05 tacoma stiff automatic gear shifter

I've only read one thread on this problem. Mine seems to come and go with the weather. Not sure what to do? Can anyone help?

 

Could you be more specific? Is there an issue with the shifter or the way the transmission itself shifts? The reason I ask is because my GF's 4runner was difficult to shift by hand, ended up having a plastic piece broken inside the console.

On a side note how do you pronounce the name of the city/town you live in? My brothers name is spelled Schuyler and pronounced Skyler.

 

Hey thanks for the reply. Its in the shifter linkage. The tranmission itself is fine. Not sure how to lubricate the linkage.
Yes my town is pronounced just like your brothers name except withe the ville on the end.

 

If its not trouble in the console, as it was with our 4runner let us know what you find out.

 

I've had the same problem with my 2006 Taco...V6. auto tranny.

The shifter sometimes is VERY stiff, and I note that the cruise control will NOT engage when this happens, also Low gear and 2nd gear do NOT light up in the dash, as normal.....

This happened for the 3rd time yesterday..... I drove about 20 miles and then stopped and ran the shifter back and forth a few times and it cleared up.... Go figgure....

The first time it happened, I took it to the dealer..... It was NOT stiff when I got there.... they checked the linkage ane said everything was fine...(gave me a look like I was crazy).....!!

I too believe the problem is with at the consol end, because everything looks good under the truck....

Anyone else...??

 

I took my console apart and lubricated everything that had existing lube on it. Here is the catch, after a few days it started doing the same thing again.I think it is the small black plastic piece under the shifting mechanism. I'm going to remove it and see what happens. I'll re-post at a later date. Thank you.

 

Got the same problem with my 05 tacoma. Problem comes and goes. I also thought it was something to do with the weather. Hopefully it is just the plastic piece.

 

So it was sticking today, so I took the plastic out and that didnt seem to fix anything. When I put it in drive the dash "d" doesnt light up got to toggle between neutral and drive couple time for light to come on. Probably be back to normal tomorrow as usual.

 

Check this link...shows how i fixed mine
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/103889-automatic-shifter-problem.html

 

thanks man. But the other day when it was stiff, I took the plastic piece out and went up and down through the gears and it was still stiff. I think i will try greasing the cable though. Maybe white lithium grease. let you guys know how it goes

 

hello all, my 2005 tacoma had the same problem: very stiff in shifting, and a fix engine light came on also, took to the dealership and they had to replace the shifter cable..last year in 2011..the dash lights for drive ,1st gear , etc. were not matching up to the desired gear that it was in..they fixed it and it was fine but just a little off on the dash lights though..i just worked around that til now..it seems to be getting stiff again and the dash lights seem to be still off a bit..didn't drive it for a month though, as i was on vacation, but i'll give it a little longer to see if get's worse..AGAIN

 

Just wanted to give an update on the shifter problem. I washed the undercarriage of my truck and found that the problem started again immediatley after that. After a few days of warm weather it went back to normal. So to be sure I did it again. Hosed off under car and it happened again. So something getting moisture under the truck I believe is causing this problem. Now to figure out what.

avelino

 

I've asked every mechanic I know and no one has an answer. If anyone has any suggestions I would really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance

 

So anyone else with an older 2nd gen auto experiencing the stiff shifter? Mine has been intermittenly acting up too. It gets stiff and when I put it in gear the D light doesn't come on until I cycle the shifter back and fourth from D to 4th and back. I took all the plastic stuff off and its still stiff, so I think it must have something to do with the cable. Perhaps it needs some lubrication or replaced?


I'm going to give this a try:
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/technical-chat/87972-stiff-shifter-automatic-trans.html

 

Gregman,
Exactly the same problem, I ride motorcycles so the taco sits sometimes for weeks before I use it. The shift problem has been going on since 2007. on the 2005 truck. I have removed the console, cleaned and lubed with extreme low temp grease, a little smoother but no real improvement. Shift out of park, no indicator light showing what gear, shift back and forth, indicator finally comes on, no 2nd or low gear available. Last month I ordered and replaced the actuator/shift cable an easy repair, just lube the transmission shifter bolting a couple days before you try to remove the bolts. No need to jack up the truck, all visible from below and in the cab.
The old cable was just fine!! due to a grease fitting mod I made years ago. Still suspected the cable, thus the replacement.
RESULTS: no improvement. The issue is corrosion of the shifter link arm on the side of the tranny, it just rusts up so bad it locks the shifter. The truck has 120K and is used to commute in crap weather of new england read: lots of salt. On extremely cold mornings of 20belowF it just gets worse! After oil undercoating the undercarrige it improved the most but the first big rain and I'm back to stiff to almost impossible to shift.
This weekend it has to be fixed as 25'f on the motorcycle is about this old guys' limit. Stay tuned..........

 

Just noticed there seems to be alot of '05's in New England and Canada posting this same shifter problem..........?!!

 

ANY TOYOTA TECHS OUT THERE WILLING TO CHIME IN ON THIS SHIFTER ISSUE....HAS TO BE SOMETHING SIMPLE...??
THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR EXPERTISE

 

Same stiff shifter here... I mean very very hard to even go back in reverse... Only difference is on mine it wont start... Shows it is in Reverse... UNREAL... Have taken it apart via shifter/console area... Sure wish a Toy Tech wouls assist us...

 

Problem isn't specific to '05's, folks - I've got exactly the same situation with my '07.

I've crawled underneath with a helper tugging on the shifter lever, and all the linkage is moving easily UP TO where it goes into the transmission. THAT SHAFT moves very very stiffly if the truck's been sitting for more than a week, or only a couple of days in muggy weather.

I've tried shooting around that shaft with white lithium grease, but it didn't help; it looks a lot like the transmission is "inhaling" moist air and condensing it around that shaft, inside the tranmission case, resulting in rust buildup where we can't get to it without opening the case. I don't like the thought of having to pull the transmission apart to fix a sticky shifter, when the problem's likely to come back again later.

Upshot: Unless someone can come up with a pretty slick repair for it, I'm gonna' sell this thing & drive my M715 instead.

-- Tim --

 

Well finally have an appointment with a real Toyo-Taco mechanic (ex-dealer) about this ongoing issue with the shifter. After reading most references on the A750F trans,
I don't think it's in the transmission---It's the shifter. The "fix" of straightening the dustcover follower just cleans the grit out of the two layers of plastic. Appointment is 4/8/2013, I'll post the findings next week, stay tuned.