TRD OR Manual Issues going from neutral into first, or first to second gear

I know there are tonnes of threads on here so forgive me if I am repeating an existing one, but I searched and could not find anything regarding my particular issue with the manual tranny.

First off: starting from the line in first is a shitshow, trying to get the right rpms and catch point in the clutch. I think it is probably to do with the throttle by wire system, or just plain bad gearing. To accelerate at the rate of traffic, and I mean including the prius next to me, I have to rev up to 3500 - 4000rpms, to be able to switch into 2nd and not have a serious "bog down" time. If I punch it, this thing is a beast, but I want to be able to drive at a normal speed like a normal vehicle, and it seems it is all or nothing with this thing.

That isn't my main gripe, though.

Several times now, I have been stopped at a light, with the transmission in neutral. Light turns, put the clutch to the floor, shifter won't go into first or second, pump the clutch a few times, still won't go into first or second. I've been stuck at a light in rush hour, unable to get through the light, with the people behind me honking not knowing wtf is going on. To get out of that situation without putting on my 4 ways and just sitting there, I opted to start out in 3rd gear. I knew this would burn the clutch some, but then something else surprising happened; I revved it up to be able to take off in 3rd gear, very slowly started creeping forward, when I let off the gas, it continued to keep revving high, burning the living shit out of my clutch.

It didn't occur again for a few weeks, so I thought it was a fluke. The next time it happened, I was able to get it into 2nd gear and thankfully was on a slope going down, so didn't have to burn the clutch at all.

It happened again yesterday, couldn't get the stick into 1st or 2nd, put it into reverse and worked, tried back to 1st and 2nd and wouldn't go, had to start in 3rd again, burnt the shit out of the clutch again, as well as it continuing to rev when I let off the gas.

It seems I am having a combination of two issues. A mechanical issue preventing me getting into 1st and 2nd gear when I am stopped, no matter what I do, but only very intermittently. The other problem seems to be related to the throttle by wire system, where I let off the gas yet it keeps revving and burns the shit out of my clutch.

Has anyone experienced these problems at all?

Thanks

 

I have the manual and I've not had any of those issues. Accelerating with traffic isn't difficult for me either. Get out of first as soon as you start rolling and let 2nd do most of the work. You run out of first gear quick in these trucks.

 

Doesn't sound normal. How much experience do you have with manuals?

 

Calling @BeaverNation ...thought this was supposed to be Silky Smooth!

 

Please don't start in 3rd, I won't even start in second unless I'm rolling or its downhill. Just row through as many gears as you can depress the clutch in neutral try to shift, if it doesn't go just keep depressing and releasing the clutch in neutral and row again. I'm guessing you're low miles too, it gets better with time. And yes most all of us who have manual truck experience would say it's a silky smooth mt.

 

I've had this issue as well but doesn't seem as bad as yours. At a dead stop sometimes I can't get into first gear. All other gears are fine and am forced to start in second. This happened about 5-7 times total. 6,000 miles.

Someone in another thread replied to me saying
"I think that's common. No need to start in 2nd. Just clutch out clutch in again real quick in neutral and you'll be able to get into 1st. I don't know what causes it. It has only happened to me a few times."

This has only happened once since that post and the above seemed to work

 

That certainly doesn't sound normal, I would have it looked at. Almost like the clutch is not disengaging when depressed. My Scion xB is manual and shifts very smoothly (I know, different vehicle altogether) but sometimes won't go into reverse, unless I let let out the clutch just a enough to start to grab and give a little gas at the same time before it will go into gear. You may try to do that and see if it helps. I drove a manual taco a while back, and it shifted a little rougher than my xB, probably b/c of odd reverse placement which I'm not used to, but didn't act like you're describing.

 

I usually take it up to at least 3k in 1st, anything below that and I can't stand the clunking/clanking of going from 1st to 2nd quickly. No sound if i really turtle it, but that pisses off even the priuses behind me. What RPM you shifting from 1st to 2nd at?

And sorry OP but yeah there's some problem, if pushing the clutch in and out real quick in neutral doesn't allow you to then get into 1st, something is wrong.

 

I have never owned a vehicle that was NOT a manual. Mostly cars, admittedly. I owned an FJ Cruiser 3 vehicles back...it was perfectly fine, never had a single issue with it. I also used to drive around an old manual dodge ram pickup when I did landscaping during college, it was not silky smooth but I don't remember ever having issues being able to get into gear.

I did row through the gears and neutral, pushed the clutch pedal in and out several times, even went into reverse with no issue, 3rd 4th 5th and 6th were smooth to engage but 1st and 2nd just wouldn't go, there was something physically preventing it. Like I said, the only way I was able to move was by starting in 3rd, and as it happened I was under a highway overpass with no sidewalk on the side I was on, so there was nowhere for me to pull off, I was completely obstructing traffic.

