Help me diagnose a clutch/transmission issue

Recently bought a used tacoma and I'm having an issue. It's got 80,000 miles on it, and it's a 2.7 2008 manual transmission. The truck had no rust and overall is in great condition excluding this problem. I believe the previous owner screwed up the clutch somehow.

When I shift into second gear it grinds 9/10 times I shift. Sometimes I can baby it in without issue, but it's really annoying. Sometimes going into 3rd it gets stuck and won't let me push the shifter into 3rd gear. I can go to other gears but not third.



Changed the fluid a few days ago, and it helped for a few days with the problem going into third, but still grinded second gear. Now it's refusing to go into third much of the time again.

It's like the clutch is not fully engaging when going into second and or third.

 

Sounds like the syncronizers are worn out. This will prevent the gears from meshing properly.

Go to a reputable transmission shop for a free evaluation. They can replace the syncro's.

 

Check the driveshaft u-joints and center bearing aren't ready to fall apart, too

 

Typically that would be a slave/master hydraulic cylinder issue. I would start by bleeding the system and watching the slave articulate.

 

Yep, sounds like synchros. You could try a good synthetic like Red Line or Amsoil, but if it's the synchros then there is a good chance the tranny needs to be opened up. Another possibility is the clutch has air in it, but I would expect that to effect all the gears. It would be worth it to check the fluid level at least.

 

I would also start with the slave cylinder.

Is the clutch light or heavy? I had some issues with my trans and it turned out to be a bad clutch from the factory. There were a few years with the 2.7 that had crap stock clutch material.

 

Thanks for the replies so far guys.
I really want to get it fixed, everything else in the truck is perfect.
I'm hoping I don't have to spend more than 1000$ to fix it.

 

It *may* be the synchros, but being a used vehicle, you can't necessarily tell just by the feel. It could just be that the previous owner put in some kind of gear oil that it doesn't like!

For instance, first gear oil change, I tried out mobile 1 synthetic gear oil, proper weight, and claimed to be suitable for manual transmissions.
Well, I was down in FL when I did the oil change, and it was "ok" immediately after, but once driving it back up to Canada (COLD), it behaved pretty well EXACTLY as you describe. So then did a gear oil change outside in the cold, got that mobile CRAP out of it and replaced it with Amsoil MT, and it was immediately back to shifting exactly how it should. The cold makes it worse, because the oil is more viscous and will prevent the synchros from working correctly. For better synchro performance, you can actually go with a custom lighter gear oil blend, say 75% 75w90, and 25% 5w30 (but MUST be a manual synchromesh fluid, like this; http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-produ...omesh-transmission-fluid-5w-30/?code=MTFQT-EA)

On top of that, you could be having a problem with the clutch release.
Where is the clutch release point? Is it near the bottom of the clutch travel? Near the top? Around half way? If it release near the top or down to half way, then this is probably NOT a problem, but if it releases near the BOTTOM of the travel, then it may be dragging. If it is dragging, it will make shifting a bit more of a challenge when not properly rev-matched. Technically, you can shift a manual transmission without disengaging the clutch, BUT, you need to very precisely rev-match the gears so that the teeth are synchronized.

 

I had a bent clutch fork in a car once and it would grind into third or not go in at all.

 

Start cheap and work up.

Clutch fluid
Shifter bushing on the stick
Gear oil, gl4 only no gl5
Then clutch
Then trans

There are good write ups on the site for each step. But do check against the years that the bad clutches where installed with you vin. Mine lasted only 70k

 

When I got my 2014, it had just under 12,000 miles on it, Toyota certified used program. It was a little notchy going into second, not bad, just notchy.
I put in Lucas from O'Rielly that specifically said on the bottle that it was designed for transmissions with synchronizers and it smoothed out immediately.
Yes, start with the tranny fluid and make sure you read the label. It should say that it's for use in transmissions with synchronizers.