1990 Toyota pickup 2WD W55 transmission removal tips & overview

A few notes regarding pulling out the transmission on my Toyota pickup

[@johnjames77]

I love your Video. The first thing you did was answer my only question. The shifter housing needs to be removed and not just the shifter. I was trying to skip that step and there is not enough room on my 92. Pickup. I sure wish Toyota had made a removable cross member but they didn't so it makes it harder.

[@ray5961]

Thanks! Yeah, removing the cross member and shifter housing helps make life a lot more simple under there when putting the gearbox out :)

[@2JZLUX_]

Ratchet straps are good for lifting gearboxes back in too if you have nothing else

[@guzmancuztomz1976]

Beautiful. Lce parts are the best treats for these things I’m working on mine After the new stage 1 clutch and all this I get to shoot it fresh white from summit and slap my new tailgate decal My interior is redone Gonna be super clean Maybe new rims Mine are shot aluminum but old

[@daveb4128]

Helpful video, at least reassured me that I haven't missed any bolts holding the transmission in! So now I'm just dealing with getting the two to separate, know they've been together since new 30 years ago - trying a come-a-long to the rear axle. Nice tie in to a 510, that's where most of my transmission experience came from;) Though I've only had mine since '84, first swapped to a Roadster 5 speed; then later to 280ZX one with a Subaru 4.11 LSD.

[@ray5961]

Nice.. yeah, make sure you didn't miss any bolts on the center section. I don't think there are any hidden ones, but always double check under the grease, etc. I think mine came apart without too much trouble, but I might have had to run a putty knife down between the center section and the halves. I can't remember. Are you dealing with one that has a cast iron center plate or the aluminum version. And yeah, I've changed many a Datsun 510 gearbox / clutch while lying on my back :-)

[@jcfrazier5853]

While you have the transmission out, you might want to change out the Clutch Fork (slave cylinder pushes clutch fork and throw out bearing). Mine broke after years of service on a 89 Toyota pickup 22RE w/ W55 manual transmission. Replace those shifter bushings also. Thanks for the video!

[@ray5961]

I believe I did end up swapping out the clutch fork or at least inspecting it. Definitely don't want that breaking :)

[@1992Yotaman]

thank you for the info, keep that baby on the road

[@elirenigar9357]

I’m having one helluva time getting mine back into the truck

[@ray5961]

Eli Renigar Yeah, it's tricky. You should be able to install it yourself though. One thing is to remove the black round dust cover from the tail end of the gear box during installation, as it adds just enough length to cause problems; it comes on and off pretty easy with just a few taps of a rubber mallet. You also need to have the truck up high enough (I put the back tires up on 12" race ramp blocks). Then I use another block at the front of the lip of the bell housing. Then push the tail end up and over the rear cross member and you should just be able to sort of walk it up and in and then get the input shaft into the clutch center hole. Make sure the shift lever is off the gear box also and install that later. It's definitely a tricky job the first few times you attempt it, but once you get the hang of it, you should be able to do it by yourself while lying on your back. Good luck!

[@elirenigar9357]

Ray Nada thanks man I appreciate the advice. That dust cover is probably the ticket, it’s still on the trans. Great video, keep that clean little truck on the road 🤙🏻

[@rubenzamarripa4637]

There’s an exhaust pipe that goes across on the top of the transmission that looks like it’s blocking the bell housing .was that removed ?

[@ray5961]

The exhaust system was off my truck as I remember. If you are talking about the pipe involved with the AS (air suction) system, it might be in the way a little but I can't remember for sure.

[@justinthomas3554]

Also Mines a 89 4 speed with the 22r motor.

[@chriscamacho4354]

I'm in the middle of converting from a W46 4spd to a W55 5spd on my 1990 2wd Hilux. The W55 came from a donor 2wd 94' Hilux. Should I stay with the mechanical speedometer sensor or convert to the electric sensor? 🤔

[@ray5961]

mechanical unless you plan to also replace your dash gauge cluster

[@chriscamacho4354]

@@ray5961 My donor does not have the cluster anymore so I will stick with mechanical but will source a speedometer sensor to fit the bigger bore size of the 5spd Trans and match a 33 teeth gear and pick up a cable extender to reach the passenger side of the Trans, due to it being on the opposite side from the 4spd.

[@ray5961]

@@chriscamacho4354 Yeah you just have to match the gearbox to the setup on the back of the gauge cluster basically. If you switch one, you have to switch the other. I'm not sure how to change the ratios on the electric version, but yeah on the mechanical you just change the plastic tooth thing in there - I think you have to have the tail section off on some gearboxes to change that, but not sure.

[@TheJdubb75785757]

That's a clean ass truck man..

[@ray5961]

James Haynes thanks! It's getting there

[@rubenzamarripa4637]

What about the exhaust manifold that goes across from the transmission ? Did you have to remove that ?

[@ray5961]

Are you working on a V6 setup? On my truck it's the 22RE so there is just the exhaust manifold that runs down along the left side of the vehicle - at the time of removing my gearbox I believe all that stuff was out already.

[@capeman10]

New subscriber, thanks for sharing.

