Junkyard Report: 2009 Toyota Highlander AWD

[Gregski]

well I can't find the main thread on the Highlander air cooled rear motor so I will post stuff in this thread and link to the other one(s) as a reference

I would like to share this because simple basic EV conversions are my goal, sure we all like performance, longevity and reliability but let's start with basicability and simplicity, where less is more.

unlike it's brethren Prius transaxles or cousin Lexus GS450h transmissions with two electric motors inside of them, this rear motor has only one motor in it, and that's why I luv it so much

so let me share with you how I yanked it all by my lonesome and bought it for only $600 bucks subframe, brakes, CV axles and all


the nice thing about Pick N Pull junkyards is that they offer you a search online, now this is not a perfect search as it only shows you they have the car but not what parts are still there left on the car, but hey that's better than nothing

they show you the VINs so that we can infer what options were available on said vehicle, such as this one being a spinner at all four corners

[Gregski]

RESOURCES

Toyota/Lexus MGR Rear Transaxle Motor





VOLTswagen Squareback EV - DIY Conversion by ZooKeeper JohnG YouTube Playlist


see if there is a Pick N Pull in your neck of the woods

[Gregski]

I go to the junk yards a lot, I have four of them within 15 miles of me, you would think I'm Wall-E or something, anywho I take pics cause I like to document and my memory is shiet

so this is what we were after

[Gregski]

I didn't know if I could remove the subframe in the field with minimal tools, nor what it would take to do so, but I really loved the excitement of having to finger it out


I went after the driver side strut tower thingie first, needed to see if we could easily liberate it from the spindle, which we could, just two bolts

[Gregski]

I do take pics every step of the way, I even like knowing which way the bolts went back to front or front to back, etc. makes it that much easier when you go to reassembly it 18 months later

having pics of the OEM geography also will help when it comes to combobulating this later into whatever vehicle we choose to convert to electric

[Gregski]

the subframe appears to be rubber mounted to the vehicle chassis with these two large bolts and rubber bushings in the front, one on either side

[Gregski]

and here I am just showing off my resourcefulness using a tire to drop the motor with the subframe on to it since these yards don't allow jacks

[Gregski]

with the motor on the ground, now we could see and get to it's cabalage, note the three phase AC motor cables, these are tiny and they run the length of the car all the way to the inverter up front in the engine bay, as do the resolver cables

as a reference them AC motor cables are as skinny as the Chevy Volt battery charger ones and or the Chevy Volt DC-DC converter ones, very thin

[Gregski]

THE INVERTER(S)


in order to attempt to disconnect the HV motor cables from the inverter the huge cover/lid must come off

in order to get to all the bolts around this lid, the hood of the vehicles came off, and then you must remove that metal plate section under the windshield wipers, so the windshield wiper motor assembly does have to come out also, did I mention I hate working on modern cars!

guys I tried and tried to unbolt and remove all the motor cables from the back of this inverter (and I swear there must have been at least four motor 3 phase cable sets running to the back of that thing) but it was getting late and I just ended up cutting both the 3 phase cables and the resolver cables half way down under the vehicle, that should be enough length for what I have in mind

below are only 2 sets of motor connections, one on top of the other, to the right of this set was another two ?!

[Gregski]

I won't lie to you I had a good samaritan help me lift this on to this wheel barrel thingie

I just luv these pics (oh the possibilities)

[Gregski]

then it was time to disassemble all this in the parking lot in order to fit in my Hyundai Ironic, I kept it all together for payablility, so that it presented as one unit, this way I ended up being charged only $220 for what they called a transfer case, and an additional $270 for the subframe (that was music to my ears)

[tom91]

I spun up an RX450h on a IS300h inverter using Zombie without modifying code. utilizing single 60-70V battery module.

[Gregski]

OK, just please hear me out. In my quest for a simple EV conversion, one motor (non of this MG1/MG2 crap) no auxiliary oil pumping, basic inverter (none of this buck/boosting to bypass) no adapter plates no custom driveshaft or CV Axles I seek something like this Highlander rear motor subframe combo to tuck under some originally rear engined vehicle such as a VW or a Corvair or whatever else existed.

[ a man can dream...]

so I offer up some measurements, as wheel base ie rear wheel width aka wideness plays a key role, I know here I am measuring the width of the suspension sticks but it will all come together eventually (well maybe...)

