Starting: press clutch or not?

If the car is cold, less load on the starter with clutch disengaged.

Also, safety factor in case I made a boo boo and really didn't have it in neutral or some other malfunction of the brain.


Dave

 

ALWAYS depress the clutch when starting. Release the clutch with vehicle idling, and make sure the tranny is out of gear.

And FYI, my '01 Nissan XTERRA has a clutch cancel. The starter motor will not engage unless the clutch is depressed fully.

 

Safety first! Clutch pedal depressed to start.

I would like to inquire about taking the car out of gear at a stoplight vs. idling with the clutch depressed and in gear? Which procedure reduces wear?

 

What he said.
BT

 

Push that sucker to the floor. First to make sure you aren't trying to start the car when it is gear, and second because it is easier for the engine to fire up. It doesn't have to fight the weight of the flywheel.

 

I put it in neutral , foot off the clutch to start.

Get off the clutch fast when shifting, don't use the clutch at lights either, unless you know the light is about to change.

The less you push in the clutch the better. (that's what I was taught)

 

I start without the clutch depressed and have been told in the past by an experienced mechanic that when clutch pedal pressure is applied on start up it plays into the main bearing Thrust Washers and can cause premature wear

 

Sorry, ernie, you're mistaken, the flywheel & pressure plate are directly bolted to the crankshaft. Releasing the clutch just disconnects the transmission main shaft. The trans main shaft, (& transfer gears if it's a 3x8) are not really a significant load unless it's frosty out.

I've got a couple of cars with the lock-out switch that both require the trans to be in neutral & the clutch depressed, so I've gotten into the habit. It's safer to depress the clutch of course.

 

Leaving the car in neutral with clutch engaged at stoplights will reduce throwout bearing wear.

Dave

 

The starter motor actually engages the flywheel to start. That's what the teeth on it are for.

Dave

 

True, an engaged clutch does not wear at all. However, for the minute amount of wear your throwout bearing may get on start-up, the safety factor alone makes it a good idea to dis-engage. Once the motor is running, I immediately put it in neutral with clutch engaged. With Ferraris, this has the additional benefit of stirring up the gearbox oil and warming up quicker than if dis-engaged.

Dave

 

Alot of guys on here say to push the clutch pedal in to start the car for safety first in case its in gear. Are we talking Ferrari cars here?? With the open shift gate exposed,surely you look to see if you are in gear or not? Just look at the shifter. They dont have a boot over the gate like "normal cars" so you cant really get it wrong and start it in gear. I start mine in neutral all the time and when i stop the car,back to neutral,handbrake on,then i switch the car off. If i park the car on a hill,or anywhere im unsure of it rolling away,i leave it in gear with handbrake on. At the lights,i pop the car back into neutral until the lights change to save wear on the throwout bearing/pressure plate

 

Yes this is all true, but on a 348 it is attached to the preasure plate and not the flywheel. If you look at #66 that is the plate with the teeth that the starter engages on a 348, which is attached to the pressure plate #62. The teeth are not attached to the flywheel #47. Now if I'm not mistaken by disengaging the clutch this should take the flywheel out of the equation.
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Ernie, good evening. After looking at the diagram, it's true the starter ring is connected to the pressureplate, but the pressure plate is bolted to the flywheel. The flywheel will never be disconnected from the crankshaft. It will always be part of the rotational mass.
Darrell.

 

That would defeat the whole point of having the flywheel - which is basically to get the engine to idle smoothly and to keep it running.

If dipping the clutch disengaged the flywheel from the crank I think the engine would basically just stop everytime you did this (assuming you took your foot off the gas at the same time).

I.

 

Ernie!!
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Press the clutch.

It massively reduces loads on mechanicals and electrics.

Technically, the thrust washer argument is correct, but it's a really small factor.

My Hyundai Santa Fe has a clutch pedal lock out too.

 

I do not know if it counts, but my Suzuki DR800 has the no start - clutch activated switch as well. And it is a good safety feature as well . On the328 and in general whenever starting an engine i depress the clutch pedal.
Ciao
Eugenio

 

Put it in neutral depress the clutch pedal and than start the engine.Rob

 

Jon's original question related to the technical reasons to depress or not depress the clutch. Many have offered the correct response and some have indicated why, but in summary, the extra torque (and amperes) required of the starter are significantly greater having to rotate cold transmission gears, transfer gears, and 90-weight oil when compared to overcoming the friction of a depressed throw-out bearing.

The friction introduced by a depressed throw-out bearing is minimal. The thrust washer wear is a non-issue, as it is called upon each and every time you shift (depress clutch). There is ample oil adhered to the surface of the washer upon start-up.

If interested, an easy test would be to use a clamp on amp meter (at battery cable) to measure current required to start the car, when cold, with and without clutch activation.

Jim S.

 

I wrote my buddy who races and has worked on cars for 20+ years- here is his reply-
"To start the car.. most require that you have the clutch pushed in...
safety! Doing so has less moving parts for the starter to turn so
easier on parts. Once started let the clutch out.. again easier on
parts.
Now at stop lights.. used to be with the way throw out bearings were
designed that often they failed BEFORE the clutch did so was best that
at the lights... trans to neutral and clutch out! But today's advanced
engineering, suppose to be better components and less pedal pressure to
hold the clutch down so you supposeably don't need to.... but when I
come to a street light I always put mine in neutral and clutch out..
then to put back into gear.. I always 1st put the shifter into like 4th
or a higher gear 1st then put in 1st gear.. easiest on trans.. same when
putting into reverse."

 

Ditto on what Dave said.