afoulk

Trevors, are the measurements the same for a 2012? my clutch pedal us a good bit higher than my brake pedal and I've experienced a slight grind into 2nd and all gears are pretty notchy feeling if I shift to fast. Every once in awhile I put it in 1st after sitting in neutral at a red light and I swear I feel the car jump slightly. I'm thinking the clutch is grabbing ever so slightly with the pedal depressed allthe way and this might be the cause of my shifting issues

TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

The xB2 clutch pedal adjustment is the same regardless of year. How it came adjusted from the factory may be somewhat variable, but I've yet to hear of one with a pedal adjustment I'd consider "normal" for a car. They've had at least since mid 2007 to adjust it more normally and haven't, so I guess somebody in Scion land must like it this way :?!

It's normal for gears to lose their smoothness if you shove them in, over-riding the synchros. Forcing gears will almost certainly result in expensive repairs after awhile, much better to allow the synchros to do their job. Notchiness can also result from installing a TRD or shorter shifter assembly at the transmission. However, yes, even when new, second gear can object a little, though this seems to lessen after the engine has had a chance to warm a little. I'm suspecting it's something to do with the gear oil formulation Toyota chose, there's probably a better one out there.

However, if the car jumps in the slightest with the clutch pedal fully depressed when changing gears, there's a clutch adjustment or mechanical wear problem. The more typical reason is the person isn't actually depressing the clutch pedal far enough.

sendmarksmail

Glad I found this. I just test drove a 2012 xB and I found it high. I've never driven a manual where I had to lift my entire leg to change gears. That was nuts. I love the car, but it really bothers me. I wonder if I can get the dealership to lower it.

TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

Another fellow asked his dealer and was told it would invalidate the warranty. Not true of course, but point is the dealer didn't want to touch it. He tried taking it to a mechanic and provided a PDF of my instructions, but they weren't followed (doesn't surprise me in the least, kind of a pain and there are liability issues), but it was improved a little. I gather he settled for how it wound up.

It's not hard to do the mod, but you need to be mechanically "handy" and willing to be patient. Don't even consider it if you're feeling at all rushed -- got to take your time and do it right.

kalajary

I did it today. I just did a short test drive and i think it feels better, i don't know, may be after a week using it i will be more sure if i like it. I want to share this pictures because i think they where very helpful for me, of course in conjunction with Trevors info.

TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

Guess I never thought about it previously, but the xB2 makes it clear clutch pedal height matters. Whatever info you skii off to make it feel right, the important thing is to have an adjustment that both feels right and works right.

That was the goal of my above procedure and if you get to the same place by some other means, then good for you. Just take your time with the adjusting, a misbehaving clutch is a very much not good thing. I adjusted mine probably three times, each being to make it a little more "correct" than before. Just be careful to preserve a little master cylinder rod free play and keep the clutch pedal over-center spring working for you, and you should be OK. Proper clutch adjustment is very important to a manual shift car, don't take it lightly.

2_From_NH

Trevor -

I did this today, and it made a huge difference. I still have some adjusting to do, since my engagement is too close to the floor. But the clutch engagement is a lot better!

I always found it incredibly annoying that my xB's clutch was so much harder to be smooth and consistent with than my MR2 with an HD clutch.

Thanks for the writeup!

TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

You're welcome and I'm glad it helped you. I can't imagine returning mine to the way it was from the factory -- yuck! It's just baffling to me why Toyota/Scion apparently deliberately adjust it so badly. It's an immediate turn-off to any driver who has experience with a normal manual shift. Maybe the guy making the adjustment is actually a Nissan or Kia plant, Toyota just hasn't figured it out yet !

632Lunchbox

I bought a used xB a 2 days ago and drove the car it runs fine but the clutch release is a bit too high and it is so far higher than the brake pedal.
But the release is what bother me the most. I'll try to do the adjustment recommended here and take photos as well. Happy Holidays!

BTW I asked the dealer and they said there is no adjustment what a bunch of.......

xB1979

I just did this but found the final part of the pedal return catches on the spring. I am thinking the spring needs more grease or it flat spotted after the PO 8 years of driving it that factory way. Any ideas?

xB1979

I figured it out. Too much free play. Adjusted again and works perfect.

Thanks for the write up. What a huge difference it makes! The xB now operates like every other manual transmission I have driven.