Grinding into 2nd when its chilly

[treehouse]

ive noticed that when i shift from 1st to 2nd when i first start driving there is a noticible clanking/grinding sound. This only seems to happen when its cold out (i havent had a chance to see if it does it in the warm)

ive read on a few other forums that the tranny fluid is the problem or something is wrong with the syncros.

im gonna take it to toyota this weekend and see what they say.

[94Corolla5Speed]

Don't bother taking it to Toyota. Every car has some amount of trouble shifting in the cold, whether it's just having a harder time getting into gear or possibly as bad as grinding badly. Shift more gently when it's cold, and switch out your fluid to Redline MT-90 when you get a chance. Read up about it, that stuff is the bomb.

[AHTOXA]

I use MT-90 in my Cherokee's trans. This trans has 253k miles on it and slightly grinds second occasionally and when cold. MT-90 helped a lot.

Word of caution, it's not for every trans. Read specs for your factory fluid and compare to new. Read up before you buy. Scions were reported to have issues with the fluid in their gearboxes.

[treehouse]

because it is a lease do you think the dealer would have a problem with me putting different tranny fluid in the car?

I dont see why they would put garbage fluid in there to begin with, ive read numerous complaints about toyotas transmission fluid on other forums and they say to use the MT-90 as well.

[theholycow]

VW was pretty good about my lease. They didn't complain about the cheapo Walmart wheelcovers, some badly repaired paint gouges, and some badly repair holes in the grill...and visible things are what they worry about.

They'd only worry about (or even notice) what oil you put in if the transmission fails and they notice odd oil in it. How likely is the transmission to fail? Well, the symptom you have may be the beginning of failure, or it may just be the way your transmission will live forever. The lease-end inspection doesn't include a driving test AFAIK, they just want to know that the car looks ok. They don't sell cars on mechanical condition, just visible condition.

I'm sure the fluid they put in was not garbage, it's probably fine for most people.

[watkins]

Lease returns are meticulously inspected mechanically if the visual inspection deems the vehicle worthy of a used car sale.

[Rope-Pusher]

Lease returns are meticulously inspected mechanically if the visual inspection deems the vehicle worthy of a used car sale.

...but the lessee is off the hook after it passes the visual inspection. Anything more they find from mechanical inspections has to do with selling it as a certified used vehicle or not.

[treehouse]

Straight form the Redline website.

Eliminates notchy shifting, even when cold

Safe for brass synchros, as it lacks the reactive sulfurs found in most GL-5 oils that cause damage

looks like i have my work cut out for me this weekend

[FDSpirit]

changing mtf is a walk in the park. it is easier than an oil change. or around the same level of difficulty. tip. if you can, fill from the vehicle speed sensor hole. it eliminates ghetto rigging a funnel into the transmission to fill it. you'll wanna get a new drain plug and fill hole washer though. i had redline in my car and loved it. i wasnt able to get it in time when i needed to change my axles, so i had to use honda mtf. sorry for the lack of capitalization. using opera on my phone and it doesnt correct all that stuff.

[Rope-Pusher]

using opera on my phone

Don't people look at you funnelly when you sing aloud in public?



Is it true that you have to pinch your nuts to hit those high notes?

[theholycow]

You shouldn't have to ghetto-rig a funnel, just get a transfer pump. They're $5-10 at HF and Walmart.

In my car, if the shifter is off, it's very convenient to pour into the shifter mount area.

[FDSpirit]

I forgot about those. I just find it easier since my vss is RIGHT there.

[watkins]

My transmission fill hole is actually incredibly easy to get to. The drain plug is the problem. I want to do a fluid change come summer.

[LHOswald]

if its just a cross member it would probably be beneficial to just pull it off to do the gear oil change. its probably just 2 bolts right?

[treehouse]

Update:

it warmed up somewhat this weekend and the problem has not come back (at the time of warm weather) so i have decided to let it ride. If I notice it again/ anything worse happening im just going to take it back to toyota, and see what they have to say about it.