Gear Sticking

[Steen]

I have a French registered Avensis D-4D Break from 2000. It has now gone 230.000 km.

Very rarely a have a gear sticking problem. In fact it has only happened twice and always after a very long journey.

Typically when I start in the first gear I can't get it out of the first gear and into the second gear. Even if I get it out of the first gear I can't get it into the second gear but I can put into the third gear.

When these problems occur it may feel like if the clutch is not totally open, like if the motor is still pulling the car a little even when the clutch pedal is totally activated.

A few moments later everything is normal and I can easily get into the first gear and afterwords into the second gear.

Any help and suggestions will be appreciated.

Steen

[acetip]

I have a French registered Avensis D-4D Break from 2000. It has now gone 230.000 km.

Very rarely a have a gear sticking problem. In fact it has only happened twice and always after a very long journey.

Typically when I start in the first gear I can't get it out of the first gear and into the second gear. Even if I get it out of the first gear I can't get it into the second gear but I can put into the third gear.

When these problems occur it may feel like if the clutch is not totally open, like if the motor is still pulling the car a little even when the clutch pedal is totally activated.

A few moments later everything is normal and I can easily get into the first gear and afterwords into the second gear.

Any help and suggestions will be appreciated.

Steen

when you put your foot on the clutch pedal how much does the pedal move before you feel resistance.

[t-spiritpete]

I have a French registered Avensis D-4D Break from 2000. It has now gone 230.000 km.

Very rarely a have a gear sticking problem. In fact it has only happened twice and always after a very long journey.

Typically when I start in the first gear I can't get it out of the first gear and into the second gear. Even if I get it out of the first gear I can't get it into the second gear but I can put into the third gear.

When these problems occur it may feel like if the clutch is not totally open, like if the motor is still pulling the car a little even when the clutch pedal is totally activated.

A few moments later everything is normal and I can easily get into the first gear and afterwords into the second gear.

Any help and suggestions will be appreciated.

Steen

Hello,

it sounds to me like air in the system or contaminated hydraulic fluid. Try bleeding the clutch, in fact bleed the clutch until all the old fluid has been removed and of course you need to top up the reservoir with new fluid all the time until the clean new fluid comes through. It will be easier if 2 people do this job, one under the car at the slave cylinder end and the other person pumping the clutch and topping up the reservoir.

EDIT:- If the above doesn't help change the gearbox oil.

Regards ... Pete.

[Avensis_dad]

I've the same problem with 2007 T180. Problem continues after new clutch, new sycro selector and change of hydraulic oil. Worst when cold as they are but can't get an answer as to what's causing as intermitant and when at the garage does it show no!

[Steen]

I have a French registered Avensis D-4D Break from 2000. It has now gone 230.000 km.

Very rarely a have a gear sticking problem. In fact it has only happened twice and always after a very long journey.

Typically when I start in the first gear I can't get it out of the first gear and into the second gear. Even if I get it out of the first gear I can't get it into the second gear but I can put into the third gear.

When these problems occur it may feel like if the clutch is not totally open, like if the motor is still pulling the car a little even when the clutch pedal is totally activated.

A few moments later everything is normal and I can easily get into the first gear and afterwords into the second gear.

Any help and suggestions will be appreciated.

Steen

when you put your foot on the clutch pedal how much does the pedal move before you feel resistance.

At first the pedal is soft. After about 2 centimeters it becomes hard.

[acetip]

I have a French registered Avensis D-4D Break from 2000. It has now gone 230.000 km.

Very rarely a have a gear sticking problem. In fact it has only happened twice and always after a very long journey.

Typically when I start in the first gear I can't get it out of the first gear and into the second gear. Even if I get it out of the first gear I can't get it into the second gear but I can put into the third gear.

When these problems occur it may feel like if the clutch is not totally open, like if the motor is still pulling the car a little even when the clutch pedal is totally activated.

A few moments later everything is normal and I can easily get into the first gear and afterwords into the second gear.

Any help and suggestions will be appreciated.

Steen

when you put your foot on the clutch pedal how much does the pedal move before you feel resistance.

At first the pedal is soft. After about 2 centimeters it becomes hard.

hi

thats ok,was wonderring if clutch was not compleatly disengaging when pedel pressed.

with that clearance it should be ok.

if there was air in the system ( wants bleeding)the when you pushed pedal it would travel further than you 2 cm at first,but if you pumped the pedal several times any air in the system would be compressed and the pedal play would return to the 2cm play.but after a while the air would decompress,and you would have the longer travel back.so i dont think this is your problem.

change of oil may help.if it was a faulty clutch,i would have thought the trouble would have been more frequent.

as it only happens rarely i suggest leaving it to see if it gets any worse then maybe easier to isolate whether clutch or gearbox problem.

