GR86 Shifter rattle

Jayware33

Jayware33

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TLDR: the issue that plagued the GT86 for some is back on the GR86 and I heard it a couple of days ago in mine.

There was an audible shifter rattle on all 3 of my GT86’s at higher RPM, some worse than others. Every other one I driven had it to some degree, to me, they all had it. It may well be I had tuned into it so much. The last one I heard could be heard over the stereo at loud volume. I was went to extreme lengths to diagnose and fix this over many months and have tried every possible fix there is on this subject including a complaint to Toyota Europe who did come back with insight but essentially said they don’t want to fix it as it would interfere with shift feel. The detail this is here: https://www.gt86ownersclub.co.uk/threads/p-xy-gear-lever-rattle.13107/page-4

I stupidly thought the GR86 would be different, but then again has what appears to be the same transmission and linkage. I thought I could live with it, or there be a fix somewhere or in time and stuck with the platform.

A couple nights ago - I was in 2nd gear at around 2-3k rpm and there it was … that sound … I knew it immediately. It’s a metallic rattle that originates from the shifter, like bottle caps rattling around. This time it appears to be lower down the rev range but it’s the same sound. On my last GT86’s, whatever it was ended up getting worse over it’s too. It’s going to ruin the ownership experience for me sadly. Luckily I’m still within my 14 days and under 250 miles. I do feel that strongly about it and instantly didn’t want the car - sent cancellation request for a full refund. 😞
 
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Adding a rubber o-ring to the shifter washer sorted the issue for my GT86 (same thread you posted). With the GR, I have think I've heard it a few times and was prepared to deploy the same fix. But it seems to have gone away again. It was about annoying, but really worth rejecting the car over?
 
Conscript said:
Adding a rubber o-ring to the shifter washer sorted the issue for my GT86 (same thread you posted). With the GR, I have think I've heard it a few times and was prepared to deploy the same fix. But it seems to have gone away again. It was about annoying, but really worth rejecting the car over?
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Because I know how much it annoyed me and in my case, no currently available fix would prevent it from happening - the concern of keeping the car end being in the annoying situation is too much. Mine got to the stage in my blue edition 86 it was unbearable and was all I can hear and the dealer could try anything else to make it go away. I’d hate to think I’ve emptied my savings to have a car that could end up driving me insane and would really ruin it for me. Had it been a simple washer fix I could see past it, but that was never the fix in any of my previous cars. I even had the shifter assembly out and taken up the tolerance at the bottom of the lock out collar with Teflon tape to no avail (made it worse). Knowing I could still hear it and it was present was all I tuned into every journey. There is a risk of it getting worse, like it did in my previous cars and don’t want to be stuck with it again.
 
Electric Blue said:
I think we'll have to agree to disagree there!
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What’s your curative solution here?

You said the problem is curable, but it wasn’t, at least not in my experience. Of all the efforts I tried and Toyota tried over many months, we never fixed it. Two other cars i owned had the same problem to a similar extent. Therefore the problem was not curable in my case and there is an understandable concern that it may not be here too. It bothered me on such a level I sold the car. There are signs it’s back in my GR86 and I don’t want to tolerate that.

EDIT: in my link, there was a reply from Toyota saying they knew it existed but wouldn’t offer a solution for a couple of reasons. This is not curable with any current fixes I’ve tried.
 
A shame such a simple thing can't be resolved. The o-ring fix worked for me, never heard the noise again and sold it three years on. I've even actually bought some more o-rings anticipating doing the same thing with the GR, but as I said the noise seems to have gone again now.
 
Conscript said:
A shame such a simple thing can't be resolved. The o-ring fix worked for me, never heard the noise again and sold it three years on. I've even actually bought some more o-rings anticipating doing the same thing with the GR, but as I said the noise seems to have gone again now.
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Hopefully it remains gone most of the time for you. It’s definitely one of those things where some people can ignore it to such a degree it doesn’t cause them to ruminate over it and ruin the experience. I’m not in that camp sadly and can get OCD about things, the compulsion part in this case is to not have the car 😄.

Tbh, I haven’t pulled it all apart again to compare the GR with the GT but imagine it to be largely similar. MX-5 was my other option before all of this and really enjoyed that car too so may well end up with one of those instead.
 
Hmmm are you sure it's the same thing?. I was under the impression the GR86 shifter was a complete redesign. No mention of the rattle on the US forums.
 
