2nd Gen Tacoma Release Bearing (Throw Out Bearing) Destructive Findings and Shift Detent mod.

@rockandstone from what I know of the TSB for a squeaking clutch the repair is to use the updated pivot ball, clean and re-grease all the touch points and replace the clutch pressure plate, friction disc and release bearing.

That stuff will help but if there's a groove worn into the extension tube the new release bearing will eventually start squeaking, too. It's a matter of steel riding and wearing into aluminum. I don't think Toyota has a fix for the root problem beyond replacing the transmission and the new RA60/RA61 would do the same thing eventually.

That's where the aftermarket solution with the sleeve and slightly overbored bearing comes in. That will solve it but now you've got a custom fix that doesn't use factory or OEM-style parts you can just get from NAPA. It'll always have to use these special release bearings. I don't think it would be easy to convert back, either. IIRC the instructions had me use locktite on the sleeve so it would take some effort to remove it.

Truth is you could probably throw parts at it for a long time before it wears through and breaks the extension. I wouldn't want to speculate on that. There's a lot more trucks out there without sleeves than with them I assume. For all I know if you can live with the noise and inconsistent operation you might be able to smooth the ridges and replace the bearing every 50k for the life of the truck without serious damage ever occurring. I honestly don't know the answer to that.

If you've ever replaced a clutch doing it on these trucks isn't any harder. Even putting the sleeve on isn't any more difficult just as long as you take your time and don't crank the set screws down hard enough to break the tube. If you've never done a clutch before it would be good to have someone with some experience and tools to help you learn. The hard part IMO is mostly getting the transmission on and off. The clutch part isn't any harder than doing brakes. Getting a shop to do it I think would be hit or miss. Some might say no and only want to do things the factory way, some might be fine with custom solutions like this.