View Full Version : It's that ol' wireless throttle again.......
dreamteam
11-05-2009, 01:33 AM
Yeah, so people ask me "how do you like that Yaris?" and I reply, "good gas mileage, good handling, throttle sucks."
This fly-by-wire thing is killing me. I have been driving a stick for 40 years and never killed the engine.
I've been driving the Yaris for almost two years now and I still kill it at least once a week.
Where I live it gets COLD, and the colder it gets, the less throttle responce I have.
Update me , enlighten me, tell me there is a TSB........something!
YarisSedan
11-05-2009, 03:02 AM
I dont know. I havent driven stick in years and i drove a friends yaris that was stick for the first time and never had any issues stalling.
tk-421
11-05-2009, 03:15 AM
@dreamteam: Most people don't notice the throttle lag. But if you can't stand it, you should get yourself an NTD throttle controller. A higher setting (like SP4+) will definitely help you out.
More info here:
http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23314
Group buy here:
http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23349
Hope that helps... Welcome to YW! :thumbsup:
SaerinRhoe
11-05-2009, 10:35 AM
Hey Dream,
I drive an '09 LB w/ the 5-spd manual and I manage to stall the engine once in a while, probably once every couple of weeks. Most of the time it's in a drive-thru line or when I forget to down-shift far enough for a turn.
My biggest problem so far has been grinding from 1st to 2nd when I try to hotdog.
Just my $ .02,
S.R.
Tamago
11-05-2009, 10:57 AM
My biggest problem so far has been grinding from 1st to 2nd when I try to hotdog.
Just my $ .02,
S.R.
poor poor synchros :(
DerFlosser
11-05-2009, 11:18 AM
There is definitely a big downside to fly-by-wire. Coming from mechanical linkages....fly-by-wire is a real drag. It's not a really big deal to me because the Yaris is a lifeless ecobox that I use as a commuter but it is annoying at times that it feels like I am a rookie with the stickshift. The fly-by-wire is inconsistent, or...if not that, it is very sensitive to external inputs such as coolant temp, electrical load(s) etc. I am not a fan...
TLyttle
11-05-2009, 01:09 PM
Me neither. The counterbalance instead of a spring takes away any feel for the throttle, and gives me a severe shin cramp on a long trip. My buddy's Echo has the old-style cable throttle, and is a joy to use after the Yaris.
TheSilkySmooth
11-05-2009, 02:42 PM
poor poor synchros :( I will agree the hydraulic clutch sucks - the trans is OK. More of a shift timing issue due to the clutch engaging too close to the floorboard.
talnlnky
11-22-2009, 09:15 PM
The counterbalance instead of a spring takes away any feel for the throttle, and gives me a severe shin cramp on a long trip.
haha.... try running once in a while.... or even some calf-raises with weight in slow motion.
I honestly think it's just sensative... Some cars have big sweet spots for the clutch... outs' isn't so big. You try and be too light with the pedal in 1st gear and you will kill it... after 2 years... I probably only kill its once or twice a month, usually when I'm trying to be very efficient with gas on my starts.
haven't noticed temps having any effect either. When I bought my yaris... it was the beginning of a 90+ inches of snow winter... now I live in a place that rarely drops below 40 during the day.
TLyttle
11-22-2009, 10:59 PM
Nah, I have no condition problems, and I will be damned if I am going to go through an exercise regime just to drive my car. After 55 years behind the wheel, changing the car is the only option...
DerFlosser
11-23-2009, 12:40 PM
Nah, I have no condition problems, and I will be damned if I am going to go through an exercise regime just to drive my car. After 55 years behind the wheel, changing the car is the only option...
Agree. :thumbsup:
supmet
11-23-2009, 01:21 PM
well good luck to both of you with your new cars.
And if you're almost 70, you have conditioning problems by default... lol
I stalled the engine on take off at least 200 times the first year I owned it. I have driven a clutch constantly (no automatics for me) for 40 years and have never had a worse time of it. The second year I killed it at least a 100 times and just did so recently.
