3rd gen clutch life expectancy

Nice!

 

Interesting, should have lasted way more than 40k.

Sorry I know nothing nothing regarding after market 3rd gen clutches.

 

At about 101k miles. Having some difficulty getting into first gear (especially when cold) and sometimes second. Tachometer bounces back and forth a little bit - I notice this when I can look at it highway driving. Could this be the clutch on its way out? I don't feel any loss of power or "slippage."

 

sounds like two different things going on there... the difficulty getting it into 1st and 2nd while cold is probably just the gears not lining up and since it's cold and the fluid is cold, not wanting to spin easily to get lined up. Reclutch to spin things a bit and they'll go right in.

The bouncing tach on the highway sounds like it could be slippage. You'll know for sure when it happens at slow speed especially while you're trying to balance the clutch during a shift.

 

I still have my 2016 from brand new and cold Temps always make it sluggish slow shifting. Nothing unusual there. About 5 mins of patient driving improves it.

Can't comment about the slippage though.

Edit: I'm at 170, 000 KM btw and tow about 5 K each summer for past 3 years. 4000 LB trailer.

 

So my 2016 Tacoma MT is in the shop as we speak getting the clutch looked at after some slipping and sluggish shifting/power also some burning smells periodically.

I'm at 110 000 kms

Centerforce has what looks like a great upgrade kit available just released

https://www.centerforce.com/i-30500...- 6-SPD||model=TACOMA||make=TOYOTA||year=2016

Unfortunately it's a bit pricey and difficult to aquire here in Canada so if I need to replace looks like I am going to have to go with the AISIN kit.

 

I have a 2017 3.5L tacoma and my clutch began to fade around 25k miles. Had it diagnosed at 59k miles by the dealership as in critical condition and needs replacing. I am absolutely disappointed with this truck. I've owned mostly manual vehicles and this is the first time a clutch failed this early. I contacted corporate and they were pretending like they were looking into it and ended up a total dead end...I told the rep that a clutch failing this early is a design flaw and he's like, that may be how you feel but it's a wear and tear item so it's normal for it to go at 60k...I call BS. They don't want to own up to it, just like every warranty claim...My first time owning a Toyota. Was buying for reliability...Jokes on me. Doubt I will be buying another one.

 

I have 78k on my 2017 3.5l and my clutch is still VERY solid with many years left. And yes; I have towed very often my 56" exmark or John Deere 2025r, offroaded, and drive daily. This is 5th MT car is last ~25 years - smooth as butter.

 

25k is very suspicious. I'd think it was a fluke or no offense, due to the way it was used.
Not sure it applies to you, but many report revers on the MT being very tall, and requiring lots of slippage to get up steep inclines, reverse trailers, etc.

 

See, that is where it makes no sense. I towed only twice. Once an empty trailer, and the second time a light load. The truck has never been off-roaded...I've been telling the rep this and got nowhere. They're calling it normal wear and tear. My experience with this truck doesn't favor Toyota at all and I know I am not the only one. Read numerous posts like this.

 

I started having issues with slipping at 10,000 miles. Went ahead and replaced it with an LC Engineering Pro Clutch and now trying to work through some issues with that...

 

I had the truck at the dealer several times because of how much it bogs out to almost a stall when trying to drive uphill even unloaded. They said it's just a characteristic of the truck and there is nothing wrong with it. Tech told me I am not revving enough and the engine is designed for higher RPMs. That's counterintuitive for clutch wear though...I babied the hell out of the truck and still stuck with a $6.5k clutch repair

 

This engine doesn't even come alive until 3,800 rpm... IMHO, rev-matching is key to minimizing clutch disc wear, driveline shock, and staying in the power band. Rev-matching without double-clutching is problematic for smooth synchro-meshing and so more wear and tear on the trans. Rev-matching with double-clutching is more wear and tear on the pressure plate, throw-out bearing, etc... Can't have everything. I use double-clutching in lower gears, but generally not higher gears, which for me, works the best. JMTC

 

I’ve got a 2021 TRD OR with 34K miles and a manual transmission. I’ve done a lot of cross country driving in a wide variety of conditions without any issues. Clutch seems good to go in my opinion. I’m

 

I may be misunderstanding but higher RPM's, especially in a tacoma, is not counterintuitive for clutch wear. Babying, meaning too low of RPM's, can be more harmful.

In normal driving, I shift at about 3K RPM +/-.

I read here on occasion where owners seldom rev the engine and believe there is a benefit to keeping the RPM's low. I am not an auto mechanic/tech and not advocating running constantly above 4K RPM, but the engine and driveline are not harmed if rev'd to the 4-5K RPM range, and once in a while touching the red line.

