shifting gears

jgs07 · Post by **jgs07** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 1:45 am

i have a car thats stick. i just got done driving it and i always put it in first gear after i turn it off, only this time i forgot to use the clutch but the gear still went in. then i tried the other gears and they all went in smoothly without me using the clutch. this isnt normal is it? if there is a problem, what is it?

sinister audio · Post by **sinister audio** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 6:46 am

with the engine off?

cargodz · Post by **cargodz** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 7:09 am

sinister audio wrote:with the engine off?

^ Good question... Most vehicle (not all though) will go through the gears with the car not running.

jgs07 · Post by **jgs07** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 7:46 am

yeah the engine was off

MobileAudio219 · Post by **MobileAudio219** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 11:33 am

haha, its normal!

With the engine off the engine speed and transmission speed are synchronised, so no clutch is needed providing there isnt a load on the transmission (ie parked on a hill with the car in gear, and the e.brake OFF.)

You can shift without using the clutch (with the engine running) and the vehicle moving if you match the engine speed with the transmission speed. The only time you really need to use the clutch is for taking off from a dead stop.... It's all abou getting the engine speed and transmission speed synchronised (or matching.)

Try parking on a hill in 1st gear without the parking brake, then try taking it out of gear.. :happy055:

cargodz · Post by **cargodz** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 1:58 pm

MobileAudio219 wrote: You can shift without using the clutch (with the engine running) and the vehicle moving if you match the engine speed with the transmission speed. The only time you really need to use the clutch is for taking off from a dead stop.... It's all abou getting the engine speed and transmission speed synchronised (or matching.)

I used to be able to do that with my old 78' Z28. Hardly ever used the clutch except for 1st gear (and second when I tried to idle it through grid lock traffic... more to downshift in those cases).

MobileAudio219 · Post by **MobileAudio219** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 2:07 pm

cargodz wrote:I used to be able to do that with my old 78' Z28. Hardly ever used the clutch except for 1st gear (and second when I tried to idle it through grid lock traffic... more to downshift in those cases).

Yeah, when my knee was really sore I could barely push the clutch pedal down because it hurt so much... I'd avoid busy intersections so I could just down shift to 1st and lug it down in first as much as I could without killing it (almost stopped) and then just run the stop sign...

As long as I wasnt taking off on a bigger hill, I'd use my right foot for the clutch and let it idle off the line...

jgs07 · Post by **jgs07** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 12:22 pm

oh ok thanks for the help

CaptainPioneer · Post by **CaptainPioneer** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 4:46 am

cargodz wrote:I used to be able to do that with my old 78' Z28. Hardly ever used the clutch except for 1st gear (and second when I tried to idle it through grid lock traffic... more to downshift in those cases).

I can still do that with my 96 Ram 1500 lol