2012 5spd manual, hard to get in to gear and loud noises?

It's a 4cyl 4x4 5MT, has about 1400 miles on it. I know that folks have had complaints about the 5spd manuals, stating that they can't get a smooth shift to save their life, etc. I haven't seen anything that hits on the loud noises and even hesitation getting in to gear though and search techniques were pulling up more 6spd stuff than I could wade through.

I've driven exclusively manual transmission cars (3 of them) in the last decade and a few thousand miles in friend's manual trucks, so I thought I knew what to expect. I knew that with my last car being a Subaru legacy turbo that the truck would not shift at all like I was used to, likely far less crisp and less notchy - not as eager to go as soon as you get in gear, slower and less torquey... not a performance and driving enthusiast oriented transmission.

I'm yet to stall this truck out and am pretty proud of that, and I haven't burnt the clutch trying to prevent this once so that's kind of impressive. I have noticed that 99% of the time when shifting from 1st to 2nd that there's a really loud clunk outside of the car (windows down) and the same noise is almost a crack inside. There's a great deal of resistance to get the stick in to second until this crack, I have to wait a second or two for it to go in. No matter how long I wait or how perfect I rev match, the sound and resistance is there. Pushing in the clutch when in second (to go in to neutral and stop, or to shift in third) causes a pretty significant jolt in the cab and I go forward in my seat a little bit, almost as if the process of pushing the clutch in with the shifter in second kicked the engine in the nuts. If I'm shifting in to third after, I do not get any significant clunk but I am met with great resistance and sometimes cannot get in to third without waiting 3+ seconds. That kind of delay when you're listening to a semi shift beside you from a stop, a longer than average pause.

Since I'm having to drive so meticulously I really don't have any problem of throwing myself/passenger back in the seat once I get in to second or third, it's honestly pretty smooth in the cab with the exception of pushing clutch in while in second. So... hard to get in gears, very loud while shifting (people on sidewalk look when I pass), doesn't like to go in or come out of second. Any help appreciated, if this is just how they are then that's cool - I'll be fine knowing that everyone else is dealing with it and that it'll still last me for a long time. From all my experiences driving manuals though this doesn't feel quite right and honestly doesn't feel good for the vehicle. I'll gladly take it back to the dealership but if this is normal I'd love to not have to drop it off with those clowns only to get a 'TECH DROVE COULD NOT REPLICATE' in the comments section.

Thanks guys and hopefully this isn't a TLDR post

 

i hate to say it but, this is a truck not a car. i have had only manual cars and trucks for almost the entire time i have been driving.

the tocoma's drive like a truck more so than others my 89 ford ranger with 189k on the clock shifted better than my new tacoma does. so i hear you on it being hard to drive smoothly but, unless there is actually is a problem i'm not aware of happening to your truck it may just be you trying to hustle through the gears a bit to fast.

lol i'm not trying to redirect blame or anything just pointing out similarities that i have experienced with my truck. mine absolutely refuses to be hustled through the gears and if i force it i get some noises nothing really to warrant concern but, its full of drama all the way to 5th the manuals in these trucks aren't great but, i suspect its the clutch thats the main culprit at work here its horrendous from the factory. they slip easily the burn easily & they are hard to operate smoothly imo.

or maybe your clutch just needs some adjustment either way i fully agree while i don't have really loud clunks or cracks when shifting mine does suck balls lol. if i where you i would drive it very easy and make an appointment asap for a tech to check it out its a toyota issue they need to resolve it for you. i would also have a tech ride along with you while you drive the truck so you can repeoduce the noise instead of just letting him go at it alone.

 

the transmission's antics coupled with the engines unpredictable rev-downs make them near impossible to drive like yesterday's vehicles. i know almost any new toyota to be manual not by listening to the exhuast, but to clunking between shifts. some days i swear i'd rather be in a dump truck.

stick with it, once you and the truck learn eachother a little bit it gets better. had mine for six months now and almost have it when my passenger doesnt look so much like he/ she is having a seizure when i shift lol

 

In my truck you can hear the shifter moving the gears from the outside. Even when I wiggle the shifter in neutral people on the sidewalk can hear it.

 

When I fiirst started driving this truck, I thought the transmission was horrendous compared to my old 87 Toyota pickup. As time went on, I've actually adjusted to the quirks and I can drive it pretty smooth. You can't shift it quick like a sports car and in the lower gears, rev to 3K rpm before shifting. When it's cold out , she don't shift the same till warmed up.

 

You're absolutely not alone, and you provided a very good description of every single issue I've had too. It took a year for me to finally learn how to drive my truck with some civility. You'll get used to it after a while, but there's a sharp learning curve. Here's some advice/observations that might be helpful:

1) When stopped in neutral and you want to go into 1st, wait for about 3 seconds after disengaging the clutch before putting it into gear so the transmission has time to spin-down. Otherwise you'll get a slight jerk forward and a thump.

2) When shifting from 1st to 2nd, you have to hold it just out of gear and let the syncros do their thing before moving the shifter all the way into gear. Otherwise you'll get the 'clunk' you described. On cold mornings this is much worse and will sometimes require a throttle blip to get the RPM's back into range before re-engaging the clutch.

