Is Toyota Sienna a 'sludge monster'?

[wheels]

Hi We're considering a 2000 Toyota Sienna as our next minivan. That's got the 3.0 v6. Is that a motor that is considered a 'sludge monster'? All the reviews that I read were good, but thought I'd check with you guys on the motor. Thanks in advance for all help.

 

[sbc350gearhead]

Yes, it is considered to be a sludgemonster, but that doesn't mean that it will be unreliable. From what I have heard, as long as the engine has allways had 3k OCI's with dino, then there isn't a problem. The problem is when owners tried to go for 7500 with dino. I have a camry with a 2.2 (also a sludge monster) and have never had a problem that could be related to the oil.

 

[Milton C. Hubbard]

It just seems odd that engines in passegner car duty would run so hot that the oil turns to sludge in 7K miles? Especially in new cars designed with state of the art tools and technology. I suspect that an internal leak on certain models is allowing coolant to contaminate the oil. This would certainly turn the oil to sludge in short order.

 

[Alan]

Got an 02 Sienna.Love it. The sludge I don't think is a problem with 3K/3M OCI's.Make sure the vehicle has been maintained pretty well also.A lot of people buy Toyota's on their reputation for reliability only to have a lot of disregard for the maintanence.Sure it last but for how long?And when stuff starts to break it's time to get rid of it because it's becoming a "money pit".Better off buying a new car and repeating the cycle,yeah,that'll be cheaper.

 

[RussellA]

Definitely a sludgemonster. Sienna is the worse of all because of the additional load on the engine and the tighter therefore hotter engine compartment. I wouldn't buy one used without having a mechanic pull the front valve cover regardless of what maintenance records they may have. A baffle under the oil fill cap keeps you from just peeking in. Lot's of opinions on the sludging. UOA have shown these engines to really beat up oil. Heads do run hot, oil by design stays pooled in head galleys, PVC has very small opening. Toyota made modifications to this engine in mid 2001 to "help extend oil life". Buy a Honda Odessey and sleep at night. [ December 08, 2003, 10:58 PM: Message edited by: RussellA ]

 

[Ken2]

quote:

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Originally posted by wheels: Hi We're considering a 2000 Toyota Sienna as our next minivan. That's got the 3.0 v6. Is that a motor that is considered a 'sludge monster'? All the reviews that I read were good, but thought I'd check with you guys on the motor. Thanks in advance for all help.

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If I bought one, I'd do an engine cleaning with Auto-Rx, then use the Auto-Rx maintenance dose with very good quality oil and a short oil drain interval; longer interval with synthetic oil. Ken

 

[wheels]

Thanks guys. I stopped at the dealer today just to take a look at the Sienna, but it is already sold. The other van on my mental list is the Odessey. I'll probably just concentrate on finding a good used Odessey.

 

[John in the ATL]

quote:

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Originally posted by wheels: I stopped at the dealer today just to take a look at the Sienna, but it is already sold. The other van on my mental list is the Odessey. I'll probably just concentrate on finding a good used Odyssey.

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I am in the market for minivans as well. The Odyssey's weakness is its transmission. If you get one, drain the trans fluid once a year and only use the Honda ATF.

 

[cousincletus]

If the Honda has transmission issues, then why not buy a Chrysler? You could probably get a new one with the 7-70 warranty for the proce of a used Honda. Then you really can sleep at night. The Chrysler dealers around here(Richmond, VA) will give you a free loaner car if yours is in the shop for any reason, even for an oil change as long as you bought the car there. Hope this helps.