New transmisson

[TacoTraveler]

So as I have posted before my 2nd gear synchro is shot and it always grinds into 2nd. I have priced rebuild kits and they run about $600 from what I have seen. I'm guessing a shop will charge me about $1000 to rebuild.
I drive a 2002 Tacoma 4x4 v6 5spd. I recently came across www.MarlinCrawler.com and they have a fully rebuild W59 transmission for $1254, $500 core charge, and $120 for shipping both way. This seems like a heck of a deal and will only cost $1374 in the end for a fully, and professionally, rebuilt transmission.
Does anyone have any comments about these?
Are they factory gears or do they run lower?
My 2002 Tacoma does use a W59, right?

[AndrewP]

So as I have posted before my 2nd gear synchro is shot and it always grinds into 2nd. I have priced rebuild kits and they run about $600 from what I have seen. I'm guessing a shop will charge me about $1000 to rebuild.
I drive a 2002 Tacoma 4x4 v6 5spd. I recently came across www.MarlinCrawler.com and they have a fully rebuild W59 transmission for $1254, $500 core charge, and $120 for shipping both way. This seems like a heck of a deal and will only cost $1374 in the end for a fully, and professionally, rebuilt transmission.
Does anyone have any comments about these?
Are they factory gears or do they run lower?
My 2002 Tacoma does use a W59, right?

Marlin is the best. You could just send him your tranny and ask for it to be rebuilt. Or, buying the one offered, just make sure it's exactly the same.

[Rexsname]

I have had nothing but fantastic service from Marlin Crawler. I had them install a dual-transfer case set-up in my Tacoma two Octobers ago. Carrie and I were treated like long lost relatives.


My brother has had nothing but problems with them...........My brother-in-law also had problems and delays when doing business with them.

If you can afford the time that it takes to have your transmission rebuilt, then I would just send it in and have it done. If down time is a concern, have them send out one thats allready done. They do really good work!


REX

[DaveInDenver]

I have Marlin stuff in my truck (I have his 4.7 gear set in my transfer case, one of his rear bumpers, some other misc junk) and buds in the club have Marlin stuff in their truck. Double cases, transmissions, bumpers, sliders. I've had nothing but fantastic service and help from them (he went above and beyond at Rubithon for me last summer).

[nickw]

So as I have posted before my 2nd gear synchro is shot and it always grinds into 2nd. I have priced rebuild kits and they run about $600 from what I have seen. I'm guessing a shop will charge me about $1000 to rebuild.
I drive a 2002 Tacoma 4x4 v6 5spd. I recently came across www.MarlinCrawler.com and they have a fully rebuild W59 transmission for $1254, $500 core charge, and $120 for shipping both way. This seems like a heck of a deal and will only cost $1374 in the end for a fully, and professionally, rebuilt transmission.
Does anyone have any comments about these?
Are they factory gears or do they run lower?
My 2002 Tacoma does use a W59, right?

If you have a v6 you have a R150 tranny, not the W59 (4-cyl).

I would have a look at the 'upgraded' R150 Marlin has that have granny low 1st gears - option of 4.31 or 5.13 (stock is 3.83). Stock drivetrain with the 5.13 1st would net you a killer crawl ratio of approx. 54:1 with no driveline mods.

[laxtoy]

similarly, i am about to do a transmission swap on my 99 taco. i fried the bearings and possibly the synchros and the it now pops out of 1st violently. you have a few options imo. i bought a used r150 for $300 shipped to my door from a reputable member on ttora. a clutch, new rear main seal, and rebuild kits for the slave and master cylinders (not necessary, but it seems like a good time) from trdparts4u.com is about another $300, a new rear transmission seal, hd shifter seat and socket from marlin for $40, and fluids and etc. are gonna be another $100. i'll be doing the work myself, won't be my first clutch job, so i should round out around $750. this is $750 i don't want to spend, who does? i'm getting married in may, so this is a chunk of money i needed, but you gotta do what you gotta do. my fiance and i are taking our annual trip to borrego, and without my truck we both agree it would not be near as fun, and if i don't swap the transmission, i'm not chancing it. there are cheaper options. i hunted around, and found a reputable shop willing to do a bench rebuild for $500-$800, depending on the extent of the damage. they seemed to know their stuff, and told me it was less likely the synchros, and more likely the bearings causing it to pop out of 1st, and i have to agree due to the tell-tale howl i have been hearing. marlin is surely the best option if you have the money, you will not find a guy more recommended for toyota transmissions and transfer cases. good luck tacotraveler, and while i'm at it, i could use some too!

[TacoTraveler]

If you have a v6 you have a R150 tranny, not the W59 (4-cyl).

I would have a look at the 'upgraded' R150 Marlin has that have granny low 1st gears - option of 4.31 or 5.13 (stock is 3.83). Stock drivetrain with the 5.13 1st would net you a killer crawl ratio of approx. 54:1 with no driveline mods.

