Year? Mileage? of your Sienna
P0351 Error Code
Our Toyota is throwing a P0351 error code which, according to my research, is ignition coil A going bad or somehow throwing the code.
I read somewhere that a steady on check engine light means "replace soon" while a flashing check engine light means "replace immedietly." Our check engine light is steady on.
I also heard from the guy at O'reilly's that if the ignition coil was going bad, "we'd know it." But to me it seems like our car is driving just fine. Nothing actually feels off whatsoever. I can clear the code, but it does get thrown again in a while. I've cleared it and reread it three times now. (Not sure if this is coincidence or not, but it got thrown one of those times right when I turned on the A/C. I also JUST replaced my thermostat if that has anything to do with it)
Anyway, the only large issue is I can't use cruise control when the check engine light is on. I don't want to change an ignition coil if it's not a problem. But what say you? Do I need to get this changed? Is the check engine light telling me the truth? Or is the fact that the car drives just fine a better indication that there is no problem, and the check engine light is lying to me?
Also, if the answer is yes to changing the ignition coil, do you know of any youtube videos that explain how to change an ignition coil in cylinders 1,3, or 5? All the videos I've stumbled upon are for cylinders 2, 4, and 6...which looks really easy. But there is some extra stuff in the way for cylinders 1, 3, and 5 which I'd love to know how to remove.
TIA!
I read somewhere that a steady on check engine light means "replace soon" while a flashing check engine light means "replace immedietly." Our check engine light is steady on.
I also heard from the guy at O'reilly's that if the ignition coil was going bad, "we'd know it." But to me it seems like our car is driving just fine. Nothing actually feels off whatsoever. I can clear the code, but it does get thrown again in a while. I've cleared it and reread it three times now. (Not sure if this is coincidence or not, but it got thrown one of those times right when I turned on the A/C. I also JUST replaced my thermostat if that has anything to do with it)
Anyway, the only large issue is I can't use cruise control when the check engine light is on. I don't want to change an ignition coil if it's not a problem. But what say you? Do I need to get this changed? Is the check engine light telling me the truth? Or is the fact that the car drives just fine a better indication that there is no problem, and the check engine light is lying to me?
Also, if the answer is yes to changing the ignition coil, do you know of any youtube videos that explain how to change an ignition coil in cylinders 1,3, or 5? All the videos I've stumbled upon are for cylinders 2, 4, and 6...which looks really easy. But there is some extra stuff in the way for cylinders 1, 3, and 5 which I'd love to know how to remove.
TIA!
1 - 9 of 9 Posts
Ah, of course. Sorry about that...
2008 Toyota Sienna XLE limited. 185,000 miles.
2008 Toyota Sienna XLE limited. 185,000 miles.
I have no experience with the 2GR-FE engine and yes it is quite involved with my 06. I have to remove the plenum to gain access to the firewall side of things and I imagine it would be similar for you as well. I have small hands and luckily for me I have removed the number 1 coil without removing anything else. Did the van start showing that code after the thermostat change? If so maybe you can do a look over to make sure everything was connected properly. Have you cleaned the MAF sensor lately?
Flashing light usually means it's a continuously happening Type A misfire, meaning it's happening constantly (once per 200 revolutions, I believe). It's certainly a bad situation. Constantly lit means you have a stored code. There's no indication of urgency behind either one because there's no real "meaning" behind it, but flashing means that you are flooding the cat with unburned hydrocarbons and can turn a $400 repair into a $4000 repair very quickly.Our Toyota is throwing a P0351 error code which, according to my research, is ignition coil A going bad or somehow throwing the code.
I read somewhere that a steady on check engine light means "replace soon" while a flashing check engine light means "replace immedietly." Our check engine light is steady on.
I also heard from the guy at O'reilly's that if the ignition coil was going bad, "we'd know it." But to me it seems like our car is driving just fine. Nothing actually feels off whatsoever. I can clear the code, but it does get thrown again in a while. I've cleared it and reread it three times now. (Not sure if this is coincidence or not, but it got thrown one of those times right when I turned on the A/C. I also JUST replaced my thermostat if that has anything to do with it)
Anyway, the only large issue is I can't use cruise control when the check engine light is on. I don't want to change an ignition coil if it's not a problem. But what say you? Do I need to get this changed? Is the check engine light telling me the truth? Or is the fact that the car drives just fine a better indication that there is no problem, and the check engine light is lying to me?
