With cold months coming, cars tend to suffer, the most basic scenario is to have troubles starting your Toyota Sienna in the morning with very low temperatures. In general this is associated with problems recharging the battery of your Toyota Sienna . There are several reasons that can show you why your battery does not recharge correctly anymore, and today we will try to help you to resolve this issue that can prevent you from using your car. To achieve this, first we will show you how recharging your car battery functions, then the different problems of recharging a Toyota Sienna, and finally how to recharge an empty car battery.
How does recharging the battery of a Toyota Sienna work?
Before we detail the different problems of recharging the battery on a Toyota Sienna , we will show you to you how its recharging system functions so that you can understand the problems you are struggling with. A car battery functions like a phone battery, it will store energy to start your Toyota Sienna , turn on your headlights, enjoy music, lower your power windows… However all these actions will consume energy and it may possibly deplete the energy reserve that your battery can store. To overcome this issue, the engineers have designed a element called the alternator , this element will use the energy generated by the engine unit of your Toyota Sienna to generate energy thanks to a copper coil and a magnet. This energy will recharge the battery of your car . However, take into account that this process can only work when your motor vehicle is running, using electrical elements of your car when it is stopped will drain the energy reserve of your car. It is considered that a battery of a xxx has a life span of 3 to 5 years.
Problems recharging a Toyota Sienna’s battery
We will now describe the different battery charging problems on a Toyota Sienna you may be victim of. If your battery is not recharging because there is necessarily a issue in your electrical installation, we will now see the different cases.
Battery charging problem on Toyota Sienna: My battery is discharging regardless if I am recharging it with a specific charger
In this first circumstance, it is quite possible that your alternator is dead , in fact, if you manage to recharge your battery with a charger and your Toyota Sienna to start, the problem most certainly comes from your alternator which should not be able to generate any more current.
Battery charging issue on Toyota Sienna: My car shuts off and does not start regardless if I have charged the battery
If you have recharged your battery and you have been able to start your Toyota Sienna but it switches off while you are driving and then does not start, the problem with recharging the battery of your Toyota Sienna is that your battery no longer holds the charge .
Battery charging issue on Toyota Sienna: My battery is discharged although it is new
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If you’ve just bought a battery and it discharges while you’re driving, the issue most probably comes from your alternator. It cannot result from your battery, which is new and therefore holds the charge. The second opportunity is that you have a ground somewhere in your electrical system.
How to resolve the issue of battery charging on Toyota Sienna?
We will now give you the solutions according to the issue you are struggling with. Here are the different problems and their solutions:
- Faulty alternator: You can try with simple mechanics to verify it with a pressure gauge to see if it’s producing power. If it doesn’t, changing it is the best solution, based on your motor you will pay a few hundred euros. This repair is feasible in the event your alternator is accessible.
- Battery that no longer holds the charge: In this case, the purchase of a new battery is the only realistic solution. In actual fact, if you have already recharged it but it is still empty because it is good to be changed, count between 60 and 100 euros based on your engine.
- Ground in the electrical circuit: If you cannot start your Toyota Sienna but your alternator and battery are in good condition, it is possible that you have a ground on your wiring harness and that you lose energy, a verify by a car electrician is in this case required.
How to recharge an empty battery of a Toyota Sienna
At last, to recharge the empty battery of a Toyota Sienna there are only few solutions, using a battery charger is the most efficient solution, you can discover some for 50 to 100 euros at vendors like Oscaro. In any other case you can use cables that will only provide the energy needed to start.
If you wish more tutorials on the Toyota Sienna, go to our Toyota Sienna category.
