shifting problems :(

[tercell]

hi im having a problem getting my shifter even neer reverse or firth its almost like it locks you from shifting to that section of the trans. its not the clutch because it does it when its off and with the clutch is disengaged and 1-4 gears work perfectly. some one please give me some information as to what can be causing this
thank you

[jimcrazy]

did you take any of the oil filler plugs out of the transmission latey?

[jimcrazy]

one other thought is the temp below freezing? when I got mine last December it would not go over to reverse or 5 when left outside over nite , had to put it inside to thaw out, the rubber boot on the shifter on the tranmisson top was torn and letting water in and freezing up ,

[tercell]

yes i have checked the fluid and the level and thay are perfect and actually its a nice 60 degrees here in new jersey even tho its December

[xirdneh]

fifth and reverse are kind of tied together using the same shift shaft (there are three shift shafts that control shift forks in tranny) if there is something wrong with the system the tranny will have to come apart

or it could be something simple as follows
also at the back end of the tranny where the shift lever is, there is a spring loaded thing that pushes a piston against the shifter when shifting into fifth and reverse. the piston can sieze up. the unit can be removed pretty easily and checked. it looks like a large nut on the aft driver side of tranny (1-1/16" box end wrench required) remove it, may have to apply a propane torch to aluminum tranny housing around the nut to loosen it up.

after you remove it
if it is siezed up with piston in retracted position, drill a 3/16" dia hole in the center of the top of the nut, squirt some lubricant, i insert a nail, with the point flattend, into the hole and smack it with a hammer to push piston out.
if piston is stuck in out position smack end of piston to knock it in, then work it back and forth with nail and hammer until it is loose
once it is working i tap the 3/16" hole to 1/4-20 thread and plug with short screw

seems like i did a write up on this in "repair guides" with pictures or maybe it was in a tercel 4wd transmission video on utube

[xirdneh]

also try pulling the shift lever and checking the plastic cup on the end
when cup is gone shifting gets sloppy
remove shift knob
remove plastic console (4 sheetmetal screws)
remove 4 10mm bolts holding boot to floor
slide boot off shifter
remove small boot on top of tranny
use needle nose pliers to remove large snapring
pull shifter out
sometimes it will fight back and you will have to pull hard
shine a light in there to see if there is signs or water
might have to patch up that small boot to keep water out

[xirdneh]

Shift Lever Bushing (plastic cup)
Toyota Part # 33548-16010.

[tercell]

thank you all for your help i took the shifter out just like you said with the snap ring it turn out to be that small plastic cup on the bottom of the shifter was jamed so cleaned of the rust off and greased it and now its perfect =)

[marlinh]

xirdneh, do you know what the symptoms are when the piston is stuck in either position?

[xirdneh]

i have only seen them stuck in retracted position and there was no trouble shifting
i can only imagine what may happen if stuck in out position (seems like it would interfere with 5th and reverse)
i am not really sure what its function is
it seems to me it might help prevent accidental shifting into reverse