6-Speed Manual Questions

I just got my truck about a month ago and already have 5,000 miles on it; I'm loving it! I really wanted the manual, as that's all I've ever driven, so I drove all the way from Houston to Memphis just to pick it up. Anyway, there's three small issues that I was wondering if anyone else has had.

1. The leather on the shift boot makes a squeaking noise if it vibrates at the right frequency. If I put my hand on it, it will quiet down but it will start up again as soon as I remove my hand.

2. When the transmission is in neutral or the clutch is depressed, there's a loud clunking noise coming from under the car about where the transmission is every time I go over a bump. It's done this since mile 0. It doesn't usually bother me much as I habitually downshift and have the clutch/gears engaged the whole time I slow down (and thus don't deal with this issue very much)--but there are instances where I do slow down in neutral for whatever reason and it's pretty annoying.

3. I swear I'm not a noob with manual transmissions, but I sometimes have trouble with the 1-2 shift--with the clutch DISengagement oddly enough. I've spoken to a few friends about this and they've all looked at me funny. Basically, I sometimes get a clunk and a bit of a jolt after disengaging the clutch when in first gear. It seems to be more common when under very light load. I don't have any trouble with engaging the clutch, rev matching, or anything else... just this one specific scenario. Can anyone provide me with some insights as to what is going on??

 

2. It is the cushioning springs on the friction plate and drive line lash bouncing around.

3. Search the ADM thread. It sounds like the accumulator is messing with you. It has done that to a lot of us and the mod is pretty easy.

 

I had issues between 1-2 occasionally as well, it felt like the engine couldn't decide how much power to give and would finally decide at the very end of 1st to start going right when I would be shifting thus giving a jolt . Same thing happens in second as well, there are surges around 2k and 3k rpm.

If you are handy at all look up the ADM (accumulator delete mod) it makes the clutch feel way more responsive and precise which helps getting the shifts more smooth but I feel the biggest issue is the actual engine tune.

Getting the OV Tune will basically make your truck preform the way it should from factory, no more weird surges and more low end power. If you look around on here you will see almost everyone universally hates the factory tuning. It seems Toyota made it to fully maximize fuel economy to the point where the truck performs horribly.

 

P.S. I was wondering if anyone has noticed any weird torque fluctuations at 1500rpm. For instance, while engine braking, I'll feel a small jolt when the rpms pass through 1500 rpms. (I know this truck switches between Otto and Atkinson cycles, and that the Atkinson cycle affects engine braking effectiveness...maybe this jolt is caused by the engine switching between the two at this rpm...)
I'll take a look into the ADM and the OV tunes. Will either of these void the warranty? I don't want to do anything that I'll have to hide from the service department. I did this on my VW Golf GTI and it made me worry more than anything.

 

The 6MT does have a clunk sometimes. I used to get it occasionally going over railroad tracks or with a really bad shift.
The 3.5 has very little torque below 1500rpms.
Try shifting 1-2 and 2-3 around 3000rpm.
Cruising gears will be lower rpm, but not below 1500.
Give it a try and it will probably shift a lot smoother.

 

They only void the warranty if the modification is directly to blame for what messed up the truck, from what I've read on here no one who has these mods have complained about issues with warranty. So as long as the clutch doesn't fail in 36k miles and you have no engine malfunctions directly related to fuel mapping you are fine.

Also if you do the tune yourself you can always flash it back to factory if you have any issues. I feel in performance cars techs will be looking to see if you were messing around with your fuel programs to push the turbos harder but in a basic NA truck I doubt techs will be digging deeply through your computer.
Same goes with the ADM I it is a very basic part bolted on the side of the transmission and if you ever have clutch warranty work you can reinstall it with no one being the wiser.

 

The jolting feeling at 1500 is the DFCO disengaging.

I did the ADM and i love it, much more predictable clutch feel. If anything goes wrong with your clutch or tranny, of course they will do everything to blame in on the ADM. Just keep your accumulator in case if something goes wrong and you want to bring your truck to the dealer.

I also did the tune (91 SFOB) and its fantastic, way more low end and the engine just sounds happier. Much better power in mid and high RPMs as well. Im getting same or better mpgs, which is amazing. I brought my truck tuned to the dealer and never an issue, its impossible for them to detect it. I mean, of course if they found out somehow, your warranty for engine failure/problem will most likely be denied.

I also recommend the 2wd low mod, its a lifesaver. 2hi Reverse gear ratio is a joke.

 

The 1,400rpm jolt is the injectors coming back out of DFCO. The tune drops that cut in way lower.

