Toyota HiLux Gearbox & Transmission Problems

Swapping a five-speed gearbox into an older car or ute is a pretty well-trodden path, partly because it makes all sorts of sense. While older four-speed gearboxes generally have a fourth gear ratio of 1:1, a five-speed is will have an overdriven fifth gear which makes for more relaxed highway-speed driving and, potentially, a fuel saving as the engine won’t be working as hard or turning as fast.

The Toyota 2Y engine is, I believe, a more or less bolt-up fitment to the 2Y engine in your vehicle. Commonly found in early, rear-drive Celicas, the W50 is definitely strong enough for your application since the 2Y engine in your car probably struggles to make its full 58kW these days. The only catch you might run into is that if you’re running bigger wheels and tyres or your regularly tow a trailer or the vehicle is way down on power, the engine might struggle to pull that taller gearing. At best you might find yourself shifting back and forth pretty regularly in hilly country or when encountering a headwind. But if you do go through with the swap, you’ll find that the W50 has a fifth gear ratio of 0.853:1 which should reduce your engine speed for the same road speed by about 15 per cent.

Beyond the Toyota E50 gearbox, there’s really no limit to what you can fit if you have the time and money to have the engineering sorted out. That said, anything beefier than the W50 is almost certainly overkill.

Toyota spokesman, Stephen Coughlan, says the lack of an automatic is a result of overwhelming global demand for manuals in the Extra Cab models. "There is no plan at this time for an automatic but we will continue to monitor customer demand in Australia," he says.

There's no problem in using fifth gear on the flat, but you also have to be aware of the terrain and change down when facing an incline. Leaving it in fifth will stress the gearbox and could lead to the sort of failure you have experienced.

There appears to have been little or no warning, which is odd. If it were short of oil I would have expected it to become noisy or hot before it gave up the ghost completely. On most gearboxes you can check the oil level, that's the best way to tell if you've got a problem.

I would expect the new clutch to take up within a short distance from the floor and once it has there is no “feel” as such. It sounds normal to me.

It does sound like you have copped a lemon. Go back to the dealer and ask for a meeting to discuss your problems, and ask for a Toyota rep to inspect your car and give you a report on what they are going to do about it. The good thing is that the fact that the warranty has expired doesn’t mean a thing if the vehicle Toyota has sold you is unfit for purpose, and it sounds on the surface as if that is the case. If the approach to Toyota through the dealer fails to arrive a satisfactory resolution consider approaching the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on 1300 302 502 and enlisting their help.

Under the Australian Consumer Law introduced in January 2011, a consumer can request a refund or a replacement for persistent problems if the car doesn’t do the job it’s supposed to do.

Good advice for anyone suffering the same problem with the Hilux auto. Take it back to the dealer and have the ECU updated, Toyota has obviously found a fix for the problem, and as we have often advised fitting a transmission oil cooler is a wise move if you're doing a lot of towing.

It's something other owners could think about, but it seems to defeat the purpose of buying an auto transmission.

There is nothing to suggest there is a problem with the Triton, but it’s worth checking the owner’s manual to familiarize yourself with any recommendations Mitsubishi makes about towing with the Triton. That way you will minimize the risks of having a problem.

We have passed a number of these reports on to Toyota for their response and last week we received this comment from a Toyota spokesman: "Toyota acknowledges owners comments regarding the ATM light illuminating when towing heavy loads. We are currently investigating the issue. However, we wish to advise, the ATM light only indicates high oil temperature. Owners who experience this condition should follow the 'Owners Manual' instruction, as well as ensuring airflow to the radiator is not blocked."