for those who drive manual trans vehicles

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: straubs

Originally posted by: spanky

Originally posted by: Phil

Originally posted by: spanky

Originally posted by: Jzero

Originally posted by: spanky
i was unaware of this and when i started the car, he jumped forward and stalled. i was like "WTF!" :|

Of course, you're supposed to step on the clutch when you start the car to prevent this possiblity no matter what gear it was left in.

since park in neutral, i step on the clutch, start the car, let go of the clutch. i never have a problem with this routine, until that one time. i guess i should make a habit of checking the shiftknob (or wiggle it around) before starting the car. meh.

You don't check if it's in neutral before letting go of the clutch?

no, becuz 99.9999% of the time, i drive my car, and i always put it in neutral after i park (it's almost a reflex for me that after i park, i put the car in nuetral, pull e-brake, then pull key). i guess when i was taught, no one mentioned putting the car in gear after parking.

The question is what are you doing starting the car at all if you're going to sit motionless in neutral? 99.9999% of the time I start my car, it's because in the next 2 seconds I'm going to be driving! If I was driving and auto, I would start the car and put it in D or R within 2 seconds, not sit motionless.

If it's below freezing, and especially, below 5 degrees F., it's a good idea, mechanically speaking, to let it idle for 30 seconds to a minute before driving. If it's below zero degrees F., it's not a bad idea to let the engine warm up for 5-10 minutes to get the defroster and heat working--otherwise, the windows, especially the windshield in front of your face, will ice up.

More common reasons for a remote start are turning on the AC for 20 minutes before you leave on a hot day, toasting up the interior to 80 F. on a cold day, and just to be really, really, really, really cool.

 

[straubs]

Originally posted by: spanky
damn, i put my car in gear twice this weekend when i parked and when i went to start the car again, i forgot about popping the car back into neutral. u can guess what happened good thing no one was parked anywhere near me.

Why why why why are you letting the clutch out, if you aren't ready to move the car? Do you start the car, twiddle your thumbs for 10 minutes, then put it in gear and drive away?



In a manual transmission, you use the brake and the clutch at the same time in a lot of cases:
1. Starting the car. Press and hold both pedals.
2. Stopping the car. Clutch goes to the floor, brake as needed.

 

[fuzzynavel]

Originally posted by: spanky

on cold days, do u just start ur car and zoom off? don't ask me why, but i was taught to warm up the engine for a min or two. if i had the luxury of remote start, i could walked up to the window in my pj's and start warming up the car. after i am dressed, when i hop into the car, i am immediately ready to head on my way. i am not familiar with those alternative heating methods you mentioned before, so i can't really comment on them.

I believe you warm up the engine for a couple of minutes to allow the catalyst in the catalytic convertor to warm up.....it doesn't really work until it gets quite warm.....that it why you can smell sulphur( sulfur for the yanks!! (rotten eggs)) if you sniff the exhaust on a car that is started from cold!!

Back to the original question.....I don't conciously stop/start in neutral or in gear.....I have always just naturally put my foot on the clutch to start and worry about the gears when I want to move!!

 

[AMCRambler]

Rev to 6000 and pop it in 5th! Yeah babay!

 

[psteng19]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Why do you think automatic transmission cars require you to have the car in park in order for you to take your keys out of the ignition? Here's a clue: It's a safety feature!!!

You can park an auto in neutral and remove the key IIRC.


Anyway, no incline, neutral + e-brake only.

Slight incline, clutch in, e-brake, release main brakes, let car settle, turn off car, release clutch (I'm in first).

Steep incline, same as slight incline except I'm turning the wheels towards the curb before turning off the car.


I'm with those who would rather let the parking brake be the first line of defense and the transmission/engine be the "emergency" brake.

 

[Aquila76]

Originally posted by: psteng19

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Why do you think automatic transmission cars require you to have the car in park in order for you to take your keys out of the ignition? Here's a clue: It's a safety feature!!!

You can park an auto in neutral and remove the key IIRC.

Not in my car. The key only comes out in park.

I have to pop a little plastic piece off the center console and push the release in then put the car into Neutral.

<=='96 Grand Am

 

[JulesMaximus]

My first car was a great car to learn to drive stick on. It was a SAAB 99 and you had to have the car in reverse or you couldn't take the key out of the ignition. Very good for training how to properly park a vehicle with a manual transmission.

Your car should be in gear with the parking brake set. If you weren't taught this or you don't do this then you're doing it wrong.

 

[xrax]

how does a remote starter work on a manual? how does the scar start without pressing the clutch?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: xrax
how does a remote starter work on a manual? how does the scar start without pressing the clutch?

Forget the remote starter. Go outside, start the car, go back inside until the car warms up. Much cheaper if you really really need that sort of thing. Or you could buy a car with ass warmers built in and wear gloves. Just as simple really.

