The complaint I have with my 5 speed is that either I can't match revs real well with this truck tranny (I was very good with my 5 speed Eclipse with a race clutch) or it's just impossible to shift smoothly without so much jerkiness. I think it's mostly me but it isn't the easiest clutch to shift smoothly anyway. errrrrrr. :~/

 

Okay...
Here is a question then for all the 5spd-ers out there.

The speed limit in my town is 15 MPH. No Joke.

Yes it is very hard not to speed, but then again, town is only 5 blocks wide, so why would you need to speed anyway...

My Question: I know you shouldn't shift into 1st gear when moving cause it screws up the synchros but a lot of times I need to cause i am moving so slow and I have to mash the stick into 1st. How much damage am i causing when i am going 10 MPH and shift into 1st gear?

A lot of times I won't shift into 2nd on purpose for fear i might have to slow down to 10 or even 5. My car tachs at 3 to 3.5 in the 15-20MPH in 1st gear so i get a lot of whine, instinctively i shift up and then have to stop in order to shift down again.

Oh PS: My car has little to no sac when driving 5 MPH in 2nd, so it is a PITA, especially when there is snow on the ground.

 

I had to scramble to find a new 2000 in Sept of 2000 when the 01 came out. I had to drive to a different state to get a new manual. I will never sell it.....If you ever get stuck in the mud or snow a manual is much easier to rock between 1st and reverse. Don't worry about finding a diff lock as you can install an arb for around $1000 at a shop. Take your time and find a loaded SR5 with low miles. Good luck--I would look for a 99-00.

 

I have never heard of this issue. Not since my days of non-syncro 1st gear VW's and Porsches have I ever heard of a problem with downshifting while moving. All modern boxes are fully synchronized (at least in the forward gears) as far as I know and can be shifted into any appropriate gear in accordance with the correct RPM.
Even non-syncro boxes can be downshifted without harm, IF you match RPM. My FF gear box has no syncro's at all.
Where did you hear about this 1st gear/full stop thing?
Mike

 

I have an AUTO and wish it was a MANUAL in the worst way. I learned to drive on my brother's saab 9-5 5-speed and vowed to never own an auto, but i made the exception for my 4runner. But I'm a manual guy. The auto is nice in certain spots off roading and it's just one more free hand to eat with (and a free foot to... i don't know where i was going with this one).

 

I'm with you on that one... '98 V6 SR5 5-Speed Here. Theres lots if you look close. 5-speeds were offered right untill '00.

 

On this board...
I have owned manuals my whole life....
When I got my runner last year I noticed it was difficult to shift into 1st even at 5MPH, when I asked about it on this thread, I was told to NEVER shift into 1st as it is unneccesary and the synchros are designed to only downshift to second???
Made sense to me since 95% of the time, why would you ever downshift to 1st anyway (even when stopping with prior cars I only downshifted to 2nd then used the brake)....But in a town where I drive 2-20 MPH, I do a lot...

Maybe I should start a new thread?

Dave

 

Interesting. After I posted my question I was afraid you'd tell me it was in the owner's manual! LOL.
I understand what you mean about downshifting into first but I have found that a little throttle blip allows me to slide right into first when I need to which, like you said, is not too often.
Mike

 

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j/k

 

Clutch start cancel is also handy for getting out of muck. Forgot to mention that.

 

My '98 is a 5-spd. The day I bought it I first tried an auto version and was impressed with it alot, but the stealer also wanted $5000 more plus it had 40,000 more Klm's so the decision was easy. I've been happy with it ever since but sometimes, however, I wish I had the auto (city driving).

 

The only reason I like the '99-'00 auto is for the AWD mode;very handy to have in the city when the roads are just slick with sand and slush. My mom has it in her '99 Limited and it rocks plus she also has the rear locker that'll never get used. :mad:

 

I have a 2000 4x4 5spd--almost every option except for the rear diff lock, and leather. It was really hard to find a loaded 5spd with stuff like the rear heater, hitch, wind deflectors, day time lights, ABS, larger brakes, 16" wheels--Toyota had a really long option list(I like the Acura packages better)...... I really wanted a new one so I my dealer had to order it from another state. A 5spd is way more fun to drive in my opinion. I want to sell mine to get something bigger down here like a suburban...... Let me know if you want a good yotatech built 4Runner. I run shell synthetic. If it doesn't sell I will still be happy for another 5 years

 

In 99' I went searching for a 4Runner and really wanted a Desert Dune or blue one, but nobody had one with the options I wanted. I really didn't want a dark color or the cosmetic hood scoop, but one dealer gave me such a good deal on the one I currently own that I ended up buying it. I got it new for $29k, it took a while but the color and scoop finally grew on me, plus the fact that I got a very rare version of the Highlander. All the options except for a sunroof, I didn't want one.

 

BruceTS - Why did you not want the sunroof?

 

I've got a 97 Taco 5 speed and love it, so naturally when i started looking for a 4Runner i wanted one with a 5 speed. I searched for almost 6 months getting very discouraged. Most of the ones i was looking at had very high miles, were from the rust belt (I'm from Cali) or didn't have the options i wanted.

The things i really wanted were V6, 4x4, 5 speed, Sunroof, Cloth seats, Larger brakes (16" wheel option), somthing that had not been in any kind of accident or had any repainting done, less than 100K miles.

Thing i kinda wanted E-locker

Things i Deffinatly didn't want LEATHER... 2WD, Auto, Major Damage, Teenaged owner or driven.

I looked all over E-bay, the net, autotrader, Cars.com. and eventually found the perfect one about 10 miles from my house. The guy was the original owner, 96 SR5 V6 5speed,it had 82K on the clock, grey cloth interior, Whore red (actually it was called cardinal red, but i like calling it whore red...) big brakes, sunroof, had never had any kind of damage to the body, he had all of the service records (including the HG recall done, did the timing belt at 60K) reciepts for oil changes every 3-4K, and all for less than what most other people were asking for trucks with twice the mileage, and not nearly the options...

I am extreemly happy with my with my 5 speed, (except the brakes are a bit mushy, and i have to replace the axle seal, but that's probably part of the same problem). I don't ever plan on selling it until it totally dies... Then i'll look for another one...

Steve

 

Didn't want the extra weight up that high, besides where I live I very rarely drive with my windows open. Most of the trails are dry and dusty......

 

I shopped for the new 2000's in Dec. of 1999 in Denver. There was an excellent selection at the time and most had lockers. The manuals with lockers were harder to find, but I was able get nice green one, without running boards or receiver hitch.

Auto's would be boring on the trail. But, nice in the middle in an obstacle. It's quite and "art" to get through a tough obstacle without stalling or going too fast (with a manual). It sure is fun trying though.

 

My dad has a '96 4Runner 4x4 5-speed. Its fun to drive, but I hate driving it in traffic. I hated my auto at first because it was slower than the 5-speed that I was used to. But I fixed that problem by adding a S/C. I now love my auto, expecially when I am towing my boat.

 

Wow,this thread is alive again and I did learn to shift (and wheel) my Runner fairly well and the tranny just took some getting used too.