my son's 1989 toyota 4wd truck is not shifting well--doesnt move forward in 1st gear, 2nd works--pops out of 3rd gear--sometimes 4th works--5th gear works--reverse is awful--acts as if someone is stomping on & off the brake!! also when in nuetral sounds like some kind of spinning wheel is engaging--very loud. cant find dip stick to check fluid. 4wd is the kind you get out & turn the hubs--says it off---could it be clutch or is it transmission? truck has 240,000 miles had it aprox 6 yrs always been great--son knows even lesss than me tho about auto's---i check hois oil for him....mom

txgreasemonkey

The clutch and transmission are going. I'd drive it to Toyota, while you can, and have them check it out. It likely needs rebuilding/replacing.

kitch428

I've had more than a few of these where other shops were condemming the transmission and it turned out to be a simple fix.
The shifter bushings wear out. (esp with that milage) You need to remove the shifter and two parts are needed. This can be done from inside the vehicle.
If there's a console, it needs to come out. Under the carpet, 4 screws hold down a metal plate and shifter boot.
Once that is out, there's a spring loaded cup at the base of the shifter lever that needs to be pushed down and turned 1/4 way counter clockwise. That part can be tricky since it's a strong spring in there. A couple large flat blade screwdrivers have helped pushing down the cup.
Once the shift lever is out, (not the transfer lever) there's a nylon bushing at the ball end of the shifter. That needs to go.
One last important part. At the bottom of the shifter hole on top of the transmission, there's another bushing. It's shaped like a rubber cup. Yours is probably gone by now.
Try this before the trans get junked. You should be happy with the results.