Squeaky clutch pedal

[Billaban]

I have tried to crawl up and lube every friction point on my clutch pedal but it still squeaks. I presume the top of the lever (which I can't get to) is the problem. Any clever suggestions?

 

[sportscarfan]

I have tried to crawl up and lube every friction point on my clutch pedal but it still squeaks. I presume the top of the lever (which I can't get to) is the problem. Any clever suggestions?

Forum search?

There is a horseshoe shaped plastic insert that goes between the heavy clutch return spring and the pedal. The plastic eventually breaks and then you have metal-metal contact between the spring and the pedal. The spring is harder than the pedal so it begins to remove material from the pedal and squeak in the process.

After taking mine apart for the squeak, replacing all plastic bushings & the horseshoe unit, welding up the pedal where the spring ate it, the new plastic horseshoe lasted only a couple days. I ended up taking it all back apart and making a horseshoe replacement on the lathe out of some nylon stock I had. This fix has lasted about 8 months now.

After I de-squeaked, I saw a post either here or Yotatech where you basically get rid of the heavy return spring and replace it with an extension spring sourced from any hardware store. If mine starts squeaking again, I'll do that.

 

[Gerdo]

Mine will squeak every once in a while. I just shoot everything under the dash (on the clutch pedal linkage) with some spray lithium grease.

 

[Billaban]

Forum search?

There is a horseshoe shaped plastic insert that goes between the heavy clutch return spring and the pedal. The plastic eventually breaks and then you have metal-metal contact between the spring and the pedal. The spring is harder than the pedal so it begins to remove material from the pedal and squeak in the process.

After taking mine apart for the squeak, replacing all plastic bushings & the horseshoe unit, welding up the pedal where the spring ate it, the new plastic horseshoe lasted only a couple days. I ended up taking it all back apart and making a horseshoe replacement on the lathe out of some nylon stock I had. This fix has lasted about 8 months now.

After I de-squeaked, I saw a post either here or Yotatech where you basically get rid of the heavy return spring and replace it with an extension spring sourced from any hardware store. If mine starts squeaking again, I'll do that.

Did a search but didn't happen upon anything relevant. Apparently more persistence is needed. I'm confident that the plastic horseshoe grommet(?) is the culprit. I'm presuming that once I get the diameter measured I can find a nylon grommet at a hardware store that will do the job.

Thanks for the info.

 

[JohnsD90]

Did a search but didn't happen upon anything relevant. Apparently more persistence is needed. I'm confident that the plastic horseshoe grommet(?) is the culprit. I'm presuming that once I get the diameter measured I can find a nylon grommet at a hardware store that will do the job.

Thanks for the info.

its like $3 at yota.

4Runners.org - Replacing the Clutch Pedal Bushing

 

[topher5054]

Forum search?

There is a horseshoe shaped plastic insert that goes between the heavy clutch return spring and the pedal. The plastic eventually breaks and then you have metal-metal contact between the spring and the pedal. The spring is harder than the pedal so it begins to remove material from the pedal and squeak in the process.

Hmmm, would that plastic piece have any affect on the actuation of the clutch? Mine seems to have a hard time going into gear. I have already replaced the master and slave cylinders and I'm getting ready to replace the rest of the clutch innards.

 

[sportscarfan]

Hmmm, would that plastic piece have any affect on the actuation of the clutch? Mine seems to have a hard time going into gear. I have already replaced the master and slave cylinders and I'm getting ready to replace the rest of the clutch innards.

Don't rule out transmission fluid type. I had changed to Amsoil synthetic in the transmission and it would be difficult to get into 1st or 2nd when cold. I drained that out and replaced with Redline MT90 and never looked back.

its like $3 at yota.

4Runners.org - Replacing the Clutch Pedal Bushing

Anyone considering replacing the $3 plastic horseshoe is wasting their time IMO. Once the original is gone and the spring starts to eat into the pedal (causing the squeak), the plastic horseshoe insulator no longer fits in the pedal groove as intended. It's made of hard plastic and will break and fall out again before it distorts to fit (like my custom nylon special does).

