4th generation manual trannys

[Nordshoreman]

Been shopping for a replacement for my old rusty pathfinder,,,as I do some serious off roading in the hunting season I've decided to go with a used 4runner but am getting scared by the history of auto tranny problems!
Wonder if someone can fill me in with the history of the manual trannys? Are they pretty well bullet proof? Are some model years better? Any tips/guidance for clutch replacement and any unusual cost to repair the manual trannys?
I appreciate your guidance.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

There was never a manual transmission option for the 4th Generation 4Runners. Also what transmission issues are you talking about? I haven't been seeing that serious a cross-section of issues with the transmissions.

 

[Mtn.Runner]

If your crafty an smart I imagine it would be possible to swap a Tacoma manual trans. You center console might not look to pretty tho vim sure [MENTION=66389]BlackWorksInc[/MENTION] can chime in here on if its even a possibility.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Actually I believe its been done. I remember seeing a thread about a guy who had swapped a manual from (IIRC) a FJ cruiser in with a custom manual transfercase. I think it was on the Toyota120 Forums, I can't remember...

 

[Gatafly]

Hmmm, tranny problems seem to be very rare IMO. You might see a couple on the forums, but remember that forums tend to bring people to them that have problems. Personally I think these auto tranny's are some of the most reliable ones around.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Hmmm, tranny problems seem to be very rare IMO. You might see a couple on the forums, but remember that forums tend to bring people to them that have problems. Personally I think these auto tranny's are some of the most reliable ones around.

This is exactly true, you need to remember that the cross-section of failures/issues you see on an enthusiast forum (such as ours) is a cross-section of a very small subsection of owners. We haven't seen any failures of the transmissions on the Tacoma, FJ Cruiser, 4Runners yet (or at least if we have its like maybe a couple in the past year or so...)

 

[TRDCal]

There's always previous generations...you could get a 3rd gen with manual tranny and locking rear diff.

 

[lehiguy]

I drove a manual trans (FJ60) as a daily driver for 16 years and I am DONE! The 5-speed auto in the 2005 and newer 4runners is fantastic and no, I do not miss it off road. In fact, the auto is probably superior for super slow, careful crawling. Get one and enjoy.