Throw out Bearing or something more?

krmccour

krmccour

New member
Recently it's been increasingly difficult to get my 2000 4Runner to go into gear, although this problem developed slowly over the past two years. Initially it would just be occasionally notchy getting into 1st. If at a stoplight, I would drop it into second, after which it would go into 1st usually no problem. This went on for the past two years or so, with the frequency of the notchiness slowly increasing. There was a similar issue with reverse, sometimes I would have to put it into 1st for it to go into reverse. Today it was noticeably worse. I almost couldn't get it into gear, but with lots of wiggling and throwing it into different gears it finally went in. All day today, I'd say 40-50% of my shifts, it would shift VERY notchy, much worse than it has ever been, and even while shifting into 2nd, 3rd, etc. A few months ago I have noticed a whirring noise that occurs in the lower gears when I depress the clutch to shift (1-3 or 4, 5 not so much), which has also been getting steadily louder with time. The whirring starts out noticeable and goes down and away as the RPM's drop before I put it into the next gear.

I'm thinking it's the throwout bearing and/or clutch, but I wanted to see if anyone else has experienced something similar and would lend their knowledge. Thanks!
 
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Mine is having similar issues. I hear the "whirling" noise and a little "notch" when shifting. I think it is the throw out bearing.
 
Try marlins clutch lever seat, yours is probably crumbled like mine had and the stick is no longer aligned right. Also when is the last time you had your trans oil changed? Redline MT90 GL-4 is made from miracles and unicorn spooge.

I may be wrong but the throw out bearing/ release bearing shouldn't have any impact on gear changes.
 
Thanks for the info guys!

I should have clarified, I actually did put Redline MT90 GL-4 in the trans and both diff the summer of 2013 when I noticed the problem slowing progressing :clap2: It did help initially, to it's credit, but didn't stop it.

I would love for it to just be the clutch lever seat. What is the best way to check it?

I also want to add that the clutch is and has been VERY picky when engaging, as in the engage point is very narrow and requires a lot of gas to get it going without the car lurching around. I've driven stick my whole life and never had a vehicle harder to shift smoothly than my runner. This hasn't really gotten worse though. While doing some light-offroading it did kick up quite the burning smell (makes me think clutch), but the pedal doesn't feel spongy and it engages right off the floor (doesn't make me think clutch). Meh. :noidea:

Also, the shifter DOES shake like crazy at speeds of 20+, and there is some play even when it's in gear, so I'm sure the seat is bad. I am leaning away from the master or slave cylinders because it has normal clutch pressure. It also never kicks out of gear, once it's in it stays. At this point, about 40% of the shifts are smooth, the others are rough, and there is no way to predict it. I would think it's only the seat except for that whirring I mentioned, which is new as of earlier this summer.
 
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Update: it only whirrs when the clutch is depressed. Gears 2-5 normally shift ok, but first is REALLY hard to get into. If I push the stick towards first without the clutch depressed I hear a thud underneath, even if I gently push it. Definitely thinking throw out bearing now. Any other thoughts?
 
Check the rear transmission mount. Mine had come unbonded and was tricky on the clutch like you're describing. My mechanic didn't notice untill he got prying under there with a bar. I would also check the clutch lever seat. I've never had a throwout bearing affect shifting like you're describing.

Ultimately I ended up having a new clutch put in and the pressure plate resurfaced.
 
I had a 22RE/W56 trans(previous truck) that had the resistant shifting you describe.
Had to have a real transmission shop sort it out.
According to the trans shop, the input shaft was damaged so as to cause the clutch to never fully disengage. This was probably from the stupid PO's having their moron "mechanic" friend do an amateur clutch job on the cheap.
BTW, my '97(132K miles) is super smooth shifting, so don't settle for half-assed performance.
 
I had a 22RE/W56 trans(previous truck) that had the resistant shifting you describe.
Had to have a real transmission shop sort it out.
According to the trans shop, the polished area of the input shaft was damaged so as to cause the bearing to stick, which caused the clutch to never fully disengage. This was probably from the stupid PO's having their moron "mechanic" friend do an amateur clutch job on the cheap.
BTW, my '97 4R (132K miles) is super smooth shifting, so don't settle for half-assed performance.
 
I get the same noise that you're talking about, just when the clutch is depressed and only when the truck is cold. Once it's warmed up it's no problem. Sometimes I have a little trouble getting it to go in gear, but I just put pressure trying to put it into gear and slowly let the clutch out and it drops right in. I'd be curious to find out what the sound is
 
The first thing I would do, is bleed the clutch. Once there is fresh fluid in the system, and no air bubbles, many of the described problems often disappear.
 
krmccour said:
Update: it only whirrs when the clutch is depressed. Gears 2-5 normally shift ok, but first is REALLY hard to get into. If I push the stick towards first without the clutch depressed I hear a thud underneath, even if I gently push it. Definitely thinking throw out bearing now. Any other thoughts?
Click to expand...

the clutch isn't fully releasing. either the mc needs adjusted, or the mc/slave are bad.
 
Or the system needs to be bled. As I previously said.

OP, bleeding the system is cheap and easy, and there's a decent chance that will solve your problem. If that doesn't do it, then you can start replacing parts.
 
krmccour said:
Update: it only whirrs when the clutch is depressed. Gears 2-5 normally shift ok, but first is REALLY hard to get into. If I push the stick towards first without the clutch depressed I hear a thud underneath, even if I gently push it. Definitely thinking throw out bearing now. Any other thoughts?
Click to expand...

This is exactly what is happening with mine right now. I just chocked it up to it being an older toyota trans and it's rough lol. (our 89 shifts rough too) So make sure to post up exactly what you do if you fix it.
 
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