Regardless if it is a clutch or not, it doesn't even function within the hybrid synergy drive, only within the HVAC. You could argue the Prius has many clutches, when in fact, it doesn't have the device commonly understood to be a clutch, only things that are technically understood to be clutches. Just because there is a clutch in the HVAC, does that mean you can go around and say "The Prius has a clutch"? By the same token, if the AC clutch in a 2010 Ford Focus broke, would I go to the mechanic and say "The clutch is broken in the Focus"? I wouldn't.
I see it now. Without seeing the other side, it is hard to tell. So there is another planetary gearset in the differential.
qbee42 said: "There is no clutch anywhere in a Prius." So I posted photos of the torque control clutch attached to the flywheel. And then I said the AC compressor has a clutch in it, with a little smiley face next to my post. Then he said I was wrong. So I posted a page from the 2010 Prius repair manual showing that Toyota calls it a clutch. Just some fun with semantics, not WWIII. :hug:
Yep, I was wrong about that. I saw that video before buying my Prius, I was primarily interested in learning how the epicyclic gears functioned so I didn't pay a lot of attention when the instructor started talking about the flywheel, clutch, pressure plate. No big deal. I learned something and the OP got his answers. Relax.