 

[Gamingphreek]

I leave it in gear no matter what. However, i think that this works:

Hill= IN GEAR
Flat Ground= Either however in gear is highly recommended

As for remote start. I assume it works the same way a Clutch Start/Cancel button works (i dont know, but that allows you to start the car without pushing in the clutch (make sure you aren't in the gear when using this lol))

-Kevin

 

[fuzzynavel]

Clutch has nothing to do with starting the car....If the gear isn't engaged then the clutch needs to play no part!!

remote start will just mimic the ignition and spin the starter motor to get it going.....it will then idle till you get in!

 

[grrl]

I leave it in gear, my wife leaves it in neutral.

 

[saahmed]

I always leave it in neutral. But, if you have a remote starter youre going to have to leave it in neutral right? Otherwise youre gonna have some problems.

 

[spanky]

Originally posted by: straubs

Originally posted by: spanky
damn, i put my car in gear twice this weekend when i parked and when i went to start the car again, i forgot about popping the car back into neutral. u can guess what happened good thing no one was parked anywhere near me.

Why why why why are you letting the clutch out, if you aren't ready to move the car? Do you start the car, twiddle your thumbs for 10 minutes, then put it in gear and drive away?



In a manual transmission, you use the brake and the clutch at the same time in a lot of cases:
1. Starting the car. Press and hold both pedals.
2. Stopping the car. Clutch goes to the floor, brake as needed.

i already answered your question. i dont know for a fact if it is important to "warm up" a car, but it's a force of habit now. perhaps a knowledgable car person could address this matter.

 

[spanky]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: xrax
how does a remote starter work on a manual? how does the scar start without pressing the clutch?

Forget the remote starter. Go outside, start the car, go back inside until the car warms up. Much cheaper if you really really need that sort of thing. Or you could buy a car with ass warmers built in and wear gloves. Just as simple really.

when i say warm up the car, i'm thinking doing this will be for the sake of the engine, not my ass. again, i'm not a car person, so i am just going by stuff i've seen other ppl do. just waiting for a car person to chime in if i am just wasting my time, gas, and money.

 

[OCNewbie]

Engines work best under certain operating temperatures. If the oil temp is too low, then it's not at it's ideal viscosity (I believe), and isn't doing it's job lubricating everything as good as it's supposed to. If you start a cold engine, and get on the gas hard right away, that can be bad for the internal metal parts. I can't explain in technical detail, but I've read about it many a time, and have knowledgeable friends that warn against that as well.

 

[ubergeekmeister]

I put my car in first or Reverse depending on which way the road slopes.

 

[fuzzynavel]

Originally posted by: spanky

Originally posted by: straubs

Originally posted by: spanky
damn, i put my car in gear twice this weekend when i parked and when i went to start the car again, i forgot about popping the car back into neutral. u can guess what happened good thing no one was parked anywhere near me.

Why why why why are you letting the clutch out, if you aren't ready to move the car? Do you start the car, twiddle your thumbs for 10 minutes, then put it in gear and drive away?



In a manual transmission, you use the brake and the clutch at the same time in a lot of cases:
1. Starting the car. Press and hold both pedals.
2. Stopping the car. Clutch goes to the floor, brake as needed.

i already answered your question. i dont know for a fact if it is important to "warm up" a car, but it's a force of habit now. perhaps a knowledgable car person could address this matter.

Just a quick question about point number 1......why do you need your foot on the brake to start the car?? You should already have the hand-brake(e-brake) on!

Point 2...the way I was taught to drive was to use the gears to slow down(with some brakes).....may be right may be wrong....just personal preference I guess

 

[jagec]

I always put it in first. I don't bother doing reverse on an uphill, because I figure if my car starts moving despite being in gear with the parking brake pulled, I have a lot more to worry about than which direction the engine is turning.

Originally posted by: Minjin
If the car is facing downhill and you put it in reverse, you're trying to turn the engine in the reverse direction as normal. If the engine has a timing belt, its very possible that when you go to start it up that it'll skip a tooth because of the slightly slack in the belt.

The same holds true for the opposite situation.

Mark

Valid point, but I always let the parking brake take up the weight of the car before putting it in gear. The only time the engine is under tension is if that fails, and besides, I always push the clutch in before starting, which would un-stress the engine anyway.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Pacfanweb
I'll put the holding power of the tranny in first or reverse on a steep incline over the e-brake any day.

Don't ever go to Vegas. Unless you have a car with a really big engine, you can always find a hill that first won't hold it on, whereas the parking brake will.

Originally posted by: Jzero
It's a "safety feature" pretty much solely to protect the idiots who either can't remember to put it in neutral when starting or can't remember to push the clutch. As an added bonus, you can no longer use the starter to jog the car, either.

LOL, I like the way you think. I've had to use the starter to jog the car once...good thing it was older than I was and allowed me to do such a thing.