manual transmission issues round 2

[ed k]

i own a 2010 scion xb with around 65k on it. i made a post pertaining to clutch issues last spring, the pedal had a “gritty” feeling and sometimes felt like it would chatter on take off. i continued to drive the car like this until i got a nice crunch going into 2nd gear….. i cooked the 2nd gear synchro…… it may have been from me sometimes being hard on it or clutch/shifter issues.

i took it to the dealer and they replaced the 2nd gear, synchro, and other related parts under warranty…… i had them install a new upgraded “TRD” clutch at my cost, was a whopping $900. when i got the car back it felt fine at first but then some new issues came up; i mostly had issues that had to do with the clutch such as not wanting to go into gear or it not releasing properly. i took it back to the dealer 3 times and they replaced the brake fluid (to the master/slave cylinders) and they put in a “special” gear oil. it didn’t really help much…… i’ve been frustrated with the dealer because the service advisor i had no longer works there (he actually knew what he was talking about) i since have dealt with the shop foreman and service manager….. i understand their position because they cant see anything wrong with it, they also contacted toyota for help…. so i’ve continued to drive it.

so this brings me to me new issue….. we’ve had some freak weather around here so it hasn’t goten cold until recently. one very cold morning i went to drive it and the clutch pedal was very stiff and not linear in its action; i was very easy on it while it was cold and it gave me problems shifting into the gears while it was cold….. almost felt like it was grinding going into gear. it’s been doing this ever since especially going into 2nd gear, it almost feels like the 2nd gear synchro is bad again. when i drive it when taking off i’ll even hold the clutch to the floor for 2 full seconds before shifting into 2nd and it still has a slight crunch…. sometimes does it into other gears as well. it does feel better once its warmed up, but it didnt feel this bad before the transmission was rebuilt.

i will be taking it to the dealer sometime next week to address my concerns but i wanted input from the ETCG community as to thier ideas as to what could be wrong and/or what i should demand form the dealer. i have to check my paper work but i believe service work from the dealer has a 1 year 12k warranty on it plus my car has a factory powertrain warranty on it to 100k (had the clutch work done in may with around 54k and the car has 65k on it now)

if they determine its another synchro thats gone bad or something else thats internal should i demand a new or completely rebuilt transmission? for all i know they didnt do something right

if they need to take the transmission out should i demand a new clutch? it grabs well but who knows if its damaged, wasnt installed properly, ect

thanks for your help 🙂

Topic

[transman304]

Pretty low miles to have syncronizer issues. Wrong type fluid is the main cause of early failure of syncronizers. Do you know if they resurfaced the flywheel when they did the clutch job or replaced the flywheel? If it was resurfaced it may not of been shimmed or shimmed correctly. Let us know what you find out.

[ed k]

flywheel is the original and was resurfaced when the clutch was done

not sure if it matters but the clutch they put in was a “TRD” clutch that has a “25% increase in clamping force over stock, with minimal pedal pressure increase”

from the factory the transmission takes 75W90 gear oil, one of the times i took it back they put in a different type of fluid (apparently toyota recommended it) but not sure the type or weight….. its not on the invoice and i remember it was a fluid i have never heard of before and ive been working auto parts for over 5 years

[transman304]

Sounds like they did not shim the flywheel to compensate for what was removed. It will work for a while until the clutch gets seated in and some ware occurs and the you have the symptoms you are describing.

[ed k]

thanks for the reply….. if it was your car what parts would you replace? i just want to get an idea before the dealer starts blowing smoke up my a**

[transman304]

Probably going to be hard to figure out how much was removed at resurfacing. The most common amount i deal with is .040-.050 shims.Might try that amount and see how things work or get a new or known original thickness flywheel.

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