Is there a transmission doctor in the house?

[JJW]

I can't remember, was it this truck or the last truck that you used to tow with? Any signs that the previous owner towed with it?

[Twerp]

I used to tow with the Ranger that I had. That thing towed like a champ. It had the 4.0 that went through an auto trans. It was rated for 6,000lbs. I haven't towed anything with the Tundra though. It doesn't even have a receiver hitch on it, and there aren't any signs that a ball was mounted to the bumper. I've loaded the bed with just about anything you could imagine, but I don't think I got remotely close to its 5,000lb towing capacity. I did cook the clutch a little when backing uphill around a very tight corner in someone's back yard. Smelled bad, prolly took 10k off my clutch, but everything felt pretty solid afterward.

I'm still suspecting the gear oil. Still haven't been able to check with Valvoline to see what they put in there. I do remember feeling how easily the stick seemed to move after getting it changed. It all felt looser. I even said it out loud at the time. So that kinda fits the lower viscosity theory. Maybe changing the gear oil will help, but I think I'll also start using a little bump on the throttle before throwing it into fifth. That should take some strain off the synchro. I think I'll do some research into the Redline stuff as soon as I get some time... Right now, I'm way too busy... being delicious... (Heh... you either get the reference or you don't)