I agree. 74K is awfully early to have a clutch go out tho if someone isnt used to driving one it could wear faster. My other 97 had about 200K with the original clutch

 

Just a thought...

Could your rear main seal be leaking and contaminating your clutch disc? Have you noticed if your truck has been down on oil?

 

CT I've had the truck less than a week and its been to cold to do any work on it. I'm not sure if this is of any importance but the truck is a Toyota Certified vehicle. In order for them to certify it they perform "160 point quality assurance inspection". I would like to think part of that inspection includes inspecting the clutch and components there of. I'm sure if there were any leaks they would make the necessary repairs.

I can also tell you there's a placard on the shroud that states the timing belt was changed at 74200 miles (current mileage is 74400) which I'm sure has nothing to do with my shifting problems but it is nice to know that's just one less issue I have to concern myself with.

The dealer went through this vehicle with a fine tooth comb but when it came to the shifting problems I feel dropped the ball which can and does happen. I'm taking the truck back to the dealership tomorrow to get the dash rattle taken care of hopefully they'll take a closer look at the clutch assembly and figure out why its not functioning correctly.

Tug

 

I've got a 99' that I just went through this on mine. My truck had 140K when I changed the clutch. It was chattering very badly - really bad when it was cold. It had no fluid leaks (tranny, rear main or hydraulic fluid....) but was glazed very badly - disc, PP and flywheel. Compared to the new disc I put in, it still had 70% life remaining. The new cluch took care of the chattering. Hard shifting - don't worry about reverse - these are straight cut gears with no syncros, so just take your time putting it into reverse and it will eventually go. That is the reason why it grinds sometimes when you are trying to put it into reverse right after you depress the clutch pedal - those gears are still spinning inside the tranny and cannot mesh until they are stopped... For the forward gears, if your clutch is not adjusted properly, has some air in the line or you are not "matting" the clutch pedal, it could be difficult to shift. (tranny lube low could make it difficult too..) Maybe have the dealership take a look at the pedal adjustment and bleed the system to eliminate those possibilities. I also switched to synthetic gear lube and it made shifting a little easier. Good luck and let us know....

 

Thanks Finely, that pretty much answerers my question (along with all the other replys, dont want to offend anyone), if the dealer doesn't pay for the clutch at least I know if I pay to have it done it will correct the problem and make the truck run better. That's all I'm after, I'm not trying to get something for nothing.

That being said I called the salesman about the clutch he said he'd call me right back. A half hour later the Chris the service manager calls and says to bring it in so they can take a look at it. I already know what their going to say so in a way I feel like I'm wasting my time and gas (dealerships 40 minutes away) going down there but in order for me to get them to pay for at least a portion of fixing of the truck its something I have to do. I also told him about the notorious airbag rattle and went as far as printing up the service bulletin, there's now way their going to deny that fix.

I'll let you guys know what the dealer says tomorrow evening.

Thanks for all your help

Tug

 

Definitely ask to see the details of the "160 point quality assurance inspection". There is probably something in there about proper clutch and/or transmission operation. Chattering ain't proper operation. Rub that in their face.

 

I just arrived from the dealership. To make a long story short their going to replace the clutch. At first they didnt want to do it, than they wanted me to pay for half of the repairs. Finally after 4 hours of arguing they finally agreed to fix the truck on their dime.

I should have it back by tomorrow sometime (Wednesday)

Thanks to all who took the time to reply

Tug

 

Tug - Congrats on getting the dealership to pony up....Is this a Toyota Dealer? The only reason I am asking is because you definitely want an OEM or better clutch set.....

 

Yeah its a Toyota Dealership but for some reason something doesnt seem right. I keep waiting for a phone call from them telling me they found something esle wrong with the truck and its going to cost me some outrageous amount of money to fix. The truck should be done sometime today, hopefully I wont need to take a jar of vaseline with me when I go pick it up, I'll keep you posted.

Tug

 

I just picked up my truck from the dealership, all I can say is thats the way a truck is supposed to drive. This thing just cruises, there's no jerking when I take off in 1st or shifting from 1st to 2nd, there's no inadvertently spinning the tires because I didnt baby the clutch. The truck is nice and fluid like its supposed to be.

Thanks for all the help

Tug

 

Check your clutch pedal assembly where it attaches to the firewall. i had the same problem and had a local shop just weld the clutch pedal to the master cylinder arm underneath the dash.

 

Hard shifting - don't worry about reverse - these are straight cut gears with no syncros, so just take your time putting it into reverse and it will eventually go. That is the reason why it grinds sometimes when you are trying to put it into reverse right after you depress the clutch pedal - those gears are still spinning inside the tranny and cannot mesh until they are stopped... [/QUOTE]

Try using this technique, works every time.
Before shifting into 1st or reverse, shift into any other gear ( I shift into 2nd) 2,3,4,5 gears have synchros 1 & reverse don't have them.
So, shift into 2nd and then 1st or R. It will not grind. And don't have to put it in slow. Just like you would normally shift. Work on every manual I ever drove.

 

1986 toyota 4x4 pickup 5 speed wont go into first gear without going into second then up into first to go inot third i have to jam from second to third also grinds going into reverse any ideas?

 

i have a 1999 5speed 4runner and I sometimes have trouble getting into reverse. I have found that if I shift into 1st gear before shifting into reverse it will usually slip right into reverse.