# Stop light and clutch pedal pushed = bad?



## Psch91 (May 18, 2002)

"Leaving the clutch pedal pressed in while at a stop light. This one is both bad for your clutch and your engine. It places a load on the pressure plate spring and your throw-out bearing. In addition, it places forces along the center of your engine's crankshaft, which can lead to premature wear of flange bearings in the engine. When you put your foot down on the clutch and leave it there, you are 'stretching' the spring that is used to control the clutch, and that spring then pulls or pushes on the crankshaft of the engine. Only doing this once and a while is fine, but repeating this over thousands of miles will cause both your engine bearings and your clutch to wear out prematurely."

Is this still true or was this for older transmissions perhaps? Cause I usually always leave my car in first gear at a stop light, and therefore pushing down the clutch. My car is my first manual, so im getting used to it and all, and am really worried about messing my clutch up since I learned how to drive on it. And usually I roll to a stop in neutral and just leave my foot down on the clutch, cause I dont realize it. Should I stop holding down the clutch at a stop light, is it really that bad? I dont want to always have to go into first when the light goes green, but leave it in first so I can move up when the car in front moves up a little, and to just be in gear. Ive driven this way for 2300 miles so far, HELP!


----------



## James (Apr 29, 2002)

true... your TOB is still running if you keep the clutch engaged...


----------



## Psch91 (May 18, 2002)

What if I leave it where it just meets the "pulling" of the engine? Like, right before it starts to want gas, is that the same thing?


----------



## James (Apr 29, 2002)

yeah because as long as the TOB is touching the surface of the pressure plate it is spinning... I mean its not a big deal but it sucks to have to pull the tranny just to replace a stupid $50 TOB every year.


----------



## angry monkey (Aug 21, 2004)

*gritty pedal feel*

ive been ignorently doing this for ever now, and recently my clutch pedal has started to feel gritty. dosnt mater if the engine is idling, 6k or off all together. and im prety sure its not the cable, because i can move the fork on the top of the tranny case with a pry bar and i feel the gritty feeling.
do you think this is the TOB jamming up on the input shaft? i was thinking it might be the ball stud, but the TOB makes more sense to me.


----------



## Nostrodomas (Jun 15, 2002)

More than likley its going to be the TOB.


----------

