[GreenKeys] WD-40

[Ralph Mowery]

When I was about 17 I almost backed the manager's car of a grocery store through the store doors.  It was after the store closed and the manager had backed his car close to the doors and told me to put his groceries in the trunk and then park his car.  I hopped in and hit the switch and the car jumped back what seemed like 5 feet at the time.  I knew how to drive a straight drive, but did not think to check it out as the shift was on the column and in reverse, about the same place as a car would be if in park. This was around 1967 and by then most full size cars had automatics if on the column.  They did not have the interlock at that time for the sticks.

Forward about 5 years.  I bought a new car with a 4 speed in the floor.  I had driven it for about a week and  stopped to fill up with gas.  The car would not start.  Service station man told me to push in the clutch.  I guess that I had been doing that all the other times.  I had had  an older 4 speed car and was just used to putting the transmission in neutral and starting the car.

Ralph ku4pt



-----Original Message-----
From: greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Richard Knoppow
Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2020 1:50 AM
To: greenkeys at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] WD-40

    Well, I wonder about this. What you are describing is sort of 
free wheeling. It would eliminate any braking action of he 
engine. I don't remember any more what the procedure was for push 
starting a car with automatic transmission. However, all of them 
have some form of liquid coupling to take the place of a clutch. 
So that there is little coupling between the engine and wheels 
when the brakes on on, for instance at a traffic light. Also, it 
seems to be that most cars have some sort of interlock between 
ignition and transmission so that one can't start the car if the 
shift is not in "park".