[QUOTE]Originally posted by cyber_x
[B]

 

How well I remember, in 1964, learning to drive a 3 on the column '49 Chevy "puddlejumper...." Once I lurched left and right on a dirt road and punctured BOTH left side tires. Two at once really didn't matter. The car had NO spare and I was about six miles from help down a dirt road.

It looked like the car on this webpage.

 

Use the force, Luke.

 

Damn it, I just pulled another stupid stunt last night - I was driving along and thought I'd shifted into second, but was actually in neutral. When I realized that, I went to shift into second, but had a brain fart and didn't clutch in! So, of course, I got some wonderful grinding noises before I realized my error and stepped on the clutch. Is this single occurence likely to damage the gears or anything? (I did try to push the lever into second twice but it wasn't with very much force)

Also, I don't know if it's a coincidence, but this morning, I felt what seemed to be a 1-2 grind (my car's an '02), which I've never felt before. It happened twice. The car had been driven about 20 miles since last night's stupid attempt to shift into second sans clutch.

Well, on the bright side, I can now get going in first without revving up to 2.5-3k first. Just wish I hadn't tried to go into second without the clutch - do you guys think one isolated incident will cause any damage?

 

Hard to say for sure if you damaged anything. Offhand, because you are a new and probably cautious driver, I'd go with a NO. As for the 2nd gear grind, it will sound just like when you shifted without the clutch. That's a gear grind. Anything short of that is just a bit of notchiness which a different technique or a change of tranny fluid may cure. Also try moving your seat up a click or two. Although you shouldn't "over-think" this thing, you should try to remember to put the clutch in when shifting.

 

Ok, thanks again xviper. I appreciate your quick and informative responses!

It probably wasn't entirely clear from my original description, but I only *tried* to go into 2nd without the clutch - I didn't actually force it into gear. I pushed the lever twice, it grinded and "bounced back" into neutral both times...and only then did my brain come back online, and I clutched in and went into 2nd.

Also, the feeling I had going from 1st to 2nd this morning didn't sound/feel nearly as horrific as the grinding when I forgot to use the clutch, so hopefully it was just some les-than-perfect shifting to blame.

Final thing is, if I had damaged something, what kind of symptoms should I be seeing? Would it be pretty obvious that something was wrong? I was able to drive the 40 miles to work this morning (mostly highway though), so does that mean that I'm probably in the clear?

Thanks for helping a new, and apparently idiotic, stick driver out.

 

Speaking of these previous posts, HOW DO YOU POWERSHIFT?

 

If you can get someone you know who knows how to drive a manual to go with you to an empty car park, waste ground etc., I'm sure you can sort out most of your initial problems in an evening or two . After you've grasped the basic technique it's just practice. It sounds like you're doing OK. We tend to forget that this isn't something that comes easily in the first place.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by cyber_x
[B]Final thing is, if I had damaged something, what kind of symptoms should I be seeing?

 

I always thought gear "grinding" was the gear teeth grinding. Then I read this: http://www.howstuffworks.com/transmission2.htm

It seems it's not what I was hearing after all. I guess that's good, but grinding anything is not a good idea. BTW, I've been driving a stick for most of my 30-some years driving and I still, once in a great while, will miss shift and invoke the above sound! Gives me shivers. It's usually when my clutch foot outpaces my shift hand.

Tony