DupermanDave

So for the past few days I've had issues with the clutch going into second gear. After waiting a few seconds, it would shift fine. But the clutch wouldn't disengage to let me change gears. I've also had a bit of slipping recently. Not a lot, just when it's first warming up. Today, it was about 7 below and my clutch was whirring (or humming) when I would slow down with the clutch engaged.

This all only happens in 0 or below temperatures. And it's only happened this winter (though some say this is the worst winter we've had in Colorado in the past few decades. But that's what they say every year.)

Has anyone else had issues with their clutch in cold weather? I'm about to bleed the clutch fluid and possibly replace the master and slave cylinder if that will fix it. I'd like to avoid it, though, because it's really cold out and I don't want to do this work in the cold.

aviator

I've noticed that problem now and then when it gets extremely cold.
Check to see if the clutch fluid is topped up first or try bleeding and replacing the fluid you have with fresh... the fluid will break down over time and moisture and contaminants can build up reducing it's effectiveness.
If you need to replace the cylinders, it is the slave that will most likely be the problem if the master has failed you'll have fluid under your shoes in the cabin.
Try to find a friend with a warm garage...
get in touch with tc or lysmachia maybe they can help.

DupermanDave

I did top off the fluid a few days ago. No change. I think I'm going to just flush and replace the fluid. Does the FSM explain how to do this? I've never bled a brake or clutch system before. How much fluid is required for the whole system clutch and will any DOT 3 specified fluid work?

1990yota-pickup

any dot 3 will work.. dot 4 and higher is jut higher temp stuff and pretty much all snytechic..

i strongly recomend you to pick up some clear tubing that is as air lines for fish tanks. crack the bleeder screw with a line wrench. put the hose on and let the fluid gravity feed into drain pan..

or go to your nearest harbor frieght tools and pick up a Mighty hand operated vacum. comes with all the clear tubes and adapters for alot of differnt applications

the vacum will pull the fluid down all the lines and when you have no more air bubbles comine out of the clear tube. tighten up the bleeder screw on the clutch slave clyinder

DupermanDave

Can't you purge and bleed the system without one of those? I don't have much room to keep buying and collecting toold (live in an apartment with no garage. All my tools are under the kitchen sink or in the truck.)

1990yota-pickup

a, vacum gage will fit nicly behind the back seat of your truck.. you never know when you will be on the side of the road to bleed your brakes/clucth slave cly.

35 bucks will be well spent.. if you buy one..

dave now is the time to buy a house.. iam sure there are pleanty of forclosures out there in colorado, check out those sheriff sales..

DupermanDave

Actually, those vacuume guages actually look useful. Might get one to keep in my tool bag.

I don't want to buy a house out here. I loathe colorado. Too cold for me. I need to be in the desert or by the beach (florida.) Snow is not my thing.

aviator

Plenty of cheap properties still available in FLA. My mech. is buying a house with a good chunk of land down there for next to nothing.
Course lately it's warmer in CO than FLA lol...

Matt90V6SR5

I had the same issue with 4th gear,lately I just let my 4Runner warm up longer.It seems 10 to15 minutes of warm up does the trick.

BC Rider

The symptoms you describe are fairly typical for a clutch on it's way out. There could be several factors affecting the performance of your clutch:

1. Friction coefficients go down with temperature. So you get more slipping when cold. You will also get more slipping in a higher gear because you are putting more power / force through the clutch.

2. Most things get stiffer when cold. Your clutch plate can be tougher to compress in the winter - so sometimes your clutch gets stiffer.

3. Things tend to stick when cold. Your throwout or pilot bearing might be sticking and not releasing. Keep your clutch in longer and you might be able to get it in gear eventually. This gets worse in the presence of moisture. Sometimes blowing some hot air or heating it up overnigt helps get rid of the moisture so you can limp along for a while longer. You can get magnetic heaters that stick onto the surface and help mitigate some of this at startup, but as you know it's pretty cold out there once you hit the road. If you have a block heater - plug it in. It might help.

