Diagnostics of faults in manual transmission [Toyota RAV4 XA20]

Knocking noises at low speeds

• Severe wear of the CV joints of the drive shafts (chapter 8).

Noise most audible when turning

• Noise in the differential mechanism (chapter 8)*.

Clunking noise when accelerating or braking

• Engine or gearbox mounts are worn or loose (chapter 2 or 7A).
• Wear of the drive pinion shaft in the manual transmission housing.*
• The inner CV joints of the drive shafts are worn or damaged (chapter 8).

Vibration

• Wear of wheel bearings (chapter 10).
• The drive shaft is damaged (chapter 8).
• Abnormal tire wear ("Weekly checks").
• Wheel imbalance (chapters 1A or 1B and 10).
• Severe wear of the CV joints of the drive shafts (chapter 8).

[The material is republished from an online website ToyotaMan.ru]

Noise in neutral with the engine running

• Input shaft bearing wear (chapter 7A).*
• Wear of the clutch release bearing (chapter 8).

Noise when working in one of the gears

• Wear or damage to constant mesh gears (chapter 7A).*
• Worn or damaged synchronizers (chapter 7A).*
• The reverse gear engagement fork is bent (chapter 7A).*
• The fourth gear pinion or output gear is damaged (chapter 7A).*
• The reverse intermediate gear or its bushing is damaged or worn (chapter 7A).*

Noise when operating in all gears

• Low oil level in manual transmission (chapter 7A).
• Bearings are damaged or worn out (chapter 7A).*
• The input and/or output shaft of the manual transmission is damaged or worn (chapter 7A).*

Spontaneous gear shifting

• Wear or improper adjustment of the gear shift mechanism (chapter 7A).
• The manual transmission mount to the engine is loose (chapter 7A).
• The gear shift mechanism works with sticking (chapter 7A).
• Input shaft bearing retainer is loose or broken (chapter 7A).*
• Wear of gear shift forks (chapter 7A).*

Oil leaks

• Oil leakage through the drive shaft seals (chapter 7A).
• Oil overflow (chapters 1A or 1B and 7A).
• Input shaft bearing retainer is loose or broken (chapter 7A).*
• Input shaft bearing retainer seal and/or bearing seal is damaged (chapter 7A).*
• Oil leak through the gearshift rod seal (chapter 7A).
• Oil leak through the O-ring of the vehicle speed sensor (chapter 7A).

Difficulty shifting gears

• The gear shift cables are worn out (chapter 7A).

*While troubleshooting these problems is beyond the capabilities of the average car owner, the information provided should help identify the causes of these problems so that the owner can communicate knowledgeably with a professional mechanic.