How do you drive 5 speed manual?

100% agree! My dad had a 5 speed, never had any problem with it. 1st gear is for take offs!

 

x100

 

I can't down-shift into first unless I'm going very slow too. I think I read before that toyota put in a 1st gear stop to prevent you some down-shifting into first if the shaft speed is too high...like other posters said, if you can't shift into first then you're probably going to fast for it, toyota just put in a mechanism to prevent damage. Something that helps, as well as with any issues shifting into reverse, is to release the clutch pedal and depress it again. Sometimes it allows the synchros to line up properly instead of trying to force it. It is annoying sometimes, but you get used to it.

As for the blower...that is a "normal" issue. There's threads available on how to fix it.

Also, the clutch pedal will squeek...there are also threads about that too. Some grease in the spring assembly and tightening the threaded bolt that goes to the hydraulic booster should improve it.

 

hold clutch in (left foot) press gas (right foot) until the tach says 5k RPMS, then drop clutch

 

allright, for everyone claiming the OP doesn't know what he is doing, stop being d-bags. Since most of you do not have the same 4cyl 5speed set up he has, 95% of you have no idea what you are talking about.

To the original poster, I have the exact same issue. Reverse won't engage every now and then, however I have noticed that if i clutch in and clutch out, things line up enough to get it in gear.

Also in city driving under 10mph, we are basically screwed. You don't want to keep it in 2nd because it lugs the hell out of your engine, and you basically have to kick the shifter to get it into 1st. Really I havn't found a solution that doesn't piss off whoever is driving behind me.

As for your chirp, I have the same thing also, got my fan replaced once, came back in three weeks, ignore the warranty on this and look up the fix on this site, it's really the only thing you can do to get your sanity back.

 

I guess I don't know how to drive a Toyota truck. It's a truck after all. Might as well rip off the seats and put 5 gal buckets instead. Gotta be tough to drive a truck, right?
My friend bought a new Nissan Frontier with a manual tranny. I drove it.
Big difference. It's geared right and I never had to use 1st gear except when taking off.

 

i just leave it in neutral until the light turns green then pop it into first and go

 

You describe my truck exactly except the 15mph part. I need to be crawling to get into first which is to be expected and must rev up to about 3k RPM in first to get a smooth transfer to second. All other gears can be 2-2500 RPM shifts with no lugging. It has done this since I drove it off the lot with 3 miles on to ODO.

The 5 spd transmission Aisin R155F in this truck is also used in the Colorado and this is normal operation characteristics. First is great for crawling in traffic and off-road or deep snow/mud. This pairs well with the low torque 2TR-FE engine. Did you try the V6 with 6spd to get a feel for it? I tried both and both had a low first gear. I was able to find an SR5 so I picked the 4 cyl over the v6 since I didn't need it for towing.

I did change the trans fluid over to Redline MT90 at 15,000 and now I can shift into 1st with no issues. If you don't like it now either give it a little time to learn or trade it since you'll probably never be happy. Best of luck.

Here are the gear ratios, as you can see the first to second is quite steep:

• First Gear: 3.95:1
• Second Gear: 2.06:1
• Third Gear: 1.44:1
• Fourth Gear: 1.00:1
• Fifth Gear: 0.81:1
• Reverse Gear: 4.22:1

 

I actually do find this trans to be clunky and not smooth, my wife hates it because she tries to do make up or something and then a i shift, instant clown face.

As far as the issue with down shifting into first, i find that the only time that i need to is like on a rolling stop, like the light turns green just as you roll up to the line, it is usually a under 3 mph deal, and i will not engage. 2nd is too steep at that point.

I have had the reverse issue, but maybe only once or twice.

The blower issue i have noticed but it is very faint right now, so i am not going to say anything yet.

I have had some issues going from 4lo to 4 hi unless truck is level and no possible load on drive train.