Another problem is the inability to really get a good shift between gears. It seems the revs drop abnormally fast and when I re-engage the clutch there is a buck because the revs don't match. The dealer always tells me "nothing is wrong" and act like their is nothing to adjust.
It took me over a year to look at the floor pan and notice part of the problem is the the typical "big American foot" hits the raised side to the left of the clutch pedal which keeps it from going all the way to the floor. That's a biggie and part of my stall problem.
As a result of all of this I have a chattering clutch and a popping sound from inside the transaxle. The service manager just told me to go screw myself as he doesn't here anything wrong!
I'm getting ready to write the owner and see if he can get Toyota interested in looking at my car. I have reported these problems three times in the past two and a half years and now I have 54K on the hatch.
Anybody have the "clunk" when the clutch engages--it's like slack being taken up in the transaxle.
supmet
11-23-2009, 02:45 PM
^^ there is a "big foot mod" check it out.
But it sounds like you burned your clutch and synchros from not pushing the clutch down, which boils down to operator error. Get it fixed at a local transmission shop, and do the big foot mod.
DerFlosser
11-23-2009, 04:26 PM
^^ there is a "big foot mod" check it out.
But it sounds like you burned your clutch and synchros from not pushing the clutch down, which boils down to operator error. Get it fixed at a local transmission shop, and do the big foot mod.
Right....the guy has been driving a manual gearbox for 40 years but doesn't have the clutch depressed. :rolleyes:
Betrivent
11-23-2009, 04:42 PM
I stalled the engine on take off at least 200 times the first year I owned it. I have driven a clutch constantly (no automatics for me) for 40 years and have never had a worse time of it. The second year I killed it at least a 100 times and just did so recently.
Another problem is the inability to really get a good shift between gears. It seems the revs drop abnormally fast and when I re-engage the clutch there is a buck because the revs don't match. The dealer always tells me "nothing is wrong" and act like their is nothing to adjust.
It took me over a year to look at the floor pan and notice part of the problem is the the typical "big American foot" hits the raised side to the left of the clutch pedal which keeps it from going all the way to the floor. That's a biggie and part of my stall problem.
As a result of all of this I have a chattering clutch and a popping sound from inside the transaxle. The service manager just told me to go screw myself as he doesn't here anything wrong!
I'm getting ready to write the owner and see if he can get Toyota interested in looking at my car. I have reported these problems three times in the past two and a half years and now I have 54K on the hatch.
Anybody have the "clunk" when the clutch engages--it's like slack being taken up in the transaxle.
I have a clunk when I release the clutch too fast. I've been trying a different driving style lately that conposes of very slowly and gently releasing the clutch while applying gas. Not riding the clutch per se, but easing it in.
supmet
11-23-2009, 06:01 PM
Right....the guy has been driving a manual gearbox for 40 years but doesn't have the clutch depressed. :rolleyes:
his words not mine.. It helps to read more than the first sentence of a post
It took me over a year to look at the floor pan and notice part of the problem is the the typical "big American foot" hits the raised side to the left of the clutch pedal which keeps it from going all the way to the floor. That's a biggie and part of my stall problem.
UTVitz
11-23-2009, 06:18 PM
I'm just glad to read this post and know that I'm not the only one that has this issue. If I don't use the parking brake on hills to hold the car in place while the drive by wire catches up to my foot pressing it the car stalls. I totally share your frustration and finally have learned to live with and expect it. Interesting to hear you've noticed it becomes slower with the colder weather-I guess I have noticed the lag is worse first backing out of the drive on cold mornings. I've driven an '09 Fit with the drive by wire throttle 5 speed and found no problem even parked on hills at a stop light-guess toyota needs to get this sorted out.
JBIZZ
11-23-2009, 07:32 PM
Hey Dream,
I drive an '09 LB w/ the 5-spd manual and I manage to stall the engine once in a while, probably once every couple of weeks. Most of the time it's in a drive-thru line or when I forget to down-shift far enough for a turn.
My biggest problem so far has been grinding from 1st to 2nd when I try to hotdog.
Just my $ .02,
S.R.
Redline MT-90 cured my shifting into 2nd grind.
Yaris Hilton
11-23-2009, 09:32 PM
My '85 Harley's clunky shifts improved a lot with Redline transmission oil.
