What can I tell the dealer?

So as a 2.7 owner, I know my motor and tranny are relatively bulletproof and time tested, BUT I’m still having issues with my clutch. Every shift into first and out of first is accompanied by a thud that sounds like I’m shifting out of gear without using the clutch while giving throttle. It’s so hard to describe without you actually driving it yourself, but a Toyota tech even said it’s really off, yet the service advisor claims “it’s just the way they are” and they won’t tear apart the tranny without me paying for it. Maybe I need to be more specific about what to have them look for.

What can I do to get them to check it considering it’s still under full CPO 12,000k warranty? I KNOW it’s off. I’m not sure if they didn’t bleed the clutch correctly, wrecked synchros from the previous owner, etc - but it’s not right. Does not happen on other 3rd gen manual 2.7s I’ve driven.

Any thoughts?

 

Ask politely to do a road test with the shop foreman or service manager, let them know that you feel that there is still an issue with the vehicle.

From my experience working on the other side as a service writer, I always appreciated and went out of my way to help when a customer was not rude to me personally, even when they were extremely unhappy with their vehicle for whatever reason. The dealer didn't build the truck, they are just there to service it. Reference your experience driving other similar models without sounding like a know it all. If all else fails, try another dealer or contact Toyota corporate.

Matt

 

I appreciate the advice sir. I agree being polite does grease the wheel so to speak, and they’ve been good to me so I have no reason to change my tune, just want it resolved.

 

Have you tried another dealership? Have them drive another stick back to back to see the difference?

#tacomaworldstickshiftproblems

 

Yes, and because the second was able to see the service history report from the first dealer, they pretty much piggybacked on top of what was said and didn’t want to dive into it if I couldn’t specifically point out what was wrong mechanically.

I’ll try to polite Insist like CanisLupus mentioned above until I get them to tear it apart. I had a close friend who used to be Toyota tech drive it and he said he thinks it’s the synchros, so maybe I’ll mention that as well. Sucks not having the equipment/tools to drop the tranny and see for myself lol.

 

Power train warranty is 5yr/60k. So if has less than 60k it’s a covered item. I bought my 2015 2yrs ago and it’s a toyota cpo which takes powertrain to 100k.

 

How many miles? You could swap out the MT fluid with a synthetic like Redline MT90. Depending on mileage, it may be due and almost as easy as changing the oil, especially on a manual trans.

Also, the previous owner could have changed it to 75W90 gear fluid which will wear the syncros.

Just fluid for thought.

 

Almost 36k. I’ve heard mixed reviews on Redline MT90, what are the benefits?

Is there a way to tell what MT fluid is currently in there?

 

If there’s a bad syncros the synthetic fluid wouldn’t really help. There’s been a lot of owners even with other brands of trucks and cars that switched to RL MT90 or MTL and found immediate improvement. It’s not a guarantee, just a $36 possible solution.

 

Ive had this issue periodically. I put it up to weather. It will usually reflect in my mpgs. Right now she driving good in hot weather averaging about 19 mogs but when she struggles, im averaging 16 or less. I fill up at the same place and try to drive consistently but cold weather makes her struggle more

 

My tranny always has a bit of a stiffy going into the first 3 gears. I wonder if switching to the Redline MT90 gear-lube mentioned previously would help?

 

It’s not just stiffness though. I’ve driven another 5spd 3rd gen AND a 6spd 3rd gen - they were “stiff” but didn’t have super loud thuds and a bucking - you’d have to drive it to see what I mean, explaining it is useless lol - but something wrong with a 2.7

I’ll report back with what the true cause was when I get my dealer to tear the tranny apart tomorrow.

 

There's definitely a clunk and occasional bucking going on with mine, especially when driving slow, maneuvering through a parking lot with speed bumps, dips, etc. But I doubt it's anywhere near as bad.

 

Worth looking into but on my 04 I noticed the big bolt that goes through the transmission mount was a bit loose, tightened that up and it got rid of the semi-violent "thunk" I would feel after most shifts (especially higher RPM ones).

Also be sure to grease all your u-joints...if those aren't greased they will thunk and clunk throughout the driveline and it will be most prevalent when shifting gears.

 

It’s worse at slower speeds (lower rpm shifts) most definitely. Dealer tried telling me my 265s were why it was doing that..

 

I didn't think first had a synchro... Shifting from second into first gear clunks on my v6 mt as well, but so has every other mt I've had.

Now shifting out of first i only get a clunk if i let it start engine braking before pushing the clutch in to shift

 

try a different dealership. if you went to one and they give you the company line i would go elsewhere

 

Could be trans mount or where it bolts to bell housing, etc. @gearcruncher may be able to analyze..

 

I’ve noticed it’s much worse if I let off gas and begin engine brake before pushing clutch in, its smoothest with a little slip with throttle

Thanks for the information it gentlemen, I’ll refer back to this thread here today or tomorrow when I go in. Sunday is not a fun day today lol

 

These transmissions are fully synchronized . All the gearing is constant mesh .
Its unusal to have all kinds of end play inside the transmission creating thuds , however , you are feeling the thuds when the transmission is under the most load .
Do you get any clunks / thuds when in reverse under load ?
As mentioned above , I would also be looking at the driveshaft and driveline as the cause .
Maybe a " FREE " road test at a local transmission shop ? Those guys test drive vehicles with your issue every day .
Very tough to diagnose over a long distance keyboard without actually test driving the truck