OK my 1980 has had a bad transmission bearing for some time. Of course it could be just the release bearing but I do think that I will be looking at seriously fixing it soon. The truck is 2wd and not driven very often. The growling is mainly when the clutch is engaged with the transmission in neutral. It also growls on deceleration although some of this may be the carrier bearing. In general the noise decreases as the transmission gets to a higher gear. In 4th and 5th gear the transmission is actually fairly quiet.

Anyway apparently based on the clutch fork the transmission is from a 1978 pickup (possibly earlier). It is a 5 speed which makes it a W50 I think...

So can't be sure on whether this could be a release bearing, or the input shaft bearing or of course it could be a few other bearings gone bad considering the age of the transmission. Anyway I am definitely weighing out all of my options so I'm torn between attempting the overhaul with a bearing kit, or trying to find a good used transmission. I have not done a Toyota before but I did pull off 2 different motorcycle transmissions reasonably easy with a parts diagram and some care.

The other option is a junkyard transmission but what I am most curious about is the L43 versus the W50. Are they roughly interchangeable or is there a different driveshaft involved?

Truthfully I don't care if the truck is a 4 or a 5 speed as within the scope of my use for it as an around-town pickup truck there is no real need for 5th gear to speak of. Since sometimes guys are upgrading to a 5 speed I thought maybe I can capitalize on that fact and find a better deal on a used one.

Your thoughts are appreciated!

Of course I may end up posting in the wanted section but if anybody here has a 2wd transmission that may be compatible please don't hesitate to post or to drop me a PM. Part of my tax refund is going to savings, part to my Jeep and part to my Pickup.

 

in case you go the used route here are some source.
before I found one locally Jims' Got parts gave me a decent quote on a used l50 or L52...shipping from Colorado to Oregon (this was september 09) was only around $65...




Toyota Truck Dismantlers: body parts/axles etc
The Toy Man (newberg, OR) http://www.thetoyotaman.com/
MazToy (troutdale, OR)http://maztoy.com/
Davez Off Road: http://www.davezoffroadperformance.com/
Yotayard (colorado) http://www.yotayard.com/home.htm
Jim's Got Parts (Denver, CO) http://jimsgotparts.com/
California Mini Trucks (Cali) http://www.calminitruck.com/
NIX99 (washington state) http://nix99.com/
Rancho Toyota Truck Dismantler (Cali) http://www.ranchotoyotatruckparts.com/
ToyoKings (FLA) http://www.toyokingsusedparts.com/
Toyota Parts (Colorado SPrings, CO): http://www.toyotacarpart.com/default.asp?i=home
Yotatech Classifields :https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f91/
TTORA Classifieds: http://ttora.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=3
Pirate classifieds: http://pirate4x4.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=4

 

The L43 is a 4wd transmission, what you are looking for is a w40 or a w50. I would pull the transmission and check the release bearing before buying another, as these trans are not know for eating the input bearings like the 4wds are.

I would't pay more the $100 for a 5 speed w50, less for a 4 speed w40. The w40's really cheap as there is not as much demand. Unless you do alot of highway commuting you won't notice the missing gear of a w40.

 

OK thanks for the advice guys. It's hard to find many resources about the W series 2wd transmissions. After all it seems that there aren't so many people interested in restoring them as there are interested in the 4x4.

I do agree about the 4 speed - I use the truck for local use and for running dirt bikes around highway 89. The truck seldom sees anything faster than 40 mph. If I come into one for cheap I will probably spring for it.

As for source, the local wrecking yard is pretty overpriced. However, I did recently have an engine seizure on my 1988 Tercel though so I figure I might try to see if the local yard wants to work a deal for a few parts in exchange (hoping to score the brake booster and transmission and maybe seatbelts).