with little practice it is possible to shift gears without use of the clutch

is this damaging to the clutch/transmission?

 

and you would try this because...

 

It is not worth it. I have seen in magazines where this added no benefit as far as 1/4 times or anythgin else. It does not make you all that much faster and just hurts your clutch in the process. Stay away from it.

SuDZ

 

Powershift if you must, but clutchless shifting is best done by professionals. (Powershift=shifting between gears using clutch with accelerator still on the floor).

 

can someone give me a link to a site that says that shifting without the clutch does NOTHING. No one at my school will beleave me!!

 

Yes.

If you do it perfectly every time there is no damage. Few humans are perfect.

 

The technique is called "speed matching". It is a matter of judgment and feel. If you do this speed matching just right, the shifts will be completely silent. There will be no gear-grinding sounds whatever.

In order to shift to a higher gear without using the clutch you ease off the gas just enough so the engine is neither accelerating or slowing the car. Then you move the shifter from one gear to the next higher gear, feeling your way so as to not abuse the synchronizers. The timing of this clutchless shift is fairly fast, a two-step "blip-blip" taking about one second, total.

To shift to a lower gear you shift into neutral, then goose the gas just a bit, and ease into the lower gear. The timing of this clutchless shift is a bit slower, a three-step "blip-rev-blip" taking about two seconds, total.

The way to start from rest is to switch the engine off, shift into first gear, crank the engine, and away you go. This is hard on the starter motor. The 4Gen Maxima has a safety interlock which prevents the starter from cranking unless the clutch pedal is floored. If your hydraulic clutch actuator has lost its fluid you can step on the pedal. If you want to drive without touching the clutch just to prove you can, you will have to bypass the Inhibitor Relay.

While it is possible to shift without using the clutch, this is not recommended except in extraordinary circumstances. I have done this to help friends with broken clutch cables. I did it for myself once when the hydraulic slave cylinder suffered a catastrophic hemorrhage. It's better to do repairs at home than at the roadside. Being a thrifty sort, I like to avoid the tow-truck fee.

 

This is the way to circumvent the no-crank safety circuit as a diagnostic measure or to get your 4Gen Maxima started in an emergency.

1) Raise the hood.

2) Just in front of the battery you should see a black plastic relay box. This is relay box #2. There is a good photo of it in the Haynes manual on page 12-4.

3) Snap off the relay box cover.

4) There are two rows of relay sockets, four in each row. Your relay box may have some blank sockets, depending on which options are installed. Look at the row of relays closest to the battery. The second from left socket should have a blue relay installed, and that is the Inhibitor Relay.

5) Remove the Inhibitor Relay. Fashion a short jumper from a bent paper clip or other suitable conductor. Insert the jumper in socket positions 3 and 5. The positions are numbered on the base of the relay, but they are hard to read. Terminals 3 and 5 are the pair which are most distant from each other.

6) WARNING! With this jumper installed the no-crank safety interlock is disabled. Your car will crank and start regardless of clutch pedal position. Work safely!