On Thu, 18 May 1995, Joseph R Schneider wrote:
> 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
> joe
You're right Joe,
It's a safety thing. Manufacturers like to include safety features
where there's a possibility of legal action. I suppose that if the
Spitfire were made today, it would have such a device to prevent starting
without the clutch depressed, but hopefully that would be accompanied by
a more substantial thrust bearing design.
For me, I always jiggle the shifter to make sure it's in neutral before
reaching for the ignition switch. That's one of the reasons I don't
drive a VW. :-)
Greg
Greg Meboe meboe@wsunix.wsu.edu
Dept. of Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Washington State University, Pullman, Wa.
'85 XJ-12 H.E. (daily) '67 Spit-6 '74 TR-6
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