Gen 1 Tacoma Shifter Bushing Locking Collar Problems

Friends!

So, I endeavored to replace my manual transmission shifter bushing, which I thought wouldn't be wildly difficult, but it appears I may have been incorrect. I've seen a great deal of posts about not being able to get the shifter locking collar back on after you've changed it, but I actually can't even get it off.

I don't seem to be able to generate enough force to push the spring down far enough. Do you folks have any advice for that?

Thanks!

 

It might just be a little dry have you tried some penetrating fluid of your choice.

a few taps with a small hammer after spraying.

 

I always use a pair of channel locks set to were the rest between the outer edge and the shifter. So about 1.25" jaw opening. Lay on top of collar and push down and turn. The teeth of the channel locks will help turn collar.

 

Friends!

So, some news. I was unable to get the locking collar off. I tried WD-40 to loosen it, I tried channel locks, I tried screwdrivers, I tried an extra person pushing down on the spring, and I tried some of those techniques in tandem. None of it could get the collar to push down more than 3/16 of an inch. My working theory is that some of the destroyed bushing has wedged itself down in a place I can't see and can't touch.

I fear that the next step is to take off the transfer case assembly cap. The one that has 6 bolts holding it on. Does anyone know anything about that/to what degree could I fuck up my vehicle if I do that wrong?

Thanks for all your help!

 

Wont hurt anything to unbolt it. Nothing will pump out at you.

 

Do you know what it specifically attaches to/covers? I looked at the FSM for it, but it was rather unenlightening.

 

I am confused. You said you were trying to get to the transmission shifter bushing. Then in your last posting you asked about taking off the transfer case assembly cap. So, let's assume you are working on the transmission. This is the shifter ass'y for the tranny. And btw, while pushing down, turn CCW to remove the locking collar.

 

Yes, my problem is that I cannot get the locking collar off. It doesn't depress far enough to turn. So I think that some of the bushing has gotten wedged into the locking collar. I think I will have to remove the Control Shift Lever Retainer. I want to know how bad that idea is, on a scale of one to ten.

 

OK, you have a manual transmission and 2WD, no transfer case. Yes, you can remove the bolts securing the retainer housing without any problems with disturbing anything inside the transmission. This is actually best because you will eventually end up digging out the shift lever "seat" or what is left of it located down inside the retainer housing. So no pieces will get into the tranny. There is either one gasket for the retainer housing or if you have a metal shield under the retainer then there will be two gaskets. The shift lever uses a bushing on the end, and the retainer has a seat in it. Below is what the parts look like for a 4WD, but yours will be similar. Cheers

 

Repeat after me: wd-40 is not a penetrating lubricant. It's barely a lubricant at all.

 

I believe, in fact, that the WD stands for “water displacing”

 

What would you recommend? I called a shop about it, and their words were, and I quote, 'Just get in there. It's a real bitch of a thing.'

 

There are MANY products that are specifically penetrating lubricants. PB Blaster is what I usually use, but other brands make great products as well, Liquid Wrench, CRC. Even wd-40 itself sells a specific penetrating lubricant. Some here even soak stuff in ATF to loosen bolts up.

The thing here is- to use a product that was designed to do what you need it to do. wd-40 is just a general purpose thing- it's not designed to loosen up stuck bolts.

 

I replaced my 4WD shifter bushings with the Marlin products a few years back. The OEM tranny shifter bushing was broken into several pieces which interfered with pushing the locking mechanism down. I just had to force it down enough to compress the debris underneath then wiggle it until it rotated. Had to use a Shop Vac to get all the bits of bushing debris out of the shifter tower/retainer to prevent them from dropping down into the tranny. You may want to be prepared to do the same. HTH.

 

I don't want to put words in your mouth, but just to clarify, I think you mean to say shifter "seat", not bushing??? I only make the distinction because there is also an actual "bushing" on the end of the shift lever. The bushing does experience some wear, but the shifter seat is the piece that is often found broken into pieces. I posted picts above. And I hear the Marlin products work very well. Cheers

 

I fill my tranny via this route. First time is a pain to get it off. After that once you know how it works its easy. I use two screw drivers. One to push cover/spring downb and the other to push the cover diagonally past the locking pin. You need to push down on both sides of cover in the beginning.

 

It is best to keep the nomenclature correct. Toyota calls it a seat so there it is. But the important part of my post is to use a Shop Vac to help prevent debris from a disintegrating seat or anything else from falling into the tranny. And leave the shifter mechanism seated while you clean everything up. This will help prevent contamination from entering your gear box. I thought I was able to suck most of the debris out when I did mine. And I changed the Amsoil gear oil just to be on the safe side. But debris from the completely disintegrated seat had apparently fallen into the gearbox over time which shortened bearing life considerably. The bearings were shot after just 136K total miles which is WAY short for the R150F tranny powered by the stock V6. And I began to hear bearing noise from the R150F within months of changing the seat and bushing out. The sooner you remove the old shifter seat or what little is left of it, the better IMO. And plan on changing the gear oil in the tranny after changing out the seat and bushing. If you even think that debris fell in the tranny, you should flush the tranny multiple times IMO. After 23 years, the only piece in the shifter seat area of my tranny that I could recognizable was the gasket. And the bushing on the end of the stick was cracked. If I had changed the seat and bushing before the seat disintegrated, the R150F bearings may have lasted longer. If you offroad a lot, the amount of crud and mud which can accumulate on the shifter mechanism is frightening (see example below). I sure hope the OP's is not in this condition. Also below is what my cleaned shifter mechanism parts looks like now as I await my rebuilt R150F tranny.

When the shifter mechanism gets this dirty, disassembly can be difficult. Note the broken locking mechanism in the second pic. Both these pics are from this thread: Shifter Problem / New Shifter Seat. Need advice ASAP | Tacoma World. In basket cases such as this, it is almost certainly better to remove and clean the entire shifter tower. But if you decide to clean it from the top, it is important to leave the shifter seated in the shift tower as you clean everything up to help prevent all that crud from entering your tranny.


Broken locking collar:

This is my shifter mechanism with bushing showing the cleaned individual parts. Once everything is all cleaned up on your shifter tower, check that the (2) rivets on either side of the shifter tower are solid. If they are not, you can try to tighten them up or you may need a new shifter tower. Toyota calls it a
RETAINER SUB-ASSEMBLY, CONTROL SHIFT LEVER (FOR FLOOR SHIFT).

 

I seriously doubt that the pieces of the shifter seat caused the bearing failure. The seat is made from a plastic/rubber compound. If pieces fell into the trans the gears would just pulverize them. The pieces wouldn't harm the hardened bearing rollers. But ...... What I do see is obvious water contamination. The mud on the shifter ass'y is evidence, as well as the severe pitting on the retainer cap. Water got around/in the shifter boot and made its way down through the retainer housing. So, I guess to back on topic. If folks are worried about "seat" pieces falling into the trans, just remove the entire retainer housing, shifter lever still installed. Then disassemble on the bench to remove the seat (pieces) and clean things up. Hope your rebuilt tranny turns out well. Cheers

 

Thanks for the picture. It reminded me of something. In your pict you can see the trans breather in front of the retainer housing and the transfer case breather behind the retainer housing. Whenever I am working in that area I always check these to make sure the caps are loose. If they freeze up they can cause the trans or transfer case to build up pressure and force gear oil past seals. Filling from the top is 2 thumbs up.

 

Not my pic (found on another thread on this topic)... but glad it helps.