[Ttfronczak]

Hey guys,
New to the MR2 world. I have an 01 with the 2ZZ/C60 swap. As a habit I always change all the fluids in cars I buy. On mine I changed the transmission fluid and now I seem to be running into some issues.

• When in lift in 1st I press the clutch in to put it into second and it’s like the clutch doesn’t exist. RPMs fall as if I hadn’t pressed the clutch in at all. But it shifts normally through first and into second when not in the high RPMs.
• When down shifting into 4th (and rev matching) clutch fully depressed she ‘clunks’ into it. As if the clutch weren’t fully depressed it almost grinds however when upshifting into 4th there’s no unusual noises or feeling.
• Fearing I may not have put enough fluid in I opened the “speedo cap”(?) (pictured) the fluid was over flowing. For reference I scoured this site and found the recommended fill of ~2.4 qts. I also Used Valvoline Synchromesh MTF.

I know it’s difficult to asses an issue over text but any help with probable issues/causes would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Funkycheeze]

Sounds like a clutch issue - like the friction disc is sticking to the input shaft splines a bit. Has it been done recently?

 

[Ttfronczak]

Side note: fairly certain my throw out bearing is going out. She chirps on and off while the clutch isn’t depressed. I’ve tried the white lithium grease trick several times to no avail. So I’m assuming I’ll have to remove the transmission regardless.

 

[Ttfronczak]

Sounds like a clutch issue - like the friction disc is sticking to the input shaft splines a bit. Has it been done recently?

It was done before I got it. It has a “4 puck sprung hub clutch with a chromoly flywheel” per the previous owner.

 

[Funnyman]

2.4 quart of oil inside the transmission is way too much.
The problem come from the inside of the transmission. Not from the clutch.
Toyota C series 6 speed transmission : 2 quarts for LSD equipped - 2.2 for open differential.

Too much oil inside the trans > too much pressure inside the trans.
Cause the gears/syncros/bearings/everything inside the gearbox to work too hard.
That's why you have difficults to change gears. To be quick : too much oil will kill your transmission.
Do not drive and change gear at high rpms. This will shorten life of the internal of the transmission.

Drain all oil again, then refil with the correct quantity : 2.2 quart or 2 quart.
To give help : when refilling the gearbox with the correct oil quantity, oil should not be level to the “speedo cap”.
If it's the case > the car is not on flat road, the back of the car is lower than the front and/or the oil has not been fully drained.

 

[Ttfronczak]

2.4 quart of oil inside the transmission is way too much.
Too much oil inside the trans > too much pressure inside the trans.
Drain all oil again, then refil with the correct quantity : 2.2 quart or 2 quart.
To give help : when refilling the gearbox with the correct oil quantity, oil should not be level to the “speedo cap”.
If it's the case > the car is not on flat road, the back of the car is lower than the front and/or the oil has not been fully drained.

Thanks for the advice. Noted not to trust all the info I’ve seen on here. I’ll be doing this tomorrow with just two quarts and giving an update. Thanks for the help.

 

[Freshtapcoke]

When full the transmission fluid should come up to the level of the -upper- hex key bolt. Make sure you drain from the lower bolt. Speedo hole should not be involved at all.

 

[Ttfronczak]

When full the transmission fluid should come up to the level of the -upper- hex key bolt. Make sure you drain from the lower bolt. Speedo hold should not be involved at all.

do you have a pic of what you’re talking about?

 

[Freshtapcoke]

This is the documentation I found:

DIY Manual Transmission Fluid Change

This is a guide to help you with your manual transmission fluid change, It doesn't cover automatic transmissions in which different steps, parts, and tools are required. Notes: I am doing this on my XRS with a C60 6-Speed Manual Transmission (same as the Matrix XRS and Celica GT-S). For the...

www.toyotanation.com

 

[Ttfronczak]

This is the documentation I found:

DIY Manual Transmission Fluid Change

This is a guide to help you with your manual transmission fluid change, It doesn't cover automatic transmissions in which different steps, parts, and tools are required. Notes: I am doing this on my XRS with a C60 6-Speed Manual Transmission (same as the Matrix XRS and Celica GT-S). For the...

www.toyotanation.com

Thanks! I’ve seen many people use the “speedo cap” as an easy way to fill without the use of additional tubing/oil pump. But serves me right for not at least opening the fill plug to ensure I stopped when I saw oil coming out.

