So i just picked up an 81 4x4 pickup its all stock 22r and claimed L52 via vin codes, i was told by the PO that the tranny was rebuilt but 5th gear isnt there, it wont engage, i can shift into 5th gear position with no clutch and it wont die, could it be that just the bearings are bad or does this sound like a gear is screwed? i have no idea if i should rebuild it hoping 5th gear will work or just buy a used 5 speed.. what do you guys think?

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I ahve the same exact thing in mine. Guy i bought from had a 22re swapped and said he swaped the trans to a 4speed. My dad (who worked for toyota for 30+yrs) said that they came stock like that. Just had a 5th gear gate in the trans.

5th go's out in these a lot also. Only seen one first gen truck that didn't have the 5th out in it. Not that I am some expert, just seems like a weak spot.

I have heard stories about the 5th gear being pretty pointless in these trucks.. pretty sad i guess, my main concern was that i would like to get 20 mpg on the highway even if i drive 55 im ok with that i just dont want a constant 13-15 mpg.. (i have no idea what gas mileage my truck gets yet) but if i had to guess a higher rpm in 4th is worst on gas than lower rpm in 5th for sure.. i guess ill keep my tranny and eventually get a 5 speed if the price is right.

fifth isn't useless, but listen to tweek.

not having a 5th gear in these things is not good. I blew up my 5 speed L52, used a 4 speed L43 and the high way sucked big time. 60 MPH at almost 4K. Nice having a 5 Speed again. the L series were only around for 5 years in the first gen..getting harder to find. upgrading to a W 56 is a good idea, plentiful and stronger. Disadvantage is having to move your crossmember back 4 or so inches and making new driveshafts

L43 4 speed is the side shifter
L45 4 speed top shift looks cosmetically on the outside just like a 5 speed L50 & L52

I do a lot of high driving, I get my truck up to 75 no prob at about 3700rpms. i am also keeping an eye out for a 5speed.

Thats my main concern about the W56 is the fact that i would have to do all that extra work.. i found a guy that has a l52 for 60 bucks but it needs new bearings.. seems like a headache to handle.. also my truck has an L52 according to the vin but its an 81 do the L52 trannys have a difference from 81 to 83? it would make sense for them all to be 5 speeds but so far im still unsure what to think..

Well, as far as I knew the L52 was only in '83. This is according to Marlin, anyway: http://www.marlincrawler.com/transmi...built-complete
They're also prone to input bearing failures, I guess. If that's the only bearing failing on it, I s'pose this could help it last longer with a new bearing: http://www.marlincrawler.com/transmi...plate-l-series
Good luck whatever you come up with!

what vin number do you check im in the middle of trying to find another trans for my 82 i have a bad syncro for first and i broke the clutch fork off last week so its gotta come out no matter what i have a g series i picked up last weekend from an 84 4runner but looking at the two i dont want to have to start resizing my driveshafts and moving my crossmember. My 5th gear works fine never a problem and i know i get better milage with it then without. does anyone sell rebuild kits for these L series trans ive seen some on ebay but i dont know about the quality and a marlin trans is a lil overbudget. i just want my truck back

yeah same with my 82, maybe i need a trans, also my shift stick likes to rotate? whats the deal with that since were on transmissions

i looked at the vin on the side of the engine bay bottom right hand corner ill try to post a picture soon to prove my point i referred to the "how to check what type of tranny you have" thread on here (pre 84 trucks)..

shifter wobble.. infamous on first gens.. if its moving around you'll need the bushings done, both from marlin crawler are best and relatively inexpensive, if that doesn't fix it, I don't know what will.. heres a link http://www.marlincrawler.com/transmi...ver-ball-seats its the item on that page and the other referred "shifter sockets" on the right