Questions and Answers

To Gear Or Not To Gear? Q. Dear Mr. Ciulla: What is standard auto repair procedure when starting a car with a manual transmission? Is it left in gear or out of gear? The situation I have is the mechanic asked the customer to start the car, the customer usually leaves the manual transmission in neutral.

Mechanic left it in gear. Car gets started and lurched forward. Should the mechanic have customer start car especially if standing in front with the hood open? Should customer check transmission position? Should mechanic ask customer to check if in gear before starting? Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Bob

A. If the vehicle has a manual transmission without a clutch interlock system, it should be shut off and the transmission placed in neutral. This will prevent the vehicle from moving when it is started and forgetting it's in gear. If the vehicle has a clutch interlock, the clutch has to be depressed before it will start which will disengage the transmission from the engine and prevent movement.

The rest of your questions are more a matter of common sense on the part of the mechanic and the customer than anything else. Also it is not wise to stand in front of a car while it is being started in case the vehicle should decide to move.

If a mechanic is working under the hood and asks a customer to start the car, he should tell the customer to put the car in neutral, make sure the parking brake is set and start the car. He should not assume that the customer will do this. He should also be standing off to the side in case the vehicle does move, taking himself out of harms way. Since the customer knows there is someone under the hood, he should take it upon himself to insure the vehicle is in neutral before starting the engine.

Problems do arise when one person drives the vehicle and parks it in gear. Then another person gets in who is used to leaving it in neutral. I have seen technicians park a customers car in the parking lot and leave it in gear. The customer then gets in the vehicle, starts it up and runs into the vehicle in front of it.

Bottom line is use your common sense and do not leave anything to chance. When you assume you make an ass out of u and me.

Additional Information provided courtesy of ALLDATA