Drove my 86 22re 4runner up to a trail with a friend a couple of days ago and the second we got up there my 4runner started making this BIZARRE noise from the transmission.

It literally sounded like rocks in a blender. The sound was ONLY present with the clutch disengaged. We left my truck at the trail head and came back a couple hours later and it drove home just fine (50 miles) - no noise no nothing.

Upon getting home I dropped the transmission to inspect it, and it only had about 8 oz of fluid in it. The clutch and pressure plate seem to be in decent shape and the flywheel is tight.

Do you think it may have just been because my tranny fluid was so low? Maybe my truck got hot going up the trail and the fluid thinned out, and when it sat for a while it got thick again and made it home?


ALSO - my header rests on my tranny. Any clue why?

 

Sounds like the clutch release bearing .

What does that feel like???

Forgot to check that did you??

Is your exhaust system bent or do you have one of the engine mounts broke causing the header to be on the transmission.

 

Two things to fix:

1 - Fill the tranny with the gear oil of your choice and find out why it was so low. Could be you had some starved bearings when the truck was angled off road. What you described may be noise from the input bearing.

2 - Get the exhaust off the tranny!!

 

My Honda is notorious for bad ISB's. The symptoms are as you described, rock grinding noise when clutch is disengaged. Could be the bearing was starved of fluid and overheated?