(Problem) 2000 Tacoma Shift Boot Hardening

Hey everybody,

I've got a fairly simple issue here. My 2000 Taco 5 speed manual will not stick in 2nd gear. It was never much of an issue for me, but I've recently come to a position where I need to sell the truck and all my potential buyers seem convinced the transmission is about to explode because of it.

I finally decided to see what the problem was and realized that the rubber accordian-style boot is pushing the transmission out of gear. I'm assuming it has hardened with age.

As soon as I take the boot off, the problem goes away entirely. Put the boot back on and it won't even stay in when the truck is turned off.

Curious to know if anybody else has had this problem? ...if so, did you simply replace the boot with an OEM boot or did you go with an aftermarket part?

Thanks!

 

Huh..... my truck has a pleather like material. Maybe you could swap to this material?

 

Yeah, I've got a pleather boot on top of the rubber boots. I think they come from the factory with three sets of boots. There's the pleather cover, rubber accordian-style inner, and a final circular one that's more of a cap.

I don't think the accordian-style boot does much other than keep the pleather boot shaped and prevent excess sound from entering the cab. I might just take it out?

 

I believe RockAuto has a discount for TW members if you end up interested in replacing it.

 

Iiiiiiii......... dont think my shifer has a rubber boot like that....... 2000 4x4. If it does, i may be yanking it out...,...

 

Thanks DCSBFTMFW I'll check it out.

CodeSeven, I forgot to mention it's a 2x4. But you may be tearing some boots out, regardless. Haha. I'm pretty sure they're also there in the 4x4.

 

I just checked rock auto out. No boots there :-\

But i just realized something.... i think that boot is what keeps the shifter centered and not falling into any gears causing grinding. Its supposed to be like that! Know how you move your shifter left or right and let go? It springs back to the center cause of this! I dont think you should take it off. I think thats how it came from the factory. Instead, figure out why your shifter pops out of gear with the boot on.

Maybe its just riding too high on the shift shaft? Try pushing it further down and seeing how that works. if it doesnt want to stay lower on the shaft, you can probably hold it in place with either a rubber band, some tape, or a hose clamp on the shaft at the lower position.

And honestly i dont think anyone should ever leave their vehicle in gear. Except when on a slope without a curb. you should only be using the parking brake.

 

Hmm. So I'd thought about that, too. But the shift lever mounts into the transmission with a stiff spring. So when I pop the boot off it still stays in neutral unless I push it into gear. I guess I could be putting extra stress on the spring by removing the boot, though.

 

Hmm. No youre probably right. youve actually looked in there. I haven't. If theres another spring that holds the shifter in place, the boot probably has no other real function. id say take it out.

 

The rubber boot is there to seal out wind, dirt and water from the cab. The leather boot doesn't seal. You will get a lot of air and dirt infiltration around the base of the console and shifter shaft without the rubber boot. If your transmission won't stay in gear with the boot something is wrong inside the transmission.

 

I have had boots get old and hard I have replaced with OEM and sometimes what I could get on the older ones.

I only have the rubber boot the fake leather one is long gone.

If it is fine with the boot off it should not be the transmission going out.

 

A very common issue for these transmissions is for the shifter seat to wear out and not leave the shifter handle at the right height to properly engage some gears. I changed mine when my 3rd and 4th decided to pop out. Also to remove misinformation the rubber accordion boot does nothing but seal the outside of the cab from the inside, there is even another soft rubber boot under that one that seals the shifter stick to the transmission housing.

The shifter seat you need to replace is pretty easy to get to, here's a write up on how to replace it...
http://www.instructables.com/id/Toyota-Tacoma-manual-transmission-pop-out-of-gear/

And here is a better quality replacement part... (you need the white shifter seat)
https://www.marlincrawler.com/transmission/shifter-parts/heavy-duty-seats


Here are some pictures of how dead mine was after 21 years (barely recognizable as a bushing)...


And one of the shifter assembly all cleaned and lubed up ready to go back in the tranny...

 

Alright, good to hear somebody else has replaced the boot before.

Ah yes, the bushing and seat. I attempted that fix about 2 years ago with OEM parts, but I need to go back and do it again with the Marlin parts as I think I messed something up the first time (as simple as the job is).

I keep forgetting to include this info.

One more relevant piece of info, it has a body lift. The pitch of the shift lever toward the rear and the lower position of the transmission w.r.t. the shift boot can't be what the engineers planned for.

 

well that could be throwing off then cause the rubber boot attaches to the body and is riding up on the stick.

why a body lift on a 2wd? is there a suspension lift too?

 

There's a suspension lift, too. Yeah.

Well I popped the ribbed shift boot off today and it's shifting great. Strange that I've been driving it for four years and just now took the time to really figure out what it was. Thanks for the help, guys!