Manual Transmission, first to second without iMT, smooth shift impossible?

[1986Bronco]

Panic is one hell of a drug, took me about 6 months to stop doing this completely (I wasn’t used to a dog-leg[?] shifter lol). On a serious note, that panic of not being in gear when the light changes triggers some adrenaline that makes you a lot stronger than you feel and too easy to put into reverse. I have gotten back to keeping my truck in 1st gear and keeping my foot on the clutch after getting out of the habit on my automatic t-100. Noticed a nice addition to my left tibialis anterior muscle since driving the manual, kind of a funny side effect of having a clutch again

I drive a dog-leg manual about every other day and wasn't panicking becuase the light turned green, I was pre-emptively shifting to first knowing the light was going to change in a bit, and: straight shot to reverse. Both times. That shift into reverse takes real purpose and both times it was a smooth straight shot like first.

The clutch pedal is rather high and the throw is long. I have unpropotionatly huge calves due to cycling but my left one is looking more tone than the right.

Sponsored

 

[1986Bronco]

TexasBob, can you chime in with your manual experience? I switch between a Bronco, Sambar, an old M-Series BMW, and the Tacoma in a rather consistent rotation. Not inculding those four current manuals, I have driven manual transmissions of some sort or another for the past 35 years. This straight shift into reverse from a dead stop is unnerving. And I should be numb to things like this at this point in my driving career... like shifting without a clutch for the last 500 plus miles of a road trip in an old Volvo... that was more predictable than this.

 

[Texas Bob]

TexasBob, can you chime in with your manual experience? I switch between a Bronco, Sambar, an old M-Series BMW, and the Tacoma in a rather consistent rotation. Not inculding those four current manuals, I have driven manual transmissions of some sort or another for the past 35 years. This straight shift into reverse from a dead stop is unnerving. And I should be numb to things like this at this point in my driving career... like shifting without a clutch for the last 500 plus miles of a road trip in an old Volvo... that was more predictable than this.

OK, you asked for it..

I do think The Bandit is on to something: I wondered to myself after the second time whether adrenaline could explain the magically easy but incorrect shift into reverse. That still doesn't make it OK, though, in my opinion. What will happen after years and miles when the warning tone switch doesn't work because it has worn out or been slightly displaced? In my 2014 Subaru that's what I lived with for the last 2 or 3 years: the backup camera (and the backup lights) stopped working reliably because of the switch. That SUV had no warning tone but it also had no problem with unintentional shifts into reverse. My workaround whenever the camera didn't come on was to jiggle the shift lever around until the camera came on. Not a big deal except I failed an inspection due to "no reverse lights".

Could the root cause be that Toyota has used a non-Newtonian grease or oil in the transmission, specifically a pseudo-plastic one? I doubt it but that would explain a lot. Sorry for the nerd engineer digression.

To answer your question, here is what I've driven, excluding all the motorcycles (which obviously could never have this problem):
1975 VW Rabbits, about SIX different ones in the family: 1975-1983
1983 VW GTI: 1983-1990
1990 Acura Integra: 1990-2001
2000 Nissan Maxima SE: 2001-2013
2014 Subaru Forester: 2013-2025
2025 Tacoma: 2025...
Plus my wife's 2006 Subaru Outback occasionally from 2006-2011.
All of these had manual transmissions.

 

[izzy]

Truck transmissions don't like to be rushed. If you try to get off the line as fast as an automatic, it's going to be jerky/clunky for sure.

There's a lot more weight in the drivetrain compared to a car. All the manual trucks I've driven, if you rush the 1-2 you'll get a nice clunk as the entire drivetrain jerks forward and back. It is what it is, shift slower lol

I love a good manual in a car (have only owned manual cars), but a kinda meh manual is worse than an auto. Trucks are very hit or miss.

 

[1986Bronco]

Truck transmissions don't like to be rushed. If you try to get off the line as fast as an automatic, it's going to be jerky/clunky for sure.

There's a lot more weight in the drivetrain compared to a car. All the manual trucks I've driven, if you rush the 1-2 you'll get a nice clunk as the entire drivetrain jerks forward and back. It is what it is, shift slower lol

I love a good manual in a car (have only owned manual cars), but a kinda meh manual is worse than an auto. Trucks are very hit or miss.

