[dirtyhands]

TL;DR the engine wants to start every time i turn the van on (push to start) regardless of whether my foot is on the brake or not. the starter continues to run unless I pull the relay out of the junction box in the engine compartment. I ruled out a stuck relay by swapping it with the dome cut out relay which is right next to it in which it behaves the same. what the &*^# is going on? is it the push button? brake pedal switch? its my daily driver and I need to get it back to normal.

unrelated but maybe related I have just finished installing the Journey 3.5in lift kit on my 2014 AWD XLE in which I bled the rear brakes.

I came out this morning to discover that I left the van push-start in ACC on position (steering wheel unlocked no lights on) and the battery dead. I hooked up the jumper cables and immediately the car starts clicking (underpowered starter sounds) which is weird bc my foot was not on the break pedal and I was not holding the start button. I disconnected the neg bat terminal and let the other car charge the van battery for a while. Battery charged up, I reconnected the battery terminal and the starter engages and starts the van. The starter continues to run with the engine until it smokes, the engine stalls, and smoke comes out of the starter. looks like something is keeping the starter running? So, I replaced the starter.
Additionally the AWD, TRAC lights are now on, and the DTC is showing C1241, C1422, and P0335 codes.
C1241is a low battery voltage code. understandable given the dead battery and huge current draw of the now dead starter.
C1422 is a master cylinder or skid control error code (per the internet)
P0335 is a crank position sensor code, but possibly voltage related (per the internet)

Im not solid on these code definitions, per their sources.

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
Ethan

 

[Anton]

I wish I could be of some help. We have this exact issue with some motorcycles I work on, where the starter relay contacts weld themselves shut if you crank the engine with too little battery strength. When you reconnect the battery it will start to crank again. These are starters without a solenoid; the starter relay carries all of the starter current.

The Sienna seems to have a conventional starter with a solenoid, but a similar thing could happen if the solenoid stuck or otherwise failed. What happens when you pull the relay completely? If it still tries to crank, it could be that the solenoid is stuck.