Topic: G52 metal shavings

[Lewis Hein]

Hey everyone,

I  finally got around to changing the transmission fluid in my pickup only to discover that the G52 has been filled with motor oil for the past >20000 miles. I know I shoulda changed it when I got the thing, but I was busy and broke. Now I have a 1/8" or 3/16" cap of metal shavings on the drain plug.



How much more than normal is this for a fluid change? How many more miles do the experienced people give this transmission?

[Lewis Hein [OP]]

Also worth adding: I know the G52 transmission is not loved among rock crawler folks. That said I run stock sized tires and do mostly commuting and hauling/pulling/two-track wheeling/driving chained up through deep, packed snow, so maybe less stress than most of you guys?

[Toybrota]

How many miles on it? My original G52 lasted 330K miles...

Any hauling of any kind on a G52 is not a good idea, at least that's what I've heard. Also, full throttle in 5th supposedly is bad. So I've heard.
I mean, does it shift good still? My secondary shaft bearing grenaded on mine.

Also worth adding: I know the G52 transmission is not loved among rock crawler folks. That said I run stock sized tires and do mostly commuting and hauling/pulling/two-track wheeling/driving chained up through deep, packed snow, so maybe less stress than most of you guys?

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[Gnarly4X]

Also worth adding: I know the G52 transmission is not loved among rock crawler folks. That said I run stock sized tires and do mostly commuting and hauling/pulling/two-track wheeling/driving chained up through deep, packed snow, so maybe less stress than most of you guys?

That amount of metal on the magnetic plug may not be abnormal under certain driving conditions. Unless you have issues with noise or shifting, put in some Mobil 1 synthetic gear oil and drive it 20,000 miles.

Gnarls.

[Lewis Hein [OP]]

How many miles on it? My original G52 lasted 330K miles...

Any hauling of any kind on a G52 is not a good idea, at least that's what I've heard. Also, full throttle in 5th supposedly is bad. So I've heard.
I mean, does it shift good still? My secondary shaft bearing grenaded on mine.
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IF towing miles are counted it probably has 230K on it. Shifts OK, except it's been acting like the synchros are not totally doing their job. (Probably something to do with having motor oil instead of transmission fluid inside)

[Toybrota]

Stop towing with it. My other 85' 4x4, had a transmission failure at 230K and they towed with it a bunch. These transmissions aren't meant to tow.
Try redline MT-90, it's supposed to make theses transmissions shift less notchy.

IF towing miles are counted it probably has 230K on it. Shifts OK, except it's been acting like the synchros are not totally doing their job. (Probably something to do with having motor oil instead of transmission fluid inside)

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[300k]

There's probably more paste in there that the magnet isn't strong enough to hold, I'd run some garbage parts store gl4 in there before i put any good oil in there and run it for 20k.

[Lewis Hein [OP]]

Sorry, I should have been more clear: the towing miles are ones where this vehicle was towed by another, not when it was towing something.

[300k]

Oh, gross. Hope the rear drive shaft was removed.

[Toybrota]

Ahh okay. Shouldn't be too bad then.

Sorry, I should have been more clear: the towing miles are ones where this vehicle was towed by another, not when it was towing something.

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[Lewis Hein [OP]]

Oh, gross. Hope the rear drive shaft was removed.

I hope. However, given that somebody broke the HAC and left the lines loose, set the valves to zero lash. put motor oil in the transmission, and used a grease zerk in place of a brake bleeder, I kiiiinda doubt it.

[Gnarly4X]

Stop towing with it. My other 85' 4x4, had a transmission failure at 230K and they towed with it a bunch. These transmissions aren't meant to tow.
Try redline MT-90, it's supposed to make theses transmissions shift less notchy.
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A transmission failure at 230K miles... So if an average miles per year is 20k, in 11 years of driving the vehicle your transmission failed.  What failed?

In 20+ years of owning, wheeling, and actively being involved in the early Toyota trucks community, I have not heard or read about transmission failures because of towing something.  I doubt that the Toyota engineers would spec the towing capacity on these early trucks at 2500 and 3500 lbs (that means you could tow a 20 foot pontoon boat including the weight of the trailer) if there was a known issue with premature transmission failures.

Towing with a standard transmission equipped vehicle, the clutch disc would probably be the common potential failure and wear factor.

Obviously if you are towing something every day, like a commercial use vehicle, the potential failure is greater.  If you are towing something like travel trailer or a boat a half dozen times a year, I can’t imagine how that would cause a premature transmission failure.  Like engine failures, it would be mostly attributed to neglect or abuse.

Gnarls.

[Toybrota]

A transmission failure at 230K miles... So if an average miles per year is 20k, in 11 years of driving the vehicle your transmission failed.  What failed?

In 20+ years of owning, wheeling, and actively being involved in the early Toyota trucks community, I have not heard or read about transmission failures because of towing something.  I doubt that the Toyota engineers would spec the towing capacity on these early trucks at 2500 and 3500 lbs (that means you could tow a 20 foot pontoon boat including the weight of the trailer) if there was a known issue with premature transmission failures.

Towing with a standard transmission equipped vehicle, the clutch disc would probably be the common potential failure and wear factor.

Obviously if you are towing something every day, like a commercial use vehicle, the potential failure is greater.  If you are towing something like travel trailer or a boat a half dozen times a year, I can’t imagine how that would cause a premature transmission failure.  Like engine failures, it would be mostly attributed to neglect or abuse.

Gnarls.

I'm simply giving my experiences with the G52, everyone that I've met that has had one, has had one fail. One guy was towing a trailer of Cannabis in California, and his blew out on the freeway.
I went around a corner and mine just grenaded the bearing and destroyed itself.
The new truck I got had it replaced, I speculate it was due to towing, since they did a bunch with it. These transmissions in these trucks are pretty burly, with the exception of the G series.

