What have you done to improve your 6-speed manual?

this may have already been covered, however i didnt see it.

where can i find replacement parts for a 2006 tacmoa 4x4 6speed? i have looked everywhere i can get a replacement transmission, however cannot find replacement parts.

my issue is grinding going into 2nd as well it pops out of second. no it also when cold it will scratch going into 3rd but this only happens maybe once from cold start up.

any advise or info would be great!

i bought the truck used 2 years ago with 68k on it the truck had the issues with second just not as bad. i have tried different fluids with no help.

 

This. It's nice to have the close gear ratios so you can do that in town. The 5 spd manual there was too much difference between 4th and 5th. The 6 spd there's about 1200-1300 RPM difference between 4th and 6th, that gives you a nice selection pulling loads up steep grades, and downgrades also. You don't have to hunt between 4th and 5th all the time, you can stay with either fourth, fifth, or sixth to keep it in the RPM range you want to and don't have to hunt back and forth.

 

Many owners have reported that Redline MTL works the best on these. That said, it's well know that the earlier six speeds had weak syncros. If I'm ever in your position, I would try to find a good used transmission out of a later truck. Supposedly they were updated in 07, and I believe again in 09. Otherwise, try a transmission shop and see if they will sell the parts to you if you can do this yourself.

 

I'd like to learn that technique. I've been driving stick for more than 15 years and I've never attempted to shift without clutching. I've learned to rev-match and I'm currently learning to heel-toe... So I guess the next step is to try and shift without the clutch..

I'm driving a Miata. Those shift great, but they have very light flywheels and no rev-hang (mostly a good thing) so revs drop like a rock when you clutch. Sometimes I have to rev-match on upshifts if I take too long!

 

thank you very much i will look into this.

 

I just bought my 09 6 speed with 40k on it, changed the fluid to mt90 and its still really notchy and hard to get into gear most of the time

 

I didn't mean clutchless shifting, I've never tried that, I meant you don't HAVE to go through every gear upshifting. You can go from 1 to 3, 1 to 4 if you're starting out on a downhill, etc. The only reason to step through every gear with a manual is max acceleration, starting out on a steep grade, pulling a heavy load.

And I'm sure someone has mentioned already that if you're coming up on a red light, you don't have to get there real fast so you can come to a complete stop. Keep the downshifting and upshifting to the mimimum.

 

I know changing the tranny fluid is different from doing a auto and manual trans I have a 4.0 trd model manual transmission can anybody tell me what I need to do to change it to redline oil thanks

 

just for the record im 19, and i love driving my 5 speed f150 (dont get me wrong i cant wait to sell it and buy a tacoma, stupid economy!) but yeah. manual ftw. been riding a clutched dirtbike since i was about 6 years old. so shifting and learning a manual transmission car actually didnt need to happen. i just sat down in one and drove it. lol i like them a lot better.

 

Here is what I did to improve the 6 speed:
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/230630-finally-ditched-stupid-ass-6-speed.html

 

Just drain and fill. Drain plug is on the bottom, fill plug is high up on the driver side IIRC. The fill plug is a PITA to get to, so make sure you can get that one out before draining your fluid out. There are a couple of DIY threads floating around, just do a search and you'll find some results.

 

I bought my v6 with 41k miles and it was extremely notchy and clunky...changed to redline mt-90 at 43k and it improved, but not much...should I change it again now at 45k?

 

I got the URD SS and it really helped with shifting. Having a taller tire helps keep my RPMs down. I figure I'm doing 150rpm less at 100kph in 6th.

I still have times where I don't get the shift right due to the engine timing between shifts. I was driving manuals for 10 years before this truck and can't change my shifting style. I'm debating changing the clutch travel described earlier in this thread.

I still think 6th is too short. It should be taller. If towing and 6th can't manage it, then shift to 5th. That's what it is there for. Often I get to 6th and then looking for 7th not realizing I maxed out in gears. lol

 

Same here, it came as an option on my truck when I bought it, and so far the transmission and shifting has been great...at least as good as any other manual trans vehicle I've owned, and there have been a few!

I had a similar experience...kinda. I had been looking for a 6 speed myself and finally found one at a dealership near me. After I had wrapped up the sale and was chatting with the dealer he told me that they get VERY few manual transmission vehicles on their lot, Tacoma or otherwise, but he also told me that they rarely sit around long, because they get so few there's almost someone like myself lurking for one...and he said when the Tacoma I bought came in, he knew they'd sell it within a few days (he may have been BS'ing me, but I had already bought the truck, so he wasn't trying to make a sale at that point).

I asked "why not just order more?" He said they didn't really have a choice, and that Toyota just seems to ship less manual transmission to "urban" areas than they do to "rural" dealerships.

Yeah, there are still diehards and young enthusiasts out there, but 20 years ago when I learned to drive, a lot of adults I knew drove a manual transmission, friends' parents and such (including my own) ...so a lot of my friends were "forced" to learn to drive stick, whether they liked it or not. Many of those friends now own and drive automatics, but any of them could at least drive a stick if they needed to. I just don't feel that's the case any more.

A few weeks ago, I volunteered to drive a few of my co-workers to an offsite work functions, one my female co-workers said, "Is this a new car?" I said, "Yeah, I got it a few weeks ago...", then she said, "And you got a stick?!?!? WHY?!?!?" Her reaction seemed to shared by others in the vehicle...it really seems to be a dying minority that actually prefer to drive a manual transmission.

If some folks prefer an auto, that's cool -- auto transmissions are better than they ever have been these days, especially the Tacoma's 5speed auto ... but I do agree that manual transmission drivers a dying breed, and most kids nowadays don't want to, don't have access to, or simply don't care to learn to drive them.

 

I've owned several manual transmission vehicles as I mentioned above, cars and trucks alike. A car like the Miata is going to have a shorter throw and be easier to shift quickly, making faster shifting techniques more intriguing to learn to get most out of it, but that's expected. When I'm driving my truck, I just shift gears when I need to shift.

I remember trying to clutch-less shift way back when I owned my first vehicle, and while I was successful a few times, I also failed miserably a few times. The way I see it, it takes a lot less effort and $$$ to press the clutch in than to replace a transmission...so I haven't even tried to do it in years. In my opinion, clutch-less shifting really isn't a skill worth learning...unless someone can tell me why it would be?

 

I did this mod this evening
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/technical-chat/4838-cheap-free-mods-23.html#post378699

I took 2 pennies and taped it on top of the green tab with electrical tape. The extra play on the clutch is now gone. I went for a drive and my shifting improved dramatically just by reducing the distance the pedal has to travel.

And to think this mod only cost me 2 cents. lol

 

Im debating on either bnm sshifter kr the urd and doong the fluod change this weekend hope that helps out on the clunking i get from 1 to 2nd

 

im scared of the SS kits after hearing of parts falling into the trans...

 

good look with the b n m. they dont make them anymore from what i understand