Squeak and Chirp...I know...

Just a little recap for everyone here....there's some good information so PAY ATTENTION...

okay, just a little distraction first (went with the Buffy throw back here):


Okay...this started with me hearing a squeak or chirping noise while my truck was running. When I pushed the clutch in, it would go quiet, when I let it out the chirp would come back. I read a lot online and found this was common with the throw out bearing going bad (clutch bearing).

(My truck - 2008 Tacoma Double Cab Off Road v6 with 6 speed transmission, 130k miles)
I figured out that my engine is 1GR-FE and my transmission designated with RA60.

I used the online manual for finding proper service techniques, torque values and removal/installation tips.
http://www.customtacos.com/tech.old/files/05FSM/repair.html (going to literally download this whole thing today)

So, I decided while replacing my thrust bearing I would replace the clutch, pressure plate and have the flywheel machined (since the transmission was off). I also by matter of fact needed to replace my rear most U-joint (please don't follow those idiots on youtube hammering those things together...if you have a question feel free to PM me), transmission fluid and transfer case fluid.

Started with removing:
Drive shaft (rear connection leave in gear to apply bolt torque, front connection leave in gear as there are studs)
Unbolted front propeller shaft at motor (you can wedge a box wrench against the chassis support to keep the shaft from spinning)
Removed exhaust Y pipe and passenger side secondary CAT
Loosened all bell housing bolts
Removed salve cylinder mounts (leave this system off to the side, it can remain a closed system)
Removed actual shifter stick and boots
Disconnected all wiring from top and sides of transmission and bracket supports for slave cylinder
Removed transmission rear support bolts
Removed skid plates
Removed nuts from chassis cross brace (leave bolts in)
Supported transmission with a transmission jack hoist. I used two tie downs around the top of the transmission to the hoist to secure it.
Removed chassis cross brace and bolts
Removed all bell housing bolts
Slowly started wiggling away the transmission. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO DAMAGE THE SLAVE CYLINDER. Also be careful not to lower the transmission until the input shaft is clear of the engine.

NOTE: There are two bolts at the top of the transmission bell housing wedged between the firewall and the motor...I basically scrapped off half my arm and shit a diamond trying to get them out but it was best to go in from the passenger side hood to get a breaker bar on them. All other bell housing bolts were accessible with some ease.

I went to the dealer to buy all of my parts. YES, you can get after market parts and YES you can get "OE BRAND" parts from aftermarket suppliers but let me outline some important things here:

1. Flat out, after market parts from after market suppliers DO NOT have the same quality control, manufacturing knowledge and or engineering design that OEM parts have. In addition, they are not held to quality or performance standards and do not test to the same fatigue standards OEMs test for
2. You're thinking, why not find Aisin clutch parts from an after market supplier rather than from the dealer...Same as the OEM brand, right?? WRONG...SO SO SO FUCKIN WRONG. I've worked for an automotive OEM and I can tell you very clearly, quality control for after market sales IS NOT NEARLY the same as it is for OEMs. Same looking part, toss up on the same functionality. At least it was designed originally by an engineer...after that the paper trail goes cold.

Now, back to my story. I asked for a new throw out bearing and there was a TSB for an updated bearing fork and pivot mount. The new parts look very similar to the old but the ball joint has a larger cup on the new fork and the actual pivot ball itself has a larger undercut for the update. I bought the bearing, clutch plate, pressure plate, and dropped my flywheel off to get surfaced (new flywheels are plus $500...so, not doing that and if you have any marks on the flywheel indicating a hot spot it's generally a good idea to start fresh) and went home to install.

The throw out bearing rides on a machined aluminum shaft that is apart of the bell housing...well, whoever designed that bell housing gets newb award of the year because any engineer that's made it past sophomore year of college should know about a little thing called "embedment". What happens when one material with a high modulus of elasticity presses against another material with a lower modulus of elasticity with a greater force than the materials yield strenght??? The lower modulus material begins to yield...and permanent deformation of the material (in this case the aluminum bell housing collar) becomes prevalent. My aluminum collar was so wrecked from the stainless bearing sliding on it for 130,000 miles that it had a flared edge. So...I quickly realized I had two options for proper bearing functionality without having to worry about that thing making noise again in 10k miles after replacing it, or worse, breaking off and destroying my transmission.

1. Replace the front bell house casting (about $550 from the dealer) and know that in 130k miles it would have to be replaced again
2. Buy the URD Sleeve kit. URD makes a stainless sleeve to slide over the aluminum collar. They then machine the stock bearing to accept the larger diameter collar.

I went with option 2: http://urdusa.com/store/p1260519023...IT,-2005+-Tacoma-V6-6-Speed/product_info.html

Everything is back together, URD sleeve is in place and there are no noises. Worked like a dream.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO PROPERLY ADJUST THE CLUTCH PEDAL PER THE MANUAL SPECIFICATION. If you do not you could wear out your new bearing by having it spin against the pressure plate when it should not be touching it.
See this: http://www.customtacos.com/tech.old...6toyrm/06toypdf/06rmsrc/rm2006ta/02900510.pdf

I wish I had taken some more pictures for you guys but yea, kind of just went to town on it so I could have a running truck again. Just FYI...I lifted the truck about 6", plus the truck already has a 4" lift on it so that's about the working room I needed to removed everything with ease. Harbor Freight has everything you need for a reasonable price.

Cole
Like I said, PM me if you have questions and I would be happy to give you tips on how I figured everything out if you are going for this yourself.

 

Digging that write up!

I had heard about the wearing of the bearing on the casting but I'm not ready to tear in and replace the whole bit.
Glad URD had a solution for our issue!

 

Yeah, they were very punctual with shipping as well. Only took 2 days from the morning of placing an online order. There were quite a few people that posted saying they've driven with the chirp for 50k plus miles but based on the wear on mine and only putting about 2k miles on after the beginning of it chirping, I personally wouldn't let it go very long...

It might be fine (as some people have experienced)...it might cause a shit storm.. But, if yours isn't chirping everything is probably still functioning properly and there is probably normal shaft wear