[Eldorado19h]

Wash off crc . It’s 1 hour job

 

[Keith_A]

Wash off crc . It’s 1 hour job

Mineral spirits (paint thinner) should work well......

 

[RonnieJ]

Mineral spirits (paint thinner) should work well......

CRC QD Electronic cleaner. Safe on plastics and rubber seals, meant for this kind of cleaning.
I use it all the time in the engine bay cleaning certain areas, where Brake Cleaner will be too harsh.
It won't leave any residue either, so it should cover up all your tracks....

 

[SeanBeanDiesInTheEnd]

I'm certain they'll still swab it for chemical analysis and note the microscopic contamination. Nooks and crannies, it'll never be 100% sterile.

 

[crisps]

LOL at those worried 'will the crap I applied affect repair claim'
so now considering harsher solvents (which I will never recommend) to clean off evidence

pretty fruity logic there...peeps.

ACF50 > my connector > Massachusetts and Maine driving > keeping rav4 over 10 years >
firstly, my connector won't have any corrosion issues...there will be no corrosion claims whatsoever.

 

[kallsop]

I'm certain they'll still swab it for chemical analysis and note the microscopic contamination. Nooks and crannies, it'll never be 100% sterile.

It's not a homocide crime scene, needs swabbing for trace DNA. If it looks as expected - nothing but environmental corrosion, I'd take my chances and be well prepared to have a very loud disagreement LOL. If Toyota were to deny warranty, for ANY reason about ANYTHING, they have lawyers on retainer and you, not so much.

I got that sort of reaction after putting so called Amsoil 'Universal' ATF in my Chrysler ATF+4 vehicle that they said their ATF supported, and the tranny slipped like crazy. They told me the tranny is bad, not their problem. Not worth it for me to pursue. I don't have a lawyer on retainer. Drained it all out (fluid exchange actually, disconnected cooler hose) and put in Mopar ATF+4, and drove it another 150,000 miles without problem and then rust took over the body. Tranny still shifting like new.

 

[DrShadow]

I'm certain they'll still swab it for chemical analysis and note the microscopic contamination. Nooks and crannies, it'll never be 100% sterile.

In this case just take bag of ice salt put it in the bucket with water and soak cable connector for a day - it will be exactly like after couple Canadian winters.

 

[Elgaucho]

I'm certain they'll still swab it for chemical analysis and note the microscopic contamination. Nooks and crannies, it'll never be 100% sterile.

but let's not exaggerate ... they don't do chemical analyzes on the cable !!!
if one has sprayed some product like spray CRC, they don't notice it !!! they don't let the CIA intervene!

 

[Tacoslilfriend]

but let's not exaggerate ... they don't do chemical analyzes on the cable !!!
if one has sprayed some product like spray CRC, they don't notice it !!! they don't let the CIA intervene!

LOL , I wonder if some people think if they put wax on the body of the car , Toyota may not cover rust .

 

[DrShadow]

Ok, it's nice to do guessing how to remove CRC from connector to get warranty claim honoured.. My goal will be not to get to warranty claim at all - I have a feeling that long time wait for parts will be permanent.
If it failing in the area where cable connects to motor, not under orange cover - another solution needed.
I've already done CRC treatment this year, filled connector with dielectric grease and my orange cover sealed on top with using grey gasket maker to prevent water and salt going from top.It will save clamp, but not connector area (grease will help but for a while).
So, next step will be making aluminum splash guard which will cover connector area from 3 sides ( from orange part on top to bottom orange cover). It can be secured under connector bolts or with using zip ties. Using bolts is preferred because this method will leave gaps for drainage.
I've played with with piece of 4" aluminum duct from dryer went hood - and it seems like relatively easy task to make such kind of splash guard.

ps. I'm not care a lot about cost of cable replacement - mostly about inconvenience of it failure.

 

[garthg]

Hi, first time poster here. I recently ran into this thread and decided to check out my vehicle. I do not have any trouble codes and AM reception is fine. 2019 RAV4 Hybrld at 38,000 km and two winters of driving in Ottawa, Ontario where we have lots of slushy conditions and very heavy usage of salt. I don’t run the car through any automated car washes and thus no major underbody washing but I do go to coin washes and spray from access in the wheel wells and trying to get the spray wand under the car as much as possible. Some dirt, to be expected, in the underbody tray below the connector, but not excessive.

The cable clamp and noise suppression mesh on my connector is good. Just a little bit of dirt. The small weep hole at the bottom of the cover was not blocked.

