Do you need to press the clutch when igniting a manual transmission? Why do you need to press the clutch when igniting a manual transmission?

Manual transmission cars require the clutch to separate the engine and the gearbox. If you have a manual transmission car, you must be familiar with the operation of the clutch. For example, the clutch must be pressed to ignite the manual transmission. Why is this?

Manual transmission ignition clutch?

The operation of any machine has two purposes: safety and extending the service life of the machine. The same is true for the clutch to start the engine!

First of all, when we drive a manual transmission car and stop it, we will pull the handbrake and shift into low gear (first gear or reverse gear) to prevent the vehicle from sliding away when parked for a long time and causing safety accidents. In this case, if you don't step on the clutch to start the engine, the vehicle will rush forward or slide backward and cause an accident!

Secondly, even if we put the gear in neutral when starting, if we do not step on the clutch, the input shaft of the transmission will run synchronously with the engine, which will increase the starter load and the starting current. Especially in winter, the transmission oil has poor low-temperature fluidity, the starter load will be heavier, and the starting current will be more than ten times or even dozens of times that of normal starting, which will cause premature damage to the starter and battery.

Therefore, the clutch must be pressed before starting the car.

Why do you need to press the clutch when igniting a manual transmission?

Not only cars nowadays, but also tractors nowadays are the same. They must press the clutch to start, otherwise the vehicle cannot start normally.

When designing today's cars and tractors, a safety start switch is added. This safety start switch is associated with the clutch pedal, is normally open, and is connected in series to the start circuit and the ignition lock. If the clutch is not depressed, the safety start switch cannot be closed. If the safety start switch is not closed, the start circuit cannot be connected, and turning the key is useless. Therefore, the clutch must be depressed before starting.

It is a good habit to press the clutch to start the car, which can prevent accidents caused by starting the car without disengaging the gear. The general operation procedure of manual transmission is to press the clutch to start the car, then press the clutch to shift gears, and release the clutch to start and drive. The advantage of pressing the clutch is that even if the gear is not in neutral, the car will not suddenly jump forward and cause accidents when it is started.

The benefits of car ignition and clutch

1. Cut off power transmission to prevent the car from jumping forward.

Many friends like to park with gear engaged, which means after parking, they shift the gear to first gear, use the engine braking, and reduce the load on the handbrake.

Before starting the engine, press the clutch to cut off the power transmission.

2. Reduce the load to protect the starter and battery.

We all know that the starter drives the flywheel of the engine to start the process and make the engine run normally.

After pressing the clutch, the gearbox and the engine are disconnected. The load on the motor, that is, the starter, is reduced. The motor is powered by the battery, so the current at the moment of starting is small, which also protects the battery.

Finally, for automatic transmission cars, you also need to step on the brakes and shift to P gear or N gear to start the car. The principle is the same: cutting off power transmission, reducing load, protecting the battery, and being safer.