Quote:
Originally Posted by taredog
Have to put in my thoughts.
There should be no bump involved. Do not "pop" the clutch. Think of the way you go up through the gears when accelerating. Unless you always give your passengers whiplash and chirp the tires when you shift up. Gentle is the word and use the same gear you would use when accelerating at the speed you are at. Having knowledge of what is actually happening when the tranny is in or out of gear and what happens when you push the clutch in helps. Oh and how the engine is involved in all that.
I have used this technique a lot over the years due to being too poor to waste gas, having a dead battery and no funds to replace it or just having to drive a POS the wouldn't idle well.
As far as reverse tourque harming the drive train, if done correctly it is the same as taking your foot off the gas when decelerating. In other words the clutch is designed for reverses in forces. That's why many clutch plates have springs in them.
As to EOC, I never thought about the pilot bushing (is it really a bearing now in cars/light trucks?) but you should never keep the clutch depressed for long periods of time. Shift to neutral and let the clutch out. Less wear on the through out bearing.
I have known and ridden with people who pushed the clutch in every time they let up on the gas. Why? They were told to by someone. Believed the car would stall otherwise, even at speed. Never was successful at converting any of these people.
So do your EOC right, enjoy but know you didn't invent it. Been around since there were cars with clutches.
And be gentle restarting it using the proper gear and don't "pop" the clutch.
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I have heard the same concerns about over using the clutch in such a way, and I try to not keep my clutch pushed down for more than needed to shift, and if needed, I'll go to neutral. I really do feel you have a good point on that one because I have been told this same advise from many mechanics.
As far as what gear to shift too I see both sides here. I agree about seeking a smooth ride- I feel what is most important is that when we go from EOC to starting our car back we don't have a big jolt, we all seek as smooth of a ride as we can get. I have found that 5th gear often works out pretty good but I prefer to go to neutral and stay there instead of ridding the clutch more than a second or so. However I also have used 4th gear and found it to be very smooth, and I really can't explain why other than the RPMs and my speed were a good match. It's more of feeling the road than anything else and not really being able to say exactly why I feel going to 4th then to neutral to restart sometimes works for me as well or better than going to 5th.
The method described in this thread does work, but I avoid using the clutch as much as possible and go to neutral as much as I can, so I'm not doing the "bump start" EXACTLY as worded here because I have been taught by mechanics my entire life not to use a clutch in such a manner- I believe some call using a clutch in such a way "slipping the clutch" which any mechanic will tell you is not good for long term use. Not to mention, most drive trains have a very long warranty on them, and that's for a good reason. I do not feel it's very easy to damage the drive train, but the clutch is another matter.
I used to drive a motorcycle in EOC for years- but I never dreamed someday would come that it would have a NAME for it. This method works double good for people on cycles.
* Please see my next reply in this thread, it could be important for some drivers.