Tranny issue?

Ok I've got a six speed 2007 taco and am having a strange issue. In second and third gear most noticeably when I am accelerating it often feels like there is a lag similar to how it would feel if the clutch was partially pushed in but the clutch is not being touched at all. I need to check all my fluid levels but I'm worried that I'm looking at a costly issue. Thanks!

 

Pretty unique issue I guess haha

 

How many miles/km. Original clutch?

 

140,000 kms, original clutch

 

Do you feel any slipping?

 

Does the tach show higher RPM when this happens, compared to coasting at the same speed?

Based on your description, I’m thinking the clutch is slipping. But hard to say over the internet.

 

The weird thing is that it feels like it's slipping without the clutch engaged at all. Is that something that a bad clutch could do?

 

So when you shift into 2nd it takes awhile for it to fully feel like the clutch has grabbed?

 

There's a slipper valve body (forget the actual name) bolted to the side of the transmission, it gets gunked up if the clutch fluid isn't changed religiously and causes light clutch engagement of the disk against the fly. Remove it and get a coupler from O'Reilly's. Made a HELL of a difference.

The purpose of the original valve is to aid an inexperienced manual trans driver in smoothly engaging the clutch to reduce shock load on the drive train, but again of you don't maintain the system to the T or know what you're doing with a stick shift then by all accounts it's simply a hindrance.

I have much better shifts and can actually put the power down without it as well as my clutch friction point is consistent now which has made a NIGHT and DAY difference when trying to crawl off road.

(It also makes it easier to clutch kick and slide the back out. )

 

ACCUMULATOR VALVE

That's it's name.

Right in the middle of this diagram, part 31490.


The actual part number and price:


The janky grabage you want to remove:



What you want to replace it with:


And a link to that coupler:

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p...clsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CJSIqMybt90CFcsRhgodj5oMaw#

What it looks like when you are done:


And even a YouTube vid:
https://youtu.be/gNWWoNDpmDE

It's also a million times easier to bleed the clutch without that stupid engineer's wet dream of a paperweight slapped to the side of your gear box.

Inside it's pretty much just a stiff linear spring and a ball bearing which limits flow in one direction. (Engagement.)

 

Thanks for the info guys. It's weird to me because I will complete my shift or just be cruising along already in gear and not even touching the clutch and I will accelerate but I will only be getting like 60-70% of what the engine is trying to give. It does not happen all the time so maybe sometimes after a shift the clutch isn't disengaging completely? I will have to test more but I'm pretty sure sometimes it will alternate between working normally and not working normally as I'm driving and staying in the same gear without touching the clutch.

 

Again I had the exact same issue you're describing, it was all the stupid little accumuator valve, take it out it's like a $5 mod makes it a new truck!

 

Damn I'm not much of a mechanic especially when it comes to bleeding fluids etc too. I'm guessing that a transmission fluid topup or flush wouldn't probably do anything hey?

 

Bleeding/flushing fluids is one of the easiest and most important maintenance items. If you said from the start you need to check your fluids, it's possible your clutch hydraulic system needs service. Get some fresh fluid in there and drive it a little while, see if it helps. Then maybe replace that sponge mechanism with a straight line coupler as suggested.

 

So you would lean towards fluids for the clutch hydraulic system as opposed to the transmission fluid itself? I have no issues with shifting or anything, like I said it feels like it's slipping when I push the engine moderately while it's already in gear.

 

You say it feels like it's slipping... it's pretty easy to confirm whether it's slipping or not. Watch the tachometer and see if it matches the speedometer and acceleration feeling. Maximum power comes on above 3500 RPM and I don't think the "top gear pedal down" test is a very good clutch test. I would put it in 3rd at around 40mph and then put the pedal down.

To answer your question, yes, I suggest bleeding the clutch fluid and driving it a while. Of course you want to be sure the tranny fluid is full and in good condition (if it's been over 20,000 miles, you might change the tranny fluid anyway). Curious to know the color/condition of your clutch fluid before flushing. Dark is not a problem if you flush it now, but can cause problems down the road if the dark fluid stays in there. Black is a problem. I flush mine about once per year, it's cheap and easy to do while the car is on stands for periodic inspection.

You might have a problem with the clutch arm pivot or the throwout bearing, but try these things first.

If a manual transmission fails, 98% of the time it fails completely... truly broken. There is no slipping as would happen with an automatic. Some might argue that a synchro can fail/wear out or a bearing goes bad and starts growling... yes these require repair but IMO these are not failures since it's likely the car can still be driven, carefully and temporarily.

 

Yeah I got the transmission fluid changed and it seems maybe a little better but not gone. I did a 400km each way road trip with some steep dirt roads and highway driving and I can drive in a way to almost completely avoid it if I always stay on the medium and higher end of the tachometer before shifting (not redlining or anything). I can recreate the issue on demand if I am in the lower to medium curve of the tachometer in whatever gear and push the pedal down more. The revs go up kind of like hitting an icy patch on a road or hydroplaning. I guess my next bet will be to change the clutch fluid but it's just so weird that it seems independent of using the clutch.

 

I don’t understand why you’re not jumping on this solution?? If you’re not comfortable doing it, find someone who can do it for you.

 

I haven't found it that cheap in Canada and don't trust myself doing it. My wife drives the truck a lot so would I be better off just getting the stock part replaced?

 

So I finally went to the shop and I've been told that it's actually the clutch that's going. What is a fair estimate for how much this should cost to do? He was saying it could be about 6 to 8 hours labor and that they have to drop the transmission and everything. Thanks for any info you can provide and please tell me if you are using us or can dollars.