Scion tC Manual Transmission Problem
10-20-2009, 02:24 AM
#42
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All covered under warranty, but of course the 3rd one started grinding after my power train warranty had run out, not sure about the aftermarket synchros, woondering how much for parts and labor?
, wish I had the money, but for now I'm trying to deal with a busted TRD SC 
10-23-2009, 10:56 PM
#46
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Yup... they discontinued the SC for all models including the xB2, I'm sure it was because all of that warranty work they lost money on, bad installs had allot to do it with it, they should have giving proper training for this, I've looked at the installation instructions and the part where you mount the SC to the car is kinda vague(which led to techs kinda doing it their own way), plus not to mention the low speed bearings, cheap seals, crappy shaft they put in it didn't help either.
11-21-2009, 10:58 PM
#47
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I was having problems in june with a small grind when cold. It would go away after about 3 shifts. So I brought it in to get looked at by the regional manager, he called me and stated they didnt want to take any further action at this time. the miles on the car were around 35000 around that time. Well that small grind turned into a big grind by nov. same thing went away when it was shifted a couple of times. I made an appointment and this time they approved a tear down to see if it was cheaper for a rebuild or (new)replacement. miles are 45970 now. Here is what they found "test drove vehicle after it sat from 8:30 to 3:30pm. Trans shifted hard 1st to 2nd on up-shift. wants to grind and is not smooth, but does improve as trans warms up." Ok the good part. "removed trans, found#1 and #2 shift forks worn. input shaft gears scored and output shaft gears worn. #5 synchronizer assy broken, coming apart synchros and blocker rings badly worn. excessive clearance. priced out repair vs replacement. cheaper to replace trans. blah blah blah" I hope this helps answer some questions about this transmission. FFS imagine if I had a problem that didn't go away after 3 shifts.... lol
11-22-2009, 06:20 AM
#49
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Shifts like a M5. All of this kinda takes the fun out of the car. Its still sexy as hell but the plan for a turbonetics kit is not going to happen, no matter how much time has past. I like working on the car but not so much that i need to have two more transmissions sitting around. The new one on a shelf, one to beat on and a spare for the beat on. lol. I didn't mention the very first time I was in, they said I needed a new clutch and that was causing the problem. After I put a new one in, then they stated STFU there is nothing wrong with it. Wow, I would have been in jail had I let them charge me the 1400 to do the clutch and the problem was still there. Yea, its all fine now, but Ive been glued to this thread for most of the summer hoping someone would bring some news. I hope people realize this grinding when cold, is not a little deal and to get it taken care of before toyota PT warranty is up. When they tell you to add some additives, it may be a good idea to cross the line I didn't(only as a last resort of course... lol ehhh). If anyone wants a copy of my work order for a little arm bending, Ill be glad to scan it off. EDIT again: this is an 06
Last edited by tolow2ce; 11-22-2009 at 06:36 AM.
11-22-2009, 07:33 AM
#50
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Welcome to the club. It's the synchros for your grinding problem. And as for reverse it's a straight cut gear with no synchros that's why it is harder to get into gear. Poor design on toyotas part and maybe one day we'll see a recall but I highly doubt it
11-22-2009, 05:31 PM
#51
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^^ I remember a toyota dealer warning me about the manual model. They said "yeah we had a stack of repair orders for the celica's transmission, it wasn't a very good manual. We've had nothing but repair after repair on that'. That was back when the tC first came out and I mentioned how notchy it felt even had some grinding and the car was brand new. I couldn't believe that service dept told me the truth about that. Very rare. So yeah they've been having trouble for a long time with the manual transmission.
Which doesn't make sense, guess they figure that the cost of repairing the transmissions that do fail is cheaper for them than to redesign a transmission with the supplier. pretty sad. I have to call it like it is when i say that Toyota will continue to lose customers with "quality" like this. I know every auto company has their problems but usually they fix it in the next model year or so.
Well i'm glad that tolow2ce got your trans fixed for now. But I wonder, how long will that fix last? and yeah you were SMART not letting them lie to you and make you pay $1400 for a clutch change. I mean really.. $1400? what a joke. Reminds me of when they quoted me $400-500 just to replace the brake pads! I nearly died laughing. So I just did the brakes myself, saving a ton of cash! but.. glad you got it fixed..
