1988 4Runner T-Case and Manual Transmission Info (1 Viewer)

[MTsoul]

HAPPY NEW YEAR! So, I was hoping the kind folks on here could maybe help shed some light on what hardware my 1988 4runner currently has.

I was poking around under my 4runner, cause why not, and noticed I have the chain driven t-case (I believe) vs the desired gear driven. I can see I have the 5 bolt rear output vs the 7 bolt. It is nice that I have my 89 pickup to compare against. Supposedly, both my runner and PU should have the W56 transmission (and both 22re, manual), according to the vin plates. Yet they look different with both the t-case and tranny. SOOOOO, now I am wondering what transmission I have in the runner.

It was my understanding that the chain driven t-cases only came with the V6 or Automatics from this era. So, sometime in the last 30+ years, maybe both the trans and t-case were swapped out for some reason?

Here are pictures of my 4runner compared to my pickup, looking at the rear output of the t-case (from the rear looking forward, 4runner first and pickup second):

Reference from Marlin Crawler's site:

Looking at the trannys, they are similar, but still appear a little different. It seems as if the bell housing casting is slightly smaller? Sorry my pictures suck, but I took these quickly. Next pictures are looking from the passenger side (can see the clutch slave cylinders in each, the 4runner is first and pickup second). There is an electrical plug on the 4runner, left side of pic, that I am naive about and is different.

Please let me know if you have any thoughts on either the t-case or tranny I have (in the 4runner). This will help me with some near term projects...(dual t-case ).

Much appreciated!

 

[ttFJC]

 

[Bowser]

Looks more like a R150F with chain drive case. From V6 trucks same vintage.
sensor on the side is reverse signal.

 

[MTsoul]

Thanks @Bowser! I wondered about that and thought the R150F only came with top shift t-case. Mine looks to be forward s*** into the tranny (but is that something that could have been changed or retrofitted). It was a little hard to see up in there tho, and I should take another look.

It it is a R150F that might be nice. Meant to handle more power from V6, and they do have a 23 spline output vs the 21 from non turboed 4cyl.

Are there any specific markings that would help me confirm it is a R150F, or otherwise?

Thanks, again.

 

[Bowser]

I’ll have to think on it for a minute. I scrapped most all my 22re and 3.0 stuff years ago. Scrapped a 93 4Runner a few weeks ago that had one. But I only pulled the shifters and front arb bumper/winch before scrapping the truck.
I may have one or two older R150Fs in a pile just have to check. I know I’ve got several newer Tacoma R150F I can look at more quickly.
I’ve got a 88 4Runner I bought in 1999. It’s been at a spot in bend since 2017. Im going to bring it back to MT in March or April. Next time I’m there. But was the first 22RE I swapped in a 3.4. R151F. Geardrive 23spline case. 80 axles. Coil spring up front. Etc. I built it 2008-10 ish. Can’t remember exactly. Regardless I’ll be glad to have it back in MT. Maybe will use it more than once a year.

In 2016 the club had a spot in the mall it was at for a month.

 

[MTsoul]

Wow, your '88 looks well built, great setup. I am glad you shared the pics, and now I am just excited for the opportunity to see in in person once its back in MT. Like many older vehicles, these seem to get harder and harder to find, let alone in decent shape. I appreciate how you setup the suspension. I am going with leafs for my SAS and it is going to be interesting to keep it as low as possible. I am not a fan of huge 5+ lift kits out there, way too tall. Yours has the right natural stance.

And no major hurry on looking at your "pile" , and I greatly appreciate any effort to look into this for me.

 

[MTsoul]

Any maybe folks like @thetoyotaman and @Saul Abel have some recent experience with 80's yota mini trucks (but likely 20/22r) that can provide some insight. Or Heck, I hope @JohnnyOshow22 and family are doing well! Johnny, you have some wisdom on tranny identification on late 80's yota trannys? How is your 1st gen running?

Either way, y'all rock!

 

[thetoyotaman]

We're rebuilding the '82 mini L52 that broke the input shaft bearing last summer. All I can say is that anything newer than the old cast iron case and you are ahead. I can try to take a pic of the one we have in the 87 4Runner. I may have missed it but what engine is in your 4Runner?

 

[MTsoul]

Cool! I have the 22RE.

 

[thetoyotaman]

By the way Chris, some of the info out there online on these old trucks isn't exactly perfect. Supposedly the L52 didn't come out until '83 on some guides but several had ID it in 81s and 82s. There is some mix and match through the years from what I can tell especially in the G and W series. Not an exact science but my observation.

 

[MTsoul]

Oh, that is great insight. I will now take some of the info with a grain of salt (and I was looking at a lot of charts over the past few days, places like Marlin Crawler/etc., to better understand the landscape, so good to know). Plus, I will fully admit that my experience and exposure is limited. That this is going to be an awesome project/vehicle for me to learn a lot on!

