I got this hand-me-down 2007 Toyota Sienna from a family member with about 127,000 miles on it, I took it to change the engine oil and battery and right after that on my way home the temperature gauge was at “H” Now I believe I turned it off before anything happened.
I called the shop and they told me to check the coolant reservoir and it was empty, I filled it up and haven’t driven it since
I don’t know what could’ve caused that and how much the repair might cost me. Help
It's suspicious that this happened after the vehicle being serviced. What kind of shop did the work? I wonder if they accidentally damaged a weak 15-year-old hose.
You need to determine the source of the coolant leak. Fill the cooling system back up and look for drips. You can add UV dye and/or do a pressure test to find leaks if the source is not immediately obvious. If there are no leaks you have a blown head gasket.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDuGeQnMOzk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA7KVQq9vKA
@ChuckTobias
Nice, simple diagnostic tools to know about. Thanks for sharing.
just drive it and monitor the coolant level and temp, it's the only way you're gonna know
Check the engine oil, is there enough? is it clean? it's always a good idea to do that after an oil change, anyhow:
Fill it and visually inspect it for leaks - are there any suspicious hoses?
Bleed the cooling system, Do a head gasket test, start it and see what happens.
IF POSSIBLE: Check the oil level in the transmission, If the AT heat exchanger is bust the coolant will go into the ATF.
(In this case, the Automatic is probably toast - but it's uncommon on modern Toyotas, it's usually a Honda issue)
If the coolant level drops; Replace the radiator cap, check the hoses, radiator, and water pump for leaks. If no external leaks are found, check the heater core, cylinder block and cylinder head (may require a pressure tester to be sure).
I'd focus my attention on the water pump, these are known to an issue on the 2GR.
If overheats without a drop in coolant: Does the fan spin? (Wait to see if the car overheats and the fan doesn't spin up that's a solid indication of a problem), Check the thermostat. (take off the thermostat and throw it in ~85 degree C hot water (or hotter than whatever is inscribed on the thermostat body) to see if it opens (as per the repair manual))
Check the hoses well. sometime there might be leaks on hoses near the engine