 

From the sounds of it, I need the tune and the ADM to get this thing to drive like a "real" vehicle. I'm just paranoid about doing things that can even POSSIBLY void the warranty. I paid extra to extend it through 100k miles and don't wanna ruin that.
That 2wd lo mod sounds great. I'd really like the ability to go real slow without slipping the clutch when I need to back up a trailer, especially if it's up an incline.

 

"I just got my truck about a month ago and already have 5,000 miles on it; I'm loving it! I really wanted the manual, as that's all I've ever driven, so I drove all the way from Houston to Memphis just to pick it up. Anyway, there's three small issues that I was wondering if anyone else has had.

1. The leather on the shift boot makes a squeaking noise if it vibrates at the right frequency. If I put my hand on it, it will quiet down but it will start up again as soon as I remove my hand.
>>> Strange one. I can only guess that this will change as the boot softens - (???) Dunno what to say otherwise. - I have not experienced this...

2. When the transmission is in neutral or the clutch is depressed, there's a loud clunking noise coming from under the car about where the transmission is every time I go over a bump. It's done this since mile 0. It doesn't usually bother me much as I habitually downshift and have the clutch/gears engaged the whole time I slow down (and thus don't deal with this issue very much)--but there are instances where I do slow down in neutral for whatever reason and it's pretty annoying.

>>> I had an M (BMW) and it had this same clunk... Even BMW said that was normal. Others have addressed the clunk in the tacoma here in TW - Seems a know issu, but seems innocuous.

3. I swear I'm not a noob with manual transmissions, but I sometimes have trouble with the 1-2 shift--with the clutch DISengagement oddly enough. I've spoken to a few friends about this and they've all looked at me funny. Basically, I sometimes get a clunk and a bit of a jolt after disengaging the clutch when in first gear. It seems to be more common when under very light load. I don't have any trouble with engaging the clutch, rev matching, or anything else... just this one specific scenario. Can anyone provide me with some insights as to what is going on??

>>> I read a lot about the accumulator and the desire to delete it... I was sort of dreading the issue. BUT I have not experienced much grief with the clutch though.


- I would be very curious about driving a Taco with the accumulator delete to see the difference.

*** I would also appreciate feedback on the OV Tune effects on the MT. I understand that the OVTune is now available for 2021 models. -reading about the results of OVTune, I am very interested in this!

 

...this clatter was gone after I did the ECGS bearing and suspension upgrades.

 

Honestly just drive any other, non-Toyota, hydraulic clutch vehicle. The accumulator is pretty much there just to give a smoother feeling for newer drivers by pretty much slipping the clutch on every shift, but I feel it hinders performance because you can't tell exactly when the clutch will bite.

 

That is exactly it. It is choice between direct clutch action and a damped and inconsistent action. Makes no sense.

 

Try some leather conditioner on the shift boot

 

1- First time I'm hearing about this. Does it vary with outside temp?
2- This is normal. For me, only happen when the clutch is depressed. Try going over the bump in gear, or in neutral without pressing the clutch.
3- Shifting from 1-2 does take some getting used to. Try experimenting with shifting at different RPMs. For me, I think shifting around 2-2.5k works well, but to be honest, I've become so used to the shifting pattern, that I just use the sound and feel of the engine that I don't get the jolt.

I will be honest that this manual transmission had the largest learning curve out of all the manual vehicles I've driven. Coming from a sports car background, the biggest thing to keep in mind is that it's a truck and it will drive like a truck so spirited upshifts and downshift as you would do in a car won't feel right on the Tacoma. As others have said, it's probably mostly attributed to the accumulator and you can do the delete. My suggestion would be to drive it for a little longer and experiment more before committing to the adm.

 

The clunk is normal. And I still can get used to the clutch from 1-2 either. I need to do the adm but haven’t.

 

1. Doesn’t seem to vary with temp.

3. Yep, I have better luck when I wind it up a bit but there are times (like in a parking lot) where I want to gently shift at a much lower rpm. It would annoy me A LOT more if it weren’t a truck. I always tell myself it’s ok because “it’s a pickup”. Like you, my prior experience is with sports cars and luxury sedans so it is a bit of learning curve. I think I’ll eventually do the ADM since it is easily reversed. I’ve only heard good things about it.

 

I did the ADM, have VF tune and still have a hard time with the 1-2 shift because the rev hang is just horrible. I'm hopeful the next release of VF tunner will address it.

 

Once you put some more miles on it and get used to how it works you should be fine. It'll never shift like a Miata, but that's ok.

 

A wise comment by a learned person.

Miss my miata