Gear shifting and clutch question.

Because if you push the clutch all the way down to the floor it engages the clutch brake. I'm not a mechanic at all so maybe someone can give you more technical answers, but basically since the truck transmission doesn't have any synchronizers the input shaft has to stop in order for the gear to be engaged smoothly (in your starting gear from neutral).. If you continually push it all the way down, or hold it down at a red light lets say, it will wear out the clutch brake and then you will be stuck grinding it into a gear from neutral. The truck jumping and shaking was probably the effect of pushing the clutch down farther than you are used to... you either let it out too fast, too high of a gear or the combination of both. When you are at a light and in neutral, you always push the clutch to the floor to engage the clutch brake and allow you to smoothly put it in your 'starting' gear. Now they teach you to double clutch in school.. but other than using the clutch brake to get it into a starting gear or reverse, I haven't used it to actually shift since i got out. Like I said, maybe someone with mechanical skills can explain more clearly than I did.

 

Oh, and at a red light, don't sit there with it to the floor the whole time.. put it in neutral, then when the lights about to change push the clutch down to the floor to get it into a starting gear so you don't wear it out

 

That is for those who can do it fast, some will sit there till the light changes until they get it in gear, holding everyone up and then they go on yellow.

 

It is technically not correct to sit at a light in neutral (even though we probably all do it).

After you come to a stop, push the clutch the floor to activate the cluctch brake. Once in gear, hold it down about halfway to 3/4.

This video here explains the whole thing pretty well:

 

Could be a reason some of us do not race to the next stop light to only sit, we let all the others race ahead and as we come up to a stop we select our starting gear before coming to a stop not needing the clutch at all unless we have to stop. It makes many angry because we keep rolling along behind all the got be firsts saving wear on our trucks and not having to start from a dead stop every time our fuel mileage is a bit better. We also know we are #1 because of all the salutes we get.

 

I always glide up to the stoplights like that, and get told I'm #1 as well!

 

Well when we give them the peace sign back, are we really telling them they are #2?

 

I feel like I should play the lottery if I don't get flipped the bird AT LEAST once in the day.

 

If cars aren’t passing me when I am coming up to a red light I know I am going too fast......I do not want to sit at a red light, I want to keep some momentum rolling so I don’t have to touch the clutch, as I will float into 2nd gear a ways back, as needed. So if I do get caught by a red light I am not holding the clutch in for very long.

I luv stale red lights, if there are some cars ahead of me they can get through the fresh green, and I can start upshifting.

I hate stale green lights as I don’t know when they will turn yellow.