I bought a 2004 Tacoma PreRunner a few weeks ago. I suddenly noticed that the gear shift on the floor seems to move quite a bit when in gear. It pulls back when I accelerate, forward during decceleration, and both forward and back when going over bumps. All in all, I'd say the top of the handle moves about 1 inch back and forth. Is this normal???
i wouldn't worry about it. how long is the shifer on the new trucks? in my '89 it's about 18" or so. the motion you're seeing is just tranny motion due to the tranfer of torque from the motor to the wheels. or from the wheels bouncing. if the gear shift is quite long, then a small rotation in the transmission will look quite large at the end of the shifter. in every 4wd i've driven the shifter moves. remember, the tranny is attached directly to the wheels through the driveshaft, the body attached through the suspension. so when the wheels move, the tranny has to move, and the body doesn't . so you'll definately see some motion. it's not as evident in cars because 1) they have smaller shifters, so you don't see quite the magnification of the movement and 2) the suspension travel is much less.
my 99 does the exact same thing, not to worry. it's made that way to reduce shock on the drivetrain. it's sort of like it "floats" as the dealer put it.
All PreRunners have that type of movement--it's design to eliminate shock during movement. Be happy, PreRunner's will last many years. I have one to, but an 03 model.
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