ZN8 said:
Hmmm are you sure it's the same thing?. I was under the impression the GR86 shifter was a complete redesign. No mention of the rattle on the US forums.
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To me it sounds the same issue, albeit a quieter version (at least just now). There a YouTube video of someone experiencing it. It’s difficult to pick-up from the video but have seen some threads in the US stating this issue.

www.gr86.org

Just took delivery & significant rattle from shifter...

www.gr86.org www.gr86.org
 
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And another US chap who went to similar lengths to me last time (as much of the shifter assembly out as possible) and still had rattles. This thread is on a short shifter (but then goes into installed stock again and working with the dealer but to no solution). It also gradually got worse over time which is my concern.

Fairly set on handing it back now as this sounds like the nightmare I had last time. https://www.gr86.org/threads/anyone-resolve-rattling-billetworkz-short-shifter.3954/page-4
 
As ZN8 said the rattle doesn't seem to be widespread.

Regardless, it doesn't seem like you've had much luck with the car and if you're in a position to return it for a refund that's probably the best option.
 
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Vithar said:
As ZN8 the rattle doesn't seem to be widespread.

Regardless, it doesn't seem like you've had much luck with the car and if you're in a position to return it for a refund that's probably the best option.
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Yeh, that’s what I’m going to do. Will await confirmation tomorrow - really annoyed as enjoy the car otherwise.
 
Having slept on this - I feel there is more going on than just this rattle. My job situation isn’t great right now, on the receiving end of some workplace bullying and I’m a new dad, I’m finding it really tough. My head feels like a storm cloud right now. The timing and delivery of this was the worst time possible. I think I tuned into that rattle and blew it up as a way to get out of the car. In a way, I feel the car traps me into a job I’m finding tough and part of me would rather leave or take a career break, but that’s hard to do having sunk my savings into this. If I could have pushed this out 6 months I would have. The difficult thing is the car does make me smile when I drive and I desperately need that. I suppose I could find that in other things but that’s lifting the lid on this subject a little more.
 
ZN8 said:
Hmmm are you sure it's the same thing?. I was under the impression the GR86 shifter was a complete redesign. No mention of the rattle on the US forums.
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Bit of a thread bump, but I was thinking about this last week, as I did hear the shifter buzz a bit while I was driving. However unlike in the GT, where you could recreate it just by getting up to about 5K RPM, in the GR, I can only hear it in certain gears at high revs, and not consistently.

I had actually bought some rubber o-rings, as I was just going to deploy the same fix as I did with the GT if it got too annoying. Tbh, I hadn't bothered as it wasn't as noticeable, and I remember the same thing @ZN8 said above, that the design has changed. But then I was watching a video about short shifter install in another thread, and here it shows the bottom of the shifter linkage in more detail:



From about 4:42 onwards, it shows the shifter linkage, and to me it looks exactly the bloody same as in the GT....shaft goes through the bottom of the shifter rod and is secured with a single metal washer and a securing pin. It was this that caused the rattle before and adding a rubber o-ring behind the washer cured it.

1704277455707.webp


Looking at the rest of the video for the short shifter install, it shows how to remove the centre console so it should be possible to access this linkage from above, as I did with the old car. Thinking maybe when the weather warms up and I have a couple of hours spare, I might investigate this and stick an o-ring on that linkage for good measure anyway.
 
Jayware33 said:
Having slept on this - I feel there is more going on than just this rattle. My job situation isn’t great right now, on the receiving end of some workplace bullying and I’m a new dad, I’m finding it really tough. My head feels like a storm cloud right now. The timing and delivery of this was the worst time possible. I think I tuned into that rattle and blew it up as a way to get out of the car. In a way, I feel the car traps me into a job I’m finding tough and part of me would rather leave or take a career break, but that’s hard to do having sunk my savings into this. If I could have pushed this out 6 months I would have. The difficult thing is the car does make me smile when I drive and I desperately need that. I suppose I could find that in other things but that’s lifting the lid on this subject a little more.
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Just saw this comment. Whatever is happening I hope you've been able to highlight the workplace bullying as that is in no way acceptable. Simple science, a happy workforce is a productive one and no-one should feel psychologically unsafe in the workplace. Don't accept it, life is too short and chronic stress is the one of the biggest killers. Hope things are better a few months on. Nappies notwithstanding.
 
Do you happen to hear around 2,500 rpm? Usually, you hear it in second, third, and fifth gear, and when you press the transmission in the direction of the gear, the sound stops. And I think I finally found the cause! I removed the shift, removed the white plastic that wrapped around the ball in the middle, and assembled it with a lot of silicone grease inside and outside of the plastic, and the sound stopped! It's only been a day, but.. I think it's because there's a minute gap between the plastic and the wall that touches it.
 
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I have the trd ss and indeed now have a shifter rattle. It's a shame because I really like the shift action.
I can confirm that by pulling the gear lever in direction of the gear does remove the rattle.
However, I am not 100% clear on the fix suggested here. If someone can explain it to me like a I am complete mechanical noob, would be appreciated.
 
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