Manual Transmission Sound

@ab_1280

I haven't heard from them since dropping off. I'm going to call tomorrow. I'll let you know if things change.

 

I pick up my truck today. I'll let you know how it went as well. More soon.

 

@ab_1280 please do. Sounds like you skipped the line, whaaat! Makes sense. More $ and time to do the whole job vs just the trans.

I told them to call me when they knew the status of my core prior to rebuild cause I might want the upgraded 1st and 2nd. Hope they didn't forget...

I decided to redo my clutch so I was also waiting to hear from them prior to purchasing an AISIN vs EXEDY

 

@czotie - I just got home. So far so good, the sound is back to what I remember as normal. Drove really nicely, very happy so far. Mine wasn't making a lot of noise that I could hear while driving. But the whining sound that wound up with RPMs seems to be gone. I have a lot of confidence in Yota1. Nick called me personally when my trans was on the bench to discuss what had been going on with it. (Not sure if that is what they do with every customer, but it was a nice touch). My gears looked good, my shafts were fine, even a plastic bushing looked good (replaced anyway, of course). The bearings were the issue.

I think I probably could have waited a while to do my trans, but who knows when something catastrophic might have happened. This way I'm not waiting for something to blow up in there and require a lot of replacements. They were able to rebuild mine without a core charge (whew). That was my intent by taking it in as soon as I knew about an issue. Well, I actually drove it about 15k before I took it in.

They replaced the pilot bearing, release bearing, shifter bushing, shift lever ball seat, all the normal stuff. And of course all synchros, bearings, etc internal to the trans. My clutch itself with 15k was fine. My reg mechanic used Aisen.

I decided not to do the .69 dyna 5th gear. I didn't have any feedback from someone who has it, and I was a little concerned how the truck would handle light towing. I'd only use 5th for flat driving or downhill with light towing, but I kind of decided that I had the truck for nearly 25 years with the old gearing and was happy with it. I wondered where that shift point might be. I have only done a little towing so maybe it was a non-issue. I went back and forth on it.

But...driving home on the freeway, I thought it would have been nice! In 70 mph traffic, the better gearing would have been great. Oh well. If you add the .69 dyna, let me know how you like it.

A recommendation: if you want them to call you in regards to your core, ask them to include that in the shop notes they use to communicate internally. I had told them I wanted to know the condition of my bearings and even to see them when I picked it up. That didn't get conveyed in the notes. Dropping the tranny and disassembly I think happens before Nick gets to the rebuild. So my bearings went into the scrap pile and that was that. I wasn't worried about it since I knew I had issues with them, but I had hoped to see them.

So, my suggestion is to ask Joe to include any of your "asks" in the inter-shop notes so the whole crew is aware. They have streamlined this kind of work (makes it cost efficient) and several people are in the loop at different times. And they are busy.

Bottom line; quite happy, I'll have them do other work when the time comes.

 

That's good to hear!

I called in this morning and chatted with Nick. He said the Trans is currently on the bench disassembled for his cataloging.

I decided to go with the upgraded 1st, 2nd and 5th. I don't think the 5th would have an issue with towing since it's just an overdrive gear you usually have to shift to 4th for uphill towing or not.

He said to use an AISIN clutch with the new gears, he doesn't recommend the EXEDY clutch, he thinks it's crap. I was planning on ordering a new clutch online but he said I can just buy it through them and it will be cheaper.

I'll update y'all on how it performs. Probably going to be another couple weeks before I get it back home and then another weekend to install.

 

Glad your trans is in their line-up!

Nick just called me to check in on how my drive felt coming home. Had a good conversation. I appreciate a business that is communicative (and doesn't mind sometimes needing to educate their customers). Totally happy with Yota1 and feel like I've found a place that knows these trucks super well. I'll use them again. Valve cover (unless I do it), and suspension are on the list.

We'll be going on that road trip after the 4th that I decided to cancel until the trans got done.
Good luck!

 

@ab_1280

Still waiting on the 1st and 2nd gears from Japan.

How did the truck drive on your trip with the new transmission?

 

Still on the trip. So far, transmission is great. But I have a horrible exhaust smell. We have to drive with windows closed if the truck is working uphill. I don't know if they took the exhaust off when they did the work, but I will probably call them when I get home. Limited internet connection here...

