Transmission
Manual Transmission Tech Notes by Jim King/Dave Reisner
Facts:
82-85 Supras with 5 speed manual transmissions used the
W58 model. These were manufactured by Asian-Warner. It's a
great manual transmission, and commonly used in non-Toyota transplants
(Jaguars, Volvos)
The only real problem with the transmission is 2nd gear. Higher
mileage W58's have a tendency to 'catch' 2nd gear. Fast shifting
between 1st and 2nd might will sound like a minor grind. This is
a design issue with the 2nd gear setup. Other than having
the transmission rebuilt, many have found the Redline
Manual Transmission Oil to work wonders with a higher mileage W58.
Tech Article:
Excellent W58 step by step removal/teardown article. Click here
Other W58's:
The W58 model is used on many Toyotas. This includes 82-85 Celicas,
81-84 Cressidas, 86-92 non-Turbo MK3's, early Lexus SC300's, and possibly
a few others.
Other than the 82-85 Celicas, the other models listed using the W58's
have a different shifter position. The factory did this by changing the
internal shift lever housing and the shifter retainer (mounts on top of
transmission). These two items need to be swapped to retain original shifter
position.
Advice from a transmission conversion shop
that deals uses Toyota manual transmissions indicated that 350hp flywheel
horsepower was the W58's limit. Beyond that, it was a matter of driving
style and time.
In late 1992, the W58 received a new input shaft. This is considered stronger
than all previous versions.
As for internal differences, the part numbers change over the years for
the same part 'named' part. Meaning that a 1993 part might not work as
a replacement for a 1985 W58.
Converting a 93+ W58 for direct fit into
a MK2
There are at least two significant parts that are different. The tail
housing and the shifter bracket (where the shifter fits into).
R154 from a 87-92 MK3 Turbo
It's been done, but no specific details on what needs to be done. Some
modifications of the transmission tunnel may be required (the bell housing
is longer on the R154) and the shifter will be located about 2" back
from the stock MK2.
Dimensionally, they are slightly different.