 

[Freshtapcoke]

Yes, the orientation of the transmission in this car really makes the fill hole less convenient than the Celica/Matrix. The speedo hole is much more accessible and I understand why people use it.

 

[Ttfronczak]

Update:

Removed the fill plug and Funnyman was on the money🤦🏻‍♂️ an excess amount of fluid came out. .5 qts give or take. Hopefully my idiocy didn’t cause too much damage. I’ll be replacing my trans fluid tomorrow and give an update (if any) on its shifting discrepancies.

 

[carlbecker]

Thanks! I’ve seen many people use the “speedo cap” as an easy way to fill without the use of additional tubing/oil pump. But serves me right for not at least opening the fill plug to ensure I stopped when I saw oil coming out.

I suggest you buy the bgb, the shop manual and follow it's instructions.

 

[carlbecker]

Redline or Amsoil gl4 type fluid is recommended.

 

[cyclehead]

Is it really possible for excess oil to prevent gear shifting in a manual transmission?? I’ve heard of automatic transmissions being sensitive to oil level since they shift on hydraulic pressures, but a manual transmission only has gears sliding on shafts, and synchro rings made of brass engaging a tapered steel surfaces. I can’t see how excess oil could hurt anything but possibly the rubber shaft seals (due to elevated gear case pressure?)
I have read that some manual transmissions will baulk at high rpm shifts. I know my S51 transmission occasionally doesn’t like to shift at high rpm. But what’s the point of a high revving 2zz engine if you can’t shift gears, at high rpm? I believe there are hundreds of 2zz engines running with C60 transmissions. And I doubt they all shift gears at low rpm’s.

 

[MidwestManiac]

I've got the same question as cyclehead as no one ever really posts fluid amounts of a c60 w/LSD as 2.0qts and 2.2 open diff. All numbers I see are "2.4 and a bit less for LSD cars" so I've put in 2.4 in my LSD c60 for racing and she's felt fine.

 

[rmeller]

I have read reports of clutches not disengaging at high RPM. Unfortunately, I have no idea what is going on with that, or what the remedy is. I think that I remember this being discussed on mr2oc.

 

[DrFries]

I am curious to know if draining the excess fluid fixed the problem. Sounds to me like the clutch slave needs to be bled out.

 

[Funkycheeze]

Yeah it definitely sounds clutch related. Any time it's intermittent like this I always suspect the friction disc binding on the input shaft. It does need to slide a bit when the clutch is disengaged or it will drag on the flywheel side.

 

[FormInFunction]

I've got the same question as cyclehead as no one ever really posts fluid amounts of a c60 w/LSD as 2.0qts and 2.2 open diff. All numbers I see are "2.4 and a bit less for LSD cars" so I've put in 2.4 in my LSD c60 for racing and she's felt fine.

I've ALWAYS seen 2.2 & 2.0 qts referenced for a refill. The larger #'s are for a dry fill. The real problem here is ppl consistently fill the trans fluid wrong, document their incorrect method, then other ppl follow it without ever checking the correct way for themselves. FWIW using the correct method to fill removes any question of amount. The amounts quoted are useful only for considering how many quarts of fluid to buy before starting...they have nothing to do with filling. If you're significantly off from the quoted 2.2/2 qts its also an easy way to identify a larger problem.

Most importantly:
You fill using the fill plug, until it drips out of that plug...with the car flat & level. Put a little vinyl tubing on a funnel, the trans fluid goes down slow due to viscosity/tube size but it really isn't any more work once you're accessing the drain plug from below anyway IME...you should loosen the fill plug first regardless, then just stick the tube in there at the same time. 1 extra time sliding under the car to tighten the fill plug & you're done.