Driving without the clutch

[mehrshadvr4]

i did it once when my clutch hose got bad.i couldn't pressed the clutch so it was impossible to put the car in first gear.what i did was turn the car off put in in first gear then start the car.it will move the car while it crank the engine.i could down shift or up shift but the only way to move the car from stop was to turn the car off then start it in first gear.

[h00t_h00t]

WTF is a "bad clutch hose"?

[Bob]

WTF is a "bad clutch hose"?

I'm guessing the fluid line for a hydraulic clutch? My master cylinder went bad and I had basically the same result. Anyway I've been trying to do this, its possible but very very difficult (for me at least) and not something to try in traffic. You have to be exact on the rev matching, within like <50 rpm, not an easy thing to do. I think the best way to do it would be to shift so that your engine speed in the next gear is exactly idle, which would simplify the process considerably, once you learned the shift point in each gear.

[danblackracing]

When shifting (up or down) the trick is to 'float' off the throttle when you go from being in-gear, into neutral, to reduce the load on the cogs as much as possible. This makes for easier gear dis-engagement, and greatly reduces the chance of chipping the cogs

As you say, to 'find' and engage another gear without using the clutch you need to be really precise about matching the revs exactly to what the new gear demands - because there's no slop and no cushioning and no room for error

As mentioned, the big risk is chipping teeth off the gears, and likewise giving the synchros a hard time. When dis-engaging, slide it out promptly. But be gentle when attempting to re-engage from neutral. Never force the gearlever - use your fingertips rather than your fist. If you muscle the shift, or have to force the shift -which indicates poor rev-matching, this greatly increases the chance of causing damage - including simply bending the gear linkages if your car has those

So the key imo is being gentle. If you have to force it you're doing it 'rong'

Doing rapid drag upshifts in a conventional gearbox without using the clutch would pose the worst of risks imho

Btw I've driven big trucks with Spicer/Road-Ranger non-syncro gearboxes, and could shift those with only two fingers resting on the top of the gear-knob

I do this all day daily on my 2009 6sp Nissan Cube! I used to do it on my old Datsun 280zx's also. I have a hard time doing on my 2009 Nissan 5sp Versa though.