Lurch, Shake, Bog, Go.... What the...?

Alright so ive had my 2012 Taco for about 5 months now and i have noticed this all along but it seems like it has gone on too long. So i have a 6spd M/T, this is not my first M/T vehicle so i know its not me, i also know that a new clutch always takes time to get used to but i have found that i get a Lurch, Shake, Bog, Go kind of thing going on when i shift from first to second, I know that there is kind of a lul so to speak when i shift from first to second in the Tacoma but the Lurch shake thing kinda bugs me, it seems to happen when i'm not ripping threw gear but it does when i shift and drive like a civilized person. I figured my clutch just needed a "break in" but i have put just shy of 7000 kms on the clutch and it has not changed any, so i wonder is this something normal or am i just still needing to get used to the clutch?

 

When in "shakes" does it kinda feel like something is slipping? I have that sometimes, feels like my clutch slipping but from what ive read here its the carrier bearing shaking around violently for a bit.

 

Well its kind of like everything shakes, when it lurches it is like when you let the clutch out a little then quick the rest of the way and then the stick shakes.... well everything really when i have to give it extra gas to get back up to 2nd gear RPMs i guess its hard to explain over typing its one of those things where you kinda need to be there when it happens but its almost like the clutch doesn't catch right away and you need to bring everything up to sync, if that makes sense.

 

Ya from what you have said it sounds exactly what my truck is doing. It doesn't do it all the time, but when it does its really annoying. Seems to happen more when i'm on a hill and there is more load on the engine.

I'm gonna try to tightening all my u-bolts this weekend to eliminate any possible play between my axle and suspension. If that doesn't work I also here dropping the carrier bearing will help with the takeoff shudder. Ill get some washers from crappy tire to drop it down a little and hopefully that helps.

As for your other problems, 1st gear is pretty finicky in this truck. Smooth starts are pretty hard, even after a year of driving this truck lol. Like you said a more aggressive start actually helps it start smoother.

 

Haha i have a 12' so i hope my u bolts are tight haha. yeah don't all the time but more when im paying attention to alot of other parts of driving (traffic, lights, ect). haha i had just had it happen at a previous light about a week ago and then at the next light i was aggressive on it and some kid must have thought i wanted to race him (didn't but...) so at the light after that i noticed him next to me, he was in a Volvo SUV A/T, anyhow this kid couldnt have been any older then 17.. maybe 18, and it was a nice new one so i know it wasnt his haha anyhow i "Challenge accepted" so turns to green and i drop the clutch and just floor it, some stupid cavalier gets in my way and i have to slow down, so now i have failed haha, so next light i rev up and let him know its really on this time haha and off we go and let me tell you 3rd gear i got er to like 100km (ran out of road for another shift) to smoke him to the next light. man was it funny his girlfriend was laughing at him haha. Any how back on topic, i wonder if it has anything to do with the cable and or clutch itself ? i know in my last M/T i could get a full on roll with just the clutch before needing any gas, in my truck i seem to have to give it some gas about half way out as if it is just starting to grab and im running out of cable?

 

I've had seven different manual transmission trucks over the last 17 years. This one has always been a pain in the ass to drive smoothly. Some people claim there's is totally smooth and they can drive like silk with no extra effort. Others, like me have a hard time of it. Seems to be the nature of the beast for me.

 

Yeah i have gotten used (accepted it) but it just seems as though its one of the few flaws i have seen in my taco

 

Yeah feels like a super strong pressure plate with a very high friction clutch disc. Additionally the flywheel is far to heavy and the fool who programmed the ECU forgot to include an equation to let the eGas let off when you let your foot off when there is any measurable momentum via signal from the ABS magnet counters. My guess is Toyota really doesn't know what the hell they're doing and has ordered up this combo to combat the 2005-07? slipping clutch probs. Basically you have the mechanical ingredients of a race clutch, it's either on or off.

btw, overall it's a completely disappointing set up and absolutely horrid gear box made by Aisin. Toyota knows how to turn a profit: source cheap, and sell by a long worn out reputation of quality. My first and last Toyota.

 

This probably will not be my last toyota but if i get another toyota pickup it will be a automatic, if i get a toyota car i will probably still get a M/T but thats because i very much enjoy driving M/T.

 

I wish "Toyota" not Scion would come out with a new sports car. The new Scion one looks nice but seems like it weill be under powered.

 

Well this clutch is a hydraulic system, no cable i do believe. I personally find 1st gear is so short that I dont have to give it any gas at all really to get it moving

And ya for just being a v6 truck it has plenty of balls, and even though the 6speed sucks for normal driving I find its pretty fun for racing around.

 

Yeah i have to shift into second (driving civilized) before i get past the cross walk if im first at the lights haha. Plenty of balls thats for sure, Can't wait for the S/C to come out though. Im thinking of putting a TRD shifter in and when i need new clutch im putting in something way better.

 

Also will probably be putting in a MBRP exhaust, and some sort of better intake.

 

MBRP exhaust sounds amazing. just put one on a week ago. simple install and looks great

 

On a 2012? And pics or it didnt happen .

Did you go with crome end?

 

I have always found it to be a quirky transmission, and this isn't my first manual either.

 

It is indeed a hydraulic clutch. A little weird that it shares fluid from the brake reservoir but that's how it is.

I've had clutch chatter when taking off if I baby the truck for a long time, but that's about the only annoyance. When it does it I intentionally give it a good hard slip launch to smooth out any buildup on the flywheel and it behaves for another couple months.

For the 1-2 "buck shift", I've experienced that too. It's not the clutch. It's a combination of soft mounts and soft leaf springs. When you shift both the drivetrain and axle unload that high-throttle tension, and if the next gear is timed just wrong during their oscillations-- oh man does it ever buck, sometimes with a pause so bad it's even feeling like it's going to stall at full throttle. Can't be good for driveline fatigue life. The only way I can be sure of avoiding it is tapping the rev limiter in 1st gear (it's earlier than at higher speeds, only about 5200 rpm) which takes torque off the driveshaft before the clutch goes down.

I did a little experiment with inverted helper springs to control axle wrap and it eliminated this problem completely; however I removed them because of how they caused the springs to articulate unevenly and preloaded it such that the driveshaft angles no longer were correct.

 

Btw between gears I double clutch as often as possible and it helps a lot. Basically it's like driving a 10 wheel tractor.

 

Haha i will try double clutching, i never thought of it because my last M/t was a 2001 and the one before that I needed to double clutch but on the 2001 the gears synced so it was un-needed, Ill see if it will help me with getting from first to second when im not flooring it haha.

 

I've owned two Tacomas with a 6spd manual. The only issues I've ever had were when I first bought it and tried to drive it like it was a race car. The short 1st gear isn't meant for launching off a starting line and the rear suspension isn't setup for drag racing. Those two factors combine when you try to race it and you get what Iroh describes as the "buck shift".

You can combat it by waiting for the rear springs to unload before you drop the clutch. Once you get used to the feeling it's pretty predictable with no need to artificially slow yourself down by double clutching. It'll never be a race car, but unless I miss my mark you paid for a 4x4 truck so there shouldn't be any confusion.