👍👍

Thanks for the part numbers, I went looking and they're not easy to find. I watched a video a few days ago from South Main Auto and it took less than 1 hour to replace the bearing while he was chatting and videoing!

 

👍👍

Thanks for the part numbers, I went looking and they're not easy to find. I watched a video a few days ago from South Main Auto and it took less than 1 hour to replace the bearing while he was chatting and videoing!

That's awesome! Great to hear.
I would have done the work myself but I have too many other automotive projects on the go right now, and the van's a daily driver.

 

Car Care Nut said you should replace the entire viscous coupler assembly rather than individual parts, because it's not truly fixable. I disagreed at first — since you can replace the bearings inside the coupler — but it turns out he was right. My replacement bearing only lasted six months. If you compare the OEM bearing with the aftermarket one closely, you'll notice the replacement is missing a rubber O-ring. Just my two cents: if you're doing the work yourself, replacing the bearings might be a reasonable option. Otherwise, replacing the whole assembly is probably better in the long run.

 

That is just not true. The bearing is a bearing that has been in use in Toyota's coupler's since the 90s. The bearing was replaceable on earlier cars using the same coupler design. Replacing the bearing is definitely the way to go. Regarding the little o-ring, I discussed this difference with the owner of the transmission repair shop, who has been repairing "unfixable" parts for his 30+ year career. The O-ring is on the outside of the bearing is only there for dust, it is not a critical seal. The transmission shop used a bit of sealant to do the same job. That you are immediately casting doubt on a working solution that Toyota has been hiding at the expense of owners and right to repair makes me question your motivations. Do you work for Toyota?

 

AWD only? My 2013 FWD makes a sound we call “the dog” when the car turns/accelerates. It kind of sounds like a dog howl. Very low, hard to hear but it is there. I’ve taken it to my mechanic and of course, they can’t hear it. Any suggestions??

 

Yes, this is AWD only for the fix in this thread.

You might have a wheel bearing going out.

 

I test drove my 2011 Sienna with the windows down and noticed a sound like a swarm of bees following me. The used dealer found it a cheap solution to rip a rear axel off a junkyard specimen and replace the whole part at once. I’m not a mechanic and not sure if that makes sense but I recall that there was a small part gone bad in a larger part and the solution was to replace the even larger part to avoid having to do detailed work with smaller parts.

 

Thank you for your expose, but it’s not just Toyota, all dealerships are the same in that regard. My second vehicle is a Ford Explorer. It has electronic steering. When that went, Ford quoted me $3500 plus tax to repair it. I went to a private garage and got the whole thing done for $2500. Including tax.
So yes, everything is set up to make the dealer money. You’ll notice all the sensors that we have on vehicles now. Many of them are necessary. But they make the dealer money.

 

Hello,

If you are hearing a whining or howling sound from the back of your LE or XLE AWD Sienna, it may be a failing bearing in the electromagnetic (sometimes called viscous) coupler. This problem tends to come on gradually and it can be both annoying and worrying. The issue with the failure is less the diagnosis of the problem and more that Toyota is ripping off owners when they trying to get the problem fixed.

The issue is that Toyota want you to replace the whole coupler "Electro Magnetic Coupling Sub-Assembly part #41303-28013" that costs $500 to $1800 depending on the parts source. However to fix this problem you don't need a new coupler, you need a simple bearing replaced. The replacement bearing is NSK Japan 95DSF01 A1CG3 Differential Bearing for Toyota 90363-95007 95x120x17 mm. There are two part numbers for this bearing: 90363-95007 and the older 90363-95003. Afaik either will work. This electromagnetic coupler has been around quite a long time in Toyota's lineup, and the bearing appears in parts drawings for cars from the 90s. I searched and could not find the exact parts drawing that shows the internals of the coupling for the 3rd gen Sienna, and if you search for this bearing number for 3rd gen Siennas Toyota's databases they will tell you the bearing doesn't fit. Toyota parts databases say the bearing is for 2003-2007 models. There are a number of drawings online with the coupler assembly. I have attached one below. You can order this bearing from Toyota, however my experience was that if you tell the parts desk that your have a failing bearing in the electromagnetic coupler they will push you hard on replacing the whole unit for $1500-$2500. I actually had to hang up and call the parts desk on another day to order the bearing using part # 90363-95007 for $90 CAD, and picked it up when it arrived at the dealer. There are cheaper prices online, I just wanted the ability to return it if it did not fit.

