Power loss on hill in 4H, manual trans.

I cannot believe the MT has a fault...I'll take this rare opportunity (like the MT guys do on auto trans posts) to say I can go up steep inclines in 2H with no issues. All in fun.

 

ATs are different. The torque converter would be open (unlocked) in this situation and acts as a very high loss torque multiplier. So, the engine can spin at a higher rpm (more torque) than a locked up MT.

 

The Taco MTs certainly have faults. The clutch accumulator, the tall ratio reverse gear, a 6th gear that could be a bit taller, the lack of feel in the clutch, clanging from the friction plate, the same desperate need for a tune, and some other stuff.

 

Correct!
OP, were you riding the clutch (letting it slip) to get in a better/stronger RPM range?

 

Agreed that it just sounds like normal manual things. This is why I'm usually in low range offroad so I don't have to constantly ride the clutch. If this driveway is a normal occurrence, it sounds like the 2 low mod is your friend. It will allow you to take advantage of the lower gearing but remain in 2wd so you don't get any binding on pavement.

Or just hit it in 2hi and maintain a little speed up it.

 

Picture of driveway OP?

My driveway is long and somewhat steep where I need 1st gear to get up it.

 

Has anyone suggested taking a run at it?

 

This one. 3rd gen trucks have been known to have oil build up in the valve covers and seep into the valves if left on an incline long enough.

 

What's that smell?

 

While I haven't had the chance to drive an MT Tacoma, I have driven many, many MT compact pickups, and other vehicles. This description does NOT sound 'normal' in any way.

OP: You've done this before many times I assume, and this time was different?

What sort of RPM were you showing?

 

Off roading with MT is hard as hell as there's no power over obstacles when crawling. Have to ride the clutch alot....

 

When I still had my '93 Toyota 3.0 5-speed, I had a photo shoot way up in Laurel Canyon in the Hollywood Hills where the driveway was so steep that I had to drive up to the security gate, get them to open the gate, then back down the hill into a neighbor's driveway to get a running start and because there was a sharp bend in the paved hill you couldn't use low-range. The owner's told me that many delivery trucks simply could not make it to the top. So, yes, there are driveways that steep. Maybe some of them are on purpose. Who knows. On the other hand, these folks had a giant picture window from the living room into their swimming pool.

 

This thing is gutless but MAN that must be a steep hill. I had a similar situation once but I was towing a few thousand pounds. Really steep driveway that I wanted to get all the way up but straight up couldn't without absolutely smoking the clutch. So I just left it at the bottom and prayed the ebrake and the transmission wouldn't let it roll away.

 

Very strange my 2011 has none of those problems. Maybe because I have only been driving a stick for 60 years and I'm not used to a stick yet.

 

Welcome to the 3rd Gen section. Great input. Keep it coming.

 

Just takes skillz..

 

OP later that day

 

That one never gets old.

 

The manual has a better crawl ratio than the automatic