 

@ab_1280 I didn't have to remove the exhaust on my truck to get the transmission down, but the factory service manual says to do it. I wouldn't be surprised if they did due to that. They are pretty by the book.

I just got off the phone with Nick. My transmission is on the bench, he opened it up and he says it looks perfect... He's said the shafts look great, the gears look great, he didn't hear any grinding or noise from the gear surfaces, and the bearings sounded fine including the pocket bearing.

So that leaves me a little weary about what could cause the sound. Maybe the input shaft and counter shaft mating... I decided to replace 1st, 2nd and 5th gears with a new counter shaft. I'm not replacing the input shaft or 3rd gear..

Hopefully this will get rid of the noise but there's still potential it's from the input shaft or something to do with third gear...

We'll see next week when I get it back in.

 

I just got everything torqued down and took it for a test drive and....

THE SOUNDS ARE GONE >

No more whinning in neutral while idling or accelerating. There is some gear wine in 1st 2nd and 3rd but that's to be expected and nothing like before. Very very happy to be sitting in idle and not hearing a constant whine/wane bugging the hell out of me and having to put the pressure plate down to shut it up.

I got the upgraded 1st, 2nd and 5th. I haven't had much of a test run with 5th other than to see much lower rpms at high speed which is very nice.

The upgraded 1st and 2nd make the truck feel so much better off the line. You can actually launch well and I can't wait to try it on the trial.

Nick is a good dude. I went to pick up my trans and had some missing things and was on top of the front desk person missing my flywheel dowels and made sure to check. Also had a dowel stuck in the back of the bell housing. Nick got a laugh out of it. Took me into his section of the shop and knocked it out with me.

Really good guy, great company and a great family. I'll update as the ride goes.

@ab_1280 I had some smoke out of my exhaust when starting up and some oil I accidentally got on the exhaust under the engine coming into the cab. Might be condensation for you. Did it ever burn off? Hope it's going well.

Verdict to get rid of noise:
Replace your bearings (especially the needle rollers)
Maybe replace your counter shaft
Maybe replace your input shaft (I didn't do this & might limit the gear whine I still hear but doubtful).

 

Upgrade thoughts -

1st gear - requires more immediate engagement than factory feathering. I have noticed it's much stronger, almost like 3rd in Low-4. I haven't tested it on a trail yet.

2nd gear - noticably more torque in the down shift and immediate engagement, haven't felt any difference in drive feel other than getting off the line quicker.

5th gear - really shines. It takes a bit to get used to. You'll really have to trade off 4th to 5th at 65 mph, and give up going at any steep grades at speed in 5th. Regular hills are fine. It's really nice being able to go 85-90 mph and not feel like I'm really pushing the trans. It really hangs between 1900-2500 rpm between 65-83mph. It's nice being 75-85 mph and not breaking 2500 rpm on the highway now. I feel like I can gradually pass cars and stay in the fast lane now without being bothersome to other drivers.

If anything, get the 5th gear upgrade. If you're towing, you're going to be using 4th primarily anyways regardless of the upgraded.

If you're towing I think the 1st and 2nd are definitely a good choice.

I'll get the gear ratios and post them tomorrow

 

@czotie Thanks for this update! I'm really glad everything worked out. Too bad my trans got rebuilt before yours....I would have done at least the 5th gear, knowing about your experience. I didn't do it, saving the $ for other issues that might come up seeing as I have 417k. Basically, they just rebuilt mine as is. But I'm happy with it. There are sounds, but it is quieter than before and I have complete confidence. I think my input shaft bearing was the main problem. Nick said my shafts were fine. All they needed to replace were all the bearings, synchros, etc. No core charge. And my recently replaced clutch was also fine (Aisen).

The exhaust smell is still there. I was hoping it might be something that might burn off, but I went on a 1000 mile trip and spent nearly 8 days in mostly 4wd on dirt roads and trails in the Siskiyou mtns (Oregon, CA). Going uphill, we'd need to have our windows closed and AC on. I'm researching what could be going on and may start a thread to pick people's brains.

