Manual Transmission Tip
#16
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Originally Posted by Ray Calvo
Danged if I know - because I don't remember feeling this effect. Shifting is smooth, cold or warm; irregardless of chosen gear. This is even with 90+K miles on the car and shifting for probably 85K miles and 10 years.
#17
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Originally Posted by mborkow
this might help: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/transmission.htm
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Don't know about the parking in 2nd cause/effect either, but will try it when I get my car back.
Parking in gear hurts nothing, unless someone whacks you while parked. How hard that would need to be is open to speculation...don't know of any tests ever done. I never parallel park my car, which is where the "park by feel/sound" crowd usually strikes.
HowStuffWorks is an excellent site.
Parking in gear hurts nothing, unless someone whacks you while parked. How hard that would need to be is open to speculation...don't know of any tests ever done. I never parallel park my car, which is where the "park by feel/sound" crowd usually strikes.
HowStuffWorks is an excellent site.
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Originally Posted by pcar964
Like most cars, my transmission is always a little harder to shift when cold. For that reason, I always shift *very* carefully before everything's warmed up. But I noticed something very interesting the other day... 2nd gear is the most difficult to shift into when cold... But if I leave the car in 2nd gear (instead of 1st gear) when I park the car -- voila! Next time I drive the car, even when completely cold, 2nd gear feels perfect, no resistance!
Can anyone tell me why? Whatever the reason, from now on I'm leaving the car parked in 2nd gear instead of 1st.
Can anyone tell me why? Whatever the reason, from now on I'm leaving the car parked in 2nd gear instead of 1st.
I am curious to try your tip of leaving it in 2nd gear when parking. Perhaps it allows more of the cold and thicker oil to lubricate the gearset.
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As of tonight, I've driven the car cold four times. Each time I had parked in 2nd, and each time it shifted flawlessly from the get-go. I'm very happy with this development, but still unsure what's causing it
#23
Burning Brakes
I have the same balky 2nd gear shift when the gearbox is cold. It gets awefully cold here in the Winter. I don't drive the car much but when I get that really bad "fix" for a spin, I pull it out. I've had to place heat lamps under the case in a futile attempt to warm it up a bit before cranking it.
I will try the 2nd gear park and see if it makes a difference. I'll admit, I'm skeptical, but I'll try it all the same.
And FWIW, I usually leave mine in neutral. Some say that's a no-no because of the chance for the parking brake pads to freeze to the rotors. I've never actually seen or heard of that happening.
I'm also bad for starting the car w/o getting in the car in the mornings. I'm always afraid I may forget and force the car forward and smash it into my workbench.
I will try the 2nd gear park and see if it makes a difference. I'll admit, I'm skeptical, but I'll try it all the same.
And FWIW, I usually leave mine in neutral. Some say that's a no-no because of the chance for the parking brake pads to freeze to the rotors. I've never actually seen or heard of that happening.
I'm also bad for starting the car w/o getting in the car in the mornings. I'm always afraid I may forget and force the car forward and smash it into my workbench.
#24
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Hi PCAR,
What happens if you leave it in neutral overnight? Over here we were always told to leave the car in neutral with the handbrake (emergency brake) on unless we were parking on a steep hill in which case leaving it in gear was considered a safety measure on top of leaving the hand brake on. In my old car I once started when in gear and believe me the car moves fast! I never get why in films where the manual car is stalled on the railway lines they don't just use the starter motor to move the car. If you ever break down and need to move a small distance it's supposed to work quite well and beats being stuck in the outside lane!
Cheers,
David
What happens if you leave it in neutral overnight? Over here we were always told to leave the car in neutral with the handbrake (emergency brake) on unless we were parking on a steep hill in which case leaving it in gear was considered a safety measure on top of leaving the hand brake on. In my old car I once started when in gear and believe me the car moves fast! I never get why in films where the manual car is stalled on the railway lines they don't just use the starter motor to move the car. If you ever break down and need to move a small distance it's supposed to work quite well and beats being stuck in the outside lane!
Cheers,
David
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Do our cars have separate pads for parking brakes? In any event, wouldn't using the parking brake, when the rotors are hot, increase one's chance of pad residue on the rotors? "Warped" rotors, as I understand it, are often rotors with uneven pad deposits.
#27
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Originally Posted by Leland Pate
I'm also bad for starting the car w/o getting in the car in the mornings. I'm always afraid I may forget and force the car forward and smash it into my workbench.
I guess there have been plenty of smashed workbenches before they came up with this safety feature.
#30
Originally Posted by ca993twin
Peter,
I don't know if you're right or wrong, and I generally don't park mine in gear only because I'm a lazy ***, and am letting the turbos cool while in neutral. But I will point out that there IS a potential difference in the amount of torque (hp is irrelevant here) that the transmission can tolerate when operated "backwards"... ie... the wheels turning the diff, not the way it was designed. It probably doesn't make a difference, but perhaps it does?
I don't know if you're right or wrong, and I generally don't park mine in gear only because I'm a lazy ***, and am letting the turbos cool while in neutral. But I will point out that there IS a potential difference in the amount of torque (hp is irrelevant here) that the transmission can tolerate when operated "backwards"... ie... the wheels turning the diff, not the way it was designed. It probably doesn't make a difference, but perhaps it does?
I'm just a paranoid New Yorker - I leave it in gear cause I don't trust the parking brake. Now that you mention it - you may have a point but - 400+ lb/ft? If someone bumps you - it isn't worse than dumping the clutch at 3000 rpm - which I DO NOT DO or recommend. I guess the best thing is to not park and drive instead