Tacoma info requested

[HAFICON]

Well after I totaled out my JKU September 2019 I have been shopping for a Tacoma and I have it narrowed down. Can you guys give me a current owner take?

Black with camper shell
2013 Tacoma TRD Sport
71k miles Manual transmission

Olive Green
2014 Tacoma TRD Sport
58k miles Auto

 

[ETAV8R]

I would go with the green as it is far more uncommon due to the short timeframe it was available. I would however be looking for a TRD Offroad instead of the sport.

 

[09Busaman]

Of those two I would also choose the 15 with less miles and auto tranny. Looks like the topper is an ARE Sportsman, those are nice.

 

[HAFICON]

Ok thanks, so I have had no luck finding a TRD off road. That is what I would prefer however this truck will never see off road conditions so the rear locker is not a must. Also I will be retiring from the military in 6 years and living in southern Florida so again the rear locker is not a big concern.

On color I kinda prefer the black, and it is $3500 cheaper than the Green. Again planing to live in southern Florida and black is not gonna be the best for there. Also I prefer the manual over auto all day but at the end of the day either is fine. Just have yet to do any research on transmission durability comparing auto to manual. I have a kid coming in May and just need something more suitable than my single cab 1996 F150. That is where the shell is nice for kid stuff, strollers, bikes etc. but that is something that can be added to the green one any day.

As far as the rims I don’t care for either, I actually really liked the factory wheels on my 08 TRD.

 

[shade]

I have a kid coming in May and just need something more suitable than my single cab 1996 F150.

There isn't much room in the back for a rear facing child seat. As long as one of the front seats can be moved pretty far forward, it shouldn't be a problem, though.

 

[HAFICON]

There isn't much room in the back for a rear facing child seat. As long as one of the front seats can be moved pretty far forward, it shouldn't be a problem, though.

Thanks,

so my 08 Tacoma seemed to work fine for me so I think it will be ok. However I would love a 4Runner, but they don’t appear to have a lot of storage in the cargo area.. I might have to go get and one and look at it I really have not looked at buying one yet...

 

[HAFICON]

From what I have read there are no common or known issues with the manual. Anyone have input otherwise?

 

[DaveInDenver]

From what I have read there are no common or known issues with the manual. Anyone have input otherwise?

Not quite. The 2nd gen is an RA60 (Aisin AY6) that has no pilot bearing in the flywheel to support the input shaft and friction disk. It relies on the snout of the transmission and an interesting pivot to locate and operate the clutch release bearing. This by itself is annoying because the bearing doesn't move quite perfectly straight into the pressure plate release fingers and actually rides slightly on it all the time.

So it spins constantly and causes the bearing to wear faster than traditional designs and the pressure plate fingers get a groove worn. But the biggest problem is Aisin/Toyota made the extension from aluminum and the bearing race being steel means it wears a step that hangs up the release bearing.

This is an example of that the extension looks like and how it wears out:


My release bearing was toast at about 80k and it had worn enough of a groove on the snout that I had to put a Speedi-sleeve on it with an oversized bearing.

This is what the pressure plate fingers looked like:


This is the release bearing kit I used:

PDM (TSK45) Transmission Sleeve Kit - Toyota

PDM Transmission Sleeve Kit (TSK45) for Toyota Manufacturer: ToyotaOriginal OEM Part Number: 31230-60241 Supersession(s): 31230-60230 / 31230-60240 / 31230-60241 (latest OEM update)PDMUSA Part Number: TSK45Replacement Bearing: TSK45-B (available separately)Transmission Type: Toyota 5-Speed...

www.pdmusa.com

The transmission itself is solid. The only complaint I have would be the gear ratios are kind of odd. It has 6 gears but only one is overdrive. But really the only "problem" is the release bearing situation.

In the 2016+ sticks Aisin/Toyota went to a RC62 that uses a different design with a steel release sleeve...

 

[bkg]

Not quite. The 2nd gen is an RA60 (Aisin AY6) that has no pilot bearing in the flywheel to support the input shaft and friction disk. It relies on the snout of the transmission and an interesting pivot to locate and operate the clutch release bearing. This by itself is annoying because the bearing doesn't move quite perfectly straight into the pressure plate release fingers and actually rides slightly on it all the time.

Such a weird design to me. I'd be curious what the engineers believe the benefit to be...

 

[DaveInDenver]

Such a weird design to me. I'd be curious what the engineers believe the benefit to be...

The only reason I've come up with is ease of assembly not needing to stab the input shaft into the pilot bearing. It's not unique to the Tacoma either, the Prado, FJC and Hilux with 6 speed sticks are the same way AFAIK.

 

[HAFICON]

Well thanks everyone.. So I ran a carfax on the Black 2013... 71k miles 3 owners, current owner has had it 6 months, the one before her had is only 4 months... That scares me she seems like such a sweet lady 55ish if I had to guess.. Maybe thats a sign, sweet little old lady selling a vehicle at a good deal.. 22k for the truck.. So I am looking at the Green 2014 again tomorrow, gonna see what I can do.. Also went to look at a 4Runner SR5 loaded 2013 with 143k miles was at $16,000 whish seems alright and 4Runner is clean clean clean with one owner.

 

[bkg]

The only reason I've come up with is ease of assembly not needing to stab the input shaft into the pilot bearing. It's not unique to the Tacoma either, the Prado, FJC and Hilux with 6 speed sticks are the same way AFAIK.

Could be... but never seen it outside of Toyota... and, arguably, they sold millions upon millions with a "full" input shaft.
/probably keep me up at night.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Could be... but never seen it outside of Toyota... and, arguably, they sold millions upon millions with a "full" input shaft.
/probably keep me up at night.

The AY6 was used in several models of GM vehicles, too.

Aisin AY transmission - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The RC6x doesn't have a pilot bearing either but the clutch release system I understand is different. It is odd why Aisin and/or Toyota felt the need to fix a system that has worked for decades.

 

[HAFICON]

Well everyone thanks for the input. I just paid for the 2014 TRD Sport Olive Green one. It has 58k miles

The other serious option was a 2013 TRD Offroad with 84k miles. Black with camper shell not the one pictured but basically a replica and AUTO. After spending the entire day going dealer to dealer I went back and bought the 2014. I can always add an ARB later, had front and rear in my JKU loved them but honstly never needed them.

So my only issue with the truck is the OEM 17' wheels that have brand new all terrain tires. I am gonna try to trade someone for an older set with aluminum 16" as I have a brand new set of 32" Duratracs setting in my garage for a 16" wheel.

 

[shade]

May it serve you well.

I'd give the traction control a try before going to lockers. It's better on the Off-Road, but it's still useful on the Sport. You may find that it's all you need.