As many others have posted, the V6 engine performs pretty well at higher RPM's and I gotta believe it can and will survive a long life even when rev'd within reason.

$6.5K for a clutch replacement seems very high imo. I wish you well.

 

So you decided to make an account (with a name like that), find a thread related to your clutch problem, and then bash the brand? Thank you for your contribution.

Honestly, if I was a dealer and you walked into the place with a similar attitude, I would not be doing you any favors to fix your problem.

If your experience is as you describe, I get it, that sucks. Toyota (and I'm sure every other manufacturer) cover their own asses with wear items for good reason. They have no idea if your problem is legitimate, or if you are a first time clutch driver who burned it out prematurely from your own negligence. They have no way to verify one way or the other, so they lean towards not warrantying wear items.

I had a rear shock blown at 10k miles, and got the same response, that they don't warranty wear items. I bought some new shocks and installed them myself, and admittedly it did take me some time to get over how it wasn't warrantied, but I get where they're coming from. Dealerships also vary widely with their level of competence, from the service writers, to the parts guy, to the lube techs. Most suck, but a few actually know what they're talking about. There's a reason most people here don't advocate using the dealership for repair work, unless you're under warranty. Find a local shop that you trust.

Also, if the truck is bogging going uphill, you need to downshift, no matter what RPM's you think you should be at, that tech was absolutely right. This motor makes all of it's power at 3.5k RPM's and up. No, it won't hurt your clutch to use those RPM's.

Also, $6.5k seems steep to me for a clutch job, although I've never needed one in any of my manuals. I would assume it's a few hours worth of work at most, so I'd call around for some quotes.

 

I made an account with a name like this because it speaks for itself. I have every right to be frustrated. You don't even know half the story with this truck. At 2,500 miles my clutch master and pedal assembly were replaced and I got the truck back unable to shift gears. Barely got it turned around to bring back into the shop. They did some tinkering and I got the truck back not feeling the same ever again, clutch catching high, occasional gear grinding, lacking power, etc. I brought in multiple times for multiple issues where I learned to live with "characteristic of the truck" after "characteristic of the truck" diagnosis. Wind noise, creaks, rattles...My father-in-law was laughing at me joking that his salvage title ridgeline is less noisy than my brand new truck. Fixed the issues myself. Found work-arounds for design flaws. I babied the truck, changing fluids following a heavy use schedule rather than the standard recommended maintenance schedule. I wanted this thing to last. And then covid hit and the dealers refused to do anything at all. The clutch was the final straw...The truck was and still is under warranty. I was not supposed to be the one tearing it apart and doing normally unnecessary repairs so early on. Don't make excuses for them. They were supposed to cover a failed shock at 10k miles unless there was obvious evidence of external damage or abuse. I worked for Ford for 7 years and traded for a construction job where I am much happier. The bulk of my work as an auto tech was warranty repairs. They don't pay shit if you do everything right. I know how the process works. Anything up to the first 36k miles should be 100% covered unless it was evident abuse or accident damage. Like you said, it is very difficult to prove one way or another, but most of the time our warranty claims adjusters didn't find a reason to reject a repair. It was mostly the ones that were toeing the line of warranty expiration where they got really picky. This tacoma has a history of visits for issues that kept getting brushed off and then finally when it's out of the bumper to bumper warranty period, they say oh your clutch is gone and it's totally normal for this mileage...Cavalier, 175k miles original clutch. Totaled in accident. Clutch was beginning to go but at that mileage, to be expected. RX8, sold at 120k on original clutch still going strong, with me beating the heck out of the car too. 89 240sx with 210k miles on original clutch. Finally traded the car in because got sick of replacing broken speedometers. Drove my S10 to just under 180k on the original clutch. Replaced the clutch, and got another 50k out of the truck before I decided it was time to get something a little more reliable. Just some examples of the kind of experience I am used to. I work long days in construction and don't have neither time nor energy to be tinkering on cars afterward. I am happy for you that you didn't have any issues with your clutch but I am here to back up those with clutches that failed way too early. Especially when they didn't really do anything that would normally cause premature wear. I can relate. I've read one too many posts on this when I was digging into it with my Tacoma so I want them to know they are not alone. My experience with Toyota as a whole was terrible so not likely buy another one. Quality workmanship is a dying breed...

 

329k on my stock clutch now

 

Clutch #3? Lol

 

72K on my 2018, so far so good. However I have been driving manuals for 40+years.