Xtreme Toyota Part II
Getting The Transmission Ready For More Power
By Ryan Smith
Date Started: October 2003

The Toyota Tacoma Transmission has done very well considering the abuse it has endured in it's lifetime. The transmission hasn't had any problems and the clutch has only been replaced once. Just recently something popped loose and the shifter wasn't able to throw left far enough to engage first or second gear. We removed the transmission only to find a bolt right under the shifter had sheared off and the threads were extracted and a new bolt was installed.

Considering the truck has been through much more abuse than usual and since we have some pretty big plans for this vehicle the decision was made to take the transmission to a tranny specialist to have it inspected. The unit turned out to be in good shape so only the bearings were replaced. Please note if you have a used Tacoma that you can easily improve the feel of your shifter by cleaning out the shift pivot. This is easy and can be done without dropping the transmission out from under the truck. Just be careful with the gasket so you don't break it and be forced to buy a new one. Before it was cleaned the pivot point was very dry and dirty.

Now it's time to give the flywheel and cluth some attention. We knew that this would be interesting since this truck has seen MANY redline clutch dumps and lots of feathering to keep it on the powerband while scooting around. By looking at the flywheel and clutch, you could tell! Toyota makes some pretty tough hardware! The clutch feel wasn't bad at all but that couldn't have lasted too much longer as you can see from the pictures.

Along with replacing a clutch, replacing the throw-out bearing is also crucial. The bearing we replaced was practically seized up! I don't know how it didn't melt away. Replacing this very used part also cured a squeeling noise that we have been wondering about so that was a great feeling. One thing we weren't able to do was replace the pilot bearing. This bearing is SO tiny and so far back that extracting it takes a special bearing remover that we need to locate. The engine seal also needs to be replaced since it leaks a little so we will be diving back into this project once again to take care of these little things.

The stress cracks and heat discoloration in the flywheel are no suprise either! Take a look at the difference between the new and old unit.

While re-installing the transmission care was taken to clean and scrub off any dirt or sand. Also all of the contact points were greased up and the pivot in the shifter was thoroughly cleaned. Next, the driveline was lifted up and all of the zirk fittings were cleaned off and shot with grease. Once the oil was pumped in it was time to take'er for a spin and what a difference!! The clutches grip and feathering action was exactly the same as before, perfect. The most noticeable difference was in the smooooth clutch action. The clutch is now even easier to push in than it was before. What a nice feel it has to it now.

It's nice to know that the transmission is serviced up and ready for some more abuse. The gearbox has always been super reliable and is now feeling as good as new again and ready for some more racing around! Being that there aren't any polyurethane transmission mounts on the market we opted to throw the old ones back in. They do need to be replaced and we are going to make our own. They do need to be replaced.

Enough with the boring stuff... take a look at what we did with the exhaust in the next section!!

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