grinding gears help

Hello all. Just picked up a 97 tacoma 4x4 v6 manual for 2900 (first truck for me) and it looks like I need to start pumping some money into this thing. yay!

Problem - having trouble shifting into second and downshifting into second and especially first.
Impossible when rpms are high and can only shift smoothly while keeping the rpms low. When I test drove the truck it seemed fine then i loaded a 500 lb motorcycle in the bed and drove 100 miles. With the load it was impossible to downshift into second and shifting into second was near impossible. had to basically limp it home. after unloading the motorcycle it was slightly better but it still was grinding. Also, there is a slight knocking sound when reversing.

clutch oil is full, no leaks around master & slave, bled the clutch line and was fine.
I changed the trans oil which helped initially but did not solve the problem.

Is my clutch going? shall i replace master & slave first then move on to clutch?

Any tips greatly appreciated!

 

Welcome aboard Bryan
Check the clutch fork on transmission for flexing due to cracking.
Shifter bushing replacement is also a common fix.
Not being able to downshift into 1st is normal for 1st gens.
Redline MT 90 is the preferred transmission oil to improve shifting.

 

gotcha. do you need to open up the clutch to replace the clutch fork? having trouble locating info on that. thanks again!

 

You are used to driving a manual Transmission??

How high of RPM are you trying to down shift ?

If it was a clutch engagement problem it would be grinding in all the gears.

Clutch wear problem slipping and the sweet smell of burning clutch lining

I have seen a driver new to a vehicle take out a clutch in a few hours

Is the shifter real sloppy ?? does it pop out of gear ??

It worked fine did anything happen when it started to not like second gear ??

 

not used to manual toyota pickups, but have been driving manuals for many years
just normal downshifting coming to a stop, nothing crazy
so far only 1st and 2nd tend to grind
no clutch burning smells
shifter seems ok, was slightly better after changing trans oil, never popped out of gear or felt like slipping
it started not liking 2nd gear after driving a few miles with 500 lb motorcycle in the back.


thanks again for any advice

 

what did you fill the transmission with?

I had poor shifts into 1st and 2nd, especially in freezing weather. Have had good luck with Redline MT90 in it

 

I have had manual transmissions my whole life. When I got my Tacoma I thought something was wrong with the transmission. It was notchy, and difficult to upshift/downshift into and out of 1st. I changed the shifter bushing, replaced the oil with Redline MT and had only slight improvement.

After owning it for a while I just realized that the W59s are just notchy and I learned to rev match both up and down through the gears. I shift like a dump truck/school bus now with pauses between gears.

 

I have 5 speed with 310k miles, it leaks, right now its probably half a quart low. I have no issues shifting to 1st or 2nd. Downshifting to 2nd can be difficult if rpm's are too high. You don't downshift to 1st period. If there is an issue with the clutch system or transmission you would have a really hard time getting into first gear from a dead stop. From dead stop if you have issues getting into 1st gear, shift to 2nd first than shift to 1st, it lines up the gears better...

If you have a hard time getting into 1st gear from a dead stop and it feels really notchy it could be these things;
- air in the clutch system
- faulty pressure plate - I once put in an eBay clutch and pressure plate and it made shifting hell. Once I put in Aisin clutch and pressure plate all issues disappeared...
- bent shift fork

 

the second gear grinding seems to be happening most when the back is loaded. I will put the redline in and take my time to learn proper shifting technique. my last car was a miata so maybe thats not helping! thanks again

 

Since I seldom look at the tach any more I thought I would see when I down shift by RPM.

The only thing I did was put the Marlin Shifter bushing and seat in.

The clutch is a LUK has between 80and 100,000 miles.

As long as the rpm drops below 1500 maybe 1200 going into second or even first is no problem loaded or empty

The 3.4 5 speed like yours