More than likely your clutch is on the way out. Good luck with the bleeding and hope it gets you through the winter. Just don't forget to change it out when it warms up.

DupermanDave

I have only had the issue with it not going into gear one time. Only one instance, and after I pulled off to the side of the road and let it warm up a bit longer it never happened again. Now I have a whirring noise when I have the clutch engaged and a decelerate. I only hear the noise in second gear and very quietly in third gear. I checked under the transmission and saw the slave cylinder had some fluid on it. I wiped it off and checked it out and it looks like it may be leaking. So I went to autozone and bought a new slave cylinder I'm going to replace.

Could it still be a worn out clutch, or just a slave cyl. issue? I should have known something was leaking for me to have had to top off the clutch fluid like that.

nv4runner

It only happens in cold weather and before a good warm up because the oil in the transmission is so cold and thick that its putting a lot of extra strain on your clutch. In addition, the synchronizers can't get the two gears to travel the same speed before you want to be in that gear which doesn't allow you to shift because of the thick gear oil. Change to a thinner gear oil during winter and this problem will probably go away.

A worn out clutch definitely won't help the situation though, so a new clutch kit may be in your near future as well since yours is already slipping.

DupermanDave

I've been kind of eager to put a new clutch in it, but not during winter time. I'm going to it on a blazing hot summer day. But for now, I'm doing the slave cylinder and I guess at the same time switching to thinner gear oil.

1990yota-pickup

make sure you attempt to bench bleed that slave cly.. it will make the air removal alot better..

MOCRAWLER

Amazing, I just logged in to ask the same question. I guess I may need to start looking for a replacement clutch.

BC Rider

By engaged I assume you mean the clutch pedal is out - ie. not pushed in.

That whirring noise is more than likely slipping. You will typically put more force on the clutch decelerating in a lower gear, and accelarating in a higher gear. So your symptoms are consistent with a slipping clutch. If it gets worse in 4-Low - that would also indicate slip. Also if you power shift you might see the rpm slowly come down after a shift before the clutch locks in. If these are not your symptoms it may not be slipping or not slipping too badly. Typically once a clutch starts slipping it gets progressively worse. How quickly it gets worse depends to a large extent on where and how you drive it.

By all means change out your slave - it's a good idea given your observations. But that won't help a slipping clutch. It could potentially help with the not being able to get it in gear.

I limped along with a bad pilot for several years that made it difficult to shift. You may have to change some of your driving habits to compensate - but that is one of the great things about manual transmissions - you have the control.

I've also limped along with a slipping clutch for a while. You might be able to baby it along for a fairly long time. They used to say this was a bad idea because the rivets holding the friction material to the clutch plate would eventually become exposed and wear the flywheel. I don't think our clutches are that style though - IIRC we don't have that old rivetted style. So I don't believe you will be hurting anything if you limp along but stop before the slipping gets to be too bad - I'm guessing at that point you could overheat or score the flywheel.

Best of luck - in my experience our trucks are pretty tough and you can usually limp along for a good long while with a marginal clutch.

toyota4x4907

Try installing a transmission heater pad.I could tell a difference when I installed one on my '93 p/u. In fact, I'm about to go install one on my 4runner before work since its -30 right now!

All it is is a little rubbery pad with heating wires inside. like $20 at auto parts store. plus, you'll need a plug and extension cord to plug it into the house. Gets hella hot and smokes if you just plug it into the wall. And will burn you.... =\ Ask me how I know

aviator

Haha yeah those little heater pads are serious about what they do... they can take the oil pan on an aircraft engine from ice cold to fry an egg in no time at all [like minutes].

Teuf

Get a centerforce dual friction & a heavy flywheel. My cluth pooped out at 210 k

TORTIS

iTrader: (1)

I would do just about anything to live there. I feel the same way about this place.