[Gregski]

I took these measurements after I spied with my little eye a 2008 Lexus RX400h AWD at the local junkyard and my Eyecrometer told me it's rear end appeared a little lighter and not as bulky, hefty, you get the idea. And sure enuff when I measured it's sticks they were about 2mm thinner, (apologies I did not take pics of that process, plan on going back and dropping it soon) so I hoped the rear end would also be a bit narrower, that is still to be determined.


WHAT WE KNOW

The 2025-2026 Toyota Highlander Hybrid features a rear track (wheelbase width) of 65.4 inches.

The 2006–2008 Lexus RX400h has a rear track width of 61.2 inches (1,550 mm). BINGO !!!

The standard rear track width for a classic air-cooled Volkswagen Beetle is approximately 53.1 to 53.2 inches (1349–1351 mm) for 1970–1971 US models.

2006 New Beetle: Rear track width is 58.7 inches (1,491 mm).

The rear track width of the modern Volkswagen Beetle (A5 generation, 2011–2019) is approximately 61.1 inches (1,552 mm).

[Ghia66]

How wide is a Corvair?

[Ghia66]

and here I am just showing off my resourcefulness using a tire to drop the motor with the subframe on to it since these yards don't allow jacks


IMG_4734.JPG


IMG_4736.JPG

Why don’t junkyards allow you to use jacks?

[Ghia66]

with the motor on the ground, now we could see and get to it's cabalage, note the three phase AC motor cables, these are tiny and they run the length of the car all the way to the inverter up front in the engine bay, as do the resolver cables

as a reference them AC motor cables are as skinny as the Chevy Volt battery charger ones and or the Chevy Volt DC-DC converter ones, very thin


IMG_4738.JPG


IMG_4740.JPG

So lucky with the length of these cables!

[Gregski]

sometimes I just go out to the garage [in my underwear] and just stare at this thing, aint it a thing of beauty ? I can't wait to shove it into something

but these three phase AC motor cables are a joke

[danjulio]

Your garage must be an interesting place. Hopefully, for the sake of your neighbors, for multiple reasons(!), you keep the door closed

[Scrappyjoe]

Vanagon rear track is 61.8 inches. But I’m not sure this motor could power a Vanagon sufficiently. Then again, it’s surprisingly light - curb weight of 3000lb vs a New Beetle at 2650lb. The problem with a Vanagon is nobody generally drives them empty.

[Gregski]

TOYOTA Highlander Hybrid MGR Rear Motor Cable

and then for no apparent reason other than to satisfy my curiosity I decided to shed the motor cable skin

did I mention these were flimzy

and then I was glad I did this, as this quickly turned into Motor Cable Awareness Month and I am pretty sure I did not cause this damage, as well as the same thing happened to the Lexus GS450h motor cables on my truck conversion (wait maybe I am the problem?)

and iPhone 16 can you tell us your camera sucks at micro focusing without telling us your camera sucks at micro focusing

fortunately I had another set, complement of this 2008 Lexus RX400h AWD that's right when I snagged this Highlander rear motor and subframe, I was beat, and I tried to also yank the inverter (which is a must in order to free up these motor cables) but I gave up, I think in my excuse the yard was closing, they have shorter Winter hours you know

[Gregski]

TOYOTA Highlander Hybrid MGR Rear Motor Resolver Cable

Highlander Resolver cable already cleaned with a secret cleaning product

lemme know if you can spot the difference

since I had to source the uncut full length Resolver cable from a 2008 Lexus RX400h I wanted to ensure the motor side plugs were pinned the same, and it appears they are

[Gregski]

here's where I get my wiring schematic information from

[Gregski]

and so this brings us to a fork in the road! how is the Greg going to control this beast ?

and let's not forget I do own a sorta matching 2008 Lexus RX400h AWD Inverter but it is not supported by the Zombieverter on the account of not having an internal logic board to control, and there is no Open Inverter logic board option for it either


well others have already spun the Toyota Highlander MGR with the Gen 2 Toyota Prius Inverter and Open Inverter logic board combo




and as I write this the Gen 2 Toyota Prius logic board is no longer available for sale on Open Inverter's online shop

[Gregski]

so let's give our trusty 6th Gen Toyota Camry inverter / Zombie combo a go

the Camry MG2 resolver plug appear to be the same as the Highlander MGR even the pin out matches

and it plugs right in!