[jkoc]

i realise its not a good thing to "ride the clutch" often... ie: waiting in a stop light.

but is it bad to just depress the clutch pedal ALL the way down for a long time? for example, in heavy traffic, let the car coast slowly with the clutch pedal all the way down, and youre in 1st gear... (so really, youre not grinding the clutch plate)

 

[malken00]

Just puts more wear on the throw out bearing. Thats it.



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Malken00
[email protected]

 

[A Crew]

um, i thought riding the clutch was using it a lot of the time as in sort of engaged but not completely... and someone on this board has pointed out that needless use of the clutch wears out the throw-out bearing or whatever it is... laterz

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Where'd you go? I was ONLY in 3rd...
Mmmmm - Girl scout cookies - made with real girl scouts!

 

[smoothludey]

From what i understand the clutch is never really out of contact with the flywheel when you depress the clutch pedal, so you will always grind a bit while the pedal is down and the motor is running. The extent of 'grinding' depends on how hard the motor is revving. If you're coasting with zero throttle, it's not that bad to keep the pedal down while a gear is engaged, but it's not a good habit to keep.

 

[jkoc]

ok thanks...

1. is it an expensive thing to replace the throw-out bearing?

2. any tips of driving in heaaaavy traffic with frequent stop and go at the crawling pace of <5kph? i'm a new 5speed driver and i am forming a bad habit of pressing the clutch pedal all the way down at zero throttle and coasting + braking... if i go TOO slow in gear, i'm scared of stalling... if i go too fast during these traffic situations, i end up slamming the brakes very soon...

how do u guys deal with this?

 

[smoothludey]

Nothing you can really do, just get used to using the clutch pedal often and regulating the throttle.

 

[ImagePree]

if you're moving at all, even at 3mph, you will not stall... i'm always in traffic, and it's fine.

 

[Gabe]

I drove this way for 175k miles on my 89 toyota truck in a lot of stop and go traffic. The throw out bearing was not the reason I needed a new clutch. In fact I still have the bearing and friction plate (bare as can be) from my old clutch in a box in my garage if you'd like a pic of what 175k miles of this type of driving does to a throw out bearing. I'm pretty sure that it is still in excelent shape. I do the same thing in my prelude and have not had a problem yet.

I also balance my truck and prelude at stop lights by letting the clutch out a little and giving it a little gas so the engine keeps the car from rocking back. I do this for entire stoplights sometimes. Everyone says that this is horrible for a clutch but I have yet to have someone prove to me that this will severely shorten the life of my clutch. I drove a truck for 175k miles like that on the stock clutch, I think that's a pretty long life for a clutch. My whole family drives like that and the only other clutch we had to replace was the one on our 88 accord at 210k miles.

Gabe

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97 Prelude
see it here:Hondaprelude.com

 

[jkoc]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by imagepree:
if you're moving at all, even at 3mph, you will not stall... i'm always in traffic, and it's fine. </font>

when i try this, i find my car jerking a lot. like it doesnt coast smoothly.. how do u prevent this?

 

[ImagePree]

holy crap!!!
175k, 210k?!?!!?!? sheesh...

 

[Gabe]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by imagepree:
holy crap!!!
175k, 210k?!?!!?!? sheesh... </font>

I should snap a shot of the friction plate on my truck. There is no material left on it at all. Bare as can be.

Gabe

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97 Prelude
see it here:Hondaprelude.com