[krischak]

I recently bought an Avensis 4d4 2.2L diesel from used cars at 60K miles (will be due for service soon) as a first time Toyota owner. After a 2 days I experience similar problem, second gear wont go in easily when I start to drive in the morning. After half hour of driving it looks perfect. Can anyone please tell me if it is a major problem or will it lead to a major problem if not attended. Also can you please recommend a really competent Toyota service centre to look at this problem as I dont possess technical knowledge to convice a service centre what they have to do. Thanks in advance for any help.

[cmia]

guys,

can you not post spam! we will reply and help if you make your own posts :P

@ OP

could be,

clutch

hydralics

or low ATF

[krischak]

guys,

can you not post spam! we will reply and help if you make your own posts :P

@ OP

could be,

clutch

hydralics

or low ATF

Thanks for your quick response cmia, is this a manufacturing defect? If so will this be covered by Toyota warranty, my avensis was registered in Sep 06.

[cmia]

ok first

with the engine OFF

can you select all the gears ?

(pertend to drive through the gears)

[Steen]

hi

thats ok,was wonderring if clutch was not compleatly disengaging when pedel pressed.

with that clearance it should be ok.

if there was air in the system ( wants bleeding)the when you pushed pedal it would travel further than you 2 cm at first,but if you pumped the pedal several times any air in the system would be compressed and the pedal play would return to the 2cm play.but after a while the air would decompress,and you would have the longer travel back.so i dont think this is your problem.

change of oil may help.if it was a faulty clutch,i would have thought the trouble would have been more frequent.

as it only happens rarely i suggest leaving it to see if it gets any worse then maybe easier to isolate whether clutch or gearbox problem.

Thanks to acetip

I just tried pumping the clutch pedal. As predicted this doesn't change the position where the clutch become hard.

Gearbox oil was changed in January 2010 to a quality 75W 90. Has anyone an opinion on the gearbox oil quality?

The hydraulic liquid for the clutch has not been renewed while I have had the car.

I may opt for a renewal of the clutch liquid since this is a relatively simple thing.

[acetip]

have not got an avensis myself,but think brake and clutch fluide are combined as in most modern vehicles.

[Steen]

have not got an avensis myself,but think brake and clutch fluide are combined as in most modern vehicles.

In my Avensis the clutch has it's own fluid circuit and reservoir.

[Mistermena]

hi

thats ok,was wonderring if clutch was not compleatly disengaging when pedel pressed.

with that clearance it should be ok.

if there was air in the system ( wants bleeding)the when you pushed pedal it would travel further than you 2 cm at first,but if you pumped the pedal several times any air in the system would be compressed and the pedal play would return to the 2cm play.but after a while the air would decompress,and you would have the longer travel back.so i dont think this is your problem.

change of oil may help.if it was a faulty clutch,i would have thought the trouble would have been more frequent.

as it only happens rarely i suggest leaving it to see if it gets any worse then maybe easier to isolate whether clutch or gearbox problem.

Thanks to acetip

I just tried pumping the clutch pedal. As predicted this doesn't change the position where the clutch become hard.

Gearbox oil was changed in January 2010 to a quality 75W 90. Has anyone an opinion on the gearbox oil quality?

The hydraulic liquid for the clutch has not been renewed while I have had the car.

I may opt for a renewal of the clutch liquid since this is a relatively simple thing.

I would say that the gear oil could be the problem. I was told by Toyota that if I used anything other than a straight 75w (Full synthetic) grade I would have all sorts of problems with selecting gears (more so when cold) including crunching into gears when hot.

So armed with that info I bought Silkolene Pro SRG 75(full-synthetic Ester gear oil) What a massive difference its turned out to be.

[acetip]

have not got an avensis myself,but think brake and clutch fluide are combined as in most modern vehicles.

In my Avensis the clutch has it's own fluid circuit and reservoir.

fair enough,i think thats the best idea myself.

[cmia]

ok first

with the engine OFF

can you select all the gears ?

(pertend to drive through the gears)

you tried this ?

[Steen]

Finally it turned out that the reason to my gear sticking problem was NOT related to the gearbox or the clutch itself but to the fact that the double mass flywheel was going apart.

This has now been changed together with the clutch and now the gearshift works like a dream. The force to press the clutch pedal even seems to be lower now.