How do you know if a viscous coupler is bad?

2019-10-28

How do you know if a viscous coupler is bad?

The symptom that would cause you to know that your VC is too aggressive is usually that when you enter a paved parking lot and you make tight turns after a period of highway driving that the vehicle seems to want to stop as though you had put the brakes on–the vehicle simply hates tight turns.

What happens when viscous coupling fails?

A faulty viscous coupling might produce a range of symptoms, such as shuddering in turns, or what sounds like bearing noise, and these are often misinterpreted, even by experienced mechanics.

Why do I need a viscous coupler?

The viscous coupling is often found in all-wheel-drive vehicles. It is commonly used to link the back wheels to the front wheels so that when one set of wheels starts to slip, torque will be transferred to the other set.

What is a rear coupler?

All Syncro Vanagons were originally fitted with a device called a viscous coupler (VC) which allows them to be in full-time “kinda” 4WD. The purpose of the viscous coupler is to allow slippage between the front and rear axles when the vehicle is driven in high traction situations.

What does a rear differential coupling do?

Viscous coupling is integrated into the center differential. Central differential distributes power to all wheels and lets them turn at different speeds while cornering. When excessive wheelspin occurs on one of the axles, viscous coupling locks the differential and equalizes the speeds of both axles.

What fluid is in a viscous coupler?

silicone
Viscous coupling is filled with silicone and is not computer controlled. A series of plates with holes and slots turn in the silicone fluid.

What fluid is used in a viscous coupling?

The drum is filled with a dilatant fluid, often silicone-based, to about 80% by volume. When the two sets of plates are rotating in unison, the fluid stays cool and remains liquid.

How do I check my transfer case level?

Checking transfer case fluid level. If fluid is level with the fill plug hole, or just dribbles out, the case is full. If it pours out, the case is over-filled.