Also, if the answer is yes to changing the ignition coil, do you know of any youtube videos that explain how to change an ignition coil in cylinders 1,3, or 5? All the videos I've stumbled upon are for cylinders 2, 4, and 6...which looks really easy. But there is some extra stuff in the way for cylinders 1, 3, and 5 which I'd love to know how to remove.
TIA!
I would be inclined to ignore the guy at O'Reilly's. If you have a P0351, you DO know it! It may not be the actual ignition coil. It's a problem with the ignition coil circuit. Best hope would be that you have mouse damage that you can see from the top, maybe with a mirror. Worst case is that you'll have to access the back bank of coils/wiring/connectors. The involves removing the cowl tray, air filter housing, throttle body and intake manifold. But, if you're going to go that far, you'll want to just replace the rear coils, repair any wiring, AND replace the intake manifold and the throttle body gaskets and you might as well replace the plugs while you're in there. A mechanic will probably charge $600-700. DIY will probably be 4-8 hours, depending on your level of experience. With everything open, there's a high possibility of failure (dropping something into a place where it will destroy), so being extra careful is essential. With the number of fasteners, it's ALSO imperative to have a good scheme of keeping track of them all.
The vehicle was leaking coolant really badly out of the thermostat housing. The vehicle threw a code a couple times regarding low coolant. I'm not sure, but the vehicle may have (lightly if that's a thing) overheated once. No billowing smoke or anything. Everytime the check engine light came on, I assumed it was the thermostat issue that was throwing the code, so I didn't pay too much attention to it until I fixed the thermostat, (Just being very careful to have coolant available to top off if the coolant level dropped too low). However, while the thermostat was out, the HVAC system was totally messed up. I wonder if we ever had the engine overheat, but the sensor wasn't displaying engine temp properly or something, and that could've messed with the ignition coil?Did the van start showing that code after the thermostat change? If so maybe you can do a look over to make sure everything was connected properly. Have you cleaned the MAF sensor lately?
Also, Never cleaned the MAF sensor. I'll look into that.
I think this is what the guy at O'reilly's was saying. I think you're in agreement with him. He was saying that the car would NOT be driving well at all with a P0351 and "I'd know it!". And I guess that's what makes me so curious...because the car is driving completely fine. I can't tell anything wrong with drivability. But that code keeps getting thrown over and over. If it was coil B,D or F. I'd just throw a new one in there...but since it's Coil A, it sounds like a tough job, and I would hate to dive into it when it's not actually a problem.I would be inclined to ignore the guy at O'Reilly's. If you have a P0351, you DO know it! It may not be the actual ignition coil. It's a problem with the ignition coil circuit.
The only thing that might associate the ignition wiring with the thermostat is that you may have created a coolant leak by fixing the old leak. Specifically, I'm thinking either one of the tees or the plastic tube. If you have coolant leaking onto the wiring, you could be causing a short. This kind of thing usually manifests as a knock sensor code, but, if it were spraying instead of dripping, it very easily could end up with something different. Unfortunately, you're going to HAVE to dig into this problem to figure out why you have this problem. The only possible exception is if you happen to have a borescope and can snake it into tight spaces and do some visual checks to potentially eliminate some things. But I still bet you'll have to, at least, peeling back the onion layers until you can find something wrong.
Well, bummer. But thanks for confirming my fears at least. Looks like I'll start figuring out how to remove all that stuff over cylinder A, and see if I can get back in there!Unfortunately, you're going to HAVE to dig into this problem to figure out why you have this problem.
I'll report back on what I find! Might be a few days though.
I strongly recommend this one:...
Also, if the answer is yes to changing the ignition coil, do you know of any youtube videos that explain how to change an ignition coil in cylinders 1,3, or 5? All the videos I've stumbled upon are for cylinders 2, 4, and 6...which looks really easy. But there is some extra stuff in the way for cylinders 1, 3, and 5 which I'd love to know how to remove.
TIA!
1 - 9 of 9 Posts
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