Double Clutching Vs. Floating a Gear

That is a really good point

 

Using the clutch while shifting has nothing to do with causing damage to the clutch. You need to use the clutch every time you shift. Every time you shift without the clutch you are grinding the sliding clutches inside of the transmission against the gears. You may not hear it but you are. The engine is still powering the transmission where as when you use the clutch it is not. This causes pre mature wear on the sliding clutches which is also referred to as snubbing. This causes the transmission to fall out or jump out of gear. This is most noticeable on the top two gears of a transmission which are the ones that are shifted in and out of the most. You can always tell if a driver uses the clutch or not by looking inside of the transmission. Eaton's auto shift and ultra shift transmissions have input, countershaft, and output speed sensors to read the speeds of the gears inside of the transmisson and calculates when to shift. They will not shift if gear speeds are not synchronized. Take the top cover off of one of these transmissions and the sliding clutches will look just like they did the day they were new. There is virtually no wear at all.

 

Some drivers have counter shaft and main shaft speed sensors built into them as a 6th sence, others don't ! All driver trainers will tell you to use the clutch as if you don't there can be pre mature wear on the sliding clutches like kw wrench says.

 

I'm having a heckuva time comprehending how 'not' using a clutch at all wears it out or causes undo wear on a drive line. I recall many years ago, snapping my drive shaft while clutching up a steep incline... by the time I came off the clutch, the truck speed was significantly lower and it tore that drive shaft like it was noisy toilet paper.

I've learned from that experience and discovered that, if you aren't synchronized engine to transmission, you aren't going into gear. Floating, done properly will eliminate clutch wear completely. I do know the last truck I drove 750,000 before it was replaced and never had the clutch needed servicing or adjustment. So much for the 250,000 mile service life, eh?

 

I agree with what most others have already said, no problem with smoothly floating gears. The problem is poor shifting, which can be done ith or without the clutch.

The only problem I have ever run into from floating gears is with a solo clutch. A good driver that floats gears good has very little clutch wear, so the self adjuster can stick from a lack of use. A few times I have had to get in there and manually free it up to get free play. I have drivers ting that they need a new clutch, but get it freed up and working and they really had many years of live left to them, they were just stuck becasue the self adjuster is used so little.

 

Well as a former driver and licensed truck mechanic I can say with certainty that if done properly slip shifting/ floating the gear does not hurt the trans or driveline. If you shift and you don't hear the gear grind and the truck doesn't lurch or jump what is wearing with no noise? Instructors are paid to say things that they themselves may not agree with but its what there told to teach. I had a good trade school teacher that would say you should do it this way BUT in real world you do it this way he taught what he was suppose to but told us how it is. It all comes down to how you were taught and what your comfortable with. Myself I was mostly self taught just from test drives. I did not go through a driver school I challenged the road test. The instructor asked if I could double clutch I said no never taught to and he said carry on the way you normally shift and I passed and when truckin long haul.

 

You take the top case off of my transmission, and I'm sure you won't find much different.

When you are moving the shift lever from one gear to the next, and cannot feel one iota of resistance - there is no wear being extracted on the sliding clutches.

A clutch does nothing but absorb the torque in the event of a poorly timed shift. Other than that, it's apples to apples.

 

how do you properly come off the fuel peddle when floating? Just wondering if there is a wrong way that would make it harder to master floating the gears

 

correctly floating gears causes no harm no foul. FLOATING- the rubber duck left in the bath water that didn't get drained, it isn't white water rafting! If you feel it in the stick you are doing it wrong

 

Mechanics? Please tell me by that you mean "parts changers".

Sorry I don't think to highly of "Mechanics" anymore. There is one shop my truck sees. They employ a parts changer he does good work don't get me wrong but when you bill me for a "brake adjustment" and I tell you my tractor needs new slacks and then 3 services later you finally say "Yea the slack adjusters are hard to turn you need 4 new slacks on the drive axles" I being to wonder.

Now then up there at my local CAT dealer there is still a "True Mechanic". Every time my truck goes in there he is the only tech that touches my truck. He fixes what needs to be fixed he doesn't just walk over to the parts counter and slap a new part on there. Most people would say we're rednecking it because we fix it instead of doing what everybody else does and fixing it. But why pay $250 for a new tentioner when the springs aren't wore out and all it needs is a set of $30 bearings? $120 out the door vs. $350 out the door.

As for the OP's question. Yes you can hurt a transmission by floating. Clucth eh not so much. I did some to mine in the stop and go Chicago traffic. For about 5 miles I thought I had a P.O.'d chiwawa under my truck with the growling I was hearing. I started shifting with one finger in my pickup 2 in my tractor. And I don't grind many. You're not going to hurt the clutch by not using it. If anything you have to adjust the SOB more. I hate driving my truck after my dad has taken it out for a week or so. He uses the clutch to drop gears and every time that stupid thing comes back it has to be adjusted. You can however damage 13's and 18's not using the clutch if you don't know how to shift one. Once again though that's tranny not clutch too many people will kick that splitter and just keep right on going for another 1/4 mile and then let it catch the next gear. UGH ride in the sleeper when somebody does that and you can hear the grinding. Another reason I hate it when my dad takes my tractor.

I've always been told if you were grinding gears in a truck a lot of the energy was transferred to the clutch so wouldn't that in turn put more stress on the clutch and cause it to go out quicker? Not sure I'm not a certified mechanic just a self proclaimed mad scientist with my own tools and a desire to get dirty.