91 Tercel 5-speed issue - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Muzungu · 02-15-2008, 04:44 PM

Hi all, noob here.

I tried the search function but came up with nothing.

Anyone have any idea why my 5-speed jumps or pops out of 5th gear when accelerating. This just started today.

The car, engine and trans have about 170,000 miles on them. A clutch kit was installed about 3,000 miles ago and everything was working great untill today. The gear oil was/is clean and the magnet on the drain plug does not have any metal chunks on it, just the normal very fine powdwr/fuz. Also there is no noise or whining coming from the tranny in any gear.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

91tercelowner · 02-15-2008, 06:45 PM

I had a problem last year getting into 5th and the fine people at this board suggested I have the "linkage" greased. It cost like 40 bucks or so to have it done and was good as new.

Muzungu · 02-16-2008, 05:37 PM

Thanks 91, my linkage seems not the problem as all the gears can be selected very easily, and it has always been very easy.

I suspect that the problem is internal, and am hoping someone has had the same problem who can steer me in the direction of which components to check first..............anyone out there who has had a similar problem with selected 5th gear slipping out into neutral?

4speedsleeper · 02-24-2008, 12:45 AM

Make sure your bolts on the out side of the transmission are tight.

hevster1 · 02-24-2008, 04:29 AM

My guess is that the 5th gear shift fork is loose or one of the bearings has gone bad. There is the possibility of a bad cable but since only one gear is affected it is doubtful. Have someone go through the gears while you watch underhood. If possible lift the front end and put jack stands under it. Since it is not under load it might not pop out but watch to see how much travel there is going into 5th. After you do that stop the engine, try to shift into 5th by working the linkage underhood. If there is an increase in travel the problem lies within the shifter and/or linkage. If not drain the trans and remove the 5th gear cover on the end of the trans. Inspect the shift fork for looseness. Depending on the style it has either a bolt or a roll pin securing it to the shaft. Either could be broken or loose. Also push up and down on the gear shafts. They should not be excessively loose. The should move very little up and down or back and forth. If they move quite a bit I suspect a bearing problem. If you do not see anything or if there is play stop there. Bring it to a trans professional.
You may not hear anything even with a bad bearing.
Do not forget to check all engine and trans mounts as well.
If you want to try to fix it yourself you will need several pullers and the manual. You can download the necessary pages at www.techinfo.toyota.com. Loose external trans bolts would cause a leak, loose bellhousing bolts would not cause only a 5th gear problem.

Muzungu · 02-24-2008, 06:58 PM

Thank you all, very much.

Pulled the end cap off and indeed the problem is 5th gear's shaft bearing. I have not gotten into replacing the bearing just yet but it seems that it's a cone type bearing. I was a little puzzled because as I stated earlier, there was no metal on the oil drain plug and the transmission is very quiet in operation.

Since I can not afford a lot of down time with the car, I decided to order a used Japanese transmission that is guaranteed, and not to have more than 50,000 miles.The price on this transmission is less than a rebuild kit was quoted.

I'll R&R with the new/used tranny and then dig into learning on/fixing the problem one. I am a little leery on the diff gear set up/mesh pattern on a front wheel drive tranny. I had great success with my '84 4x4 installing a new ring and pinion on the TRD and Detroit Locker diffs, but that took time and was a very different application of my limited gear knowledge!

Hevster1, it seems that you know these transmissions very well. What can I do to prolong the life of the bearings in the new tranny?
Do you recommend a synthetic trans fluid, and if so, a GL-4 or GL-5? My book (Haynes) calls for a GL-5, but I don't see how this transmission could have "hypoid" type gears, as in 90 degree change in torque direction.

Thanks again for all the help!

Cheers

hevster1 · 02-25-2008, 05:35 AM

I recommend Amsoil severe gear 75-90 for almost every Toyota manual. If you can't find it let me know and I will point you in the right direction. Almost all modern 5 speed Toyota manuals are GL-5.
You shouldn't need a rebuild kit. Bearings and seals are all that is required. You shouldn't have to mess with the ring and pinion unless damaged. If so the only critical thing is bearing preload. You will need a good puller set. I own the factory sets as I have rebuilt hundreds of Toyota and Nissan manual and automatic tranny's since the 80's with a few other German and Japanese tranny's thrown in for good measure. Most of the dealerships I worked for didn't have the necessary tools so I ended up buying them. Short of spending big bucks (1000.00 or more) on the factory pullers shop e-bay or a tool warehouse.
For the repair manual info go to www.techinfo.toyota.com.

Muzungu · 02-25-2008, 09:44 AM

Thanks hevster1. Looks like I can buy Severe Gear on line so I'll order some.
Again, thank you for your advice and help.

Cheers