46
votes
Leaving car with automatic transmission in Neutral instead of Park
Depends on the car.. some won't let you remove the key from ignition if it's not in park.
To be honest I really wouldn't worry about "crossing" reverse when heading for Park there is usually a slight ...
- 9,989
38
votes
Accepted
Need I press clutch pedal while starting my car in neutral?
It depends on the specific vehicle. Many modern standard transmission cars in the US have a clutch pedal sensor that will not allow you to start the vehicle if the pedal isn't fully depressed. You'...
- 24.3k
34
votes
How to add a 7th gear to a car to enhance fuel economy?
This is something that used to be quite common - in the '60s and '70s, people would add an electronic (or manual) overdrive to the back of the 4-speed gearbox to give an extra gear (usually two, as it ...
- 28.7k
29
votes
Leaving car with automatic transmission in Neutral instead of Park
The simple answer is "No". There is no useful reason/benefit to using the transmission any other way than it was designed.
Use PARK (P).
- 9,035
28
votes
Why is a motorcycle's neutral between first and second gears?
Answer
The technical reason that manufacturers have chosen to use a sequential shift pattern with their gearbox configurations is that a standard shift plate that allows the selection of any gear ...
- 33k
27
votes
Need I press clutch pedal while starting my car in neutral?
Being from Canada, I feel compelled to mention that if you do not depress the clutch while starting when it is at all cold out (let's say < 0 Celsius) you will notice the starter motor labouring ...
- 422
23
votes
What does exhaust smell on oil and transmission dipstick mean?
First of all you're not smelling CO (carbon monoxide) as that is an odorless and colorless gas. What you are likely smelling are combustion byproducts and that is not at all uncommon in the engine ...
- 12.1k
22
votes
Accepted
Why do 5 and 6-speed transmissions typically need different gear ratios?
tl;dr: different gear ratios are a feature, not a bug. Some cars use more gears for acceleration, some use them for better gas mileage. You can't do both.
At 3300-3500 RPMs, shouldn't the WRX be ...
- 24.3k
16
votes
Do cars go from Drive to Neutral on their own?
To my understanding, no. I've never seen this behavior before in any auto I've ever driven or read about. I think it would be a safety issue if it did. If you needed to move suddenly (for whatever ...
- 153k
16
votes
Leaving car with automatic transmission in Neutral instead of Park
Because of the way an automatic transmission works, this really is a non-issue. You're probably thinking about how in a manual transmission, when you move the gear shifter, you are physically pushing ...
- 13.3k
16
votes
Leaving car with automatic transmission in Neutral instead of Park
Setting your car in Park does not cause wear of any kind, and most automatics I have driven will not start or let you remove the key in any other position than Park.
First of all, I'd like to point ...
- 260
15
votes
Accepted
Why aren’t drive chains completely taut?
The main reason slack is needed is the rear suspension of the bike. In a "perfect" setup, the axis of the rear swing-arm and the final drive of the engine would be one and the same. This is not ...
- 13.3k
14
votes
Need to find out what part is called
It's not too clear which part you're referring to, so I've annotated your image with the most likely items.
- 8,672
14
votes
Why do you use the "park" gear to park a car and not only the handbrake?
Putting the transmission into "Park" engages the "parking pawl" - essentially a metal pin that locks the output shaft of transmission (and thus the driven wheels) in place.
As to why it exists - it ...
- 9,989
14
votes
Accidentally put CVT into park
Shifting into park engages the parking pawl inside the transmission and physically locks up the gears. If that mechanism was engaged at sufficient speed and no safety existed to prevent it, most ...
- 241
13
votes
Accepted
How do electric car transmission systems work?
I'm sure it can be done different ways, but I'll describe the Nissan Leaf, since it is one of the true electric cars on the market today (not a hybrid gas/electric).
The Nissan Leaf does not use a ...
- 153k
13
votes
Accepted
How is it possible for the crankshaft RPM to not directly correlate to the driveshaft RPM?
The torque converter picks up the slack
In essence, this device connects the engine crankshaft to the transmission's input shaft through a fluid-type coupling. Once the turbine spins fast enough ...
- 39.1k
13
votes
Does an increase in horsepower allow a greater speed in any given gear?
The answer is no because you mention being limited by your redline. Regardless of power, a certain RPM will result in a certain speed for a given gearing. Chances are the gear ratios were chosen ...
- 13.3k
13
votes
Accepted
94 Toyota Pickup hard to put into gear after clutch in too long
If its a hydraulic clutch, it may be bleeding off, either a leak or a bypassing clutch master cylinder.
- 8,010
13
votes
Accidentally put CVT into park
While it's definitely not good to do this, if it's running/driving fine, you've most likely suffered no damage. Considering the speed at which you did it was so low wasn't very fast and shouldn't have ...
- 153k
12
votes
Why is it that the front of the car lifts up when releasing the clutch?
Newtons Third Law
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The statement means that in every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting objects. The size ...
- 33k
12
votes
Accepted
How does the transmission not strip itself when applying the brake?
The somewhat longer answer is that the device that makes what you're asking possible is the torque converter. This device is a pair of curved blades setup as an impeller, and a turbine. The following ...
- 9,326
12
votes
Accepted
Skipping gears when downshifting
If your car is slowing down, and you are at a "safe" speed for 2nd gear, then its perfectly normal to skip gears. If you're going the wrong speed and the engine RPMs aren't even close to what they ...
- 13.3k
12
votes
Accepted
Do Manual transmission cars perform better than Automatic transmission?
The difference comes down to the driver. While automatic racing gearboxes can beat a driver when it comes to performance, for the type of vehicle you describe, a manual can perform significantly ...
- 18.6k
11
votes
Accepted
Why did manufacturers go to other than 1:1 transmission ratios?
Gearbox designers should avoid integer ratios like the plague.
For mechanical reasons.
Integer ratios will accelerate wear and tear because it increases the frequency with which tooth A on the ...
- 39.1k
11
votes
What differences are there between straight cut and helical cut gears?
Great question! There are several basic differences. Here is my main article that I am pulling from.
Firstly, straight-cut gears produce less side-to-side torque, allowing the engine to deliver much ...
- 5,245
11
votes
Accepted
Does an increase in horsepower allow a greater speed in any given gear?
Summarized Answer
No, HP does not determine MPH in a gear, the gear ratio does. Although there are hypothetical ways that HP can seem to make the vehicle go faster in the same gear, it doesn't ...
- 3,284
10
votes
Accepted
Is it bad to shift into reverse while still moving forwards?
You say that the gearbox won't be turning, but since the car is moving forward, the gears in the gearbox must be turning. Reverse doesn't usually have a synchromesh, so the gears won't synchronise ...
- 24.9k
10
votes
Accepted
Transmission damage due to uneven tread wear on AWD vehicle
They likely do hold some liability, since they should have known that an AWD should have matching tire diameters across all tires.
They may argue that you hold some responsibility since the Impreza ...
- 452
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible