3nd time startin the car in 1st!!

[dorkiedoode]

man! im so piss my newb ass keep forgetin. so this is my 1st manual so i never really got the use of puttin it in neutral then start it. so everytime i go car wash or valet parkin the always put it in 1st then everytime i start it, it jus jump n shut off. so i was wonder if this is gonna hurt the tranny in the long run?

[kenchan]

yah, and your motor, but don't worry about it too much. just remind your
self to jiggle the shifter into neutral before you crank the motor.

[All_bets_off]

yeah, always just clutch, pull back to N, then start.

[Bballswingr1]

why does it need to be in N if you have the clutch pressed? I always start my car in first

[kenchan]

Originally Posted by Bballswingr1

why does it need to be in N if you have the clutch pressed? I always start my car in first

cause he keeps lurching forward.

[ZOE]

Originally Posted by kenchan

cause he keeps lurching forward.

doesn't it lurch forward cause you stalled?

I do that jiggling thing a lot to check if its in neutral. i usually get a strange look from the passenger :S and hey sometimes you just forget, like i just park with the handbrake on and not in gear and my dad or bother moves my car, its in gear :S

[fa1]

he stalled because he probably left the car in 1st and turned it on with the clutch down and released it still in 1st. You should probably hold the clutch down until you go if you can't remember even though it's bad for the throwout bearing, it's probably better then stalling everytime.

[CivicWithNav]

i ALWAYS leave it in neutral and use the parking brake

when ever i start the car, it's like a habit,i always jiggle the shifter left and right to make sure it's in neutral

[Intrepid175]

Originally Posted by kenchan

cause he keeps lurching forward.

First, you can't start the engine without the clutch down. Even if the transmission is in neutral, the engine still won't start unless they've got the clutch peddle on the floor. There are safety switches in the start circuits that prevent that. If the car is lurching it's because they're letting go of the clutch after the engine starts without first putting it in neutral.

The OP admitted they're new to manual transmissions. They've just got to learn the habits. As for damaging the drive train? You're not doing it any good but stalling the engine that way with the it only at idle probably isn't going to do anything significant. Having said that, I would try "real hard" to break this little habit. It's only a matter of time before you catch things just right and the engine doesn't quit. Then you're going to find yourself motoring forward when you "really" don't want to!

Drive Safe,
Steve R.

[Seemund]

Me too.. You can adquire 2 habits :
1 - Never leave in 1st..
2- always make sure that its in NEUTRAL before releasing the clutch!
:)
Both work well.. And I've been driving manual trans. cars.. for a longgg time :)
lol

[CaliGuy]

I always leave and start the car in 1st. I just put the clutch in and start it. However, for a noob it is probably best to get in the habit of putting it in nuetral and jiggling it as stated above as the op is new to this...

[PokeyD16Z]

Always leave it in gear when I shut it off...and most times, its in 1st (or Reverse if I'm facing downhill)...and stays that way until after I turn it on. But, I have a habit of turning it on while in gear, then just moving it to neutral. I think a couple of habits you should form are when you park, leave it in gear AND when you turn it on, make sure its in neutral before you get off the clutch (regardless of where it was when you started it).

[vegeta21]

man this happened to me this morning when i was leaving for work.i normally leave it in neutral all the time but somehow i forgot that i left it in 1st gear last night and next thing you know the car just jerked hard.it's happened to me a few times i hate it when i do that.

[Kurt]

I've done it twice.. and both times it scared the crap out of me

[Yodums]

It lunges forward because you just dumped the clutch and for that split second, the clutch engaged with the flywheel.

I always park in gear and I've accidently done it once or twice. What I usually do is pull it into neutral before starting, or try to anyways.

[dorkiedoode]

yea i always leave it on neutral cuz i was affraid if my dad start the car or something it will leap forward n hit the wall so that for my baby safety. but then again by doing so i got use to it bein in neutral so much now that when the valet guy drive my car they left it in 1st soo that how i keep forgetin n it not lik i valet everyday u know. but yea ill try hard to keep that in mind.

[JeShUa]

IM A JIGGALO I JIGGLE THE CLUTCH BEFORE ANYTHING

[sfccrx]

Originally Posted by CivicWithNav

i ALWAYS leave it in neutral and use the parking brake

when ever i start the car, it's like a habit,i always jiggle the shifter left and right to make sure it's in neutral

ditto.

[sonitex]

It really is not a good practice to leave it in gear when parking. Especially on an incline. The recommended method is to engage the parking brakes, first and foremost. Then, you can leave it neutral or in gear. It is not a good idea to use the gear to hold the car in park. Now when you are ready to go; position your seat in place, wear your seat belt, start the engine with the clutch to the floor, place it in gear, release the parking brake with your right foot on the brake pedal. At this point, iI put the car in motion.

[Yodums]

Originally Posted by sfccrx

ditto.

So what happens if your e-brake cable snaps or stops working? It's a good have a backup by parking in gear after you had pulled the e-brake.