I’m going to guess that most of us were taught to make sure it’s in neutral and keep our foot on the clutch when starting a vehicle to reduce drag and in case any part of the drivetrain is seized on or off.
So for example an old Land Rover that only gets used a couple of times a year could have a weak battery, a worn starter motor, a slightly warped flywheel, one brake stuck on when cold but the rest only just work etc Making sure all that is disengaged with the clutch to give it the best chance of starting and not shooting forward or instantly stalling seems sensible.
Since buying my MX-5 I’ve read a few posts and blogs from otherwise sensible people who tell me this will wreck the thrust bearing and one even advised disconnecting the switch on my brand new car so that it will start without clutch.
After fifty years I’m afraid I do it without thinking so it won’t make any difference if the switch is there and weighing up the pros and cons I would rather sacrifice the thrust bearing than break anything else. I have never had one go in all that time anyway.
First one was in an old thread on this forum. Saw it again on a Miata forum and last night read it on this blog
The guy seems to give good advice otherwise and though it may be a holdover from when wives were stood in front of cars with starting handles I’m certain there’s a mechanical as well as safety reason for pressing the clutch peddle when starting.
True but a lot of my road cars have had far more horsepower and more expensive parts than a tuned track day MX-5. My Bimmer maxed 390 and no one advised disconnecting the clutch switch. Even the kiddy cars these days seem to be mapped to extremes. I would have thought installing one if it didn’t already have one would be wisest.
Edit: Not even sure they are switches. Cold be a sensor hidden somewhere.
Time and technology, plus the amazing number of experts to be found on the Interweb, seem to influence our perception of what is ‘proper’. When I learnt to drive depressing the clutch pedal (correct term ‘throw the clutch out’) was a no no except when changing gear. Many cars had plain thrust bearings, - my 1960 Plus Four for instance had a block of carbon, - which offered both high drag and high wear, so having the clutch disengaged provided exactly the problem that it now apparently mitigates! Clutch construction has also changed a lot, so really before espousing a rule it is necessary to know what your are driving and adapt to suit. I have always been of the mind that the ‘clutch depressed’ starting technique was one of the earliest ‘moron aids’ as it seemed to coincide with the introduction of the owners manual being reduced to a mass of warnings not to do the things normal people dont need warning about.
I was thinking about some of the barely maintained bangers I grew up with, you parked in gear because the handbrake was dodgy and pressed the clutch when starting because everything else was dodgy too but I’d not considered older Morgans etc that didn’t have a bearing. As the ND has to have the peddle down to start I imagine the thrust is designed to cope and would assume it’s for more than just when you forget it was parked in gear otherwise the switch would be on the brake peddle.
I agree about the annoying handbook but blame American Lawyers for that. Mazda are using the ‘We warned you’ approach to litigation for accidents just in case it was their stupid driving aids that caused them. I think the current trend for clutch switch to activate starter came about the same time as dual mass clutches.
OIC. Hmm. Bit like the crank rotating during a start. Also doing it before the oil gets around. Surprised there have been failures/issues associated with this, but I live and learn…
Crank bearings and thrust washers that make up the Main Bearings are described as thrust bearings in this video. I’ve always used the term Endfloat for crank walk.
Clutch release bearings are what I know as thrust bearings.
My ND requires the clutch pedal to be depressed , you cannot start the engine without doing that. Always ensure gear is in neutral. Whenever you stop apply the handbrake and select neutral. That’s Proper and used to be S.O.P.( Highway Code…)
As a driving instructor I have always taught novice drivers to start a manual car with the clutch “IN”
When cars started “thinking for you” many would not start without the clutch pushed in.
The same goes now for automatics having to start with the brake pushed down
Watching learners in their early lessons not taking your advice and putting the clutch pedal into the carpet would result in us jumping up and down like a Roo on acid if they had not taken it out of the gear they stalled in.
Seeing that a learner clutch works harder than a prostitute in a red light area, that system works for me. In my 21 years as a driving instructor I have never had to replace a clutch. If people are taught to drive, start, and turn off a car properly the clutch will last the life time of the vehicle.
Like someone said above, I never (if off the road, and on a flat surface) leave a handbrake on, and leave it in gear so the Parking brake does not seize on. Dipping the clutch, checking you are in neutral before cranking the engine, is always the way to go. ( I had a car for 268k miles and it dies on a water pump failure still on it’s first clutch… not bad eh?)
