Joe said:
> my father was an import auto dealer as i grew up- he always taught me to
> depress clutch for safety reasons (car could be in gear and it might not
be
> apparent) and several cars i've had including a 1968 corvette and a 1987
> stanza wagon would not energize starter unless clutch was in- it makes
> sense to me
Yeah, it makes sense to me, too. My '89 Trooper is that way. Any way you
slice it, Triumph's just don't make sense.
The safety concern is the reason I advise folks to keep their right foot
planted on the brake as they hit the starter. I've started cars in gear
before, and it can be very disorienting. Yesterday I hopped in my Jetta,
put it in neutral, started it, and then looked around; my seatbelt wasn't
on, I had a 100% opaque sun reflector covering the windshield, and my car
was pointed towards a pedestrian cross-walk.
A couple of years ago this thread went around, and a guy talked about his
TR6 with a race motor in it. He took it to a shop to have work done on it,
and they hit the starter with the car in gear. The car actually started and
went through a cinder-block wall before the mechanic had the presence of
mind to turn the key off.
I'll keep starting my TR6 in neutral with the clutch engaged, because I
trust the mental routine I go through before starting the car. But it's
really good to remind yourself of the potential dangers in this method.
Thank you for bringing it up.
Kevin Riggs
'72 TR6
rkriggs@ingr.com
Huntsville, AL
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