Kstoy

Got a 95 2wd with the 22re and a 5spd. Been a great lil run around pickup, but just all of a sudden 2 weeks ago I can not down shift to 3rd gear unless I grind the heck out of it, it will up shift into 3rd from 2nd just fine maybe once in a while now just a slight grind. But Down shifting from 4th to 3rd is a no go unless you want to grind it on in and it sounds horrible so I just dont down shift to 3rd anymore. Im not much on trannys, think its something that can be fixed or is the whole tranny eventually gona be shot? I have been told its a main bearing or maybe syncronizers? I can deal with it cause it will still up shift into 3rd just not down shift into it, but would like to fix it and make it right in case it is something that can be fixed and save the whole tranny. It has 176,000 miles and had a new clutch about a year and half ago.Any thoughts?

HighLux

Your tranny is doomed. Everytime you "ground" the gears downshifting to 3rd....you were doing terrible damage. Why even downshift? brake pads are cheaper than the trans wear that occurs? Never understand downshifters... start looking for a tranny. I would park it. More you drive...the more you risk a catostrophic failure leading to a tow bill.

buickid

Sometime you have to downshift to get up a hill... The synchros are going, but if you get good at double clutching, you can keep on driving it. It won't catastrophically fail, just be difficult to downshift. Don't grind it though, that will put a bunch of metal shavings in the oil or chip teeth, or bend forks. You can have it rebuilt, that would get many more miles, or put in a used one from a wrecking yard.

Kstoy

I have not ground it but a handful of times since it first occured 2 weeks ago. Only reason I did was because I was like what the hell is up? Because it was perfectly fine then outa the blue it wouldnt down shift. So of course you try to geter in a gear a few times, then realize welp its not gona work, so I quit. Down shifting is no problem if you know how to drive a standard transmission, growing up on the farm its just second nature to down shift. I plan on driveing her until she quits then I will swap trannys I guess. Also who needs a tow bill when you own a 2500HD Silverado and a trailer?

Kstoy

Now this is the kind of response I was looking for, thank you. I figured these were the answers but didnt know if some of you yota gurus had any tricks or secerts to a fix since it was just not down shifting into one of the gears.

HighLux

You guys are right...no need to worry bout a crunchy trans...just ignore it and double clutch everytime.

thefishguy77

iTrader: (1)

Highlux while I value your knowledge I still don't understand why every answer you have is black and white. We are talking about highlux pickups. Not Audi's. why not try offering more open suggestions and less doom and gloom. I'm not trying to bash on you but I ground the h*ll out of a w56 learning how to drive one for about 3 days and drive it for another 100k plus miles. In fact after the clutch went out about 50k later I drove it with no clutch speed shifting it for a week or two with no ill effects. These trany's are a lot tougher than a high performance transmission. Beside most grinding that kills transmissions quickly is coupled with a high hp motor which Toyotas do not come with.
Now I know this is a 2wd and there might be some differences in strength between 4wd and 2wd. But come on. Don't freak this guy out telling him he is doomed when he probably has a fixable problem. Clutch, slave, shift forks, a lot of possible answers that don't equate to destroying your tranny beyond repair. Once again not trying to bash but with a Toyota there is rarely only one answer.

HighLux

Its pretty simple.


If the truck is popping out of gear...under load....then the synchro is toast.

We all in agreement there?

Its made of brass. So...there is brass chips/chunks/debris in his gear oil. Could be on the bottom of the case...could be sitting somewhere ready to cause a gear to break. The brass is also wearing the bearings.

What happens when he downshifts under load and it crunches....well if the synchro is gone...well then 2 gears have to mesh at diff speeds. crunch. any given crunch from that can be a gear breaker.

I can see ignoring a bearing noise for awhile. Not a synchro. Its a bomb waiting to go.

These trannies are not as tough as you think. Hell they all eat input shaft bearings. I just changed a trans...for that alone...just a noise. You know why? Cause I know how much a gear costs. Hard parts for these trannies are pricey. Used ones are getting hard to find.

Id be willing to bet that third in his truck is already chipped.

Someone needs to tell these kids not to drive there trucks when stuff is broke and to fix it. Not ignore it. Hes looking at some synchros and seals now...you want him to have to buy gears too?

Nip issues in the bud...dont ride them out.

thefishguy77

iTrader: (1)

Never mind dude I'm not trying to start a fight I have seen it in other posts as well. So forget I said anything.

HighLux

Not fighting at all....just discussing. Thats what its all about.
People are all different. All Im saying, is if my trans was poppoing out of gear..Id prolly park it and find a good used trans. Someone else may drive it forever like that....OP is gonna do what he wants anyways. Most people gravitate towards whatever someone says that is the easiest or cheapest...I offer the view of fix whats broke.

Kstoy

I understand and want to fix it right, its not popping out of gear. Shifts into 3rd fine, just will not let me down shift into 3rd. So I have quit down shifting and it runs out fine. I have a toyota maniac here that said he can get me a used 5 spd for $175-200 if mine goes on out and would give me a yr warrenty. Is that price in the ball park?

thefishguy77

iTrader: (1)

Highlux
I may have missed it but no ware in his original post does he mention popping out of gear. So that argument is null and void. It is grinding going in to gear when down shifting. There is a big difference. For us older guys we should know that. Not being able to downshift a gear could point to a shift fork but at 175k miles on probably a stock clutch. It could also indicate a wearing clutch or a wearing out slave or master cylinder. Maybe ask if he is loosing clutch fluid for one. Maybe adjustment on the pedal itself. Cracked clutch bracket? The reason so many young guys move towards the least expensive solution is we don't have a lot of disposable income. Maybe me might want to modify our trucks or pay some bills. I get why you have a stock truck. They run forever and are very good on not developing problems. But if a slave master or clutch will get us another 50-100k miles on a transmission. Then we can spend the saved money on our trucks.

To the op.
I hope you figure out your truck. I would check to see if you are loosing fluid in your clutch system. Check under the hood and also under the truck on the tranny. If you see some clutch fluid the that is a good place to start. Also you can look at the back of the clutch pedal. There is some adjustment in there that might be available. And these trucks have been known to have stress cracks develops in the clutch pedal bracket that will cause a lack of full engagement. Also relatively easy to check flashlight and a mirror. Also when you put your clutch in or let it out in gear do you hear any chirping noises?Sometimes that can indicate a wearing clutch. I hope this helps. Keep us posted

Gamefreakgc

That's pretty good, considering manual transmissions last a whole lot longer than automatics. If you're not looking for some performance rig, a used one will work just fine.

Kstoy

Thanks fishguy, Those are some good things to check into.

RJR

It would seem to me that, if it was a clutch problem, it would be giving shifting problems in all gears, not just 3rd. Also, in general if the synchronizers are working properly, there is a balk ring that physically prevents shifting (and grinding) until the gear speeds are matched. The fact that it is grinding suggests to me that the synchronizer has gone out. Whether there are pieces in the transmission waiting to cause trouble is an unknown. The fact that this started suddenly suggests it is not just wear (which would be relatively benign as to stray pieces), but a breakage, which might leave more serious debris around.

I'd pull the drain plug on the tranny and see what's in the gear oil. If it looks clean, you could learn to double-clutch (a good technique to know anyway) and drive it for a while until you can afford to fix it. If there are visible pieces of metal, probably best to park it until you can fix it.

As to why downshift at all, another good reason is for descending long grades. Try coming down Monarch Pass in Colorado (7 miles of 7-8% grade with sharp curves) with a 2500 lb trailer behind you. I do not suggest you do that by leaving it in 5th gear and riding the brakes all the way down. Runaway truck ramp, anyone?