What is the Big Foot Mod? When I was exchanging hostilities with the service manager I mentioned the floor pan being higher on the left side and he shook his head "yeah". He accidentally acknowledged that like he's heard it before!
NOW, after my two page complaint to the owner of dealership, the owner called and apologized for the way it was handled. He said we are going to get somebody to look at it. The next day the GM of the dealership says: "We are going to have AN ENGINEER FROM HOUSTON COME DRIVE IT AND TAKE A LOOK." WTF is that! An independent mechanic looked at it before I wrote my letter and said it could be an inside CV joint or inside the transaxle.
Is this why the service department dodged the issue for 2.5 years? Is there an unpublished defect, like a bad transmission, that they are trying to defuse?
Think about it....a rep from Houston to Jacksom, Miss, just to look over a possible CV joint...like the dealer can't make that call? Do all '07 5-speeds have this, perhaps?
Enlighten, please.
Bad news. I'm dealing with an experienced lawyer and brought up the subject of my warranty claim. He said the dealers never make as much money on warranty work and usually do whatever possible to avoid it. Even though I have reported the problem and "Toyota has been called" that doesn't mean the car is going to get fixed. He said the "engineer from Houston" may be a guy from across town hired to come over and diagnose the problem. If you happen to get an honest mechanic they still might say there is nothing wrong.
I can complain to our state's AG office but they will send out a complaint and the dealer will respond in kind and they will say there is nothing they can do outside of the courts. In my state lawyers don't fool with this kind of insignificant stuff.
Not a bright picture.
PHXDEMON
12-01-2009, 12:03 AM
You guys stall a lot :laugh: I have maybe stalled my car 5 times in the year and a half I have owned it.
Well, the Gulf States rep had me go to a dealer across town who was really nice. Then he turned it over to a tech and I had to wait about 25 minutes or so. He came back with a dour look and a changed tone and said the noise it was making was "acceptable". What a crock of bullshit. Acceptable for who? I've been listening to this getting worse over 2.5 years!
I never expected this kind of shitty service from a Toyota dealer or Toyota itself. I guess I will have to find who is next on the food chain. This whole situation is insulting to anyone with a lick of sense.
Anybody got any suggestions other than yellow lemons on the sides with the dealers name?
TLyttle
12-10-2009, 01:05 PM
The only thing you know for sure is that Toyota does NOT WANT bad press. Talk to the Regional rep (not his secretary), and throw in the occasional word like "lawsuit" and "media" if things don't go well. The lemon decals without the dealer name will not go over well with Head Office if they end up on TV.
The second thing you want is those prognoses in writing, that the gearbox is "normal". That gives you a leg to stand on when and if it fails in the future.
YarisSedan
12-10-2009, 03:13 PM
I think the issue that people are having with drive by wire. Is that they may change their driving habits often. The car is designed to be adaptive and can increase or decrease the amount of throttle opening based on the signal at the gas pedal. IE if a old lady drives your yaris for a week and you hop in you will think geeze this car is slow dosnt even respond i have the open up the throttle more. Verses a kid just learning to drive and driving the car like they stole it. And the same old lady hops in she will go geeze this throttle is so touchy. I just tap the gas and it just jerks and takes off.
Try disconnecting the battery to reset the memory and fuel trim and see if there are any noticeable changes.
Drive by wire system lag is very minuscule. It is a step over the regular cable throttle system because there is no need to periodically adjust the throttle cable as it stretches. Driving a normal cable system you eventually get used to the throttle cable as it stretches and gets less responsive cause its a very very slow progression. And the reaction time is identical no matter what. Unlike the drive by wire system. So it takes awile to get used to. So people may never get used to it.
Hi, Sedan, this is a combination of the "Big Foot", fly-by-wire, and low idle speed. I think they don't want to address it because it effects the CV joints and drive shaft splines and possibly the transmission.
When the little fellers in Tokyo where bumping fists they forgot about the big American foot. Plus, the Yaris is totally designed for high mpg. Tall gearing, low idle speeds.
If you look around on this forum you will see this addressed from time to time.
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