Believe me, no one has to beg me not to start in 3rd. I'm a grown man and was almost brought to tears at the smell of my clutch burning. The biggest problem in that instance is when I decided it was too much trying to start it in 3rd and I let off the gas hoping I could just roll the rest of the way and off to the side, it held my revs high anyways. Almost reminiscent of the Toyota "acceleration" nightmare.

So from your responses, it seems to me this is something I should be bringing up at the dealer regarding my vehicle specifically, and not with Toyota Customer Service.

There is nothing "normal" about it, and has nothing to do with my ability to drive a stick.

 

I usually come out of 1st between 2.5k and 3k, but in terms of vehicle speed, that's barely moving. At that engine speed 2nd gear doesn't bog for me and if I want to go fast I'll just leave it in 2nd all the way up. It's much smoother than getting that extra 5 mph out of 1st by running it up to 5k.

 

Clutch master cylinder not doing its job sounds like to me. Loosing hydraulic pressure so the clutch isn't dis-engaging. I've got a manual and haven't had this issue with my Taco but I had similar problems with a Honda CR-V.

OP I'd be taking the truck back to the dealer. There's a TSB for 2nd gens with this issue. Clutch master cylinder replacement. I think the TSB is for squeaky clutch. Does your clutch pedal squeak at all??

 

No, the clutch pedal doesn't squeak. Funny enough it did on my FJ, but it was just the pedal return spring. Some lithium grease fixed it.

Alright, thanks for your input, everyone. I will make a call to my dealer soon as I am done work.

 

Good luck, I hope they fix this problem for you!

 

I had a difficult time with my trd sport manual at first, the gears were so tight to shift especially 1st and 2nd and if I let the clutch out too fast I'd get the bucking/clunking. Then after about 2000km the gear shifts loosened up and it's extremely smooth now. Also I found if you let the clutch out slow it helps a lot. As well to shitf to 1st, I put light pressure, don't force, into gear and that works best, it only gets better with use, I'm at 3000 kms and it perfect now.

 

Have about 2k on my MT and none of the above issues. I have been driving a MT since 1996 and have driven anything that needs to be shifted from heavy machinery to dirt bikes, road bikes, tractors etc.

I can't imagine having to shift that high of an RPM in my truck now. First is really short. I don't ever look at the tach I just shift by ear but that still seems high if you're talking about daily traffic acceleration.

I've also driven numerous extremely high hp street cars (think Street Outlaws) so I know shifting to a tach very well, too.

Take it in and see what they say.

 

This does sound weird.
I find this truck to be more than enough HP to get me going.
1st gear is tall but it will prove useful when I get the chance to take it off road.
BTY, my truck loves between 1800 and 2200 rpms.
seems like mpg's are pegged out in this range.
I need to baby her a few more hundred miles at which point I can take her past the 4000 rpm range.

 

Op how many km's on the truck.

Within the first 1500 kms had it happen to me 3 times. 1500-4500km it's happened twice.

It has nothing to do with clutch disengaging re engaging. It's the synchronos being to tight. To slide in to mesh. Is best way I would describe it.

My question to you is, do you down shift to slow down and pop the clutch out last second before 0km/hr reached ? Or are you going from 4th lets say to neutral and rolling all the way down to 0km/Hr.

Not that it should matter either way, just curious.

When I felt the issue , I let out clutch 25% then pushed it right back in then throw it in first. Drive away from there.

 

i think twice ive had the issue with shifting into first while not moving. it isnt unique to this truck or transmission, just happens when the gears are exactly aligned with each other and require a hair of movement to mate together. easy solution is to shift into 1st while truck is moving instead of waiting until completely stopped

 

Over the phone, service advisor seems to think it's the clutch "actuator", which admittedly I have never heard of. I have 2600km on the truck. It first happened at under 1000km, last happened over 2000km.

I personally thought it would be the synchros...

I sometimes gear down to slow down, and sometimes I go straight to neutral and just use the brakes, depending on the speed I am going, how sudden I am coming to a stop etc. I will admit I find it challenging to slow down using first.

The compression in this truck isn't great for engine braking, probably something to do with the Atkinson cycle when cruising along, but I could be completely wrong. Usually I will slow down in 2nd, go from 2nd to 1st once I am stopped. If it is a long light (and I happen to work for a municipal traffic signals department so I tend to know how each intersection functions off the top of my head) then I will put it in neutral because I don't want to hold my foot on the clutch for a full 1-2 minutes.

I do want to say I love this truck, I'm not a hater. Just trying to figure out what is going on here because in my experience driving manuals, it has never happened where no matter what I did (at a stop) it just would not go into gear.

I also have experience driving manual farm equipment and tractors, 4 wheelers and motorcycles. Can't really compare them but I've been on some finicky tractors, never one that got me stuck like this, though.

The other point no one has spoken to is the fact that when I was trying to just get it rolling in 3rd, and let off the gas, it held the revs high until the truck got going, with my foot barely on the gas at all. It was actually kindof scary and I am worried what would occur if that were to happen when in the proper gear... this time it burnt the shit out of my clutch, next time it could be full speed ahead into traffic.

 

Wow, that is scary. I really hope they get this fixed quick!