Do you treat your car as a purely utilitarian machine, designed to get you from point to point and little else? Some people do but may quickly change their mind when they are faced with some costly repair bills. It's amazing how much you can save if you show some mechanical empathy and particularly when you are changing gear in a manually operated vehicle. Why should you take time to understand how this process all works so you can cut down on your motoring expenditure?
Mechanical Empathy
In very basic terms, the engine is responsible for creating the power, and the gearbox converts the power into usable energy in variable situations. In other words, the output of the engine has to be tempered to deal with slow speed manoeuvres, and you need to disengage it as you select the appropriate gear for the moment. You may know that this happens whenever you put your foot onto the clutch pedal, but there are various components that spring into action to make it all happen, and these are part of the clutch kit.
What's Going On?
The clutch sits in between the gearbox and the engine, with a pressure plate bolted on to the back side of the engine and attached to the primary flywheel. Through a series of springs and other mechanisms, this part of the clutch can rotate independently of the engine and will be released when you depress the clutch pedal. The clutch disc is a separate component that's coated with resistant friction material to help disengage and re-engage traction whenever the clutch pedal is activated.
Clutch in Action
These components will need to turn at high speed, as they are located along the primary shaft and they need to sit on specially made bearings to enable this to happen. As you can imagine, these bearings come under intense pressure, as they have to make sure that each part of the clutch kit is centred correctly on the shaft as the disc moves forwards and backwards accordingly.
Being Sympathetic
To be a better driver, try to be as sympathetic as possible when you change gear. It doesn't matter whether the 'magic' is mechanical or hydraulic, the way that you engage and disengage the clutch pedal will make a difference when it comes to wear and tear. Always try to match the engine revolutions with the car's forward speed, as this will allow you to change gear seamlessly and without any resistance.
How to Make a Difference
If you need to take your vehicle in for clutch repairs soon, make sure that you respect the mechanism as much as you can in the future.
