Thud when shifting from 4th to 5th, 4x4 manual

Hi,
I recently bought a 95 Tacoma, 4 cyl, 4x4, manual, xtra cab, 110K miles.
When shifting from 4th to 5th there is a thud somewhere in the driveline. It doesn't feel too ominous and if I bring the RPMs up enough as I let the clutch out I can get a smooth shift but I still feel there is a problem worth fixing.

Has anyone else experienced this?

 

Thanks for the welcome!

It's not so much a sound it's more a very noticeable but soft thud that can be felt. It doesn't feel like anything is broke or about to break.

Since I can prevent it from happening by bringing the RPMs up to between 1.75 and 2K (when shifting to 5th at around 55 MPH) it makes me think the drive shaft is jumping.

 

Definitely nothing like a gear tooth, more like excessive movement at that rubber donut mount part way back from the transfer case. The proper name of that mount escapes me at the moment.

Mounting a camera underneath would be interesting but that would be PITA.

 

did you check the u-joints

 

chris4x4, Carrier bearing was the name that escaped me. Does this sound like the symptoms for a problem there?

mwild, the u-joints appear to be fine and I don't have any the click/clunk like u-joints failing. It doesn't feel like metal on metal at all.

The truck appears to have been well maintained, all original equipment, no alterations. I'm the 2nd owner.

 

My 09 4x4 5 speed does the same thing if I let the clutch out too fast before giving it some gas. Pretty sure it's normal as it won't happen if you let the clutch out a little smoother.

 

Does it clunk only when shifting from 4th to 5th? If so, you may just be shifting at too low a RPM. In a 5 speed, 5th is kind of like overdrive. I don't use it until about 60+ mph.

 

I'd call it more of a medium to heavy vibration, just when letting the clutch out, but that may well be the prob. Do you know off hand what a new carrier bearing costs? If it's not too expensive it may be worth a try.

 

It's just a little to strong of a thud/vibration to write off as normal.

 

I have had it happen shifting 3rd to 4th but that's been very rare. I have tried shifting at 60 and 65 without bringing up the RPMs and get the same thud. I agree that 5th feels like more of an overdrive and running in 4th at speeds up to 65 feels comfortable but burns more fuel.

I have noticed this truck with the 4cyl is a bit finicky with how high the RPMs are in the various gears, I don't mind that at all having driven sticks for 35+ years. I also worked as a mechanic back in the day so I have a pretty good feel for drivetrains. I actually really enjoy the extra attention required to prevent lugging with this truck.

I have queried Uncle Google using as many different terms as possible and came across one old thread on a different forum which never provided a solution. I guess the good news is not many people have this issue, the bad news is I may need to throw some $$ at it to try and fix it

 

Maybe your thud is different than mine. The "thud" I hear when shifting sometime I can tell is just from me not shifting as smoothly as I could be. I can tell it's just the clutch engaging a bit too quickly.

 

Problem solved. To increase my load capacity I replaced the stock leaf spring packs which consisted of two wimpy leafs and overload leaf with the 5 leaf pack from Wheeler's. After the replacement the thud disappeared completely. Must have been some kind of axle wrap happening.