Intro and 6 speed troubles.

Hey guys, first post here and a bit of an issue I'm looking for a solution to. I bought my 2010 tacoma about 4 months ago. It's an access cab V6 4x4 and I love it. Had an issue with the chirping throw out bearing and had the URD kit installed under warranty by the dealer. Put in MT90 as well. My issue is that when shifting from 1st to 2nd it seems like the synchro's are rejecting the shift and it feels like it is hitting a wall before it eventually slides into gear. It only does it at around 1800-2400 RPM. If I take it up to 3-3500 it shifts no problem. Every other gear is smooth and shifts without issue. The truck is at 92 000KM's and is still under warranty. Just wondering if this is normal or if there is something I can do to troubleshoot it before I take it in to the dealer.

 

That's not uncommon for the 6 speed MT. Redline helps some folks, not others. FWIW, a good number of later R150's in 1st gen Tacoma trucks were the same way. Notchy as hell from 1->2, smooth every other place.


Does it get better as the gear oil heats up or is it like that always, hot or cold?


In the 1st gen, a trick that also worked was to fill the transmission from the top, about 1 pint over what the manual called for. That helped another subset of owners conquer the nasty 1->2 shift.


I was waiting at a dealer this morning and had time to test drive a used '09 AC/6sp. I noticed the 1->2 shift was nasty. Double-clutching helped when cold. When I got it warmed up after a few miles it smoothed out, but was still a tad notchy. Really nothing worse than any 5 speed in a Ford truck that I've driven. But not 'car'-smooth.

 

it gets minimally better once it has warmed up but is still very noticeable. I'm going to double check the level of gear oil tonight as I'm changing the oil and greasing the zerks. Hopefully may just need a top up. Is there any negatives or risk of damage in over filling it?

 

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Toyota has always had stiff shifting manual trans. You have to get the clutch in all the way to the firewall and bang through neutral pretty hard, pull through the lever hard into your next gear. It's a workhorse transmission, but you have to work hard also with the right hand and the left foot.

If you have something obstructing the clutch pedal from going to the firewall, like extra carpet or something, you need to remove that. The clutch pedal has to go to the firewall.

 

I have a 2010 aswell with a 6spd. DCSB. Has 39,xxx miles and does kinda the same thing. I changed my trans oil recently with Redline aswell. 1st to 2nd sometimes kinda feels notchy, but I've found that if I push the clutch ALL the way to floor as far as it goes, it doesn't do it as much. Im just gonna go with it. Its a Toyota and runs great otherwise

 

the synchros probably ARE rejecting the shift. the rpm gap between 1 and 2 is significant. at low rpm shifting, the motor revs down very slow when you push the clutch in. slow down your shifts a bit.

when you let off and push in clutch at higher rpm, you notice the tack drops much faster, facilitating a faster shift.

my theory anyway and mine shifts good like that. i came from a 92 4cyl that dropped revs like hot potatos. took me a long time to get used to the lazy 4.0 at slow speeds. if your driving it lazy, shift it lazy. if your driving fast, shift it fast

 

Thanks for the help and tips guys. Had a feeling it was normal and to be expected. Can't drive these trucks like a civic. This community is awesome and very resourceful. Seeing all these trucks is making me want to open up my wallet...must fight the urge.

Thanks again!

 

I got a new used 05 Tacoma with 48,000 miles last year and I thought the 1 -2 and 2-3 shifts were a little harsh. It took a couple weeks before I realized the carpet floor mats were the cause. I took them out and put in a set of Weathertech floor liners with a small area trimmed out that looked like it might be able to snag on the clutch pedal. All of a sudden I could shift really smooth without even thinking about it and I also had to slide the seat forward a couple more clicks. I also changed all the drivetrain oils to Amsoil synthetic. I drive my wife's 5 speed Honda a lot and I think my Tacoma 6 speed shifts just as nice now. This is the shit you never had to deal with when trucks had rubber floors and only moms drove automatics...

 

Everyone is spot on with the clutch to the firewall thing. I always clutch all the way in to shift gears, no matter the vehicle I'm driving. Force of habit, I've never driven a manual any other way. Because of that, my Tacoma has always shifted pretty smoothly for me. So, that leads into something slightly humorous that ties in with this very issue.

Not too long ago, I was cleaning up my truck, wash, wax, and vacuum the inside. I got everything done, and got back in to start her up and move back to my parking spot, truck wouldn't start. Wasn't even cranking or trying to turn over. I thought to myself, "The heck? This is a brand new 2013 truck, what could possibly be wrong?" My first thought was that I'd had the doors open too long when I was sweeping the carpeting and the battery had run down. Then I thought that was silly because that was like 15-20 minutes tops that I had all the doors open doing that. Took me a little bit to figure it out, but when I'd replaced the floor mats after sweeping the truck out, I'd put the driver's side one back in too far forward, and it was preventing the clutch from going all the way in.

That prevents the ignition from even trying to start the truck unless the clutch is depressed all the way in to the firewall. I felt silly after I realized what the problem was, and I sure was concerned that something was seriously wrong for a few minutes until I figured it out. There can't ever be anything in the way of that pedal, or you won't be able to shift as smoothly as you'd like to. Definitely something to watch out for with these trucks.

 

How about when your truck won't start and then you realize you're foot's not on the clutch pedal? In the good old days before clutch safety switches, when my sister and I were in high school we shared my dad's old work truck, a 1972 Ford F-100 with a four speed. One morning she forgot to push in the clutch when she cranked the ignition and drove it through the garage door into the NEW work truck. It was funny for me because I was just the passenger that day.