This is a good analysis. I think that maybe the Bonco is spoiling me; that 4-banger turbo is lugging around a ton of dead weight and the manual tranmission in that is smooth, quick... almost crisp. I then get into the Tacoma which feels more like a car than the utilitarian nature of the Bronco and expect to bang out similar shifts. And it doesn't. And balks at being hurried. It will let me shift when it wants me to and makes sure that when I try to do it my way to let me know that I am wrong. I will have to retrain myself to dissassociate the plush interior with the truck mechanicals.

 

[izzy]

This is a good analysis. I think that maybe the Bonco is spoiling me; that 4-banger turbo is lugging around a ton of dead weight and the manual tranmission in that is smooth, quick... almost crisp. I then get into the Tacoma which feels more like a car than the utilitarian nature of the Bronco and expect to bang out similar shifts. And it doesn't. And balks at being hurried. It will let me shift when it wants me to and makes sure that when I try to do it my way to let me know that I am wrong. I will have to retrain myself to dissassociate the plush interior with the truck mechanicals.

I've found with trucks, shifting with your fingertips works nicely.

Using palm shift technique and just using your fingers instead of your palm is enough force. Just gotta let the synchros line up, can't push it or pull.

It sounds crazy but they're really not car transmissions, especially in Toyota trucks. I think part of it is the synchros are super beefy so they take a long time to spin up.

My SR isn't manual but I've driven manual Tacoma's and they all have felt about the same.

 

[Texas Bob]

I've found with trucks, shifting with your fingertips works nicely.

Using palm shift technique and just using your fingers instead of your palm is enough force. Just gotta let the synchros line up, can't push it or pull.

It sounds crazy but they're really not car transmissions, especially in Toyota trucks. I think part of it is the synchros are super beefy so they take a long time to spin up.

My SR isn't manual but I've driven manual Tacoma's and they all have felt about the same.

Cool diagram and I agree that a light touch on the shifter is good, to the extent possible. My Taco shifter definitely requires a firmer grip and more arm force (for some of the motions) than any of the previous vehicles I've had. Curious that the diagram flips back and forth between a right-hand-drive and left-hand drive vehicle judging by the use of right and then left and then right hand again. You cannot avoid using your thumb as far as I know, unless you're going to crush the knob in your palm which is the opposite of the advice given.

 

[JoeMongo]

mmnnnn, hmmnnn

 

[COcurmudgeon]

This guy has the right idea for smooth shifting…

 

[Dayen]

Everyone I've had drive the truck so far has definitely started off clunking the 1st to 2nd shift but I've been able to coach it out of them. The secret is to clutch in a bit earlier on your shift (~5-10mph) and give it a little bit of time until you shift. I then keep a touch of throttle and go 1-2, and don't get any clunks or weird acceleration. The main thing is explaining to all my Honda Accord/BMW friends that it's a TRUCK and you have to imagine in your head that you're driving a big rig and it'll shift smoothly

I really notice the emissions tuning nonsense though, the rev hand is BAD. It is especially annoying that it ramps up the throttle when you're trying to creep forward in traffic or hill starting. I've had it hang at 1400 rpm when I'm driving the truck with just the clutch! Tuning it seems to be an option to fix this but I don't want to risk any warranty voiding for now so I just deal with it.

 

[Texas Bob]

This guy has the right idea for smooth shifting…

That's fantastic! We should take up a collection and fly that driver to Austin, Texas. He can drive my truck and I will love to video him trying to get it into reverse using only his fingertips. Seriously, his bus shifts the way my cars up to now have shifted. Surely his transmission is as 'heavy duty' as the ones in Tacos, so I don't think Toyota has a valid excuse. Heck, maybe his bus is a Hino...

 

[Andrace]

I honestly don't get what the fuss is all about, I just drive the truck how it wants to be driven, which I describe as a tractor. The truck is relatively heavy, so it's never going to be smooth if you try to pretend you're driving a sports car.

I've never owned an automatic in 25 years of driving, and I can't say I've experienced this rev-hang that supposedly exists.

Sponsored