Billaban, if you can get tubular (cored) nylon, it should be sized so the ID fits around the spring and the OD drops into the pedal groove - roughly 1/8" wall or less going by memory, except I made mine from larger stock on the lathe spur-o-the-moment-style. With a razor blade or sharp knife, cut it lengthwise so you can fit it over the spring. I also greased the spring/nylon so the spring slides inside the nylon and the OD of the nylon just crushes into the pedal slot. Be sure to thoroughly debur the spring or it will eat up the new part.

Here's a how-to R&R that I found in my bookmarks...
Welcome to LIEBLWEB.com's Toyota Tacoma Clutch Petal Bushing Replacement Write-Up!

 

[cordrayj1]

mine comes and goes too. i also just shoot some lube up in the general vicinity and usually solves it for a while. i feel like replacing a plastic part like that is a waste of time too. if something like that bothers you, you need to get out more and use your 4runner for fun stuff.if youre havin fun, you prob wont notice it.

 

[sgtstinky]

FIXED!! Stupid PLASTIC clutch pedal bushing - YotaTech Forums

I have to fix mine too. I'm going to try the spring mod.

 

[foo]

I have tried to crawl up and lube every friction point on my clutch pedal but it still squeaks. I presume the top of the lever (which I can't get to) is the problem. Any clever suggestions?

I realize this is an old thread, so I just ask what the OP and the participants found out, over time, about this problem, which I have, and which almost everyone seems to have who has the manual transmission.

Forum search?

The problem with a forum search is that the good information is scattered all over timbuktu, and, worse yet, there is some really BAD information out there.

To put all the GOOD information in one spot (and to debunk the bad), I created this thread, which should help others to improve as more information comes in (particularly about spring and bushing sizes!).

For example, the #70 hardware-store spring, while it works, is a not the best implementation.

Neither is an asymmetric brake-pedal return spring a perfect solution:

There is a horseshoe shaped plastic insert that goes between the heavy clutch return spring and the pedal. The plastic eventually breaks and then you have metal-metal contact between the spring and the pedal. The spring is harder than the pedal so it begins to remove material from the pedal and squeak in the process.

This is a *perfect* answer, which describes the root cause, in a single sentence!

After taking mine apart for the squeak, replacing all plastic bushings & the horseshoe unit, welding up the pedal where the spring ate it, the new plastic horseshoe lasted only a couple days. I ended up taking it all back apart and making a horseshoe replacement on the lathe out of some nylon stock I had. This fix has lasted about 8 months now.

Yours is one of the best threads on the subject overall!

The one thing missing is the SIZE of the OEM P and Q bushings!
I know the ID must be about 5.0mm because my spring measured at 5.0 mm:

But we really need the ID and OD and length of the original PQP bushings!

After I de-squeaked, I saw a post either here or Yotatech where you basically get rid of the heavy return spring and replace it with an extension spring sourced from any hardware store. If mine starts squeaking again, I'll do that.

While the hardware store spring works, it touches in one or two places, and even the Toyota brake-return springs touch in one or two places. The Toyota clutch-return springs work better in that they touch in only one place, so I'm still searching for the best geometry for a spring that doesn't touch anything during the complete pedal travel.

To that end, I think the best spring is about 5 inches long, with the lower arm being 3 inches long (so that it clears the bracket) and the upper arm being about 1 inch long with the spring coil itself being about an inch long and with the coils being less than 3/4 inch in outside diameter.

Mine will squeak every once in a while. I just shoot everything under the dash (on the clutch pedal linkage) with some spray lithium grease.

If you are missing the P bushing, all the grease in the world won't stop the spring from ruining the clutch pedal, and, eventually, from changing the geometry such that the Q bushings fail, where at some point, the geometry is so bad that the pedal begins to stick due to the increased friction.

Here's what my spring-to-metal junction looked like last week; yours is probably the same. Grease only hides it for a while.

Did a search but didn't happen upon anything relevant.

