive takes you through the Lynchburg area (map from the previous article looks like it), take a break and get some food at the Texas Inn (a cheesy and a bowl is always a good way to go). It’ll warm you up.