Wow! Those would be an awesome first gear! I assume the 5.13:1 would be too low for daily driving but what about the 4.31:1 gear ratio?


similarly, i am about to do a transmission swap on my 99 taco. i fried the bearings and possibly the synchros and the it now pops out of 1st violently. you have a few options imo. i bought a used r150 for $300 shipped to my door from a reputable member on ttora. a clutch, new rear main seal, and rebuild kits for the slave and master cylinders (not necessary, but it seems like a good time) from trdparts4u.com is about another $300, a new rear transmission seal, hd shifter seat and socket from marlin for $40, and fluids and etc. are gonna be another $100. i'll be doing the work myself, won't be my first clutch job, so i should round out around $750. this is $750 i don't want to spend, who does? i'm getting married in may, so this is a chunk of money i needed, but you gotta do what you gotta do. my fiance and i are taking our annual trip to borrego, and without my truck we both agree it would not be near as fun, and if i don't swap the transmission, i'm not chancing it. there are cheaper options. i hunted around, and found a reputable shop willing to do a bench rebuild for $500-$800, depending on the extent of the damage. they seemed to know their stuff, and told me it was less likely the synchros, and more likely the bearings causing it to pop out of 1st, and i have to agree due to the tell-tale howl i have been hearing. marlin is surely the best option if you have the money, you will not find a guy more recommended for toyota transmissions and transfer cases. good luck tacotraveler, and while i'm at it, i could use some too!

Well on my transmission the 2nd gear synchro is just gone and it always grinds in and now 3rd gear is getting a little sticky...
A local transmission shop quoted me roughly $1000 for a full transmission rebuild.

[laxtoy]

yah, i am sure yours is the synchros. if a local guy quoted you $1000, and that is for a bench rebuild i assume, meaning you drop it, seperate it from the transfer case, and bring it in to them to cut down the costs, that ain't bad, i was getting quotes for $1300-$1600 :Wow1: if i had the coin, i would have for sure gone with the marlin, but by time i factored in a new clutch, i was looking at around $1700, and now i can do it for about a grand cheaper. plus, if the one i just bought goes tits up in a year or two, i have one to send to marlin to have rebuilt, with little to no downtime on the truck, or better yet, i have one to tear apart and investigate!

[TacoTraveler]

I'm taking a stabbing guess here because I have never seen the inside of a manual transmission...but...
I've been driving with a whacked out synchro now for about 2 months and it always grinds into 2nd. I'm sure 2nd gear is gonna have some kind of damage to it. Does a basic rebuild include new gears too?

[nickw]

Wow! Those would be an awesome first gear! I assume the 5.13:1 would be too low for daily driving but what about the 4.31:1 gear ratio?



Well on my transmission the 2nd gear synchro is just gone and it always grinds in and now 3rd gear is getting a little sticky...
A local transmission shop quoted me roughly $1000 for a full transmission rebuild.

Those 5.13 gears would make 1st pretty short, but I dont think it would be that bad. The non-USA spec cruisers came with a 4.95 1st in a 4 speed, not going to be much lower than that.

You are really only talking doing a 1-2 shift at 3500 rather than 2700, not a big deal IMO.

I am surprised more guy dont play with the lower tranny gears as you see alot of crawl boxes - I think the 5.13 would be my option of choice between the two for a bit more crawl.

[laxtoy]

I'm taking a stabbing guess here because I have never seen the inside of a manual transmission...but...
I've been driving with a whacked out synchro now for about 2 months and it always grinds into 2nd. I'm sure 2nd gear is gonna have some kind of damage to it. Does a basic rebuild include new gears too?

from what i'd guess, the rebuild will cost a little extra as they find gears that are bad. looking at the rebuild kit marlin sells, there are no gears, only bearings, synchros, and seals.

marlincrawler.com/transmission/rebuild-kit/g54-kit

[laxtoy]

Those 5.13 gears would make 1st pretty short, but I dont think it would be that bad. The non-USA spec cruisers came with a 4.95 1st in a 4 speed, not going to be much lower than that.

You are really only talking doing a 1-2 shift at 3500 rather than 2700, not a big deal IMO.

I am surprised more guy dont play with the lower tranny gears as you see alot of crawl boxes - I think the 5.13 would be my option of choice between the two for a bit more crawl.

now the problem no one has yet mentioned about changing your 1st gear ratio to 4.31 or 5.15 is it costs another $650 on top of the $1200 for the initial rebuild. for around $1500 you could just go all the way and add another case! :smiley_drive:

[nickw]

now the problem no one has yet mentioned about changing your 1st gear ratio to 4.31 or 5.15 is it costs another $650 on top of the $1200 for the initial rebuild. for around $1500 you could just go all the way and add another case! :smiley_drive:

In his case he needs the rebuild either way so the $1200 is a moot point. Good point if you dont 'need' a rebuilt tranny - but it will need to be rebuilt sometime, might as well kill two birds at once.