Which doesn't make sense, guess they figure that the cost of repairing the transmissions that do fail is cheaper for them than to redesign a transmission with the supplier. pretty sad. I have to call it like it is when i say that Toyota will continue to lose customers with "quality" like this. I know every auto company has their problems but usually they fix it in the next model year or so.
Well i'm glad that tolow2ce got your trans fixed for now. But I wonder, how long will that fix last? and yeah you were SMART not letting them lie to you and make you pay $1400 for a clutch change. I mean really.. $1400? what a joke. Reminds me of when they quoted me $400-500 just to replace the brake pads! I nearly died laughing. So I just did the brakes myself, saving a ton of cash! but.. glad you got it fixed..
Last edited by sciontc_mich; 11-22-2009 at 07:57 PM.
12-10-2009, 08:19 PM
#53
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update
I have nearly 67K on my '05 TC. I had noticed the 'movement' of the gear shifter **** when in 5th gear but never thought much about it. Then today, I was on the highway with my cruise set at 70mph and out of nowhere it just slipped out of 5th gear into neutral. Since I was in cruise, my car was trying to keep the speed at 70mph, so my RPMs start soaring until I disengage cruise. Since then, I haven't been able to keep the car in 5th gear unless I physically hold the gear shift in 5th gear. If I take my hand off and press the gas, it will fall into neutral. I'm going to take it to the dealer tomorrow and see what they have to say. 1-4 gears are all good, it's just 5th. For those of you who have noticed the movement in 5th when you press the gas, I would take it seriously and have it checked out. You may end up with the same problem as me.
12-11-2009, 12:39 AM
#55
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a synchronizer ring problem.
What dealer you go ?
Are you in LA?
my got the 2nd problem, but the dealer seems don't want to fix it for me.
Mine is still in warranty.
They told me that it's the synchronizer ringring worn out.
They concern that part not include Warranty, is it true?
Last edited by pjchen; 12-11-2009 at 12:47 AM.
12-11-2009, 10:54 PM
#56
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As an update, I took the car to Toyota and they told me that it was not under warranty (it's a 60K warranty) and that it would cost $1300 to fix the 5th gear synchronizer and over $3000 for a new transmission. I called Toyota and told them that I understood that it wasn't under warranty but I still wanted them to pay for the service. It's not normal for a transmission to have this type of problem after 67K and if it is normal for Toyota, I will never buy another. It took a couple weeks of calling but they eventually called to tell me that they "found a warranty" to cover the entire cost of the 5th gear synchronizer repair. I would recommend that you call Toyota if you have a problem similar to mine.
12-12-2009, 01:02 AM
#57
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12-12-2009, 11:22 AM
#58
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haven't had to go to the dealer about the transmission. I just remember being warned by a dealer when I was first shopping for the tC about how the manual trans in the tC was similar to the celica. And how they had a lot of problems with that so they said they bet they'd have a lot of work on the tC's manual. that's all i was saying.
oh and you messaged me before, didn't see that.
if yours is under warranty and they won't help you. then go to another dealer, and like i've said before. if they won't fix it, then get an attorney. Yeah I'm serious. If you have just driven it normally and no racing and the trans dies, like it has been in the manual tC's, they won't cover their obligation. Then it's time to pull out the attorney and watch them quickly help you.
oh and you messaged me before, didn't see that.
if yours is under warranty and they won't help you. then go to another dealer, and like i've said before. if they won't fix it, then get an attorney. Yeah I'm serious. If you have just driven it normally and no racing and the trans dies, like it has been in the manual tC's, they won't cover their obligation. Then it's time to pull out the attorney and watch them quickly help you.
Last edited by sciontc_mich; 12-12-2009 at 11:30 AM.
01-04-2010, 02:30 AM
#59
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ok, so i've already had my transmission replaced at about 19000 miles on my 08.... When the transmission is cold it almost refuses to shift from 1 to 2. The synchro for 2nd is completely gone... its been grinding slightly ever since i got the new transmission... just lept getting worse.... ive been warned that the tC trans isnt all that great, just figured it was a little more durable than this... Going in next week to have the dealership look at and possibly replace it for the 2nd time. After they replace it im going to install an aftermarket clutch and better synchros along with a TRD short shifter. Hopefully it'll solve the problem...
01-04-2010, 07:15 AM
#60
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pardon my french, but where are you finding aftermarket synchros for toyota transmissions? And if youre going through synchros that fast are you sure your clutch is disengaging fully? cuz ive never had a toyota box go less than 80k before getting a little notchy.
