Manual transmission Fan Club and BS thread (All Generations Welcome)

I try to. Sadly, I have resorted to rain soaked pavement to get it accomplished some months. Ten miles is a long way.
I also have taken to exercising the 4LO function more regularly. It has a bad habit of "failing to engage" if it goes unused for many months.

 

If I cannot get off the beaten path and it has not been snowing I will use mine in the rain on relatively straight road just to use it like the Manual says.

 

I should have included relatively straight roads in my post too. Sharp turns are a no-go. I like fast...ish sweeping turns in the hope that it slings some of the lube to other internal spots needing it, though.

 

I recently found that going in and out of 4Lo, that using the clutch cancel eliminates the issue of not pushing in the clutch far enough to trigger the switch that allows it to make the electronic shift.

 

That's a twist I haven't paid attention to --- if I was engaging the clutch sufficiently. Of course I let it out all of the way and drive for a 50 yards or so, but no notice of pushing movement distance. I just assumed I always go full throw. I'll tune into that -and- also try the clutch cancel switch. Thanks for the heads-up about this. I know I've tried it in neutral as often as not, but that takes the clutch out of the sequence then. Hmmm

 

I've been through 2 winters in upstate NY and I haven't used the 4wd even once yet. With my massively heavy Pack Rat toolbox and topper I don't need it. I guess I should excersize it once in a while...

 

in the manual it explicitly states you should... something like 50mi/mo. easy for you! i have to wait for rain and do it on straight stretches of highway. in the totally synthetic world of DFW.

but i actually replied to complement your username. i think they used to call me this back in the day if i remember right, but not much memory left, so..

 

Actually...........I do. I drive in 4WD for a few miles each month -- sometimes more often. I want to make sure the critical parts are oiled up and working when I need it.

 

I'm stuck in DFW and have no time to myself. i wheel when i get the fam to CO,NM,AK or wherever we can swing it. so, yes, on very wet days i use 4hi on straight stretches of highway to keep the goods healthy. there are many who do it. we've had threads on this.

 

You don't have to wait for rain. A dry straight road is no different than a wet one for the 4wd system. I have a couple long straights that I use once or twice a week if I don't get offroad. No binding regardless.

 

My problem is that I don't drive on the freeway or long stretches of road very much in a month, so I pop it in to 4H for a mile here and a mile there when I remember to do it. With living on the edge of the urban growth boundary, carpooling with a buddy to work, and owning and spreading my miles out between four vehicles, it takes a while to accumulate mileage. I just turned 2775 miles on my 2017 today, purchased in mid Oct last year.

To get in and out of 4L with the manual trans, we need to be stopped or at least under 2 mph and have the clutch pressed ALL the way to the floor, (or just use the "Clutch Cancel" button).

 

"Luke, you switched off your antiroll handbrake. What's wrong?"

 

I dont mind letting it wind up, I just need a rev gauge on the pillar!

I found rev limiting when I first got my truck came alot faster than I was used to with my other manuals, for example when I was coming from a stop, or hitting it on the merge lanes, it fell on it's face a few times (user error of course). I could always hear and feel rev limit in my other cars, but not with this Taco. Recently I've learned to watch the instrument cluster more (which I dont like doing because my eyes are peeled onto the road) and its a lot of fun. Long live the last generation of MT Tacos!

 

I put a 3 pedal sticker on my rear window! For those who understand that they know!

 

That should be a good theft deterrent.

 

I need to get one of these:

 

LINK TO SAID STICKER!

 

I'm sure that the sticker vendors here (cboy808, rrentrop, or pikestacosister) could help. But, this place is as dangerous as a mesojdm mod:
https://thecurbshop.com/collections/decals

Fair Warning: Don't click on the T-shirts page.

 

One of my first threads on TW was "how do I use 4x4", because I really had no clue. I had a 2wd truck that I offroaded in quite a bit, but 4wd was a completely new experience for me.

I ended up getting a ton of good advice, but everyone has something a little different to say and it can make matters even more confusing. I found that once I got out and used it a couple times, it all started to make sense then and soon it just becomes like riding a bicycle. There are a few key things to remember though to avoid breaking anything (which has been covered already)...

1.) never engage 4x4 (low or hi) on pavement or the like, unless you're going in a straight line.

2.) never engage 4x4 while the wheels are slipping no matter what surface you're on.

3.) be at a complete stop with the trans in neutral (or clutch in, or both) to go into 4lo. This might be different for later model Tacomas, I think I heard someone say you have to be in neutral to go into 4lo with a 2nd gen? With my 04 I can have the shifter in gear as long as I have the clutch pushed in, but either way...don't try to go into 4lo if you're moving.

Everything else you sort of learn as you experience it. Enjoy it!!