There are too many people running retarded levels of boost for me to believe that the teeth are the weak link. It would put excessive load on the clutch but if you're gentle occasionally starting in second(in snow) should be alright. If you just rev it up and dump the clutch you're gunna break something either way.

I recomend eneos 75w-90 changed every 50k for gear oil.

 

75W-90 is thicker than what this gearbox requires. Red Line MT-85 75W85 is a closer match.

 

Fair enough, I have a 1st gen tc. I would not recommend Redline because alot of people have had issues with their synchros after swithcing to it.

 

I have heard only good things about Red Line myself, but with so many choices available, everyone has his own recommendation. Bob is the Oil Guy is an excellent resource for such things.

 

If you take a step back and think about what the 1st gen and 2nd gen owners have stated, I think Scion installs a poorly made tranny period. 1st gen's synchros failing, 2nd gen's synchro's are so tight it's ridiculous.
Best way I know to describe the condition, is how a tranny with a worn clutch acts exactly... plus uber thick gear oil.
Thanks for the gear oil recomendations, I will give one a try.

 

Just another beginner question:

I was just wondering if i am damaging the car (trans, clutch..etc..) when i am driving slower than what im suppose to in a specific gear...say if i was only doing like 15mph in 3rd. The car starts to vibrate a little bit till i reach the appropriate speed. I dont do it intentionally. just wondering.

For example, my parking lot has a lot of speed bumps. i stay in 2nd and when i approach a bump i press the clutch and brake---go over the bump---then start hitting the gas and letting off the clutch again....im almost at dead stop so i can hear the car vibrate and rattle....

is that bad? am i damaging something?

 

Thats just how manual cars work. If you're going 15mph, you may want to downshift into 2nd gear. (1st is used mostly when starting up). And as for the car vibrating, give it more gas or hold in the clutch for longer. You don't always have to let go of the clutch.

The car should "ask" for each gear, by either vibrating telling you it wants a lower gear or by revving high telling you it wants a higher gear. At the beginning I used the tach to time my gears, but now I guess the car just talks to me. You feel it in the clutch.

 

If your driving in such a low gear that it shakes then you are putting undue strain on various parts.

Think of it like riding a multi-geared bike (mountain bike)...

what your body feels is like what the cars feels x's thousands of pounds
If you start off in too high a gear.. you feel like your going to pull a muscle trying to get moving
If you're in too low a gear your feet will be spinning so fast you'd blow your energy(motor) in seconds

 

The vibrating is caused from being in a gear that does not have the matching RPMs per your speed. Thus you are trying to feed it more gas than needed. If you are in gear 3 at 15mph on normal driving conditions, you are gonna be wasting a lot of gas to move a 2900+ lb mass. High revving in a gear leads to pre-mature tranny failure and possible motor damage.

Once in a snowy / icy situation, starting at gear 2 makes more sense. LESS RPMs (spinning) to the tires, leading to easier control when launching. For my TC1, I am usually in gear 3 by 18mph during heavy snow / ice conditions.

You should review your manual that came with your car for recommendation of shift points. It is SPECIFIC to your car. Again, adjust shift points accordingly to driving conditions.

 

As long as you're keeping the RPMs above idle you should be ok although it's not exactly good for the car. As for when to shift you should pay attention to what the car is doing and keep the engine making your desired power. for example, driving in a parking lot I try to stay 1.5k-2.5k but I'm less likely to upshift because i'll just slow down again soon(so i just keep it in second). During normal acceleration I shift at 3-3.5k (this you can do by feel) but I don't exactly drive slow. When cruising I try to keep it above 2k(maybe just below) to keep the engine at low load and to have power to pass or go up hills, downshifting as necessary when speeds change. If your car has to "tell you" to downshift you're doing it wrong; the whole point of stick shift is that you can be proactive with your shifts (i.e. heel-toeing while braking) and have instant power when you need it(corner exit). Remember low load and higher RPM > high load low rpm.

 

it dosent let you go into first if your to high RPM if your RPM is low then it will let you get into 1st gear.

 

I have owned many old British cars (Minis, Triumphs, etc.) that had this same behavior. My tC sometimes does the same as you have described. Someone once taught me a great technique that all but eliminates the condition you described.

Old transmissions had straight cut gears for first and reverse and no synchro capabilities, which meant you had to stop the car completely to change into one of these gears. Even when coming to a complete stop before changing into first or second gear, the transmission would still lunge or grind a bit when going from neutral to first or second.

The technique I was taught to avoid this is to ALWAYS put the shifter in second gear before selecting first or second gear when it has been in neutral. This was referred to as "clearing the box". It works great, and I have used the technique ever since, even with modern transmissions.

So - long story short, I recommend you always go from neutral to second gear BEFORE selecting first or reverse. It works well with my tC as it has with all other cars I have owned or driven.

I hope this helps.

 

the first gen tC has a synchronized first gear (triple cone synchros infact), but it also has a gear guard to keep you from accidentally engaging it at to high a speed because it is such a short gear. If you want to, you CAN force it in, but you shouldn't. I can engage 1st before the car is completely stopped, just while coasting.

reverse on the first gen is a square cut unsynchronized gear, so you have to be completely stopped to engage it or it will grind briefly.