 

[ttFJC]

I’ll have to think on it for a minute. I scrapped most all my 22re and 3.0 stuff years ago. Scrapped a 93 4Runner a few weeks ago that had one. But I only pulled the shifters and front arb bumper/winch before scrapping the truck.
I may have one or two older R150Fs in a pile just have to check. I know I’ve got several newer Tacoma R150F I can look at more quickly.
I’ve got a 88 4Runner I bought in 1999. It’s been at a spot in bend since 2017. Im going to bring it back to MT in March or April. Next time I’m there. But was the first 22RE I swapped in a 3.4. R151F. Geardrive 23spline case. 80 axles. Coil spring up front. Etc. I built it 2008-10 ish. Can’t remember exactly. Regardless I’ll be glad to have it back in MT. Maybe will use it more than once a year. View attachment 3523434
In 2016 the club had a spot in the mall it was at for a month.
View attachment 3523436

We as a club need to make this a thing again because the is goals for the LX.

 

[MTsoul]

So, are you saying you want to do some mall crawling with the LX???

 

[AirheadNut]

Neither of those transmissions are an R150 or R151. The R series transmissions have three detent plugs on the RH side of the intermediate plate rather than two, and the transmission case has a more pronounced flange around the mating surface with the bell housing. There are four similarly sized horizontal webs with numerous small round bosses cast into them (probably the remains of a sprue or vent from the casting process) and the reverse light switch is present on the RH side as well.

Also note the drain plug on the lower, RH rear corner of the transmission case.

Your upper photo (4Runner) appears to be a G52 (reference photo stolen from the internet). Note the 2 detent plugs and reverse light switch on the RH side, three large and one small horizontal web on the case, large boss in the second from top web.

Your lower photo (pickup) looks like a W56 to me (photo stolen from the internet). No detent plugs on RH side of intermediate plate, three horizontal webs on the case instead of four, two distinct round bosses cast into the middle web, no reverse light switch on RH side.

 

[ttFJC]

not to hijack the thread or distract but im looking for 4.88s for a 8 inch toyota rear third member for the gamblr trok if anyone had one laying around or knows where to find one

 

[thetoyotaman]

Oh, that is great insight. I will now take some of the info with a grain of salt (and I was looking at a lot of charts over the past few days, places like Marlin Crawler/etc., to better understand the landscape, so good to know). Plus, I will fully admit that my experience and exposure is limited. That this is going to be an awesome project/vehicle for me to learn a lot on!

I'm also not so sure because there were so many input shaft bearing failures when these trucks came out in the 80's hence why the R series and W series trannies are considered more desirable today that Toyota wasn't replacing them with an upgraded model under warranty in a similar family such as an L50 with an L52 or possibly a G52 with another G variant. When you look at VIN tags you will see some tranny numbers you don't really read about online. I don't recall exactly what they are but it was something like G53 versus seeing online only G52's and 54s. This might apply to the W family too. My dad had bought an '82 new from the factory and brought it in one day to ask about how hot the tranny lever was getting even though there wasn't any noise or problem and Toyota automatically replaced it under warranty. The problems were already coming out then. I don't think Toyota was prepared for how the US market was going to customize (80's slang lol) these trucks back then with bigger tires, toppers, weight, and towing. They may have not anticipated even how highway speeds changed from 55 to 70+ and how that would effect the tranny where in most of the rest of the world they were poking down an unpaved road where the tranny's probably held up fine. The main killer of these tranny's is lugging them especially in 5th gear. They seem to like conventional oil too especially the older they get.

 

[thetoyotaman]

Here’s that oddball pic of the turbo automatic

 

[MTsoul]

Great eye for detail, @AirheadNut! I can continue with this detail and take a finer look at what I have. You are definitely onto something!

And thanks @thetoyotaman for the picture of that oddball t-case. At least I can rule that one out, haha.

 

[JohnnyOshow22]

Hey Chris, sorry I hadn't seen this as it's been a minute since I was logged into this account. Here is a good reference sheet Possibly a W58? Transmission Gear Ratio Chart | Marlin Crawler, Inc. - https://www.marlincrawler.com/tech/transmission/transmission-gear-ratio-chart

Post your drivers door tag if you don't mind if it's still there

 

[MTsoul]

Hey Johnny, its great to hear from ya! Thanks for the link to Marlin's site. He/they have great info on this stuff (I have been thinking of giving them a call even...but haven't yet). Its interesting that you say it could be the W58. I feel confident I have a chain drive T-Case. However, I am leaning hard into info Dane provided in this chain. I spent a little more time looking under the 4runner this weekend, and the tranny does look the same as the third picture he provide that should be a G52 (except the one pictured looks to have a dual case...which is ultimately what i am going for and what started my investigation). I did my best with using a small mirror and even feeling around to help compare as much features/geometry as I could. And that pic of a G52 looks the same....but I don't know all the difference with the G52 vs W58. And I have a forward shift T-Case.
My 4unner (unlike my pickup) has two vin plates/tabs. The one in the engine bay has the codes for the transmission, while the door tag has tire/weight/vin. The engine bay tag says I should have a W56 in this vehicle, but it seems clear it is not.
Here is the pic from in the engine bay:

I don't want to completely tear things a part to see other items, but a next potential easy approach is to see wheel revolutions vs final drive out put. It wont be easy to see with great accuracy with this, but it may help rule out the larger differences (say a first gear ratio of 3.285 vs 3.928, but I might struggle to measure the difference between ratios that are closer like 3.954 vs 3.928).

Otherwise, previous owner painted my rig green (i do like it even tho it is a crap job) but the rig is clearly originally Dark Blue Metallic with color code 8D7 .