Remi

I have a 94 yota pickup. 5spd. The shifting is bugging the crap out of me ever since I bought the truck.
I have to press hard to get into 1st and 2nd. I used to grind when going into reverse 80% of the time. When driving at speed everytime I shift it feels very notchy.
2 months ago I replaced the tranny fluid with redline. This helped out on my car but did nothing for the truck.
Yesterday I read a post on yotatech about checking the slave clutch cylinder and master cylinder. The fluid in the master was low so I added more. The slave seemed to work fine and had no signs of leaking. But I bled it anyway.
Now the slave cylinder seems like it has a minor improvement in range of motion. I did a litle test drive afterwords. All the gears are still notchy and 1st is still a pain to engage half the time. I tested reverse about 6-7 times, I heard it grind twice. Overall it seems like there is almost no change aside from less grinding when going into reverse.
Should I bleed the system more? I can't see it changing as the fork comes very close to the opening edge in the bellhousing now when clutch is fully depressed.
How close should the clutch fork get to the opening edge?
Is there anything else I could check before I replace the tranny?

wrenchmonster

Check the bushing and seat on the shifter itself. Do a search and you'll find plenty of reading material, and even some how-to write ups. It's easy and parts are cheap (less than 15 bucks). Don't know if this is entirely your problem or not, but definately a common problem and something to cross off the list.

When you changed your fluid did you notice any metal or brass flakes in the old fluid? If so, you may have some syncros going out inside the transmission.

-Wrench

wrenchmonster

Oh, forgot to add. I don't think reverse is a syncronized gear. Hence you will have to be at a full and complete stop to make the shift into reverse. Shifting into reverse really fast or while you are still rolling can cause grinding.

-Wrench

Blackulua

Check shifter bushing and shifter seat socket.If problem persist it maybe the time for a clutch and pressure plate change.I had this problem on my 80 2wd that would grind on 1st and reverse gears.I checked with a top Toyota mechanic on the advice and he was right after I repaired my truck.

YotaJunky

I'm noticing that shifting into first is getting more difficult also. As for shifting into reverse, I need to shift into a forward gear before shifting into reverse, otherwise the gears grind 100% of the time. There is no slipping and the clutch feels fine after I get it into first.

Has anyone solved this problem?

rimpainter.com

As mentioned, check the bushing at the base of the shifter. Another cause can be a malfunction in the clutch pedal assembly, such as a crack. Check the assembly out thoroughly. And lastly, a worn clutch can cause this.

jtm994

i have that exact problem with my 95 4runner and it drives me crazy at red lights when i cant get it to go into gear. i reverse grinds 100% of the time if i dont shift it into 4th before going into reverse.

YotaJunky

I've taken the whole clutch pedal assembly apart and it's functioning fine. I plan to power bleed the hydraulic clutch system today and if that fails, both the master and slave will be replaced. I'll also check out the bushing at the base of the shifter as you have described, but after having read some threads on those that were experiencing problems with the shifter, my symptoms and theirs were different.

If all of the above fail, then the clutch will be replaced.

Troy

aviator

I've noticed it is sometimes dificult to shift into reverse without first shifting into first too, I think it has to do with 'aligning' the gears to make a smooth engagement. As to the problem with first it may be that your syncros are wearing out.
I did have a problem with shifting (thought the clutch was wearing out) so i checked the fluid... it was almost dead empty D'OH ... I filled it up and now it works just fine. Oh and YES i feel stupid!
what can I say it was winter and I had'ent lifted the hood in a while. Cheers aviator

YotaJunky

Hard shifting and grinding seems to be a common occurrence among Yotatech posters. There seems to be a lot of threads on this subject.

Aviator - no fluid in your tranny! You must have had a very slow leak for it not to show up on your garage floor.

Troy

YotaJunky

Ok, I've narrowed it down. It shifts smoother when the engine is cold rather than when it has warmed up (yes, you read that correctly, better cold than warmed up!). The clutch has been bled properly with no air bubbles surviving, and the m/c and s/c seem to be fine. I'll check the bushing at the base of the shifter next and then replace the tranny with Redline MT-90. If that fails, I may have the clutch replaced.

Big thanks to eric-the-red for helping me out with the clutch bleeding. That Motive Power bleeder is really som'thin.

Troy

jordanirvin

I had this problem on my '95 4Runner too. I replaced the shifter bushing, and it made a world of difference. The repair is super simple--the hardest parts were getting all the pieces of the old bushing out. That thing must have been in 200 pieces. Parts are cheap and only requires some needle nose pliers and some tweezers.
I had the grinding looked at at my dealership. They claimed to tighten up the linkage on my transmisson. They charged me less than $10 when I was getting an oil change, and it stopped the grinding.

http://www.off-road.com/toyota/tech/shifter/
http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/reviews/quick_shifter/

the first link is the write-up to follow, and the second has some pictures of the disassembly.

YotaJunky

Linkage on the transmission? What's that and where can I find what you are referring to?

TIA,

Troy

aviator

The tranny is fine it was the clutch master cylinder that was down. And since I park outside no way to find a leak. i think most of it happened when I was doing a redneck U-ey to get that choice free parking spot.
I actually do check those things semi regularly... Aviator

YotaJunky

Fixed it!!! It was the shifter seat bushing. Quick, easy fix and now it shifts with minimal notchiness and more importantly, it goes into 1st without a problem. After pulling back the carpet, I noticed a lot of rust. Guess that'll be my next project.

Troy