Is it bad to shut off the engine while your auto car is not in P(ark)

[psteng19]

i.e. I've had it in D and turned the ignition off.

I've done it a few times, and the car is still fine of course.
But I wonder what's happening to it as I do it by mistake each time.

Is it bad for the car/engine?

 

[SoylentGreen]

That's the way you should do it.

 

[Kelvrick]

Originally posted by: Kiyup
That's the way you should do it.

I guess the guy sometimes forget, or is distracted, and just turns his engine off. Doesn't mean he does it on purpose.

I'd also like to know, cuzz I did it before.

<== monkey dance

 

[isekii]

Originally posted by: psteng19
i.e. I've had it in D and turned the ignition off.

I've done it a few times, and the car is still fine of course.
But I wonder what's happening to it as I do it by mistake each time.

Is it bad for the car/engine?

you keep on doing it and let us know the results~

 

[Thegonagle]

No. It's fine. I used to do that in my Accord all the time. I'd go out to it and find that it won't turn over because I had left it in drive but set the parking brake, as if I was driving a stick. It was an 87, and you could take the key out even if it wasn't in park.

 

[cavdraco]

Doesnt matter it shouldnt hurt anything

Cav

 

[J0hnny]

Thank goodness you can't do it in my car now cuz the key stays locked in steering column. However, I did it a couple of times in my old Corolla but nothing has happened.

 

[Mill]

No it doesn't hurt anything and why would it?

 

[DanFungus]

in the cars that we have, you can't turn it off unless it's in park. it won't let you do it...

 

[woodie1]

As long as you have set the hand brake all is well.

 

[bmacd]

Originally posted by: DanFungus
in the cars that we have, you can't turn it off unless it's in park. it won't let you do it...

you can do it in park OR neutral on ANY car

-=bmacd=-

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Edit: How do you accidentally turn the key?
I can see accidentally pulling it out, but is that even possible on any car?

 

[incallisto]

Originally posted by: Jellomancer
Edit: How do you accidentally turn the key?
I can see accidentally pulling it out, but is that even possible on any car?

Haha! That's an impossibility in my 88 Mustang. You have to press a white button on the underside of the steering column to even take the key out.

 

[xospec1alk]

so it doesn't hurt the car at all to do it that way?

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Oh you guys mean when you are stopping... I don't see why that would hurt the car at all.

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: bmacd

Originally posted by: DanFungus
in the cars that we have, you can't turn it off unless it's in park. it won't let you do it...

you can do it in park OR neutral on ANY car

-=bmacd=-

True. You might not be able to lock column or remove the key, but you can turn the engine off. Try it some time (if you don't want to hurt anything, come to a complete stop before you tunr the key back on.) If you did not have the ability to turn off the engine, what would you do if the accelerator was stuck? Let the car kill you because you can't kill the engine? (Don't say that can't happen, it's happened to me.)