Clutch on its way out?

[Robbie Romero]

Hi,

I noticed something odd yesterday whilst driving home:-

The gear stick is able to move out of which ever gear its in, into neutral by simply moving it with my hand, no need for the clutch to be depressed what so ever.

This isn't right is it?

When its been 'popped out' I cannot shift it into any other gear until I've depressed the clutch at least half way to the floor.

I tried the 'slip' test, by driving at approx 30 MPH, shifting to 6th, then flooring it. No slipping at all.

On hills the bite point is fine & no slipping.

So - do I need a new clutch, is it something minor, or is it me just worrying unnecessarily?

Thank you in advance for your help guys (& gals)

 

[DPJ]

Hi,



The gear stick is able to move out of which ever gear its in, into neutral by simply moving it with my hand, no need for the clutch to be depressed what so ever.

That's normal - even on a 4wd Leon....

 

[Robbie Romero]

Phew,

Its simply another case of me worrying.

Thank you for the swift reply.

 

[JamesL]

mine doesn't do it

however you might find if you rev the engine you can pop it into another gear without using the clutch

 

[Ruddmeister]

The gear stick is able to move out of which ever gear its in, into neutral by simply moving it with my hand, no need for the clutch to be depressed what so ever.

This isn't right is it?

When its been 'popped out' I cannot shift it into any other gear until I've depressed the clutch at least half way to the floor.

Have you considered an Auto' next time?

 

[Robbie Romero]

Hi,

Interesting, so it the gear stick meant to stay 'locked' into gear whilst driving or not?

I did find it strange, as I'm sure if never used to simply 'pop' out of gear with a gentle tugg, without even touching the clutch pedal.

I just tried a few things in the carpark:-

Engine idling, clutch NOT pressed at all, I'm able to push the gear stick toward a gear & the car VERY slightly moves.

As the clutch is so hard to get to, I don't want to get it changed (£300?) if there is nothing wrong.

The thing that keeps sticking in my head is the fact I'm almost certain the gear stick never used to 'pop' out of the selected gear WITHOUT using the clutch.

 

[Robbie Romero]

Have you considered an Auto' next time?

I hate Auto's, so little control. Great for cruising, but I have many sweeping conrners etc to contend with on my journeys. Living in the country you see...

 

[Ruddmeister]

You can pull the car out of gear without the clutch

I often do it in a traffic jam

 

[Brummy]

I hate Auto's, so little control. Great for cruising, but I have many sweeping conrners etc to contend with on my journeys. Living in the country you see...

That'll explain it then....

 

[Ruddmeister]

Engine idling, clutch NOT pressed at all, I'm able to push the gear stick toward a gear & the car VERY slightly moves.

Have you never tried changing gear without the clutch - matching the engine revs ?

 

[Robbie Romero]

Hi,

I've never tried matching the revs with the optimum gear shift point.

Perhaps I'll give it a go on a quiet road.

I've always known you can do it, but have never given it a try. I'm guessing its approx 3000 revs?

 

[Muttley]

Jesus Christ on a bicycle

This is simple mechanics. The gear engagement mechanism is a dog clutch, a wheel with teeth on one face engaging with holes on the mating part. Of Course you can pop it out of gear without using the clutch.

When engaging a gear, you must match the speeds of the two components in the gearbox, or risk bits breaking. To simplify, this means matching engine speed to road speed for the gear you are trying to engage. This can be done without a clutch, indeed early motorists did it all the time, but it needs a lot of practice, and the practice will put a lot of stress on your gearbox. The synchromesh mechanism in your gearbox is in fact a set of cone clutches, one for each speed, and unless you learn quickly you will accelerate the wear on the synchromesh and risk chipping bits off the dog clutches. Budget for a new gearbox if you intend to practice this to any extent.

Six-speed boxes are more delicate than five-speed in the same car, as the components have to be thinner in order to fit six sets in the same space.

Your posts indicate that you do not understand how gearboxes work. I recommend you go away and read around the subject, not ask us to provide you with pat answers, because there are none that can deal with your level of ignorance.

 

[GrahameS]

Your posts indicate that you do not understand how gearboxes work. I recommend you go away and read around the subject, not ask us to provide you with pat answers, because there are none that can deal with your level of ignorance.

Bit harsh isn't it? since when did you have to know the intricates of how a car works to be allowed to drive one?