HilariouX

Hey guys, this is my first post. I was really glad to find this forum, as I recently became the proud owner of a 79' Yota longbed, aka, "Teresa."

Anyways, I've done some rudimentary repairs and maintenance on her:
-oil and filter
-air filter x2 (stupid me forgot to clear out the entire air intake hose after putting the first filter in- found 4 dirt dobber nests)
-new slave and master cylinder (old one leaked dry within 3 weeks of driving her
-new water pump (seized up within a month, just was really full of congealed crud)
-other, assorted small repairs and general cleaning and maintenance

I have some experience with mechanics, and have been enjoying learning all about vehicles these past few years. Thankfully, I've been blessed with friends who know more than I, and are willing to help. Something goes wrong, I buy the part, and they help me (most of the time correctly) fix it.

Anywho, upon purchasing this beauty, I learned that my uncle has an old SR5 sitting in a shed, about an hour away. I took a look at it this thanksgiving, and its in pretty ok/bad shape. The chief problem with it is that it has been sitting with the hood up in a virtually open shed for the last 3 decades.

(sorry, this is a pretty long post- here's the question)

Teresa (1979) has been grinding a bit when I put her into reverse. I'm very careful and make sure that I'm stationary when doing so, but she still grinds a bit. Likewise, putting her into 1st and 2nd gear takes quite a bit of effort, or more so than I should think should be necessary.

I was wondering if I could swap the tranny's on the SR5 and my Hilux? This may be a very involved process, but I have some time on my hands and absolutely LOVE saving money while learning about how to tear apart my truck and put her back together. I check my clutch fluid level, and it (is) still at the full line.
Thanks for yall's time and answers.

83

A few things.

If there was a ton of crud in the water pump, you should suspect that the whole coolant system is similar. Radiator, thermostat, heater core and maybe (but hopefully not) coolant passages through the engine.

This is a 4-speed? Have you checked the transmission oil level/condition? I would definitely change every fluid in this truck.

What year is your uncles truck? SR5 is just a trim package. It's still a Hilux.

I think that no matter what, you'll need to do some driveshaft modification, unless you stick with 4 speed. I could be wrong, though...I know the G and W series transmissions out of mid to late 80's trucks were longer, so the driveshaft lengths needed to be changed. But between a first gen 4 speed and first ten 5 speed?..I don't remember if there's a different length.

What I can tell you is that any transmission bolted to an R-series motor (20R, 22R, 22RE) will bolt right up to any other R series motor. That part is a straight swap. It's the connections to the driveshafts and crossmember that need modifications. If the donor truck has a V6, you're out of luck, without doing much more modification.

So typically, swapping a G series or W series 5 speed transmission into your truck will require: lengthening the front driveshaft and shortening the rear, due to the transmission being longer than yours, cutting a hole in your floorboards farther back for the stick shift (again, longer transmission), moving the cross member back (same reason).

If you're just swapping another L-series tranny into your truck (79-83), there may not be any modifications needed, but I don't remember...There would definitely be less.

gillesdetrail

iTrader: (1)

Hi and welcome, Your 1979 has an L43 transmission originally, the only 5 speed transmissions that will fit without modifying driveshaft length or crossmember location is the 81-83 L50 and L52 transmissions (maybe some in 84 not sure).

Here is some good info on transmissions. https://www.marlincrawler.com/transmission

This message board has a lot of information, you can use the search functions for more transmission topics as there is one posted every 2 months, you can also use google ex: https://www.google.ca/?gfe_rd=cr&ei=...w.yotatech.com

Now we demand pics of Teresa and the barnfind SR5! It is mandatory after a first post, it is part of the rules

moroza

The reverse gears on all these transmissions are unsynchronized, and will often make a clackety possibly grindy clunk when put in reverse. Do 1st and 2nd grind, or are they just stiff? Change the transmission fluid to a GL-4 80W90 oil (NOT GL-5!) and see 1. what comes out and sticks to a magnet, and 2. if the shifting improves. Does it make much noise otherwise?

Aren't the driveshafts (front and rear) the same between the 4- and 5-speeds? That'd mean that a 5-speed swap wouldn't need any driveshaft or crossmember mods.

83

Depends on the year 5 speed. Sounds like L-series, probably no mods. G or W, yes, mods. But so far all we know is SR5, aka a little chrome, maybe bucket seats, a few other fancy things, but it could be anything from a 79 to a 95.

moroza

Yes, I meant a 5-speed from a 1st gen, which all had L transmissions. 84 and later 5-speeds are longer.

HilariouX

Min is a 5 speed, '79. I am not sure of my uncle's truck, I'll have to see if I can chip the title out from the mass in the "glove box."

And thanks for all the replies guys, my internet has been down for a few days. I'll post back with an update on the tranny situation ASAP.

And the 1st and 2nd gear have difficulty, serious resistance. It almost feels like there's something blocking my shifting into them. I'll go and switch the tranny fluid just like Moroza said. Also, she has a new drive shaft.

Oh! Almost forgot to mention- I found an 80' model Hilux at a scrapyard recently. It, however, is a 4 speed (if the shifter nob is to be believed). My truck doesn't have an RPM gauge, whereas the '80 does. I already pulled its dash and the "rotary cable" (not sure of terminology) which attaches. All the electronic plugs are the same. However, on the 80', the cable would run from the dash unit through the sidewall, and underneath the vehicle to the side of what I assume is the base of the transmission. On my 79', there is what appears to be a plug. Upon removing the plug, I encountered a spring. The 80' didn't have a spring to the best of my knowledge. Is this dash and RPM installment impossible?

83

Did 79s have a 5 speed as an option, or did someone already do a swap on his truck? Some of this stuff is starting to fade...

The year of your uncle's truck will be on the tag, in the frame of the driver's side door.

Are you saying the speedometer cable on your 79 doesn't run through the firewall and down to the transfer case? It should.

The plug with the spring is where? Up at the cluster, or down at the transfer case?

Speedometer cable setup should be the same on these trucks.

You should be able to swap the clusters so you can have a tachometer. I think with these year trucks it's a pretty straightforward swap, not like the one I had to do to put the SR5 cluster in my 83...

The most "complicated" part, for you, might be running a wire from the cluster to your coil to get a signal for the tach.

But first try to explain this plug and spring a little better. Which end- cluster or t-case? How exactly is what you found in the 80 different than the 79?

Both clusters should have a plug and a speedometer cable. The plug controls the electrical stuff like idiot lights, temp and fuel. Cable controls speedometer.

83

Also, you'll find that on internet forums, a picture really is worth a thousand words. You can explain something for 5 pages and people might still not know what you're talking about. Or you can just post a photo, and remove all confusion.

gillesdetrail

iTrader: (1)

As said above, your 79 originally came with an l43 4 speed, the 5 speed has been swapped in later.

lledwod

iTrader: (2)

It is pretty easy to remove your shifter boots/trim (6 or 8 screws hidden under the rubber) and remove your shifter. I personally have run into a few transmissions that were rusty and 'clogged' up in this area. A thorough cleaning, clean grease in this area can help the shifting a lot. You may also find the plastic ball-bushing on the end of your shifter, and possibly the shifter 'seat' may be sloppy and or worn as well.

HilariouX

Really? I'll have to try that next then. Will anything leak out that I'd need to replace, to have on hand once I reassemble it? Also, would an air compressor work to clean out the shifter boots/trim?