PART 7: STARTING & OPERATING THE VEHICLE
PB1319 (CAT. NO. 5296 ) —68— 22-01691 (R02/02)
manual included with your vehicle for complete instructions in the
operation of your transmission.
Shifting Gears in a New Vehicle (Manual Transmission)
Shift carefully in a new vehicle. The transmission may be a little stiff
at first. So be careful to avoid gear clashing. When you are operating
a new vehicle or one that has been exposed to cold weather, you
want the transmission lubricant to circulate and coat the contacting
surfaces of the gears. Metal contacting metal in moving parts may
seriously damage your transmission. So don’t drive in one gear for
long until the transmission lubricant has had a chance to coat those
contacting surfaces.
Operating the Clutch (Manual Transmission Only)
“Riding” the Clutch
The clutch pedal is not a footrest. Driving with your foot on the clutch
pedal will allow your clutch to slip, causing excessive heat and wear.
You can damage your vehicle this way.
Clutch Travel
To put your vehicle into motion, push down on the clutch pedal until
the clutch brake makes contact. This contact will occur at about 1/2
inch to 1 inch from the end of pedal stroke. The total stroke of the
clutch pedal is about 10 inches. The first 1 3/4 to 2 inches is free
travel. After that is the release stroke that fully releases the clutch.
The last 1/2 to 1 inch engages the clutch brake. If your vehicle is new,
watch the free travel in your clutch carefully for the first few hundred
miles. As your clutch lining wears and high spots get worn smooth,
you will get less free travel. Always start out in a low gear with a
ceramic-faced clutch. Starting in higher gears, even with a light load,
will cause a very jumpy start and excessive wear.
Don’t allow your vehicle to roll in the opposite direction at all during
clutch engagement. If you need to start up on an incline, apply your
service brakes before you release the parking brake. Then release
your service brakes as you engage the clutch and apply throttle.
Release Bearing Wear
When you must idle your engine for any period of time, shift your
transmission to neutral and engage the clutch (take your foot off the
pedal). This helps prevent unnecessary wear of your clutch release
bearing. And it is less tiring for you, too.
CAUTION: Always use first gear or a low speed range to
start the vehicle in motion. The use of a higher gear or
speed range forces undue strain on the engine, clutch,
other transmission components, and may cause damage.
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