6 speed X-Runner won't go into reverse

Hi,

So I have a 2005 X-Runner with 197k miles. It is getting up there in age and I have started having issues with shifter/transmission.

I think with all the 6 speed tacomas, to get into reverse you have to push the shift lever hard to the left and then up. Now mine will not get into that position anymore (it won't go left)...if I try to push it left it just won't go, I can only get it into 1st.

All the other gears still work fine (although it's starting to feel a little harder to shift). My throwout bearing makes a lot of noise as well but not sure if that's related.

Anyway I took the shifter apart and am trying to find anything that's missing or broken, do you see anything like that in these pictures?

What could be preventing me from being able to go into reverse?

 

Not sure if it’s normal to have all that greasy buildup in there. Here’s what my 2015 looked like when I installed the TRD shifter, but it was only like 6 months old at the time. Factory shorter is on the right.

 

I was having similar troubles where it felt as though I had to push the shifter lever "through reverse" before it would engage.

My fix was replacing the reverse circuit switch, on the passenger side of the transmission. This switch has a spring loaded Normally Open contact, which is closed by selecting Reverse. On my switch, the spring was very tough to compress, and gritty. Also, the switch was only being closed after 85% travel.

My replacement switch, PN 84210-12040 engaged with very little effort, and had "closed circuit continuity" from 10% to 100% travel.

<ebay link below>
https://www.ebay.ca/ulk/itm/252616694392

*I had to file off 1-2mm of plastic of the locking tab for the pigtail harness. I filed the new switch rather than my truck side harness*




**edit, forgot to mention.
Got My truck with 10,000km and was was always "tricky" to get into reverse, problem made way worse when I put on URD short shifter @ 50,000km. At 90,000km I removed URD ss suspecting it was a factor. Since replacing the switch Dec 2017, never had another issue.**

 

OP, pull the remaining 4 bolts on the shift tower illustrated and lift the tower. Underneath is the main shift rod with a single bolt. Make sure that bolt is not loose. The reverse light switch mentioned above is also a good cheap place to look. Otherwise I noticed that you have an '05. The shift fork on that gear was revised later on from cast aluminum to a more durable cast iron or steel because the fork was weak and cracking/breaking. I've been inside the RA60 and ran across that part revision during a rebuild of mine.

 

Can you select all gears easily with the engine off?

if so, you may have a clutch/release bearing issue. You mentioned all the other gears getting harder to select too. If the clutch disc is not being released all the way when you depress the clutch pedal, the input shaft in the trans will keep spinning and it will get hard to select gears (especially reverse)

 

yea, all the gears will go in when the engine is on or off, except for reverse. the shift lever won't make that extra travel to the left for reverse, almost like there is a wall in there blocking it.

I'll also try that reverse circuit switch, where is that mounted?

right now I've pulled the four bolts on the shift tower retainer piece, and I'm wacking at it with a hammer but it won't budge...

 

also my shifter seat is totally disintegrated...ordering that part from marlin crawler too

 

That's gotta be it

 

Before spending loads of money, you need to get a new shifter seat bushing. In the second picture, all that greasy buildup is parts of the bushing that has disintegrated. The part is about

 

@oaklandfd3s in the meantime, how about some pics of the rx-7!

 

does it look like something is missing or has fallen off, where I circled in red here? and the shifter seat would cause the truck to not want to go into reverse?

 

I agree with you... I had the same issue when I had my 05 .

 

+1 shifter seat bushing