Depressing the clutch on ignition

[Mr EG]

People say I should depress the clutch while turning on a car, why is this? Does a Honda 1993 EG Si, need to do it? Or can just turn it on without depressing? What difference does it make?

[e240]

I always do it, whether or not its needed. Just a Habit.

[_bORdO_]

yeh im the same with e240, my foots on the clutch without even realising.
Mr EG i dont think it makes a significant difference whether you depress or dont.

[NSPYRE]

AFAIK it was recommended for the older cars to relieve the added stress to turn the gearbox as well as the crank. something along those lines... lol.

[VT3C]

well if it's parked in NEUTRAL (not in gear) then you dont need foot on the clutch to start.

SOME cars (not hondas) require your foot to be on the clutch to enable the ignition..

[NSPYRE]

well if it's parked in NEUTRAL (not in gear) then you dont need foot on the clutch to start.


http://voicetalentproductions.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/captain-obvious.jpg

[cupnoodle]

perhaps it's advice for those who always shift in gear after parking and forget to neutral it before igniting

[JohnL]

It's mostly in case you've left the gearbox in a gear and don't have the brakes applied firmly, i.e. to stop the car jumping forward or backward on the starter or when it actually starts.

In theory it's also that just leaving the gearbox in neutral with the pedal undepressed means that some of the shafts etc in the gearbox will have to be rotated by the starter motor, meaning that due to oil drag etc there will be slightly more load on the starter motor unless the pedal is depressed, and the engine will crank a little slower. This is only a real issue if the battery charge is marginal.

In the old old days it was advised to do the opposite, i.e. leave the clutch pedal out when starting (making sure the gearbox was in neutral). This was because in the motoring dark ages clutch release / 'throw-out' bearings usually weren't really bearings, but made from a ring of slippery hard carbon that acted more like an annular bushing pressing against the clutch release mechanism.

Even though this carbon ring was fairly slippery it wasn't nearly as 'slippery' as a real bearing, and significant friction was created at the throw out ring when the pedal was depressed, and this tended to slow cranking speed etc.