Tacoma 6-speed manual transmission restrict pins

My 2000 W59 6-speed manual transmission has restrict pins located near the shift tower. From what I have read, those restrict pins are supposed to keep the transmission from falling into the wrong gear when shifting, destroying the transmission.

Does anyone have a good idea of how often those pins fail?

My transmission is 24 years old and was on the garage floor being cleaned so it can be put back into the truck, when that question crossed my mind. The plan was to clean the transmission, replace the throw-out bearing and other small stuff, but basically put back what was working before I took it out. What should I do about the restrict pins?

 

Sounds like you just put them back in, black one goes in a specific spot

 

Thanks! Yeah, I've been reading that section all day today, imagining that I might quickly disassemble it down to the intermediate plate, the point where all the moving parts are still associated into a sub-assembly, so I could easily see and get to all the internals and clean out any dirty stuff that might have accumulated over the last 24 years, and make sure nothing seems overly worn or damaged inside, hopefully without doing a true overhaul, and then put it back together clean and my soul relieved. And I have been shopping for all the gaskets and o-rings and stuff needed just to do that. One place had a gasket and seal minimum "overhaul" set that seems to be made for that, for only $19 something. There are a number of other things required.

I would have to take out the two restrict pins during that process, and maybe just looking at them will tell me if they need to be replaced, but I wanted to see if anybody on TW might know how reliable those pins are, and can tell me whether it would be best if I replaced them with new while the transmission is out. Some expert here must have a better opinion than I have when it comes to dealing with a manual transmission. This is the first time for me, and I am trying to be careful.

You nailed it, "put them back in, black one goes in a specific spot," sounds intensely familiar!

 

I suspect it'll be pretty clean. Manual transmissions don't really get dirty on the inside, they don't' have clutch packs to wear and fill the fluid with stuff. But it'll be fun to do in any case.

 

Sounds like you have had that experience before, neat. I am looking forward to opening it up. Appreciate all your comments.

 

The phosphoric acid and paint arrived, but I have changed the plan and will come back to the acid and paint a little later than my original plan. And what my new plan will accomplish might make the acid cleaning actually be more effective, as the main aluminum parts will be more easily accessible. If I were a shop, I would have a bead blaster do that part, but I am not a shop.

Decided to do a minor overhaul of the W59 transmission before putting it back so I will have a good idea how it looks inside, and have a chance to clean it up and replace anything that looks damaged. Found an "overhaul kit" on-line that seems to suit, as it has three seals and maybe 5 gaskets, including the two gaskets that surround the intermediate plate and the front bearing retainer gasket. Anything extra in the kit would be for the other transmissions the product covers (i.e. W55, W58, etc).

Plan to remove the transmission case and its extension housing. examine the inside thoroughly, play around with the shift mechanisms a bit to get a better feel than the YouTube videos gave me, clean any gunk accumulated during the first 24 years of life, but don't expect to find much of that or any metal pieces laying around. Just want to know for certain what condition it is in.

Read through the FSM several times to make sure I will not saw off the limb I am standing on as soon as I crack it open. I have a question for you. The FSM says that the shift lever housing set bolt is a non-reusable part. That's the first time I have ever come across a (maybe 12 mm) hex head bolt that is not torque to yield but cannot be reused. Do you have any idea why they want that bolt to be new? It does lock down the shift lever housing that the shifter uses to execute each and every shift the truck will make going forward. It might be more obvious when I get to that point.

Another question: when you consider my new plan, is there anything you can think of that I ought to do either before starting, or at some point, to make sure I can put the thing back together exactly as it was before starting, say adding marks of any positions I need to return to, or anything similar. And do you think it will go back together as easily as I imagine? Anything I should watch out for? Anything you know that I don't could help me in the long run.

I'm still shopping for non-reusable gaskets and o-rings and the such that will be needed once it is apart, but after I place a couple more orders, it is coming apart.