New 2013 Tacoma Transmission Problems

I've been driving Toyota stick shift trucks for 25 years, and they're all notchier than cars. This is due to the shift lever being directly attached to the top of transmission with no intermediary linkage, so there is less leverage over the shifting forks. This design has not changed in 25 years. How do I know this? I recently sold the shortened shifter I kept from my 1988 typyta pickup and it had the same ball and socket setup as my 2012. the only difference was a small slightly rectangular 4 bolt mounting plate. I also have the shortened shifter I kept from my 1996 Tacoma It uses the same sprung ring to attach as my 2012.

A 17 year old shift lever fits perfectly in my 2012 because they still use the SAME shifter design.



What you described sounds like the clutch is not fully disengaging. That makes the synchros want to reject the first to second gear selection. There is increased resistance because the synchros are keeping the partially engaged gears from grinding.

Also, have you checked the fluid level in your trans yourself? It's not rocket science. You remove a plug and stick your pinky finger in the hole. If it comes out oily, your trans is full. Check the linkage to your clutch cylinder. Is there any play that prevents full disengagement? Bleed the fluid line between the cylinder and the clutch slave unit. Air in the line compressing can reduce the pedal stroke and prevent full disengagement.

You need to first try to find out for yourself what's wrong... before you take it to a dealer. They're the last resort. Also try an old timer independent Toyota mechanic. Let him drive it. This shit hasn't changed in decades, so he'll know exactly what's going on.

 

That's good knowledge right here. Did not know that, now I know.

 

^^Seem much shorter
Looks good!

 

Yes given most cars are FWD today (enigne sideways) with lots of linkages and levers to get to the trans form the shifter. Bushings between each component as well. The stock shifter is a sandwiched rubber 2 piece design to mitigate vibrations.

 

When I first got my 6spd I thought something was wrong as it would "clunk" into 3rd from 2nd and going into 2nd from 1st but not as noticeable. Took it to my dealer and after going for a test drive it turned out to be a break in affect.

With 6,700 KM on it now I can honestly say it has gone away completely. The mechanic explained it to me and it has to do with the style of the transmission.

 

My Taco was kinda rough driving for the first few months, but I bought it certified used, and turns out the previous owner had it long enough to figure out that he didn't know how to drive a standard and ate up the clutch. I shipped overseas after putting less than 3k miles on it, I had to have the clutch replaced. Fortunately Toyota covered it.

 

Yes, and it's also very heavily weighted to keep it from resonating with the transmission's vibrations. Being directly connected, there is no possibility for any isolation between the lever and the transmission.

 

Thanks. I love my short shifter and am totally happy it fits the new truck.



It's notchy, but has super positive short throws and feels really solid and precise... and I like that.

 

A few people on here swear by changing out to Redline makes it a noticeably smoother gear box.

2012 DCOR, I had same problem right from day 1, took it back on day 3 at 43 miles, was told "it'll loosen up". Mine got progressively worse.

Yeah it's also an Aisin gear box 6 speed, pretty much same internal POS from the 996, Boxster, and 997 non-turbo and non-GT Porsche's. We blew through tons of these each season while the Cup Cars and BMW's outlasted us.

Go to Piercey, have Kelly be your service writer, and make sure Ron drives your truck. After 2 other dealers looked at it, Ron at Piercey found the clutch pedal assembly was installed with incorrect settings from the factory and needed adjustment. He also suspected a faulty pressure plate - of course Toyota decided "this is normal" and wouldn't let him pull the gear box back. The field techs may get involved. If so, then you want to make sure FTS Len (the older wiser guy) drives it, not Robert (he'll just say it's normal).

PM me if you need answers for the rest of the story and outcome.

 

so i can put the shorter 1996 taco's stick on my 2013…? ...i might have to do this….
I dont have any problems w my '13 6-speed *knock on wood* but the shorter shift lever and maybe throw in a short-shifter… may be a winner combo for my liking!

is the thread on the knob still 12mm x 1.25 ?

 

I have a 2013 manual that has increasing clunk/clack that's most noticable 2-3. Around 2000km so far. I'm keeping an eye on it.

 

A huge part of the sluggish shifts is that the tranny is spec'd for 75w90 oil. While the typical Toyota tranny will last a heck of a long time without a rebuild with that gear oil, it also doesn't want to let the synchros grab so well. I believe that's the reason MT90 works so well - it's on the lighter side of 90w and is GL4, so no extreme pressure additives.

That's also the primary reason why, say, a Honda shifts so great. Honda MTF is basically 20w oil with friction modifiers for even better synchro grabbing. However with a Honda the input shaft bearing likes to get noisy sometime after 100k miles and it better be replaced before the plastic cage explodes. I ran my Civic right to the limit on that one. In the old days when they used 5w30 SG oil the trannies lasted a long time but the shifting wasn't as silky smooth as the modern ones.

The factory dino oil will feel better as time goes on and it starts to thin out a bit.

 

Not sure if there is a difference, but tooter is a 5 speed and you are a 6 speed. The TRD short throw is a bit pricey, but a great accessory.

 

Sorry, I don't know anything about the 6 speeds. As others said, this is on the 5 speed transmission which has been basically the same design since the 22R 1980's.

This was the the shifter from my 1988.



It uses exactly the same plastic "foot" and ball socket as my 2012 except the retainer is different. My shortened 1996 shifter has exactly the same round rotating spring loaded retainer as my 2012, and went right in.

I cut the shifter short myself and ground the top down so that the brass threads of the Hurst cue ball shift knob would grab it tightly. Then I put some silicone caulk in it and screwed it on and let it dry. The knob stays on and doesn't twist and yet can still be removed cleanly with some brute force.

 

I can confirm that MT90 made my 5 spd shifts smoother then the stock fluid in my opinion. It's not going to turn it into a civic, but it feels much better to me especially at temp. Results will vary I'm sure.

That's pretty cool about using the older shifters. If anyone has theirs break or become loose this is a cheaper option then replacing with stock.

 

I don't have a manual in my Tacoma but did in my Ranger. I had similar problems, hard to shift between 1-2. It was a little drag from the clutch. Problem solved by mashing the clutch pedal all the way through the carpet. Not that you should have to do that. Never did like a hydraulically actuated clutch on a car/truck but have never had any problems on my bikes.

Check the fluid level, quick initial clutch friction disk wear may have raised the level too high or the self adjusting feature is not taking up enough slack.

Any way your warranty will take care of you if you can find someone who knows what's going on. I hope you get the problem resolved.

 

I bang through my gears fast when accelerating hard, don't have to shift slowly, seems ok to me. But, maybe I'm just used to my old '97 5-speed Taco (which I described as notchy when brand new). I don't remember driving a manual in the past 20 yrs other than my three Toy trucks, so I don't have anything to compare it to. Maybe if I test drove a BMW manual it would be buttery smooth, dunno.

I bought some Amsoil synthetic gear oil and will get it in all the cases here pretty soon. Synthetic most definitely smooths out shifts in cold weather. I'll only have maybe 20k miles on it by September but I want to get the synthetic in before winter.

 

So my clutch issue persisted all summer, the dealer finally decided to change the clutch and clutch plate, and they changed the flywheel also.

Getting it back today will see how it goes.

 

My '07 had the clutch replaced by toyota @ 17k miles.
I would reco the redline mt90 full synthetic after your initial break- in.
Dont wait until 30k. Do it @ 1k, & again @ the recd 30k.
My truck has 44k & it made it smoother shifting with the synthetic.

 

trucks runs great now with the new clutch, no more rattled sounds, but its still idle like a diesel engine, and rev in low RPM like one also... not sure what that sound is.