radio presets reset everytime, problem?

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car is a 2003 sienna LE. Everything on the car is original. The presets on the radio will reset itself when you turn off the car, so the next time i turn on the car, it's at a random channel. The battery is original...do you think this is the cause for this problem? Sometime it would also take the radio 30 seconds to initiate/turn on after the car is turned on too.
 
I would expect there's a wire that's supposed to carry battery positive at all times and isn't. Try checking your fuses.
 
Does the trip odometer reset too?

I'm guessing a soft short in the battery, which lets it go down to low enough to reset but yet has plenty of juice to start the engine no problem. Had that in my truck once.
 
Originally Posted By: yonyon
I would expect there's a wire that's supposed to carry battery positive at all times and isn't. Try checking your fuses.

which fuses specifically?
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Does the trip odometer reset too?

I'm guessing a soft short in the battery, which lets it go down to low enough to reset but yet has plenty of juice to start the engine no problem. Had that in my truck once.

no odometer problems. im thinking it's the battery too..i mean it is 9 years old. Engine cranks over perfectly..so its puzzling.
 
Just check your fusebox. Usually there's two fuses for the radio. Im unsure what they'd both be called, but honestly its likely that.

Mine has a "radio" fuse and a "memory" fuse for instance. The second is constant positive...the second is ignition positive, and would easily cause the problems you seem to have if the second blew.
 
Garlicbreadman,

My wifes '01 Lexus RX-300(similar in many ways to your Sienna) was doing this at about it's 8-9 year mark although a little differently than the yours.

After restarting the engine, the digital clock on the indash screen would reset to 1:00(not 12:00 as one would think). And too, the brightness for that screen would be several bars lower in brightness causing me to > up the brightness to my original liking/setting.

IMHO, these are built in designs/signs that the battery is on it's way out. Even though my battery still had enough power to restart the engine even in the cold winter, these are still signs that one or two of the battery's cells are not at optimum. Maybe even reading < 12 V with the engine off.

IMHO...it's the battery! Even if the battery is strong, maybe it's corrosion or a weak connection on one/both of the +/- posts.

And too, your right about where we were in terms of years old the battery is/was when you noticed the issue. These Toyota/Pannisonic batteries are strong and long lasting but, I think it's time for a replacement.

Good luck and keep us posted.

CB
 
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Originally Posted By: Char Baby

IMHO...it's the battery! Even if the battery is strong, maybe it's corrosion or a weak connection on one/both of the +/- posts.


It's very possibly is the battery, anytime a electronic gizmo rests on start up(especially after setting over night), suspect low voltage while cranking...
 
I wouldn't think it's the battery, but I would check all the connections and such.

Many new cars can benefit just from removing and re-seating the fuses properly. And you would not believe the symptoms on my Silverado which were cured just by getting the battery cables installed correctly!
 
As TFB1 and SteveSRT8 mentioned, check both the battery and the cables. I have had vehicles with weak batteries that have caused a stereo reset upon starting, and ones with loose cables cause the same thing.
 
Indeed!

As I mentioned, I strongly believe it is something to do with the battery or it's connections. Especially since the battery is the OE and 9 years old.
 
That really is a good point. In my area the oldest batteries I see in good working order are 7 or 8 year old Motorcrafts. 5 years is a good run for a Panasonic. Climate and usage patterns probably helped a lot with allowing your battery to last so long, but at this point it owes you nothing and should be replaced. If that fixes the problem you don't have to check anything and if it doesn't fix the problem you still get the peace of mind that comes with a new battery.
 
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Garlicbreadman,

My wifes '01 Lexus RX-300(similar in many ways to your Sienna) was doing this at about it's 8-9 year mark although a little differently than the yours.

After restarting the engine, the digital clock on the indash screen would reset to 1:00(not 12:00 as one would think). And too, the brightness for that screen would be several bars lower in brightness causing me to > up the brightness to my original liking/setting.

IMHO, these are built in designs/signs that the battery is on it's way out. Even though my battery still had enough power to restart the engine even in the cold winter, these are still signs that one or two of the battery's cells are not at optimum. Maybe even reading < 12 V with the engine off.

IMHO...it's the battery! Even if the battery is strong, maybe it's corrosion or a weak connection on one/both of the +/- posts.

And too, your right about where we were in terms of years old the battery is/was when you noticed the issue. These Toyota/Pannisonic batteries are strong and long lasting but, I think it's time for a replacement.

Good luck and keep us posted.

CB


BINGO! I had always suspected the battery was the problem and it is! New group 35 kirkland battery in the sienna and the radio is working perfectly! Odd, this car originally had a 24f group battery i believe..
 
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GREAT, glad to hear this fixed your problem!

When I am looking for batteries for any of my vehicles, they all seem to show two size catigories. I like the larger of the two as long as it fits in the battery space provided.

Funny thing is
smile.gif
The Larger of the two batteries listed for my vehicles is always the more powerfull(by a small amount) in terms of CCA/CA and also, the larger size is for some reason always ~ $3-$5 cheaper than the smaller size battery, I don't know why!

The only time that I settle on the smaller battery is if, well, I just need the battery and the smaller of the two is all that's available.

Batteries today, seem to last a very long time regardless of the catigory size. WORKS FOR ME!
smile.gif
 
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