GreyRav

Hey all. I've seen a couple posts on the internet about different tC owners have problems with shifting. I have an 08' Scion tC, M/T, with less than 20,500 miles on it. Around 10,000 miles ago, I started to notice a griding noise while the car was in 5th gear. I would take my foot off the gas and let it "coast," but a grinding/hissing noise can be heard. At first, I thought it was the wind, but then I began to hear it while the car "coasted" in lower gears (i.e., parking lots, residential areas, etc.). Then, about 5-8,000 miles ago, the car started getting "jolty" during shifts. It was most noticeable from 1st to 2nd, but now, even from 4th to 5th, I ease off the clutch, and about a second after I take my foot off, I can feel the clutch engage and the car jolts.

Now, I've brought the car to the dealership several times since I've started to experience issues. Each time, I get turned away and told that everything is fine. The car is never kept overnight, and is test driven for 5 miles or less. I have another appointment this Thursday, so I'm hoping you guys can provide me with some insight or knowledge. The dealership has already shafted me with the defroster (when you hit the defrost button, the A/C is supposed to turn on to dehumidify the air. Mine stopped turning on automatically. After bringing it in to get serviced, I was told that "It works, but the light just doesn't come on." It wasn't until I took it home that I found another way to test it - check the RPMs when the defroster and the A/C are turned on).

I know the problem hasn't been my driving. Almost 3,000 of the miles were spent driving from California to North Carolina. Afterwards, I was deployed for a year to Iraq, and the car sit still on jack stands (with the proper additives to prevent rust, corrosion, etc. added).

Now, every time I get turned away from the dealership, I try something new to resolve my issue. I've used fuel injection cleaners (the kind you add to your gas tank) just in case my fuel injection system was gunked up. That didn't help. I've changed out my manual transmission fluid to Redline. That helped for a few months, but now, it's worse than ever. I've even tried different types of synthetic engine oils.

I'm getting extremely frustrated with this issue and am coming to my wit's end with it. My wife and kids are getting dizzy in my car just going from point A to B . From what I've heard, this shouldn't even be an issue with such low mileage.

What do you think the problem is? Could it be the clutch? Should I buy a new clutch disc if I get turned away? How about the flywheel?

ack154

iTrader: (7)

Call and talk to someone directly at Scion. I don't have the number handy but it has been posted a number of times (will look around in a min). With things like this when you're sure there is an issue and the dealer has been less than helpful, I've heard they can really help you out.

ack154

iTrader: (7)

Here's one number I found from another thread:

866.707.2466

I'm sure you could also get something from Scion.com

bentheswift

If your family is getting "dizzy" from it then the dealer should be able to notice it, don't you think?

You can always go to a different dealer, or alternatively call Scion directly. Your description is pretty vague and doesn't make much sense; it sounds like maybe your clutch has gone out, which it definitely shouldn't have unless you are a very poor manual transmission operator (especially if the car has a lot of highway miles) and if a tranny oil change helped it, or if it makes a funny grinding sound in gear, it certainly isn't the clutch. If your clutch has worn out in 20k miles, it may be hard to get them to believe it was a manufacturing defect instead of the operator using it to hold the car on a hillside or something. The dealers really get shafted by the OEM for warranty work (the mechanic probably will get less than half the pay for doing a job under warranty than they would if the customer paid) so you have to be able to explain and/or demonstrate the problem to them to get their help.

GreyRav

ack154: Thanks a lot. I'll give them a call tomorrow and let them know. Again, thank you.

bentheswift:

Would they? Especially after you stated yourself:
"The dealers really get shafted by the OEM for warranty work (the mechanic probably will get less than half the pay for doing a job under warranty than they would if the customer paid)".

Like I said before, the problem isn't my driving. My first car was a M/T Toyota Celica. That had some play with the clutch pedal like my tC does, but I never had problems with it jolting after switching gears. It hasn't worn out in 20k miles - it's more like 12k. I've got a paper trail now showing that I've brought it in for the same reasons for almost a year now.