I have 2 new cats (installed Jan 2024, and no smell after), and O2 sensors done a few years prior. New MAF as well. When I had my clutch done at a good mechanic after the cats, it had a minor smell but it went away. It came back in earnest after Yota1 dropped, rebuilt, and re-installed my trans. I don't know if they took the exhaust system out to access the transmission or not.

But...I have a known issue with the valve cover gaskets slowly getting worse. (1/2 quart in 3000 to 4000 miles, can see leakage). Perhaps that could be the issue. Or, perhaps cracks in the exhaust pipe, welds, gaskets. Maybe faulty heat shields?

Anyway, I agree about Nick and Yota1. Great people and they know these trucks. I plan on calling them on Monday. I may take it in to see if they can diagnose this and have them do the valve cover gaskets at the same time.

Really glad to hear about yours going well.

 

I still wonder why the rebuilt I had yota1 do and ship to the shop my taco was at in Chicago is noisy as heck in the idle just like you mention yours was
And not quiet like the original one seemed to be
It also has a slight transmission fluid weep...appears to be where the transfer case mates up or that is where it is pooling
I need to drive it to them and have them listen to it I suppose
It's a long 1700 mile journey to yota1 shop lol

And at 75 mph it is near 3k rpm which is high, the dyna gear thing would really fix that? There was not an option for that I recall when I had an already rebuilt shipped out about 20 months ago

 

Have the valve cover gaskets ever been changed in the 25 years you had it?

 

Nope, I don't think so. I'll check my records. But I'm pretty sure not.

Sorry to hear about yours having issues! I wish you could easily take it to them to take a listen. I'm lucky to live nearby to Yota1 so I can take amtrak home when I drop off. It's about an hour and a half away.

 

Did you only get a trans from them with a tcase as well? If you only got the trans, it's possible who ever put the tcase on mated it wrong, it has to be done in a very specific way or there can be leaks. You actually have to stand the transmission up with the input shaft facing down (I put 2x4's and rested the bell housing on that) and then lift that transfer case (weighs like 80+ lbs) and drop it down vertically into the transmission without the tcase collar/snout beating up the round seal. Then while vertical you torque everything down. The seal has metal in the rubber so it's pretty hefty but if it wasn't done right it could leak, or the tcase could be off kilter. You could always pull the trans out (i know, pia) and rtv that tcase to trans mating face but you're not supposed to need to use rtv there.

My truck would also be at 3K at 75mph and the main shifter would feel like the transmission is going to explode. That's just the stock gearing for my year. The new 5th gear is roughly 2k rpm at 65mph and 2.5k at 75-80mph, and no feeling in the shifter like that till you get close to 90 mph. I have yet to find the best way to drive for fuel economy with it since I don't do much highways daily.

@ab_1280 the valve cover gaskets is a very easy job if you're mechanically inclined. I did mine after a shop in the PNW boogered it up. If you're not having Yota1 do it DM me and I'll give you the details people miss and f@#$ it up. (Rtv, half moons, OEM gasket, plenum gasket, cleaning, pcv)

What exactly does it smell like? Burning oil? Do you feel any slippage on the clutch? It could be spline grease but I doubt it. I would for sure take it back to Yota1 if the problem started after, they will figure it out and honor that.

 

@czotie , no clutch slipping...17k on the clutch at this point. The smell seems like exhaust. Slightly sweet, CO2 smell. I'm going to call Yota1 today to discuss. It really is a strong smell when going uphill but not so noticeable on flat terrain.
On the gaskets, I'd like to do it myself (I enjoy doing it), but I am short on time, it's our only vehicle right now and if I am taking it to Yota1 anyway, it would be time efficient. But if I change my mind, I appreciate your information! I'd pick up a valve cover gasket kit when I'm in Riverbank. Nick discussed some of the same issues you mentioned so I'd have confidence in their work.

 

just the R150F shipped in a big box UPS
yeah... my thinking as well that this trusted reputable toyota master mechanic hacked it up, there were quite a number of things Wrong i found when i got the truck back home and looked it over in more detail

would this perhaps cause the annoying vibration i get in the shifter stick in the 5th gear in the 50 to 70mph range i have yet to figure that out by throwing new parts at it LoL