Front Electromagnetic Coupling Failure Question

[JuneBug]

Man, that invoice is interesting to say the least. They show the part as a "VISCUS CUPPLING"??? They could at least TRY to spell correctly. And the irony is that it ISN'T a viscous coupling at all--there is no viscous fluid inside--it's an electromagnetic clutch. Plus, on the oil change, they don't even indicate what type of oil was used. My invoices always show the replaceable element, gasket, and the oil grade with part number.

[Mike76]

Originally Posted by JuneBug

Man, that invoice is interesting to say the least. They show the part as a "VISCUS CUPPLING"??? They could at least TRY to spell correctly. And the irony is that it ISN'T a viscous coupling at all--there is no viscous fluid inside--it's an electromagnetic clutch. Plus, on the oil change, they don't even indicate what type of oil was used. My invoices always show the replaceable element, gasket, and the oil grade with part number.

Hey JuneBug, the invoice I posted here was a screen-cap from the service history taken off the Toyota owners site. The actual paper copy I got from the dealership has all the typical info you would expect.

- Replaceable Element: Part 04152-YZZA1
- Gasket: Part 90430-12031
- 5W30 Oil Per Spec's

What's interesting is that their version simply lists the Electromagnetic Coupler as "Coupling Sub-Assy". Looks like their is no consistency on this across Toyota corporate, dealerships & 3rd party parts vendors. Not to mention like you pointed out that Toyota Corporate describes it as a totally different part then what it actual is.

I guess all this plays into the confusion both I and Kevcules experienced when dealing with this issue at the dealerships.

[Mike76]

Originally Posted by pepepeter

Man that totally sucks. But why did the change the rear coupler???? Somethin must have been wrong with it and that info was lost in the layers of people involved in the claim. Typically the dealer refuses or pushes to do these type of repairs unless there is clear evidence there is an issue. You should speak ot at least demand to speak directly with the tech for your next visit. I always ask/demand to speak with them and always enter the shop and have the tech walk me through the proposed repair. This sometimes avoids these types of issues. But either case maybe you had issue with the rear coupler. Referring to the previous thread i linked, the poster had a leak but the tech claimed it was noisy as well; the poster never even noticed. Good luck

Pepepeter, I totally agree. When I take it back in on Tuesday I'm going to demand to talk to the Tech/Mechanic once its up on the lift. I plan on showing him the pics of the oil on my driveway and poking around under the front end myself with him while its up in the air. Much like Kevcules, I never noticed any clicking/clunking noise while driving. The Youtube video of the coupler making those noises found in his thread was very helpful and definitely nothing I recall hearing with my Rav4.

I still find it hard to believe that if the rear diff was leaking from the gasket connecting the coupler that I wouldn't have noticed an oil spot on the drive under the rear end. I know there's not a ton of oil by volume in the rear diff and if perhaps it leaked out while driving I wouldn't have noticed it. The idea of this really makes me wonder just what type of damage all those gears in the diff may have withstood... Not to mention the undiagnosed leak from the front end....

I see this whole thing working out one of two ways. Either between last weeks repair, tomorrows second appointment and whatever may ensue I may end up with a 2010 Rav4 with a mostly replaced/brand new running gear. That or they'll continue to brush off the issues and 2 miles after my warranty is up the tranny will go up in smoke while the driveshaft will fall off and the rear diff will leave its guts all over the highway....

Funny, I'm typically a glass half full kind'a guy. Interesting how dealerships can jade you