transmission 2nd gear

Hi everyone, 1st post but I have been reading them for about six months. Here goes, I got my truck about 6 months ago. Brand new white 2008 access cab 2.7 5 speed 4x4. Everything about the truck is great except one small issue, 2nd gear. not every shift but expecially when it is cold shifting from first to 2nd it will catch, clunk or have a hard time going into gear. I have put in redline mt90 and it smoothed it out a little bit. I haven't posted yet becaue I only have 3500 miles on the truck and i though maybe it was still breaking in. I think it is the syncos. It i wait a second or 2 it will hesitate to go in but then slide right in, just not a smooth shift like all the other gears. any suggestions on how to fix this problem.

 

Welcome to the forum, I have the manual trans too and yes it will get a bit better with time. I have 4100 miles on my 09 w/ 5 speed and it had a small catch at 1-2 shift. I felt my trans was too loud also with quite a bit of whining so I put Amsoil MTG in which actually made things worse as far as shifting, especially when cold. I removed the MTG and reinstalled the factory fluid although due to some spillage, added 8 oz. of Vavoline non-syn 75-90. The trans shifts the best it ever has, even in the cold. Still a small catch at 1-2 shift but after a mile or so of warm up this is gone too. I'm in your neck of the woods so I know the temps your dealing with. Are you getting full clutch disengagment? The friction point on these trucks clutches seems to be higher off the floor than normal. I'm going to have mine checked out at 5K inspection. If you bought it in Bay City, Pete the service manager is a solid guy to deal with. If you came from a manual transmission car, there does seems to be a new shifting procedure timing method to learn.

Motoretro

 

thanks for the tips. Yeah the mt90 seems good after warmed up, but is a little stiff when cold. It does shift a lot better then stock fluid. I think I get full disengagment but not sure. The clutch also finally feels like it is breaking in. i have never bought a manual brand new so I am not sure if there is a normal break in time. seems like everyday I drive it it is a little different some days better other days worse.

I did buy at labadie's. they seem pretty good overthere.

 

I have the same issue. Only seems to be a problem when it's cold out. Recently changed the tranny fluid to Amsoil

$29 75w-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75w-90. Seems about the same as before. I just take it easy and wait for the synchros to line up for the first couple of miles or let it warm up for a few minutes before I leave. BTW I bought it with about 70k on it, so I don't think this particular issue really goes away. I might try a different gear lube, but I can live with it for now.

 

good info guys. yeah I was not sure if there was an additive that people where putting in or some random trick to adjust the issue. Thanks for for the quick responses.

 

Horrible 1-2 shifts in my 6spd when cold. They get a little better when warm but are still a lot rougher than the 2-6 shifts.

 

I don't think there's a magic additive, I feel you either get a tight trans which works well with thinner gear lubes or a loose one when likes thicker fluid. Kinda a luck of the draw situation.

Motoretro

 

Hi all. I don't post much but this one got my attention. I have the same exact clunking issue between 1st and 2nd. What I have found is when I push the clutch pedal in to shift into second, if I let off of the gas pedal slowly and pull it back into second at the same time, it is smooth as silk. Kinda hard to describe but I guess I am not letting the revs go as low as one would normally do during this shift. Took a little bit of getting used to but now I don't even think about it.

Give it a try and let me know if it works for you.

Tim

 

Good advice, I'll try it in the AM. I wonder if/how much effect the throttle by wire has on the whole procedure. Does not seem as linear as mechanical linkage to me, a bit harder to syncronize with your clutch movements.

Motoretro

 

having the same issue here!

 

i've got the same issue on my 2013 2.7L. Im having a hard time getting it to drop into 2nd. Only got like 300km on her tho.

 

My does this too! My only complaint with the truck. 30k on my 2011 and it still shifts terribly into 2nd. Feels like it hits something solid for a second then as if I am dragging the stick through a bunch of hard marbles for the rest of the shift. I have tried just about every technique, let the revs drop, keep them high, shift at a high rpm, hold it out of gear for the synchronizer to work, etc. Still can't get a reliable 2nd gear shift. Disappointing considering all my other Toyotas are MT and shift like butter through every gear.

 

Seems like it. I'm a few thousand miles more than I was before (up to 36k now). Still having the same 2nd gear issue.

 

My 09 w/ 57.5 K is smoother than ever in shifting, getting better as the miles went up. That said Trans is a bit noisy, typical of the breed I'm told.
Motoretro

 

Yea, that sounds similar to what mine does. Hoping it gets better with miles, but not holding my breath. I have found the "best" shift from 1 to 2 is when I move it down until it hits that wall, hold pressure there for a second or two, then give it another push and it will pop into gear. By that time the revs have dropped and I need to give it little gas before letting the clutch out (rev match). It's a slow process and sucks when you are in traffic or pull out in front of someone and need to accelerate fast. My W59 trans on the 4runner is butter smooth, I don't know why this one is so bad. I've tried bleeding the clutch and adjusting the throw, neither helped. Thinking about changing the clutch out, but I think this may be a transmission issue.

 

Mine was always trying to catch (or lock me out of) 2nd when I bought it, and the dumb thing always locked out of 1st unless stopped. It felt like GL5 would. MT90 went in within 24 hours and that was about 10k miles ago.

The first 3000 miles or so it was about the same. I wonder if it started to shear a bit after that because now 2nd gear always goes in easy and I can shift into 1st with very light pressure with just a light blip on the gas pedal up to about 8 mph virtually every time. Still not a perfect tranny, the thing is noisier than most, but at least it works the way it's supposed to.

 

I read that too, changed over to Redline mt90 at 30k. Been 6k now, didn't make a difference for me unfortunately.