How to tighten shifter?

The automatic shifter on the new to me 2001 Tacoma PreRunner is really loose when putting truck in gear. Can this be tightened up? Thank you!!

 

Same problem

 

My old 98 auto had the same problem. My manual 01 has same problem but nowhere near as bad. Subbed for answer.

 

I would imagine it must be a worn bushing on the linkages or something but I never worked on it before.

is this a column or floor shifter?

 

automatic shifters aren't actually connected physically to transmission, are they? I thought it was all electronically controlled by the internal shift solenoids depending on where the lever was.

 

they are always connected to "something" with a linkage, I think its the downshifting and overdrive function that is computer controlled

 

I too would love s answer to this. Subbed

 

Keakar, its a floor shifter. Doesn't seem to want to come out of gear, the shifter is just loose--will move and look like it's in neutral when in drive, for example. I don't feel it has anything to do with the actual transmission, it's the shifter itself. What does "subbed for answer" mean on this forum? Thanks

 

STICKY SHIFTER / SHIFTER IS HARD TO MOVE
Most of us would disconnect the shifter cable from the transmission lever and then verify the cable is free by hopping in the truck and moving the shifter from park to low . We should feel nothing because the shifter cable is no longer connected to the transmission . If the shifter is still tight to move , we know that the issue resides in the cable or the plastic shifter cover . A quick lube job is going to fix that up .

Next , with the shifter cable removed from the transmission lever , try and manually move that transmission lever by hand . You should feel click , click , click and it should be fairly easy to move with your hands . If you cant move it by hand , remove the PRNDL switch shown on page 16 at this link , it shows the switch in question . Spray the heck out of it . Some guys actually have to replace the PRNDL switch becuase of corrosion .The PRNDL switch gets very tight when it corrodes http://www.toyotatundraforum.com/pdf/A750E.pdf

When the switch is removed , you can spray the seal on the transmission that sits behind the switch to see if there are additional problems with the lever shaft since the lever shaft is also known to corrode .
, then take a small screwdriver and pry the lever seal away from the shifter selector shaft enough to blast some lubricant between the seal until you get the lever to move by hand .Might have to work it back and forth a little but its going to free up . You should have the wheels blocked when you do this .Both of these issues are very common

Next , place the transmission gear shifter in park and " REMOVE THE KEY "
Throw the key on the drivers seat until your done .
Go to rear of truck and manually push it by hand to verify the truck is actually in park . Go back under the truck and check to see if the shifter cable lines up perfectly with the hole in the transmission lever . If it doesnt line up , adjust the shifter cable until it fits perfectly into the transmission lever . The adjustment is under the shift counsole .
Once the cable is aligned with the transmission shift lever , verify the truck will only start in park and nuetral .

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...sions-write-up-your-4-speed-automatic.325531/

http://www.customtacos.com/tech.old...6toyrm/06toypdf/06rmsrc/rm2006ta/02601010.pdf

http://www.customtacos.com/tech.old.../06toyrm/06toypdf/06rmsrc/rm2006ta/026010.pdf

 

Nice write-up gear-cruncher. I saved it for future reference.
However, the PDF you linked to is about an A750E tranny (for a V8 ?). The OP should have an A340E.
Are they pretty much the same as a 2003 A340E?

Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but in my Tacoma FSM for 1999, it shows a shift ROD rather than a shift CABLE.
I'm thinking OP should get underneath and check for play in the rod connections on the driver-side of the tranny.

 

Hey Rick .

Thats all the information I had on shifters . The procedure to adjust the shifter whether its a cable or a rod is the same . I just copied and pasted from the technical pages . I believe the 2 links at the very bottom of my post deal with the A340 series trans and they both use a cable as well . Not sure what year they went from linkage rods to shifter cables ?
Hopefully there is enough information within the links for him to diagnose his issue .
I also agree that he needs to climb under the truck and start looking for play
EDIT : I think Toyota went to the cable when all manufacturers started stuffing a solenoid on the shifter to disable gear shift movement without hitting the brake pedal first
The very bottom link in my original post shows a rod ,

 

Well, I was curious about my tranny linkage, so I crawled under there and took a photo:



Appears to be all linkage. Not sure when the A340 series switched to cable, if they ever did.

 

you can subscribre to a thread so you get an email notification when someone posts in that thread. its a way to not miss any of the discussion you are interested in following. at the top of the page click on the small "watch thread" link to subscribe to a thread, later you can click the same link to unsubscribe to it to stop following it.