[@ericlacambra6522]

Any tips/tricks to removing those two top bolts from the bell housing?

[@ray5961]

It's been a while since I pulled the gear box, but I wanna say either I used a very, very long extension or I used a flex wrench and you just have to sort of reach up there blind and get them started.

[@aerialrescuesolutions3277]

Use a long extension, and a ball universal socket on the end, no problem. And you can see them from underneath, you just need the proper tools that's all.

[@finaldaysmcalester]

Where can I get a new shifting assembly? I don't know which aftermarket one to get online. And I can't find a used one anywhere

[@ray5961]

Have you checked to see if you can still buy it directly from Toyota? Are you talking about the entire part that bolts down, where the Nylon cup thing sits or just the shifter arm? Or the hole aluminum housing that bolts on the top of the gearbox? LCE has a short throw shifter setup... I think I saw a whole body that bolts down also from some company out there. Are you running a W55 or 56 or 58 or ?

[@finaldaysmcalester]

@ray5961 I have the w55 and tes I need the shifter and the 4 botl cap that goes on top. Also the shaft that the clutch mounts on is wobbling. Is there a bearing kit I should buy and will I be able to change it out myself without splitting the transmission and having a press

[@ray5961]

@@finaldaysmcalester The best way to find stuff like this is google something like "Toyota W55 shifter kit" and then switch to the image tab and start looking around. As far as rebuilding things and/or replacing the front input shaft bearing without taking the gearbox itself apart, I don't believe so. I think you are gonna need to completely pull it apart and press or pull that front bearing off. Search here on KZbin for "Toyota W58 Gearbox video". There is a channel called "Gear Box Videos" and he goes through a full rebuild on the W58, which is almost identical to the W55. Marlin Crawler also has a lot of good info and may be able to help out www.marlincrawler.com/

[@finaldaysmcalester]

Where's a good place to get a rebuild kit for w56 5 speed

[@ray5961]

Try Marlin Crawler, they might be able to source it. Also, watch Gear Box video's video about rebuilding the W58 before you go hog wild; it shows what's involved. Sometimes all you need to do is clean up and replace seals, not a full rebuild.

[@juanestrada1294]

Do u think I can use this transmisión on my is300?

[@ray5961]

I have no idea.

[@jedilion2227]

Are the transmissions heavy. Can one be lifted by an average guy?

[@ray5961]

Yes, one person can lift it. I'd say it's probably about 75 to 80 lbs approximately. I removed mine and reinstalled it by myself (on my back) using my knees to lift it up (also balanced it on a spare 12" race ramp). Getting it out of the truck is more like letting it fall on you; but again, not too bad. Just put a couple of heavy duty large home depot moving boxes down (opened flat). Once it's out and on the ground, you can drag it around on cardboard no problem. If you unbolt the bell housing from the main gear box, then it's plenty easy to lift up to a work bench. With the bell housing removed, you can grab the input shaft with one hand and the tail area with the other (be careful because that black surround on the tail shaft area only slips on and it can come off if you are using that to hold the other end). But I'm 5'8 and about 155 lbs and I was able to move it around the garage and lift it up onto my work bench without too many issues. Helps to drain it before you remove it, btw.

[@jedilion2227]

@@ray5961 awesom thanks

[@helloitsmehb]

Is the W55 for the 2WD base model 89-94?

[@ray5961]

Yes, the W55 is the gearbox which came in my truck originally (and most if not all 2WD pickups)... in my case, someone had swapped in a W58 at some point.

[@helloitsmehb]

@@ray5961thank you. I’d like to find a back up and store for the future Or should I just do a rebuild if my goes?

[@ray5961]

@@helloitsmehb Gearbox video has a nice video on rebuilding the W58 - check that out. If you can find a W58 w/ cast iron center plate, that would be a nice backup to have. They are pretty stout inside, so usually not much of a rebuild it required.

[@CoconutGun]

I am working on replacing a W50 transmission from a 79 Toyota Corona, and my only big hold-up at this point is the speedometer cable is stuck in the transmission. How can I remove this cable? I've unscrewed the cap holding it in, but something is holding the cable in there really tight.

[@ray5961]

There should be a 10mm bolt holding the entire assembly in. Maybe remove that and see what's up

[@CoconutGun]

@@ray5961 are you sure? It seems to be stuck in the transmission pretty good. There is a 12mm bolt just to the left of where it's connected, but I'm not sure how that could be holding it in.

[@ray5961]

@@CoconutGun The 12mm bolt near by should be pressing down on a tab which holds the entire assembly into the gear box. Do you see something along those lines? I was just thinking if you pull the entire thing out, you might be able to get the cable part out better. Anyway, sometimes the strength of the cable itself (and the square cable part inside) can hold it to the gearbox. Check your fire wall and the cable should be bolted down there pretty securely; sometimes removing that helps. Also, if you can detach it from the back of the instrument cluster - and unhook it from the fire wall - that can help as well. But as far as I remember, if you unscrew the outside screw, the rest of the cable should basically come out - so long as the cable has some place to move to... so try unhooking the cable at the fire all and also the undercarriage area. That might help. Also, WD40 can help if there is a lot of corrosion.

