Need help with R155 xmsn performance

Specs
2013 Tacoma AC Base SR5
2TR-FE
Aisin R155
Mileage 2000
Current Oil RedLine MT-90

from day one bringing the truck home i have had pretty gnarly notchy, clunky shifts to second from first. read the rave reviews of MT-90 and dumped the factory fill and refilled with it. now almost 24 hours later, not much improvement. i can deal with not being able to hit first without coming to almost a complete stop, but clunky/notchy first to second is killing me. i hear about the clutch tsb but does that apply to this issue or is it more about the slipping? when i dumped the factory fill and filtered through with white t shirt, nothing abnormal. oil was still amber but should be, low miles. no yellow metal... any ideas? i cant think of anything in particular that causes it to happen. it only seems to happen when i really take my time shifting and it will not grind, just "notch" in. im a little finicky about my gearbox having come from a bmw that shifted like melted butter! please advise
jason

 

URD short shifter + redline MT90 is the probably the best combo for this transmission. It's always going to be a little clunky

 

is that really how it is no matter what? i have driven xmsns that feel way better! i came from a 90 mazda mx6 gt turbo 190k miles, 93 240sx coupe, 143k miles, and e36 325is with a motor swap and 165k miles when i sold it and its still on the road today in outstanding condition... all three shifted better than the 2013 i got now... am i correct in saying that seems somehow incorrect for evolution of manufacturing technique? the processes are now better than ever before and still have these issues that mind you, back in the day were a simple fix with something as simple as an oil change. now we have xmsns that are "picky"? anyways... rant over... im just one of those who feel we shouldnt have paid 21k for something of this level... i know they run foeverbut cmon... anyways... is there anything known to man that makes these shift better, i am looking fo r something a little more "refined" if you will... this shitty thing is that i LOVE loud pipes but they expose mis-shifts more so in the feedback from the exhaust note than the clunk you feel in the stick... i dont know i got a service appt to have it looked at on warranty but they also say it may take a bit to see improvement from the mt90 i filled with... just felt the urge to rant... im over it now ;-)

 

***bump***

 

It is just how it is. I hate this response too, but the is a commercial truck engine and transmission not a car. They use this on those flat nose trucks overseas. I know this first hand because I was like you when I bought it new and thought the same thing. I used mt-90 and it got a little better in the cold, but nothing worked all the time.

I was rear ended in gear and had an issue in 3rd from my hand slamming forward. They went through the transmission and found the damaged 3rd gear rings. I had them replace everything with second gear too with brand new OEM parts. He said they all looked clean with no wear anyway. Once replaced it had the same feel as when I drove it off the lot. No change.

My "fix" is to shift to second above 3000 rpm. Try it sometime and you will see how smooth it is. Every other gear can shift at any speed below 3k. Maybe when they get to 100k and everything is worn will it shift smoother. Who knows.

Edit: I have the clutch tsb too and that doesn't help that issue. It only makes the takeoff and bite better given the stronger nature of the first gen v6 pressure plate used.

 

i guess with a catback that i plan to get soon, shifting at 3k would be a viable option. are there no options for a rebuild with aftermarket or upgraded factory synchros?

 

so you had it rebuilt with oem, and it clunked and notched before and after? and there was no wear on the parts?

 

bump for unanswered question

 

Correct. We had the transmission apart when the insurance guy was inspecting the 3rd gear. Second was prefect and you could clearly see the damage to the rings in 3rd. They had a new shaft installed too and the transmission is back to when I drove it off the lot new. Notchy in second.

 

I was in gear when rear ended BTW.

 

word... i did try to shift passed 3k and found your info to be useful! for some reason it like being shifted around there much better but anything before that it goes kuh-clunk... it has never ground a gear or even scatched a gear beside reverse and only one time that was my fault

 

Remember this is a TRUCK transmission. At 60K+ mine shifts better now than ever. IMO this shifter is built with tight tolerances and is meant to last 200k or more. If it is smooth when new it will most likely be sloppy when at 200K. And it will never be a Mazda MX-5 gearbox and shifter no matter what you do.

 

Yeah, I don't mind it because it gives the engine a good rev to get up and moving. The rest of the gears shift 2000-2500 to save some gas.

 

i would still rather it let me shift at like 2-2.5k... i just like shifting early to keep it in the lower end of fuel economy... i think when i get my exhaust itll be fine to shift higher than 3k ;-) ... without an exhaust it just sounds like an engine crying on factory sound killers...

 

For one gear it won't really effect it. I shifted 3k for most of the hills on my way up to Sugarloaf this weekend and pulled 21mpg round trip. Loaded with 2 people and full ski gear.

 

so i found what i feel to be a solution... a weighted shift knob... i am using an aluminum sphere weighting 165 grams... i dont know what the stock one weighs but i believe the aluminum is lighter than stock and it feels so much better... i used an sti sphere from lathe werks and polished it... shifts better... stick moves faster and i feel weighs less but doesnt move with a lot of momentum