6 Speed Clutch Problems and Advice

I've got 150,000 miles on my 06. I Absolutely love this truck, but over the last year or so, I've been developing the infamous 6 speed clutch squeak. No performance issues, but whenever the clutch is not depressed I hear an obnoxious squeaking (like a belt chirp). I know the issue stems from the fork / throwout bearing / sleeve assembly and there's even a TSB to fix it ( https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...lutch-release-bearing-is-finally-here.130843/ ), however, I've also heard its only a temporary fix to Toyota's design flaw.

I've heard reports that URD's throwout bearing upgrade kit offers a more permanent solution. I think this is what everyone is talking about...?

http://urdusa.com/store/p1260519023...IT,-2005+-Tacoma-V6-6-Speed/product_info.html

Anyway, I guess I've got a few questions:

1. Is this kit from URD a good solution? Any potential repercussions?
2. I've got 150,000 miles on this clutch and no mechanical issues thus far, but should I be considering replacing the entire clutch since I'm taking it apart anyway? (Ive heard its a pretty big ordeal to swap out the clutch in this truck). And yes, I plan on keeping this truck forever.
3. If I do swap out the clutch, I assume I should consider an aftermarket solution. Any recommendations that aren't absurdly expensive?

As you can probably tell, I'm definitely not an automotive expert, so I'd really appreciate any constructive input! Thanks guys!

 

I put the URD throw out bearing/sleeve and clutch on my '06 at 270,000 kms in 2012. it had the chirp forever but I just lived with it, also had the terrible third gear grind, I was pulling my boat out of the lake and it was slipping a bit so that's when/why I decided to do it.
The clutch was whatever the shop put in it, resurfaced the flywheel at the same time.
I've got nearly 350,000kms now and its never chirped since, the third gear grind is gone and it all works awesome. The only weird thing is getting used to the clutch pedal when you drive out of the shop, it'll engage at a different spot.
So I guess what i'm saying is yes the URD kit is the answer but do you need to do it right away, no not really. It can wait awhile and you might as well do the clutch while its all apart.

 

I have had the same issue. Used the Toyota TSB and the chirp went away for all of six months. Putting in my order for the URD sleeve and will update whenever I get it done.

 

I would recommend starting with rebuilding the clutch slave cylinder. It involves replacing the spring and piston inside the cylinder. Its an easy job and takes about an hour to do. My squeak went away and my clutch pedal feels easier to engage.

 

I have had the URD fix done for about 50,000 problem free miles. You will need a new clutch and resurface the flywheel for sure. I went with the six puck stage 3+ clutch disk and it's a little stiff for stop and go traffic or crawling through a boulder patch, but other than that I love it. It doesn't slip much, it just bites in and goes. More like an on/off button than a clutch. If you are happy with your stock clutch, get a new one from the dealer.

Edit: I also replaced the slave cylinder with a new one at the same time, although you could just rebuild it. If I remember right a new slave was pretty cheap.

 

Glad to hear this worked for you. I proposed and did this on my 2008 several years ago. I think I was the first to propose it and I've had what seem like endless critics who don't understand what the problem is. A search on my name will give more details and what needs to be done.

 

Wow, this is the first time I've heard of this solution. It makes sense though. So the basic idea is to use a spring that applies back pressure on the throwout bearing while the clutch is engaged? Could this potentially cause excessive wear on the clutch? Its not like its partially engaging (depressing the clutch)... right?

 

Your posting and the back and forth you had with gearcruncher are what convinced me to look at the clutch slave cylinder. I even went out and got a 1995 Ford F-150 master cylinder but decided to go with oem parts first to see how the fix worked. I've only driven the truck once since the repair and first impressions were positive. I liked the feel of the pedal and the squeak was gone.

 

This is great info, thanks for bringing it up.

 

I'm not sure what a new one goes for but I paid $20 for the rebuild kit at a local Toyota dealership.

 

sub'd. had my TO bearing replaced at about 80k miles. i am now at 130k and it started again.

 

This is a great forum with lots of resources for troubleshooting problems. This is a cheap fix when compared to dropping a transmission and replacing a throwout bearing. I'd start here to see if it solves the problem before tearing the transmission apart.

 

hladun, I read this in one of your recents posts about this issue.

"When viewing the operation of the Release Bearing with the engine running and the cover removed, the technician should be able to demonstrate the wobble using a flashlight. Applying a small amount of pressure to the slave cylinder shaft which moves the Fork, should stablize the Release Bearing enough to stop the chirp."

By applying this "small amount of pressure", am I actually partially engaging the clutch? This would obviously cause a lot of wear and defeat the purpose...

 

It would be "partially disengaging the clutch" but the answer is that the clutch diaphragm spring exerts a large clamping force on the clutch disc. Yes, this does reduce the clamping force slightly but unless you're really loading the clutch you won't get slippage (and maybe not even then). As taz97 saw it does eliminate the bearing wobble. All the cars I've owned (except my 62 E Type) had this arrangement. The Maserati/Ferrari F430 bearing has two whacking big springs and it has to deal with 500hp.

 

Here's a link to a write up on rebuilding the clutch slave cylinder.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-slave-cylinder-rebuild.387315/#post-10637097

 

I've had 2 TOB replaced under warranty. Each time the squeak came back after 10k. I have 120k on the truck now, and am thinking about doing the URD TOB and will redo the clutch while i'm in there.

 

Check the spring in your clutch slave cylinder.

 

Well, several months ago I rebuilt the slave cylinder with the beefed up spring. Thanks for the recommendation, but I'm sad to say that it didn't help the infamous chirping noise. Still leaning towards the URD kit and new clutch.

Anyone else fight this battle with the slave clylinder and lose?

 

I saw somewhere someone used a longer SC shaft? Can someone point me to this?

 

Is all part of the Toyota kit? Or the F-150 kit.