Over all i love bombing around in this truck, not quick, but fun to drive

 

I have the 4 cyl. 5 sp. setup too and it's taking a while to get used to it (just got the truck 3 weeks ago). As the OP stated, 1st is too low and 2nd is too high, especially turning corners. I had an '07 VW GTI before this and it had the same 1st gear "lockout" though, so I'm kind of used to it except for the lack of acceleration in 2nd gear

I just think that you have to get used to making the people behind you mad. I was really sensitive to this until about a week ago, but now I'd rather save the engine from lugging by taking off slowly in 2nd gear than saving the people behind me a few seconds.

 

Gotta agree with brow's post earlier; if you aren't driving this combination you probably don't know what the op is experiencing.

My 2.7 5 sp shifts almost exactly like that too, the first gear shift at a stop has gotten better after 3500 miles but he's right - it won't let you back into 1st until you are going way too slow for second, some of us aren't just taking off and road driving..it'd be nice to go into 1st for downhills offroad (ag use here) without having to almost stop first. Also I've been around alot of manual transmissions but the reverse hangup on this one is different in that letting the clutch out and disengaging again DOES NOT allow the shift (in my truck it doesn't) but shifting into 2nd, 3rd, or 4th will line things up and allow the shift.

That being said, I don't think it's quite as bad as the op makes it sound, if ya hate it that much trade it off, lesson learned.

 

2nd to last line....about the 4lo to 4hi shift (both ways) x 1,000,000,000 and THAT does make me call it names!

 

To those who are saying the OP doesn't know how to drive stick... clearly you don't know how high 2nd is in this tranny, or you love lugging your engine / burning your clutch. My transmission is the same and I often find myself too slow for 2nd but unable to get into 1st without jamming it in. I don't know why they essentially lock out 1st at speeds when engaging it would have the revs in the 1500-2500 rpm range. Also I find the issue is more pronounced when the truck is cold.

I also find most turns are made right at that speed where 2nd is a little too high but 1st is a little too low. This is my first manual tranny but I'm not stupid, and I think the gear ratios could use some work.

 

1st too low, 2nd too high, that does come into play sometimes. Especially to get to my place - got some steep grades w/ 90º turns. I've adjusted my driving style so now that doesn't really bother me.

The reverse thing, never had an issue (maybe because my previous rig - Nissan 720 - was really bad. Practically had to put the pedal through the floor to keep that one from grinding).

 

I can solve everyones problems....get a auto.

 

Simple solution to the problem were it won't engage is to slightly let of the clutch and shift, I have the same truck as the op. With 80k,new gear oil and a short throw shifter my 5 speed shifts like my buddies civic

 

My 2010 4 cyl 5 sp shifts like that, except it runs fine in 2nd even at pretty slow speed, no significant engine lugging. The transmission requires a little finesse, I never have completely gotten the hang of shifting manual transmissions, that's after 35+ years of driving manuals on around 10 different vehicles including cars, a jeep, and trucks. The Tacoma transmission feels like it is strong, like a truck should feel, and overall I like it fine.

 

I've owned seven manual tran. vehicles, and couldn't shift any of them into first without essentially coming to a stop. But why would you? Stay in 2nd and avoid the surge and spilled coffee caused by shifting into first while moving.

 

But how long will the clutch last? I can make it go in 4th gear from complete stop. But it'll put a lot of wear on clutch.

Another thing - transmission body is made of aluminum but in the middle there is 2-3" spacer made of cast iron. It looked very rusty on the outside when I bought the truck new.
I went to another dealership and drove 2 trucks with similar configuration. One of them was hard to shift into first even at complete stop but the other one was silky smooth. Both price stickers indicated the transmissions were made in Japan.
Also my truck sounds like it has diesel engine when in neutral on hot days. Pressing the clutch makes the noise go away. The noise gets louder when AC compressor engages. Mechanic at the stealership said it was normal and the gears in the transmission make the noise. It a truck after all. I'm getting tempted to remove the muffler when I take it in for the next scheduled service. No big deal.... just a little noise.....it's a truck, you know.

 

So...trade it and get a Fronty since it's "geared right". Or maybe just right for you.

My '05 V6 6 spd can be hard to shift into first sometimes, especially when it's cold. I press the gas a tad and throw it into gear and go. It makes all the difference.

Sucks you don't like your Taco, but I'm sure there's someone out there that'd like it. So get rid of it.