There's no way a search comes up blank.
Here's what a search came up for me (although I have the benefit of a few more years before I ran into this problem so there are more threads):

Here is just a sampling of related threads found with a search:

• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/72896-clutch-question.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/223142-swap-v6-clutch-pedal-assy-4cyl.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/129942-clutch-pedal-clutch-master-cyl.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/221589-2000-manual-clutch-pedal-tight.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...r-reservoir-loose-stupid-bushing-problem.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/205963-2000-4runner-clutch.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/213373-97-toyota-4runner-clutch-pedal-problem.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/188611-tacoma-clutch-pedal.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...extra-clutch-pedal-pressure-needed-start.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/91841-sticky-clutch-pedal-stuck-key.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/90209-clutch-pedal-riding-low-shifting-difficult.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/55760-cruise-control-clutch-pedal.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/55721-minor-ignition-issue.html#post458110
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/48136-squeaky-clutch-pedal-1997-4-runner.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/13735-squecky-clutch-pedal.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/127401-clutch-pedal-being-sucked-down-floor-help.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/89461-clutch-pedal-stuck.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/108102-squeaky-clutch-pedal.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/108921-vibration-clutch-pedal.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/103149-squeaky-clutch-pedal.html

Apparently more persistence is needed.

I'll be the persistent one. You just help us get the information we need.
Right now, we need a BETTER spring for the replacement spring as we don't want it to touch the bracket or the pedal P tab.

We also need the measured sizes of the OEM QPQ bushings.

I'm confident that the plastic horseshoe grommet(?) is the culprit. I'm presuming that once I get the diameter measured I can find a nylon grommet at a hardware store that will do the job.

Unfortunately, NOBODY has simply measured the OEM QPQ bushings, to my knowledge, which is a travesty because you'll go bonkers trying to get a replacement nylon bushing to fit without the pedal assembly in your hands.

its like $3 at yota.

If you simply replace the P bushing, it will almost certainly fail very soon (some failed in just days), simply because the metal of the P tab has been destroyed, so there is nothing left to support the frail brittle plastic OEM P bushings.

People even destroyed BRASS, when they tried to re-use the worn pedal P tab.

Anyone considering replacing the $3 plastic horseshoe is wasting their time IMO. Once the original is gone and the spring starts to eat into the pedal (causing the squeak), the plastic horseshoe insulator no longer fits in the pedal groove as intended. It's made of hard plastic and will break and fall out again before it distorts to fit (like my custom nylon special does).

This is very wise advice!

Some people filled the worn pedal P tab by welding, others epoxied plates onto both sides. Whatever you do, you can't just pop the OEM brittle plastic P bushing into the pedal.

That's why the nylon retrofit stands the best chance of working, since it presumably will 'form' to the new shape, and, even if it doesn't form, you have a better chance of fitting the oversized nylon fitting into the worn pedal assembly horseshoe shape.

Billaban, if you can get tubular (cored) nylon, it should be sized so the ID fits around the spring and the OD drops into the pedal groove - roughly 1/8" wall or less going by memory, except I made mine from larger stock on the lathe spur-o-the-moment-style. With a razor blade or sharp knife, cut it lengthwise so you can fit it over the spring. I also greased the spring/nylon so the spring slides inside the nylon and the OD of the nylon just crushes into the pedal slot. Be sure to thoroughly debur the spring or it will eat up the new part.

This is the best advice we have, to date, on what SIZE nylon to buy for the P bushing.

I think it would be very helpful if someone would MEASURE the OEM QPQ bushings, so that we at least know the minimum size to get.\

mine comes and goes too. i also just shoot some lube up in the general vicinity and usually solves it for a while.

Unfortunately, lubing the spring didn't solve the underlying problem any more than turning up the radio solves the squeak.

I'm guessing that almost every 3rd generation manual out there has this problem at this very moment (unless someone repaired it already, or modded with the tension spring).

i feel like replacing a plastic part like that is a waste of time too. if something like that bothers you, you need to get out more and use your 4runner for fun stuff.if youre havin fun, you prob wont notice it.

If we all just KNEW about this problem, when we first heard the squeak, we would have replaced the stinking plastic part and kept watch over it annually (probably replacing it every year or two).