[@CoconutGun]

@@ray5961 I was thinking maybe some corrosion. I'm replacing the transmission because it leaked oil and overheated. It killed the input shaft bearing so I'm swapping the transfer case over to a new (used) W55 that came out of an 82 pickup. Hopefully it will bolt up fine and fit in my Corona okay.

[@ray5961]

@@CoconutGun See if you can find yourself a W58 with a cast iron center plate. That's what I'm running in my truck and it's really nice. It has nice gears. Check wiki and you can find out a lot about the W transmissions.

[@stevecassar805]

My transmission in my 96 Toyota truck is vibrating when it shifts in to second gear. Any ideas?

[@ray5961]

Is it manual or automatic?

[@134jaleel]

Try setting the driveshaft correctly

[@moejr14]

I have a 1992 2wd manual trans that grinds when every time into reverse and sometime into 1st, it also pops out of 1st sometimes at low speeds. Any tips?

[@joeychapman7406]

Replace the bushings

[@moejr14]

Joey Chapman what bushings?

[@joeychapman7406]

The shift lever bushings.

[@chechohermandez6848]

Mine sometimes won’t go in to gear when coming to a stop. I then have to pump the clutch a little for it to go into gear again. Anyone have a tip?

[@ray5961]

Usually if you have to pump multiple times, it's because the seal around either the clutch master and/or slave cylinders are starting to fail. They sell rebuild kits and/or you can just replace the entire unit. It could also be air in the lines. You might want to try bleeding both the master and slave cylinders and see if that improves any. If you aren't hearing any gear grinding noises, then usually it's related to the hydraulic system. I would also check to make sure the rod coming out of the slave cylinder (which is located the right side of the bell housing) is properly adjusted. You need a little slack in there (between the tip of the rod and the T/O bearing fork), but not anything crazy. Good luck and don't hesitate to post another comment if you are still having issues.

[@kisle3195]

Hey Ray what 75w-90 oil did you go with in the W55 transmission, the GL-4 or GL-5?

[@ray5961]

I'm running Motul 75W90 300 Gear oil on the differential and also the W58

[@kisle3195]

@@ray5961 Thank you, Motul is highly recommended too I see, Did you upgrade your trans to the W58?

[@ray5961]

@@kisle3195 Motul is very good. I run their RBF600 and also their 8100 x-clean EFE 5W30 oil with Lucas ZDDP added on the 22RE. Yeah the transmission turned out to be a W58 out of a '91 Toyota Supra - cast iron center plate too! Worth twice what I paid for the truck lol :-) If you're changing the oils, be sure to install magnetic drain plugs; you'd be surprised how much those pull out.

[@kisle3195]

@@ray5961 Thanks Ray just checked out your uploads and had to sub, I will be referencing your videos in the future.

[@ray5961]

@@kisle3195 awesome thanks!

[@deltasquared7777]

My bell housing was way far cruddier than yours. The absolute best solvent to remove caked oil from automotive parts is lacquer thinner (available by the gallon from Home Depot in the paint section.) Another way to remove caked oil is to use sodium percarbonate in very hot water( even boiling but the enormous amount of released hydrogen peroxide will boil/foam over so you must be extremely careful the first time you use this on a very small scale to become familiar with the reaction) . Sodium percarbonate is the active ingredient in Oxyclean, and if you search a bit is available in bulk at reasonable cost. This method will also remove caked grease from cookware and other metals.kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6urYYN7rbOYbbs . Sodium percarbonate is also a super great laundry detergent except for wool and silk (which dissolve, because they are protein fibers)

[@ray5961]

Thanks for the great info. I'll have to give that a try next time around when cleaning stuff.

[@deltasquared7777]

@@ray5961 Lacquer thinner effortlessly melts off grease (and burned on lacquer) with light brushing or wiping, with no need for scrubbing. Sodium percarbonate is eco-friendly, not dangerous, and non-toxic. It is useful for a jillion household things besides cleaning dirty engines.

[@ray5961]

@@deltasquared7777 Great info, thanks!

[@owenfalconer9398]

Can the w55 gearbox be bolted on the 4runner engine?

[@ray5961]

Depends on which 4Runner engine. If you are talking about a 4Runner with a 22RE, then probably yes. If you are talking about one with a V6, then I don't know off hand. If you are talking about the 2RZ, then I think the answer is yes, but I'm not sure if you need a slightly different bell housing. Usually searching via Google will turn up some pretty good answers; that's what I do. The Yotatech forum also often has many good answers.

[@owenfalconer9398]

Yes talking about the v6 one want to know if it can bolt up to the 22re gearbox

[@ray5961]

@@owenfalconer9398 What year 4Runner?

[@owenfalconer9398]

Think it's a 94 model

[@owenfalconer9398]

The trouble is I have a short bed like yours and number 3 bearings on the piston spin and damage two ti.e now the last time I had to get crank shaft polish and now it's the third time now so I was wondering to put the 4runner v6 in it if it can bolt on the 22re gear box