3) If you try to shift quickly into 3rd you'll likely see some resistance before getting into gear. I've even experienced a full out rejection a few times when I wasn't paying attention and tried to shift too fast. You have to move your shift point to about 3000 RPM's when going from 2nd to 3rd so you have enough time to hold it for a second to let the syncros work.

4) I still struggle with the 4th to 5th rev hang, and simply hold the clutch pedal in and wait however long it takes (3-8 seconds) for the RPM's to come back down before letting the clutch back out. This requires some concentration, but I've found that if you lift off the throttle to the point just before the force in the driveline becomes reversed (i.e. before you start engine braking), then push the clutch in and shift, the RPM's will come down faster. This rev hang is completely driven by the fact that the ECU takes over and holds the thottle slightly open in higher gears, and is reason my truck refuses to engine-brake when going down hills in 5th gear.

5) You might not be able to shift into 1st if you're going over 2 mph, unless you're good at double clutching. And you won't be able use 2nd if you're going under 10 mph or you'll bog the engine. In other words, take all turns at >10 mph in 2nd gear, or come to a complete stop and shift into 1st before taking the turn.

6) The tranmission shifts the best when on long highway slogs and it's warmed up completely.

 

well put sir, well put

as much as i don't want to admit it it took me awhile to learn this truck myself

i drive dump trucks double and trips lol i can shift with out a clutch as well so i know how to drive a standard and don't feel like it is me either. these trucks really do shift like shit lol i'm going to be replacing the clutch with another one soon enough so hell with it. i think that has a lot to do with it but, hell if i know i just know its the worst shifting standard i have ever been in hands down.

 

You guys are scaring me out of a manual

Off topic....I've always wanted to learn stick but would you guys recommend learning on a 5speed? Or is it not learner friendly?

And before I buy anything I will probably take a dmv course or find a friend.

 

So the 5-speed is just as clunky, noisy, and awkward as the 6-speed? Now I don't feel so alone!

 

sheesh, my 1st gen doesn't do any of this. Well other than the retarded rev hang.

 

100% accurate^

 

http://youtu.be/tvmwY8LHo1Q

 

summed up nicely^^ my dad bought an 09 5 spd long before i bought my 6/6. when he first bought his i said "junk" only to later buy mine. we both have the same exact problems but manage to get around fine now. no worries.

when i was buying mine the salesman seriously advised i drive the nissan beforehand if i enjoy driving a manual. i scoffed then but now wonder. . .


edit: i was reffering to eco's post but everyone under is spot on

 

to be honest this truck is probably not a good vehicle to learn a standard trans with. not that you couldn't but, like others have stated their are a lot of quirks and you would more than likely pick up some bad habits that wouldn't translate to most other cars or trucks. the clutch is terrible to modulate so driving it smoothly is going to be very hard to do when first starting out.

lol my mother used to drag cars and pretty much everything she drove was a manual even she finds it to be terrible. a commercial truck is not to far off in terms of ease of use :/

all of this aside my truck has a horrible throw out bearing noise going on sounds exactly like the v6 model. push the clutch in nothing no noise let it out and it sounds like a diesel chattering away

a little off topic but, figured i would give you the low down cause these problems are wide spread among the manual trans crowd.

 

I have both and find the 6 speed to be a pain in the ass, but the 5 speed works great. *shrug*

Edit: Could have something to do with the 5 speed being a company truck. Since I don't pay for gas, and I'm always in a hurry at work, it's usually revved up higher before shifting.

 

i have been wondering about a better clutch, but moreso a lighter flywheel and/or the throttle modulating thingy i was reffering to in another post. supposedly it more quickly controls the throttle plate in relation to your foot position. that would be nice, cause not only is the lag annoying on engine decel for up shifting (clutch down, no throttle input) , but when trying to rev-match for downshifting (clutch down, with throttle input) is rediculous. my old 22re truck would take a quick blip and that rpm needle would jump to the moon

 

i drive my truck like a truck i don't race it or expect things from it i shouldn't i don't expect to feel the steering wheel alive with info or the gear box telegraphing me info like a bmw or mazda but, i do expect to not make me rethink on how to drive a manual.

my truck has done it since it was new, hell i only have 15k on it now. i never beat it & even i find the clutch hard to modulate. it wants to randomly stall out at times i feel like all by itself :/ when smoothly letting out the clutch all of a sudden the rpm's dive in the toilet. other times it just lurches ahead in this strange little way like its grabbing & letting & go grabbing letting go this is all going on while i'm just letting it out to take off from a stop.

 

dont get me started on throw-out bearing noise. i thought my brother's cummins sounded so cool apon clutch engagement and thought "thats what a real tranny sounds like"

on our recent clutch changeout, we found the bearing to be completely shot and the source of "the tough noise" . . . . . . . . . . . . . my 6-gear makes the tough noise

 

agreed ^ when i "race" it, the tach falls in a sensible way that lets me shift fine. i just hate hearing those pistons in non-machineable sleeves operating at more than 3k rpm

 

hey just to let you all know this thread is 2 pages long and every post prior to this one has been logical and on topic. . . . . . . . must be a record