Low 1st - $650.

VS.

Second case - $1500, Driveline mods - $300, Big stick in your cup holder - priceless.

Realistically a second case is probably 'better' in the sense it gives you more wheeling options - which is good - but I like having a stock looking 'sleeper'.

[laxtoy]

right, i meant $1500+ for dual cases on top of the $1200 he knows he has to spend for the rebuild. more than anything i was being "the devil on your shoulder", you know, trying to live vicariously through others as they spend their money :D

[dustboy]

That low 1st might be real nice in stop-and-go traffic..sometimes I shift down to 4LOW (manual hubs) so I can creep along without clutching..

Of course a better solution would be to move away from this teeming mass of humanity..:sombrero:

[Grim Reaper]

I'm taking a stabbing guess here because I have never seen the inside of a manual transmission...but...
I've been driving with a whacked out synchro now for about 2 months and it always grinds into 2nd. I'm sure 2nd gear is gonna have some kind of damage to it. Does a basic rebuild include new gears too?


Its bearings. The bearings wear out and allow the shaft to walk forward. For the syncro to work it needs to be tight otherwise the gear meshing into it does not put enough drag onto the gear to match speed.

Wow the prices really came up since I did my W58. Bearing kit, gaskets and syncros( that I didn't need after learning about end play) was around $220. Bought a 12 ton press and a set of gear pullers from Harbor Freight. SO the total was around $380 including the tools. :smiley_drive:

What to do to help prevent this DO NOT LET IT RUN LOW. the front input bearings are above the fluid level If it runs low not enough oil get slung up from the lower gears to keep it lubed. High engine RPM aggravates the issue. Gear the truck to near factory so you are not having to drive in 4th on the hwy at 3500RPM.

[TacoTraveler]

I'm beginning to think I'm just going to rebuild this sucker myself. I've never cracked one open before, so... What kind of tools do I need to put it back together?
Reaper, you mentioned a 12-ton press and a set of gear pullers?

Also, every rebuild kit I find is mostly just a basic kit. What kind of a kit would include gears? I'm pretty sure my 2nd gear is going to have some damage to it.

[AndrewP]

I'm beginning to think I'm just going to rebuild this sucker myself. I've never cracked one open before, so... What kind of tools do I need to put it back together?
Reaper, you mentioned a 12-ton press and a set of gear pullers?

Also, every rebuild kit I find is mostly just a basic kit. What kind of a kit would include gears? I'm pretty sure my 2nd gear is going to have some damage to it.

I don't know about a Taco, the the Cruiser transmission I did was strangely easy. the hard part is pulling the bearings out of the counter shaft and dropping the counter shaft down into the case.

I'll be the gear will look fine, but the syncro or shifter collar may be worn out.

[TacoTraveler]

I don't know about a Taco, the the Cruiser transmission I did was strangely easy. the hard part is pulling the bearings out of the counter shaft and dropping the counter shaft down into the case.

I'll be the gear will look fine, but the syncro or shifter collar may be worn out.

Will standard rebuild kits come with new synchros, shifter collars, bearings and all that good stuff?

[AndrewP]

Will standard rebuild kits come with new synchros, shifter collars, bearings and all that good stuff?

No, usually it's just bearings and gaskets.

[TacoTraveler]

No, usually it's just bearings and gaskets.

That won't help me, will it?

[AndrewP]

That won't help me, will it?


Hard to say, since you don't know what's wrong with it. New syncros are available. Once the tranny is broken down, replacing them is trivially easy. Can you drop out the tranny and remove the top cover? then it will be easier to decide what you need. My bet is bearings and a syncro or two.

I opened a cruiser transmission on Wednesday of this past week that had 180k on it and the gears and the syncros looked new. Don't write yours off too quick.

The bad news is that wear on the mainshaft can only be remedied with a new mainshaft, and those are pretty expensive. That's where Marlin's expertise would pay for itself.

Does the Minitruck transmission have a plastic shifter seat? If so, replace that before you do anything else. In the Cruiser world many transmissions have been scrapped or rebuilt when the only problem was a worn shifter seat. It's a $5 part.

[dustboy]

The 12 ton press is a Harbor Freight item. Not pro quality of course, but for as often as most of us would use it, pretty handy.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=1667

[TacoTraveler]

Well I believe I have found my solution.
I have located a 2001 Tacoma 4x4 v6 5spd transmission with 3200 miles on it for $600 and shipping is $150.
Rebuild estimates where $1000-1700 but they would take off $300 if I pulled it and brought it to them.

$750 for a brand new transmission or $700-1400 for a rebuild which will not include every piece. Hmm... :wings: