clutch issue on 1998 Tacoma - temporarily stuck in gear when truck is on

Glamisman
Totally forgot about the pilot bearing welding to the input shaft . In all the years I have been fixing these trucks , I cant say I have seen one welded , but it does happen . Great catch !!
I have seen the clutch disc rusted to the input shaft . When you mash the clutch pedal to the floor , the clutch disc will not pull away from the flywheel

 

But he can't get it out of gear. I don't see how anything wrong with the clutch could prevent him from getting it out of gear.

 

This is the part I'm having problems with too (although admittedly, I'm still not 100% sure I understand the whole issue). The shift bushing makes sense; we had an old Cargo Star with a Spicer 5spd main that had a completely worn shift bushing and would get locked in a gear and not come out without a LOT of profanity.

 

Perhaps its the way he explained it that is confusing everybody .
If you are in first gear with the engine running , its next to impossible to shift into any other gear unless you mash the clutch pedal down .
For the benefit of the doubt , he could try rev matching without using the clutch and see if he can grab another gear .
This should eliminate the stuck transmission shifter theory .

It would be nice to know what happens when the transmission is in neutral and he tries to shift into 1st or reverse ?
I almost guarantee he wont be able to grab first or reverse when the engine is running and he is in neutral
Typical hydraulically controlled clutch issues .
There are also shifter detent and interlock issues that can arise . His explanation in his second post contributes to this .
Next time he goes for a long drive , he will have to shut the truck off in neutral and use the e brake . Then start the truck and see if he can grab a gear

 

Sorry for the confusion, it's definitely a weird set of circumstances.
When engine is off: I can push in the clutch and shift easily from first to neutral to reverse etc. Everything feels normal.
When I push in the clutch and turn the engine on: The shifter is stuck in whatever gear I have it in. I park in first (e-brake is not super trustworthy on non-flat ground), so it's in first, and will drive forward normally when I let out the clutch and give it gas, but when I put the clutch back in, it will not shift out of first. I can put in the clutch and brake and it will come to a stop and idle normally- no squealing or grinding from the clutch. The pedal is not as far off the floor as normal but still seems to be engaging and disengaging properly, since I can push it in and idle with the shifter in first. When I then turn the engine off, I can push in the clutch, shift to neutral, restart the truck, and it will idle in neutral, but same deal- when I push in the clutch, I can't then shift into gear. If I put it in reverse while it is off and then turn on the engine with the clutch pushed in, then let the clutch out and give it gas, it will drive backwards with no issues- same deal, when I push in the clutch and brake to a stop, I can't then shift it out of reverse.

It has done this twice, after sitting and cooling down overnight after long (5-600 miles in a push) hot drives (engine not overheating, just hot outside). After letting it run idling for several minutes and pumping the clutch (not sure if this was actually helping anything) I was finally able to get it to shift (had to yank it pretty hard) and then it shifted normally after that.

Thanks for helping me chew on this, y'all- my knowledge is very limited to begin with, and this has me stumped. I drive the truck on long trips into the boonies a lot, and don't want to get stuck somewhere.

 

Still confused. You say "stuck in a gear." Does that mean you can't even get it to neutral? Or does that mean you can get to neutral, just not into another gear?

 

Can’t even get it to neutral.

 

Not sure of the mileage on your 1998 or if the trans has ever been rebuilt but I am going with transmission end play .
When bearings wear out inside the W59 , your mainshaft and countershaft walk back and forth inside the transmission casing .
When the transmission maisnshaft and countershaft walk back and forth , it plays havoc with the detents and interlocks on the shifter fork rails .
Some guys install a new shifter bushing ...Super cheap and easy to install . The new shifter bushing helps align the shifter forks in the shifter housing .

https://www.instructables.com/Toyota-Tacoma-manual-transmission-pop-out-of-gear/

https://www.marlincrawler.com/transmission/shifter-parts/heavy-duty-sockets

 

I like this!

 

This makes a lot of sense. Thank you. I’ll start with the bushing and if it happens again I’ll buckle up and face the transmission…

THANKS!