other things that could be an issue:
-bent shift lever, particularly the end in the transmission
-bent shift fork
both of which can happen from over-aggressive downshifting

 

Is this a big deal. How long could any of these things last. Should I get rid of it now?
He said they replaced the shift tower and a thermostat for over 300 and labor was over 300. Does that sound reasonable?
thanks

 

Not to be negative.... I can't say anyhow, for sure(without asking my trans buddy)... But a fully gone through and redone trans(replacing things if necessary, but all new seals, bearings, etc.) near me in Sun Valley is 550$ with pick up and delivery. That is NO MATTER what they have to do(within reason, like not replacing the whole housing, every gear, etc.... Just things that are broke and up to like 75% of it being replaced/all of it being resealed). MOST shops will remove/rebuild and reinstall a trans for around 1500$-2K$... REALLY rebuilt, I mean... with guarantee, etc.

Again, I can't say man.... But if you start to wind up in the 1K dollar end.. you could just go to Marlin Crawler or something and BUY A TRANS for 1400$! (guys?.... Haven't looked at their site in a while... But with a coupon code and discount on shipping???)

 

are transmission tough to put in. Keeping in mind I don't know what I'm doing. I can however loosen and tighten bolts with the best of them.

 

If you can loosten and tighten bolts then you can take a transmission out. You'll want a jack though. If you leave the flywheel and pressure plate alone, it's easy to put back too. If you decide to take that off, you need to align it when you put it back on. No big deal, it just requires an alignment tool.

Transmissions are easy to swap, can be done in a day. The hardest part is moving the stupid thing up and down because it's so heavy.

 

I know this thread is a year old but I was having the same issue. I posted this question on a different forum but thought I'd try this one.
1st gear is slipping out under load at around 1500-2000 rpm and I'm pretty sure it is my synchros. I have a buddy at a transmission shop who said he'd do the work for me if I pull it and get him a rebuild kit. I'm going to replace the clutch while I'm at it. The issue I've ran into is I can't figure which rebuild kit to get. I know it is a R150, On Cobratransmission.com they have two kits, one for a 59mm OD Rear main shaft bearing and the other for a 72mm OD Rear main shaft bearing.
I've called Toyota USA, the local dealership, Marlin Crawler and Cobra. Even giving them my VIN they are unable to tell me which kit I need. They all say I need to measure the bearing.
My questions are these:

Does anyone know how to figure out the size of the bearing/rebuild kit before taking it apart?
How do I get to the rear main shaft bearing?
Does anyone know of other places to pick up rebuild kits?

 

Is there no other number stamped on it? And I would GUESS no, I think I'd want to pull it and make sure of the OD anyhow..... BUT , there very well may be a way. Thing is, by the time you search out that info, u could maybe pull the trans and just fond out? Ur gonna pull it anyhow, right? Best wishes, man.

 

I'll probably pull it on Saturday. Any advice on which brand clutch I should get?

 

If its not a beast? Stock/japan made Exedy/Daikin.... I have a HD one and its in the middle, love it. Look up MARLIN, LCENGINEERING.COM, maybe Scottys addictedoffroad.com, probably a list in the Vendors page? My original Aisin clutch lasted over 250k miles. Maybe try amazon and look for highly rated vendors?