Getting the bearing replaced.
After having two independent shops tell me they wouldn't replace the bearing because Toyota says replace the unit, and the shops would rather they charge me their 20% markup on a $1800 part, I went to a transmission shop. The transmission shop said no problem, they are used to repairing transmissions and differentials that many auto manufacturers will not fix and say to replace the whole unit. In short they are problem solvers used to ignoring the advice from a manufacturer's parts department.

It took the trans shop a few hours of labor and they charged $470. So final cost for the repair was $560 CAD. Far less than the $2300-2500 the toyota dealer wanted for the same repair. I hope that helps someone, it tooks quite a bit of research to find the information that Toyota has strived to hide from owners and repair techs over the years.
cheers,
Robin.

View attachment 75870
View attachment 75869
View attachment 75867

Hello,

If you are hearing a whining or howling sound from the back of your LE or XLE AWD Sienna, it may be a failing bearing in the electromagnetic (sometimes called viscous) coupler. This problem tends to come on gradually and it can be both annoying and worrying. The issue with the failure is less the diagnosis of the problem and more that Toyota is ripping off owners when they trying to get the problem fixed.

The issue is that Toyota want you to replace the whole coupler "Electro Magnetic Coupling Sub-Assembly part #41303-28013" that costs $500 to $1800 depending on the parts source. However to fix this problem you don't need a new coupler, you need a simple bearing replaced. The replacement bearing is NSK Japan 95DSF01 A1CG3 Differential Bearing for Toyota 90363-95007 95x120x17 mm. There are two part numbers for this bearing: 90363-95007 and the older 90363-95003. Afaik either will work. This electromagnetic coupler has been around quite a long time in Toyota's lineup, and the bearing appears in parts drawings for cars from the 90s. I searched and could not find the exact parts drawing that shows the internals of the coupling for the 3rd gen Sienna, and if you search for this bearing number for 3rd gen Siennas Toyota's databases they will tell you the bearing doesn't fit. Toyota parts databases say the bearing is for 2003-2007 models. There are a number of drawings online with the coupler assembly. I have attached one below. You can order this bearing from Toyota, however my experience was that if you tell the parts desk that your have a failing bearing in the electromagnetic coupler they will push you hard on replacing the whole unit for $1500-$2500. I actually had to hang up and call the parts desk on another day to order the bearing using part # 90363-95007 for $90 CAD, and picked it up when it arrived at the dealer. There are cheaper prices online, I just wanted the ability to return it if it did not fit.

Getting the bearing replaced.
After having two independent shops tell me they wouldn't replace the bearing because Toyota says replace the unit, and the shops would rather they charge me their 20% markup on a $1800 part, I went to a transmission shop. The transmission shop said no problem, they are used to repairing transmissions and differentials that many auto manufacturers will not fix and say to replace the whole unit. In short they are problem solvers used to ignoring the advice from a manufacturer's parts department.

It took the trans shop a few hours of labor and they charged $470. So final cost for the repair was $560 CAD. Far less than the $2300-2500 the toyota dealer wanted for the same repair. I hope that helps someone, it tooks quite a bit of research to find the information that Toyota has strived to hide from owners and repair techs over the years.
cheers,
Robin.

View attachment 75870
View attachment 75869
View attachment 75867

Thank you for that background work. This work can be more time consuming that the time spent actually fixing the issue once the part is in hand. Your detailed description is so helpful and I've saved this link in my repair files because in time all bearings wear out and must be replaced. ST