What I've learnt to pro-long the life is:

Don't tow with it
Don't do full throttle in 5th gear
Replace the secondary shaft bearing.

Best thing? Get a W56.

Before my transmission went out, it got exceedingly loud. Especially in neutral. Next day, it was gone in all gears. 

Since the secondary shaft bearing is the first thing to go on these, replace it. Marlin installs oversized bearings on their have duty unit I believe.
But if it doesn't make noise in neutral, and it shifts good, I would say you are fine. Drive it till it goes.

I was lucky to find a G52 on eBay for $500.
Infact, there's a Marlin built L52 HD on sale in my local classifieds for $75, with the Transfercase.





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[jmac80]

I'm w/ Toybrota.....drive it until it  and get a w56.

w56 on ebay for $550 bucks w/ $300 bid.........you should probably just go the salvage yard if you want a w56, most will give you a month warranty on a tranny.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/toyota-w56-manual-transmission-from-85-89-4x4-vehicle-with-22re/132819832647?hash=item1eecadcf47:g:PowAAOSwAfVbw5KV:rk:5:pf:0

[Gnarly4X]

I'm simply giving my experiences with the G52, everyone that I've met that has had one, has had one fail. ... These transmissions in these trucks are pretty burly, with the exception of the G series.

Hey T,

Yeah.. I'm not doubting your experiences or the experiences of others.  But.... if you take 5 minutes and go through every post in this section, how many G series transmission posts do you find?  Since this forum is arguably THE most frequented and knowledgeable site on Toyota transmissions on the net, I would think we'd see lots of threads on failures or other quality/design issues.

I'm a long way from any kind of expert on the various Toy transmissions, so it would be very interesting to get Marlin Crawler's input and expertise on this question .....

Compared to any other Toyota transmission series, does the G series Toyota transmission have a history of premature failure - due to towing or otherwise?

Let's read about!!!! 

Gnarls.

[Gnarly4X]

How many miles on it? My original G52 lasted 330K miles...

In my experience, any transmission that "lasted 330K miles" (about 16.5 years) would be an exceptionally good transmission!! --- towed or not towed!!!

Gnarls.

[Gnarly4X]

...  My other 85' 4x4, had a transmission failure at 230K and they towed with it a bunch...

Again, 230K miles (11+ years if 20K miles is an average) on any transmission I would consider an exceptionally high quality transmission.

By the way, my 1985 Shortbed with a W56 5-speed didn't make to 200,000 miles and the truck when I bought it was in incredibly good condition and very well maintained by previous owners.

Toybrota, if your profile is accurate, your age is showing 19 years.  If Utah's age to get a driver's license is 16, you have only been driving for about 3 years.  It appears that you have been buying and driving very old Toy trucks with high miles.  I assume from your posts that you are very familiar with the history of the trucks your are referring to?  I don't doubt your experiences, but transmissions that go for 11 to 16 years I would consider outstanding quality transmissions. 

Is my thinking all wrong?

Gnarls. 

[Toybrota]

I purchased my XtraCab December 15th of 2015.
With 315K miles on it.
It now has 347K on it. That's 32K miles in less than 3 years. The original transmission in my 85' XtraCab lasted until 330K, I know the name and where the original owner of this truck lived. (Purchased in Washington)
The transmission since day one, had a slight noise in neutral. 15K later, it blew. I completely disassembled the transmission when it happened and assessed that it was due to the secondary shaft bearing coming completely apart.
This is a common thing with the G52, The Toyota G54 has a larger input shaft bearing and I believe stronger gears with different forks.
BigMike has called the G52 the weakest transmission ever put in these trucks.

My 85' Singlecab, which I purchased a month ago.
(Anyone remember the thread "How much should I pay for this Toyota"?)
It has 230K, and had the transmission replaced somewhere in it's life. The truck has a heavy duty tow bumper installed, they took it to a fab shop and had further supports installed on the bumper.
Who would do that for any reason other than Towing?
Makes sense that the transmission blew.
Clearly the G52 is not the preferred transmission put in these trucks. But it's not bad for a stock ride like Lewis's.

I run my XtraCab with 31's and stock gearing on my G52. My truck will soon have 37's and 5.39's.
My Singlecab will never see anything over the stock tire size.

If I was Lewis, I'd fill it up with a high-quality gear oil such as Redline MT-90. I'd get double magnetic drain plugs and just observe the fluid over time.
At the same time, replace your shift seats with the Marlin seat as they are super nice.

Again, 230K miles (11+ years if 20K miles is an average) on any transmission I would consider an exceptionally high quality transmission.

By the way, my 1985 Shortbed with a W56 5-speed didn't make to 200,000 miles and the truck when I bought it was in incredibly good condition and very well maintained by previous owners.

Toybrota, if your profile is accurate, your age is showing 19 years.  If Utah's age to get a driver's license is 16, you have only been driving for about 3 years.  It appears that you have been buying and driving very old Toy trucks with high miles.  I assume from your posts that you are very familiar with the history of the trucks your are referring to?  I don't doubt your experiences, but transmissions that go for 11 to 16 years I would consider outstanding quality transmissions. 

Is my thinking all wrong?

Gnarls. 

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[Lewis Hein [OP]]

Thought this was worth linking
http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=11245.msg115501#msg115501

[300k]

Yes, I like this part :

"Marlin's personal opinion on Transmission Strength Comparison:
G52 is 0% stronger than a L52.
G54 is 20% stronger than a G52.
W56 is 40% stronger than a G54.
R15# is 100% stronger than a W56."