The only area of minor corrosion I found is where the connector mates to the wiring harness that runs up to the top of the motor/generator. The area with the most corrosion is on the outboard side of the connector (the side most exposed to the elements and marked with the red arrows) and likewise that is the side where there is the most dirt on the rubber seal of the connector. The actual connection contacts have NO corrosion or dirt on them. The key area to check out is the beveled portion of the motor/generator top portion that the connector mates to. I lightly removing corrosion on the beveled area with my fingernail and a popsicle stick which are both relatively soft as I didn’t want to score the aluminum mating surfaces. I applied dielectric grease to the beveled area, the rubber seal, and on the outside seam where the connectors mate. There are a lot of theories floating about in this forum, but I think this is the key area of concern re: raising trouble codes. Like any electrical connector, the electrical contact areas of the connector are the critical items. They need to be clean and without any adjoining corrosion that might provide a current path (even if it is high resistance) among them.

Corrosion of the cable clamp and noise suppression mesh affects AM radio reception but I think is not related to the more troubling concern of raising trouble codes. However, if there is massive corrosion on the clamp and the suppression mesh, it could an indicator that that the rest of the connector, which has also been subject to the same environmental conditions, may be corroded.

 

[mikefocke]

Why not extend the orange shield up maybe 3 inches so that the actual connection is shielded from direct spray?

 

[skier6]

garthg
Is this the first time you have done this work, or do you clean up the connector seal every winter? Great pics, by the way.

Here are some pictures of the HV connector, under my brand new 2023 MY Highlander Hybrid. There is no plastic panel/skid pad. under this connector.
I scooted under the car, in the Delivery area, indoors with a tile floor, so easy to slide under the car. Sorry pictures aren't better; I was just holding my camera, and shooting blind..

It looks like the cable end and connector are the same as our late 2021 Rav 4 Hybrid.

\

 

[DrShadow]

Highlander cable looks exactly the same...

Now $1M question : Why I should not apply gasket maker to seal the area where the connector mates to the wiring harness ?

It will prevent any moisture to get into connector area. Gasket maker applies to the connector - from bottom of black rubber seal and all metal area below (around seal, bolts area and e.g. )

 

[garthg]

garthg
Is this the first time you have done this work, or do you clean up the connector seal every winter? Great pics, by the way.
Here are some pictures of the HV connector, under my brand new 2023 MY Highlander Hybrid. There is no plastic panel/skid pad. under this connector.
\

First time I've done this work, but in general I've done most of the maintenance for the cars I've owned by myself. Re: the photos, I'm a professional photographer and used to freelance for the Ottawa Citizen newspaper. City Hall news mainly, not Automotive Section

 

[Automender]

Highlander cable looks exactly the same...

Now $1M question : Why I should not apply gasket maker to seal the area where the connector mates to the wiring harness ?

It will prevent any moisture to get into connector area. Gasket maker applies to the connector - from bottom of black rubber seal and all metal area below (around seal, bolts area and e.g. )

Seems like a good thick application of dielectric silicone grease on the gasket and in between the connectors would be certain to stop water ingress.

 

[windwalker099]

There is no plastic panel/skid pad. under this connector.

Quite interesting 🤔

Can you confirm this is the standard now...wondering if they might have felt the tray
might be capturing the moisture and road spray that it was designed to block...

thanks...🙂

 

[skier6]

Quite interesting 🤔

Can you confirm this is the standard now...wondering if they might have felt the tray
might be capturing the moisture and road spray that it was designed to block...

thanks...🙂

This is a 2023 Highlander Hybrid, not a RAV4 Hybrid.

 

[FKHeath]

Here are some pictures of the HV connector, under my brand new 2023 MY Highlander Hybrid. There is no plastic panel/skid pad. under this connector.

\

Quite interesting 🤔

Can you confirm this is the standard now...wondering if they might have felt the tray
might be capturing the moisture and road spray that it was designed to block...

thanks...🙂

It appears they added a plastic panel below the connector sometime in the '21 model run. My July '21 build has one. One of the videos from the Car Car Nut earlier shows this.

 

[Illinibird]

It appears they added a plastic panel below the connector sometime in the '21 model run. My July '21 build has one. One of the videos from the Car Car Nut earlier shows this.

My July 2022 manufactured RAV4 Prime has this panel as the Car Care Nut (Ahmed) showed it to me when my car was up on the lift along with the infamous connector on the HV cable. Now I'm wondering if the 23 MY RAV4 Prime has the panel removed. Anybody with a 23 MY RAV4 Hybrid or Prime know?