MT clutch pedal has started “creaking”

Howdy,
My MT clutch pedal has all of a sudden started creaking really loudly when changing gears. It creaks both when depressing the pedal and releasing it. I’ve never had this happen to a clutch pedal before. Is this a common problem with manual transmission Tacoma’s? And any suggestions on how to fix it? The truck has about 68K km on it. Thanks in advance!

 

Very common. Grab some disc brake grease and pack it into the void on the backside of the pedal where the master cylinder rod pushes up against.

I opted to change the plastic pedal out for a metal pedal from an FJ Cruiser but that’s a lot more cost and work. I did it for other reasons. The grease stopped my plastic pedal noise until I removed it.

 

My old truck (not a tacoma) had a squeaky clutch pedal for years, must have put 100K miles on it, worked just fine when i eventually traded it in.

 

I had this happen on my 2019 TRD off road 4WD. I lived with it for a while until I couldn't. Didn't affect driveability, it was just really loud and sounded bad. Toyota replaced it under warranty without any hassle, I hope that you are still covered. I'm not sure if it falls under a recall today but I do know I wasn't the only one who had a squeaky clutch pedal based on the research I was doing at the time. I can tell you it's been more than two years now and probably about 30k miles and the creaking has not recurred. They replaced the entire pedal and assembly, the clutch master cylinder, and then adjusted it to be within spec. I can try and dig up the part numbers and the notes if it will help you at all. Best of luck.

 

There is a TSB out from 2019. All 2020 and later trucks have the TSB parts automatically. For anyone with a 2020+, I would advise not going to the dealer because they’re just going to install the same parts already there. If truck is older than 2020, then yes it makes sense to go and get the TSB parts, though you’re out of warranty by now so it won’t be free. So evaluate the cost vs benefits to decide if that’s worth it. The difference in the newer pedal is that there is a bushing for the return spring to ride in.

The noise is a grease issue. If the noise doesn’t come back after dealer work is performed, then they greased it adequately enough to not make noise. On the contrary, there are plenty of stock trucks with the TSB parts or trucks that had the TSB be performed and they still eventually make noise because of poor grease application.

 

Thanks for all the replies. The truck is just out of the 3 year warranty (in October, of course) but my dealer has been pretty good so will have a chat to them when the truck goes in for a service in a few weeks time.

 

There are a few places to grease and pedal will be quiet and smooth...
1. The rubber boot that the rod slides through.
2. Spring pivots.
3. The pivot ball at the very top of the rod where it pivots on the pedal arm assembly. Unfortunately, you really need to lay on your back to see it. I'd suggest putting a dab of grease on a long q-tip and forcing it up into the pivot point.

Use white lithium grease or silicone brake grease and you should be good for a long while.

 

I have a 2021 and had the same issue. Long story short, go to Mopac on 16th ave and get a little "sample" tube of energy suspension polyurethane grease. Should look... off white and be..."very tacky"... wear a glove. Get under the dash and stroke your clutch pedal. Anything that moves like the spring, little plastic thing that does a 180* flip etc, smear the grease on it's contact/moving surfaces and stroke the pedal a few times. This grease wouldn't compromise the plastic and has teflon for a long lasting repair. I did this over 100'000kms ago and the noise has never returned

 

Awesome! Thanks @joba27n. I’ll head there tomorrow and pick that up.

 

Is it the pedal or is it coming from underneath? If underneath, it is likely the throw out bearing spring clip on the release arm / fork. It would be hard as hell to get grease there from the inspection window, but you might be able to?

 

You already got the right advice to do this yourself but FYI the dealer won’t do anything about it. If they’re anything like mine they’ll need a week or two to order “body grease” cause they don’t keep it on hand. They will only use that mythical stuff cause it’s the Toyota spec.

Learn how to grease it yourself and save many many hours of your time!

 

Lithium grease . Use on moving parts especially around the rubber boot part . And expect to do this often . Been dealing with this for years . Have had the dealer replace the clutch pedal assembly under warranty . Worked for a while then the noise came back .

 

Taking my 22 Sport (16k miles) into the dealership (Sheehy in Fredericksburg, VA) on Wednesday to see what they have to say….we’ll see…

 

They're either going to throw a bunch of new parts (same parts you already have) at it, or they'll apply more grease. There is nothing else they can do.

 

Yep, mine has squeaked for the last 60k miles. Plastic clutch pedal and less bushings than the FJ. I've heard the metal FJ pedal swap is solid, just some extraneous labor. Spot resolving with grease for now.

 

The FJ swap is nice. It needs about the same amount of grease, but it shouldn’t have any trouble for a long time and it definitely feels more solid and it moves nice and straight, no side to side play like the plastic. Took me about 2ish hours to do the work and cost around $250 for parts.

some of the parts I bought are technically not needed, but I felt better replacing them. Also CJ uses a plastic clevis with open ended slotted holes, and I instead went for an all metal closed hole clevis from a Land Cruiser. That one piece itself added like $90.

 

Good to know! I told myself I'd just deal with it but it's starting to seem like a solid swap. May have to clear up a weekend a few weeks from now

 

I’m happy with it. I made a thread on it a few weeks ago - it’s a bit long and may make it seem intimidating but it’s actually pretty simple to do if you’re any bit mechanically minded. Some also opt to not do what I did which was remove the main body ECU for access. It was so much easier to get to the pedal bolts that way, but it did add steps.

I also put a list of the exact parts and quantity I used, so if you opt to go through with it, hope it helps.

 

Definitely does! I think I had read your write-up at one point... persuaded me to take a look in the first place. Looks like I'll have to just get to it.

 

So, took it to the dealership yesterday for my 15k tire rotation and to have them address the creaking clutch. When I told the service guy that there is a TSB/Tech-Tip out there, he was surprised and took a picture of it off my phone. 3 hours later the service guy tells me that I'm going to have to bring it back at a later date because he wants a Level 1 Technician to work on it. He told me to reference the TSP 0112-19 (which is the one for 2005-2019 trucks, mine is a 2022).

Next step, bringing it in on Friday to see what comes next....