If I were to keep the clutch disengaged (keeping the clutch pedal pressed all the way in) for a long period, would it harm my clutch assembly or any other component? For instance, when coming to a stop, instead of pressing the clutch, and putting it into neutral, then letting go, I just would hold the clutch in until the stop, then put it back into gear when getting ready to take off again. I have heard this can have horrible long term effects on the clutch...but I do not know why this would happen... Can anyone explain this? I am still a to the m/t tranny and the way it works.

Thanks

I do the same thing, I just started driving manual last week. I dont think it would be bad for the clutch but im a too. Anyone know if its bad for the clutch?

yeah it will blow the clutch

Please explain why this would happen?

Acutally i asked my dad about this and he told me that it is fine. But I think just to be safe i would put it in neutral

Put the gear in neutral, instead of holding the clutch for a long time. If the wait is less than 10seconds, hold down the clutch and wait.

I am very curious as to why this should be done? If I hold down the clutch, will it wear out something prematurely?

not bad for the clutch DISC but it may weaken the clamping force of the pressure plate fingers.

IMHO there is no real ill effect from it, people i know who've been driving sticks for a long time have not had problems drivin this way BUT u dont want to keep ur car in gear and have the clutch pressed in while ur stopped, that is a i believe it causes wear on the trans, even most trans shops tell you this

its not going to wear the transmission since the tranny will be as if the car was turned off since its physically not connected to the motor. whats happening is that the TO bearing is pushing agains the pressure plate fingers and those fingers "may" lose tension over time. Probably wont though, but if anything at all, thats all I can see happening

Technically if you leave your clutch pushed in your throwout bearing will wear faster because it will be constantly spinning and possibly not last as long. The bearing is cheap ~$8, but the labor requires the whole clutch removed and rebuilt.

I always leave mine out of gear at lights.

ur right, this is technically the reason for not leaving it in gear at a light

Downshifting into first is not recommended. For safety reasons, you shouldn't keep the gar in gear while waiting at a light. If a car hits you from behind, you foot will be off the clutch, which means your car would jump forward and possibly end up in the middle of an intersection.

nismos14 strikes again!...this guys knows a couple of things......yea put it in neutral...that's what I did.

Nismos, the car is drivable again...finished bleeding the clutch yesterday...drives like a beaut!

I was taught to put the handbrake on, put the shift into neutral and let my foot off the clutch while waiting at a red light.

The amount of wear either way is negligible - but you shoudl do the above purely because of the safety implications of accidentally setting off by your foot slipping off the clutch, coupled with the additional wear and tear on your leg muscles.

dude! thats freakin awesome, still have the sunroof around? haha i can't even afford that thing right now. n e ways, thats awesome bro! that '97 of ur's was sick, but after the accident u really got a great chance to work on ur car and learn alotta stuff, u did a damn good job bro!

why all the hassle of the handbrake? why not step on the brake pedal like an automatic would at a stop.

Also I dont see the risk of having it in gear at light when you get hit about it moving the car. think about how automatics are- you simply let go of the brake and watch it roll, for a 5speed try dropping the clutch at idle, chances are that it will stall.

I tend to believe the Throw-out bearing idea... With my old 97 it had 110k on the clutch and NO slipping at all, but i used to keep the clutch in at lights, and after a while when i released the clutch the bearing would whine, only way to shut it up was put the clutch back in... the dealer said the clutch was fine but the bearing was worn completely. now i release it whenever i can...

Goto www.howstuffworks.com

They have a pretty decent write up on how manual and auto trannys work.
I think every car n00b would benefit from reading about the basics behind turbos, SCs, trannys, etc.
I still havent fully grasped the idea behind the auto, but the manual seems to make sense.

auto is just a bunch of clutch packs and bands that run off of hydraulic fluid pressure