But now, once it wears the pedal, the OEM replacement costs about $150 because you can't re-use the pedal (as explained already). So you have to buy not only the new pedal but also a new spring, and the QPQ bushings (which are the least of the cost).

We need dimensions!

In summary, I think what we really need is a better handle on the measurements of the replacement tension spring that does NOT contact the pedal or the bracket during the entire motion of the clutch pedal.

We also need the DIMENSIONS of the OEM Q and P bushings, and it would be helpful to have dimensions for the new clutch pedal P horseshoe-shaped cutout.

If you have those dimensions, please post them to this thread, so that we can keep all the relevant information and links in a single thread so that the next person with this problem starts where we left off, and improves it for the person after them.

 

[ECC91]

This may have already been answered here but seeing as its late and I'm thinking of going to buy the truck in the morning...I'm looking at a 1st gen (test drove it today) and it's in great shape all around but dose have a TERRIBLE squeak from the clutch pedal... is this fix relative to the original trucks as well or is there a different version for them at least?

Please don't tell me to do a search, I have on both here and Google... only found this thread

And thanks for any replies!!

 

[Kanoe]

I believe foos posts about the clutch spring are only applicable to the 3rd gen. I don't think the 1st or 2nd gen had this set up. I suspect they used a linear spring but I really am not sure.

You might find the squeaking is coming from the clutch itself. The pivot points on the clutch lever can squeak. They would have been greased when assembled but it wears off over time. You can reach 2 of the greaseable points without any disassembly and that might help. One being where the slave cylinder pushes on the clutch lever and the other being the pivot point for the lever just inside the bell housing. The second it reached by pulling the rubber boot out of the way. A high temp grease I think the manual calls for in this application.

I hope this helps.

 

[ECC91]

I believe foos posts about the clutch spring are only applicable to the 3rd gen. I don't think the 1st or 2nd gen had this set up. I suspect they used a linear spring but I really am not sure.

You might find the squeaking is coming from the clutch itself. The pivot points on the clutch lever can squeak. They would have been greased when assembled but it wears off over time. You can reach 2 of the greaseable points without any disassembly and that might help. One being where the slave cylinder pushes on the clutch lever and the other being the pivot point for the lever just inside the bell housing. The second it reached by pulling the rubber boot out of the way. A high temp grease I think the manual calls for in this application.

I hope this helps.

Good to know! Unfortunately the seller backed out so I'm still looking for a truck but I expect with vehicles in their 30's this will be a comm ok no problem.

 

[sportscarfan]

Hey Foo! I moved this past fall, so around the time of your message I was way deep in unpacking and shop construction. I do need to revisit my repair as the squeak came back at least a year or so ago. Due to work travel, it probably won't be until spring that I get to any actual disassembly, but I'll try to post up a picture of how it is now. The nylon stuff I had on hand. It was a 5' length of cored nylon. ID might have been around 3/8", but I cut the wall so it would curl like a burrito in the slot.

Thanks for all the props, I'm a machine designer / machinist (Mechanician) by trade. On stuff like this I usually try to isolate the cause and come up with a repair solution based on resources I have on hand.
My nylon fix did last a good long while (a few years?) but the pedal has gone back to squeaking so it is for sure overdue for removal and a look at the current state of things.
Thanks for the detailed pictures and your overall .02 on the subject. Nice to see that bushing kits are available if one was to have kept up on squashing the squeak!

It took a bit to stuff the phone up under the dash to get the best shot, but it looks like the nylon is still there. Probably chewed through between the pedal and spring though.

 

[powersandlorimer]

I've had this same issue for years. Yesterday I finally crawled underneath the dash with a bottle of WD-40 and hit the joint where the large spring is, pumped the pedal about 15 times and it's hasn't squeaked since...I feel your pain, i hope that helps

 

[MichaelJacobi]

If you have a 3d printer, I modelled both bushings and you can find them here:
Toyota clutch pedal bushings (tacoma, 4runner) by MikeJacobi - Thingiverse
I printed them using petg, and they feel really solid. The squeak is gone for now, just have to see how they hold up over time.