Questions on driving a manual car

[content22207_2]

Many Jeeps have Borg Warner T18 transmissions. I've got the same transmission in one of my pickup trucks. What is labeled "1" on the gear shift lever is really a granny gear. I made a new insert for my truck with "L" where "1" used to be (and 2-4 relabeled 1-3). T-18 gear ratios are:
6.32:1
3.09:1
1.69:1
1:1
There's absolutely no reason to start in granny gear unless you're pulling a trailer, stuck in the mud or snow, pulling a stump, etc.

FWIW: Regarding downshifting to a stop: that is standard procedure on heavy vehicles (you will fail your CDL exam if you ever free wheel). Not only does it reduce chances of the brakes overheating, but you retain ability to accelerate out of danger (blown front tire for example). Cars and light duty trucks are less of a concern.

Bill Robertson
#5939

[Mark D]

It looks like most of your questions have been answered already, but the one thing I'll elaborate on is #6 in regards to push starting a car.

You can push start or roll start a car down a hill if the battery is too low to turn the starter but it will not work with a completely drained battery. You still need to have the ignition turned on with at least a small amount of power from the battery to generate spark. Pushing the car and then dumping the clutch turns the motor over in the same way the starter does.

[DMCVegas]

I hate doing "me too!" posts. But I'm gonna have to here:

You've got a lot of good tips here. Especially about not riding the clutch pedal. Either with your left foot on top of it, or if you're using the damn thing to hold the vehicle on a hill. Nothing will eat clutches nor burn out synchro gears faster, so don't. And of course you want to press the gas more as you let off the clutch pedal.

But here is the best advise that I can give you, that no one else has:

Doesn't matter if you've driven a clutch before. You're gonna kill the engine the first time you crank it. Hell, you may even kill it a few times after. Just remember that it's perfectly normal.

No two clutches across cars are alike. The DeLorean has a HEAVY clutch compared to most modern vehicles. After daily driving mine, the first time I got behind the wheel of a 5-speed Explorer, I stomped the damn clutch into the floor it was so much lighter. On top of that, different engines have different torque curves thanks to design and tuning. So on some you may need to give it some more gas to go, and other cars/trucks not nearly as much. So it's impossible to tell you exactly how much to press down on the gas pedals.

Anyway, don't worry about killing the engine. And keep in mind that all clutches/engines are different, and then just give yourself some time to practice. You'll learn to not only listen to the engine, but you'll also learn to feel it too, and you'll automatically compensate to keep the engine going without even knowing it.

You can always get tips and pointers, and the basic "how-to's". But no one can truly teach you how to operate a clutch. It just takes practice. You can do it.

[Tillsy]

I've always come to a stop by doing a soft shift into second, doing a power assisted stop combined with regular braking, and all that torque spooling up that if the traffic lights or circumstances change whilst I am slowing down I can instantly accelerate off with - same as if you were cruising along and then shifted down a gear to overtake with.

[Tillsy]

The DeLorean has a HEAVY clutch compared to most modern vehicles.

No kidding - whenever I've been in slow and heavy stop/start traffic or cruises for a long length of time my foot ends up feeling like it has no flesh or padding left, just raw bone, from having to push that insanely heavy clutch so much. Bloody painful.

[16949]

Someone else drove my car when I was fixing it, and let out the clutch too fast in first and bucking bronco'd down the street twice. Lesson learned and I've been chalking that up to them forgetting how to drive a stick well. I've learned that my car drives best if I depress the clutch fully and slowly let it out. As long as the gear engages, aside from drive comfort, is there any negative to smoothly disengaging the clutch vs quickly letting it out?

Also, my car seems better when I let it "rest" in neutral a second before shifting into gear, is that a sign of something needing attention?

[David T]

Someone else drove my car when I was fixing it, and let out the clutch too fast in first and bucking bronco'd down the street twice. Lesson learned and I've been chalking that up to them forgetting how to drive a stick well. I've learned that my car drives best if I depress the clutch fully and slowly let it out. As long as the gear engages, aside from drive comfort, is there any negative to smoothly disengaging the clutch vs quickly letting it out?

Also, my car seems better when I let it "rest" in neutral a second before shifting into gear, is that a sign of something needing attention?

You only have to "slowly let it out" when slipping it into 1st or reverse. When moving and shifting into the other gears if you matched the speed of the motor and the speed of the car properly you can just let the pedal up quickly. You should not have to "rest" when shifting between gears. If you do not know what kind of gear oil is in the transmission or when it was last changed you should drain and refill it. At the very least make sure the level is correct.

[krs09]

Here's a silly question. When coasting to a red light in third gear let's say is it ok to just pop the trans in neutral rather then pressing the clutch and then shifting to neutral. I asked a buddy of mine and he said that it not problem and wont hurt the trans. The few times i've tried it it seems like it does'nt like it, some gears pop right into N and others feel like i'll break something if I pull any harder to get it into N. Make any sense? Can you just pop into neutral?

[David T]

Good practice and the safest way to shift is to push on the clutch every time you shift but if you are careful and really good you can shift in and out of any gear while moving except 1st or reverse. It is called "power shifting" and if you mess up you can do a lot of expensive damage. it is your car and you can drive it any way you want but for the best longevity of the drivetrain you should always engage the clutch to shift. It also is easier on your transaxle if you "double-clutch", not necessary but easier on the parts. You step on the clutch to shift into neutral, let the clutch up and them step again to go into the next gear. All the older truck and bus drivers had to do it because the old transmissions didn't have syncros. Nowadays a lot of the newer buses and trucks have automatic transmissions.

[content22207_2]

Here's a silly question. When coasting to a red light in third gear let's say is it ok to just pop the trans in neutral rather then pressing the clutch and then shifting to neutral. I asked a buddy of mine and he said that it not problem and wont hurt the trans. The few times i've tried it it seems like it does'nt like it, some gears pop right into N and others feel like i'll break something if I pull any harder to get it into N. Make any sense? Can you just pop into neutral?

Of course you can. Gears are already synchronized, so the shift rings slide right over no problem. Smooth as silk. I do it all the time in all my vehicles. Have for decades.

Sidebar: don't do that during a CDL test -- you will fail. Inspector does not want to see you freewheeling. I'd also recommend not doing it while towing -- engine braking takes a lot of wear and tear off your brakes.

Shifting into gear is a little more difficult, but also can be done no problem. You just need to exert enough pressure on the synchronizers to slow them down before sliding the shift rings over. Very hard at high RPM's, but not difficult at lower RPM's. As soon as the synchronizer and gear are meshed the shift ring will slide right over. Just put gentle pressure on the shift lever -- as soon as the synchronizer and gear are spinning at the same speed the shift ring will slide right on. If you ever need to limp a vehicle home without a clutch that's the only way to do it.

The only difference between RPM shifting and using the clutch is input shaft is still spinning. Remainder of the transmission works as usual.

First, reverse, and granny gears typically aren't synchronized -- to use them without a clutch turn the engine off, put the transmission in gear, then start the engine in gear (at a stoplight for example).

Bill Robertson
#5939