This is the second dealer I've brought it to (four appointments in about a year). Thanks to ack154's helpful information, I'll call Scion directly. Also, thank you for your bits of advice (not so much for your sly hints at insult).

When scheduling my check up today, the receptionist asked if I could drive the mechanic around. Maybe I can get some solid answers then, instead of being turned away and being told that everything's normal. If anyone else has had experience with this issue, please chime in. I'm trying to get a rough estimate of what it would cost to fix things myself, rather than waiting for my warranty to expire.

fubar887

I had this same problem, well kinda. My clutch release point was at the very top of my pedal throw and it stayed like that until my TOB got trashed. Took it to the dealer 6 times to fix my "jerky" movements after shifts because my release point was at the top of the pedal it was hard to shift smooth, and i mean like the last 1/4" of the throw. They stated everything was fine and all of the tc's were like this. I finally just put a new clutch and bearings and eneos tranny fluid and adjusted the shaft on the master cylinder in and everythings good now. Not saying this is your problem but who knows.

GreyRav

fubar887: Thanks! I was hoping something like this would be the fix. They were telling me the same thing - that the shifting on my car is normal. I think your exact situation may be the cause of the jerking. Finding the "sweet spot" after shifting varies, but it's usually in the last 1/2" to 1/4" inch of the throw.

You said a new clutch, bearings, and eneous oil got you squared away... do you mean a new clutch disc/kit?

Also, did you do the work yourself?

Thanks again!

bentheswift

Sorry if you feel insulted, but I was trying to express to you the dealer's point of view. They don't want to help you unless they understand that there is a problem, and if you come to them without being able to define and explain your problem (especially if you say it is causing your family to be dizzy but they don't notice the problem) then they probably will dismiss you as trying to take advantage of the warranty system, or at best just being a negative and disgruntled customer, and neither of those things makes them want to help you or win your future business.

fubar887

yeah since i was gonna have the clutch apart anyways to change the bearing i just went ahead and put in a exedy stage 1 clutch kit along with shifter cage bushings, motor and tranny mounts, and shifter cable bushings. Made it feel like a new car and i prefer it much over stock. Made the pedal just a bit stiffer, which i like cause i thought the stock pedal feel was a bit weak for my taste. I did do the work myself with a help of a friend that is a mechanic. Its pretty involved and i would not suggest trying unless you have knowledge about this sort of thing. Having the proper tools also makes it much easier.

Mouse

I certainly see both sides here.. As the customer, you know there is a problem of some sort... as it's not shifting properly like you were used to. So valid point there. unfortunately manual clutch/trans issues are harder to prove manufacturer defect and not damage due to someone just not knowing how to drive a manual trans vehicle.
So if it really is a warranty part issue... keep pressing it.
On the other hand... I can see bentheswift's point. Unfortunately most car manufacturers do not adequately allow financially for a dealer to do most warranty work. That is just flat out Sh*tty. Sorry for the profanity...but thats the way it generally is...it screws everyone (customer/dealer) in serving their customers the way that they probably normally would.

GreyRav

Ah... in that case, thank you. I do appreciate what you've shared. I'll try to push the issue one last time tomorrow during my appointment. At the very least, I'm going to have them really fix the defroster issue.

If things don't work out tomorrow, I'll just work on getting the clutch switched out and following fubar's route. After reading his post, I started to really pay attention to the last 1/4" of the throw (when releasing the clutch pedal), and I noticed that it was the main cause of my complaints - it's a different "sweet spot" with almost every gear.

Thanks again, Ben.

GreyRav

Thanks fubar. Any recommendations on motor and tranny mounts?

Also, you mentioned that it's pretty involved. I've replaced the clutch disc on my old Celica using just cinder blocks and hand tools - should it be much different (i.e., are major parts in weird places)? Did you guys use a repair manual, or did the clutch disc come with instructions?

Also, the clutch fix you performed... was it the clutch pedal stop mod?

bentheswift

No problem amigo, sometimes I tend to come across as harsh on the internets. Let us know what happens.