Hey, I have a 1994 3.0 4runner with the 5speed tranny. It has minimal play in the shifter, very minimal considering that it probably has never been touched in its entire 196,000 mile life.

ISSUE #1
I have difficulty putting it into 1st gear most of the time. No grinding, at least not usually, but you just about have to fight it to get it into 1st. It will always go into gear, but you have to push pretty damn hard to get it in. I have tries putting it in neutral and letting the clutch out, then putting clutch in and going for it again with LIMITED(it works sometimes) success.What causes this???

ISSUE #2
Third gear grind. When I shift from 2nd to 3rd or 4th to 3rd, I usually get a slight grinding feeling, no sound, just a grinding feeling in the shifter. I saw the other thread on the 3rd gear grind, but I figured my 2 problems might be related. What causes this???

Is there a cheap solution to this before I have to rebuild??? I need something cost effective that won't mess up my tranny. I can get used to these, but if there is something wrong, I need to know. And if so, what is wrong, and how do I fix it???

 

If it's never been touched it's probably due for a new shifter seat and socket. Marlin Crawler has the HD ones you want.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/htm/tra...rans_parts.htm

They also have rebuild kits, but try the shifter seat and socket. See if it helps any. If not, it sounds like a bad synchro, or maybe a bent shift rail (rebuild time).

 

Mine did this too.Check the cutch/brake pedal brackets under the dash for cracks and torn metal.If so weld them up or replace said parts.You will probly have to stick your head under there and mash the clutch pedal with your hand.

 

Yeah, you have checked your clutch adjustments and that bracket he's speaking of, right?

 

The clutch was adjusted after break in period late last year. I will have to check those, but It's been doing this for a while now.

 

bleed the clutch. Mine used to have issues going from 1st to 2nd when cold, etc, and that was all fixed with a switchover to redline mt-90. bushing is probably trash at that mileage so you might as well do it as the marlin one is cheap enough.

 

I second the bracket issue. First gear woll not go in easy if the clutch is not fully disengaging.

 

Get the shifter seat replacement from Marlin Crawler (Marlincrawler.com). I think the "socket" is also what should be replaced, as this part goes bad.

I had a problem with my 3rd not engaging properly and a sticky 1st, this fixed it right up. Both the seat and bushing (or socket?) tend to get damaged over the years. Take care when removing the disintegrated seat, as you don't want that stuff falling in your tranny. I used a pair of tweezers tied to the dash with string (so I couldn't drop em in) to remove the broken pieces.

Here is a link that basically explains the procedure:

http://toyota.off-road.com/toyota/ar....jsp?id=186539

There are a couple different transmission types. Mine required the removal of four bolts... others require you to twist and pull on the shifter. Best bet is to go into the Toyota dealer with your VIN and ask for an exploded view of the shifter assembly. Some transmissions don't appear to have a replaceable seat (as I was told by the dealer).

 

I had a truck that did that, I always put it in second before I put it in 1st or Rev. I had some bad syncros and a bad clutch but it worked well. Now everytime I drive a manual I still do it by habit. I also had to weld the clutch pedal bracket and I shimmed the end of the rod comming out of the slave cylinder. The tranny had 260k on it.