Popping clutch... how bad can it be for your car?

[homestarmy]

A couple of guys at work are talking like it is the end of the world and can destroy your car. I have had to pop clutches many times and am to the point where I can stick my left leg out of the car, push backwards, and pop it at about 2 MPH. I have never had a problem or hurt anything.

The one person that says that they broke something states that there were multiple people pushing the car and that the car 'jumped' off of the ground. Sounds like they were likely not doing it the best way possible.

Thoughts? Experiences?

 

[imported_Phil]

I assume you mean bump-starting the car?

If so, it's no worse than holding your car on a hill using the clutch. In fact, I suspect it's a lot better for it than that piece of retarded driving.

 

[Rogeee]

Pop start your vehicle in third gear,not first

 

[j00fek]

i dont think it shoudl be too bad. not if you dont do it everyday for 10 yrs

 

[homestarmy]

Originally posted by: crustyoldman
Pop start your vehicle in third gear,not first

I am actually having a starter problem (I need to get it rebuilt, clicks multiple times, sometimes 100 before it will start), and I generally just make sure to park on a slight incline. I normally do it in reverse. That way I can stick my left foot out the door and backpedal.

I pretty much figured what they said was pretty far off. If they are worried about force, then what about my sticky clutch putting force onto the axles etc? I don't think the direction the force is coming from really matters, whether its from the wheels inward or from the transmission outward. Force is force, no?

They were trying to say that something was bent. It sounded like they were saying that a shaft was bent on the Honda Civic. I thought they meant the Intermediate Shaft (which my Integra has to ensure the axles are the same length and to lessen torque steer), but I then realized that the older Honda Civics don't have those, they just have really long shafts on the driver's side (at least my girlfriend's '88 CRX does). That would mean they are trying to say the shaft bent... YEAH RIGHT!! Those things are ridiculously thick. The bearings would go long before the actual shaft.

 

[homestarmy]

Originally posted by: j00fek
i dont think it shoudl be too bad. not if you dont do it everyday for 10 yrs

I better hurry up and get my starter fixed then . It's been a couple of months!

 

[DivideBYZero]

Second gear and it's not bad for the motor. I mean, what do they think the starter motor does???

The Car 'jumping' was no doubt because you should dip the clutch again as soon as it starts and they didn't.

 

[homestarmy]

Yeah, that must have been it.

 

[Krazefinn]

Its not going to hurt anything to push start a car like that, even everyday. That puts far less stress on the driveline compared to wot 1st gear acceleration bursts...

 

[BobDaMenkey]

Ehh, it's not too bad. Like DivideBYZero said, it's probably because they suck at popping the clutch(Like I do, only had to do it a few times). They're just paranoid and or morons.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: j00fek
i dont think it shoudl be too bad. not if you dont do it everyday for 10 yrs

LOL. It wasn't for 10 years, but one of my dad's cars back in the 70s had a busted starter and they couldn't afford to fix it, so every morning my mom would go out and push the car down the hill so he could start it and drive to work. They did it for a few years!

 

[DainBramaged]

When I replaced my clutch, one of the springs on the clutch disc had broken. I'm guessing that the reason it failed was because it was popped.

 

[DaShen]

I've never driven a stickshift before. How do you guys like it?

 

[Krazefinn]

Originally posted by: DainBramaged
When I replaced my clutch, one of the springs on the clutch disc had broken. I'm guessing that the reason it failed was because it was popped.

heat breaks those springs...they overheat, lose temper, and then fracture. popping itself not nearly as bad as slipping or riding clutch. Ever hear those fart-can equipped "wannabe speed demons" rev the snot out of mommas hyundai, shifting without lifting? The engine revs way up during clutch depression, and then slips for 20 seconds in between, THATS what kills clutches and pressure plate springs. or using clutch to stay on a hill, shifting from reverse to forward by clutch and not brake. popping itself actually REDUCES the amount of time a clutch slips, therby reducing slippage, heat, increasing its longevity...bion.

 

[SearchMaster]

Originally posted by: Jzero

Originally posted by: j00fek
i dont think it shoudl be too bad. not if you dont do it everyday for 10 yrs

LOL. It wasn't for 10 years, but one of my dad's cars back in the 70s had a busted starter and they couldn't afford to fix it, so every morning my mom would go out and push the car down the hill so he could start it and drive to work. They did it for a few years!

Heh - I had a roommate in college whose little brother had spent his summer savings on an old Porsche 914 (but hey, he's in high school and it's a Porsche, right?). The starter was broken and he couldn't afford to fix it. We used to hate it when he would visit because 3 or 4 of us would have to go out to the parking lot to push him out of his space then push him a bit to let him pop start.

 

[homestarmy]

Originally posted by: DaShen
I've never driven a stickshift before. How do you guys like it?

It's the only way to go. The fact that you can do this if your battery is dead (or starter is going) is definately a plus. Jumper cables are a thing of the past.

It is a very sad thing that my girlfriend just started detailing at a dealership and in a weekend, she only washed one new car that was a manual. What is with people? This was a Honda dealership btw.

Manuals give you more control, more torque to the ground, and are more efficient meaning less power is lost in the drivetrain, therefore more goes to the ground and less gas is wasted. Also cheaper/easier to fix. The list goes on.