MK5 Golf GTI

All Things Mk5 => Mk5 General Area => Topic started by: danishmkvgti on July 25, 2013, 11:00:32 am

Title: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: danishmkvgti on July 25, 2013, 11:00:32 am
I have just been informed that the routine involving engaging the clutch pedal when starting the car is a very very bad thing when having an uprated clutch fitted.
The golf GTI has a 180degrees axial bearing and when engaging the clutch upon startup the bearing has no lube and will therefore over time have excessive wear as a result, this again will result in a very expensive reapir in some cases to the extent that you need a new engine  :sad1:

Have this in mind guys, i will change my routine as a result of this  :sick:
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: rich83 on July 25, 2013, 11:14:43 am
Clutch pedal?? :stupid:
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: graeme on July 25, 2013, 11:19:32 am
I have always dipped the Clutch  :scared:
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: anorganix on July 25, 2013, 11:33:22 am
Mine won't start unless I press the clutch first, so I guess they've thought about it...
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: SyntaxTerror on July 25, 2013, 11:52:50 am
So the consensus here is to disengage the clutch (pedal down) when starting?
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: danishmkvgti on July 25, 2013, 01:34:22 pm
Sorry for the confusion, it's engaging the clutch pedal that is bad as you the puts the pressure from the springs on the clutch plate onto the crank as a sideways stress while there's no oil pressure on the axial bearing, not the clutch itself, my bad  :smiley:
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: bacillus on July 25, 2013, 02:14:53 pm
I put the car in neutral, fully depress the clutch pedal then start the car.
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: danishmkvgti on July 25, 2013, 02:21:20 pm
I have edited the poll due to me not being specific enough  :happy2:
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: vRSAlex on July 25, 2013, 02:39:39 pm
Axial bearing?  Thrust bearings on the crank?
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: drsilviuro on July 25, 2013, 02:56:51 pm
In neutral and with clutch pedal pressed I started the engine for 100.000km (50.000 with southbend stg3 daily) and no problem whatsoever!


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Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: danishmkvgti on July 25, 2013, 03:06:02 pm
In neutral and with clutch pedal pressed I started the engine for 100.000km (50.000 with southbend stg3 daily) and no problem whatsoever!


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Have you had the gearbox off and measured the lateral movement after the 100.00km of use?
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: drsilviuro on July 25, 2013, 03:37:04 pm
In 2 wks will take the gearbox apart for wavetrac lsd :)


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Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: berg on July 25, 2013, 08:25:10 pm
I put the car in neutral, fully depress the clutch pedal then start the car.


me too always thought this was correct, but jake are you saying this is only correct for a oem clutch? :confused:
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: drsilviuro on July 27, 2013, 08:19:00 am
As vRSAlex said, what/where are those axial/thrust bearings? Do you have a picture of them?

Here's a diy, if you don't have pictures
 http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=310279


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Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: danishmkvgti on July 27, 2013, 08:53:20 am
I put the car in neutral, fully depress the clutch pedal then start the car.


me too always thought this was correct, but jake are you saying this is only correct for a oem clutch? :confused:

Yes Berg, there's a risk when having an uprated clutch and doing this procedure that you'll get sideways slack in the crank
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: Hurdy on July 27, 2013, 09:10:56 am
When driving any manual I've always checked the gearstick is in neutral and then started it up. I never depress the clutch when starting.

Edit... Unless a car won't start if the clutch isn't depressed.
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: vRSAlex on July 27, 2013, 06:24:54 pm
Most cars 09 ish onwards have to have the clutch pedal pressed down to start.  You cannot disable this iirc.

I have never heard of an issue before caused by pressing the pedal down on starting?
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: xjay1337 on July 27, 2013, 07:27:07 pm
I had an uprated clutch fitted to my TDI (perhaps that is different) and all throughout my ownership of the car (50k+ miles and over 2 years) I always dipped the clutch when starting and never had a problem.

I've never heard any problems caused by having the clutch down when starting. I don't think it makes any difference whatsoever as all as far as the car is concerned, if you are in neutral and if you have the clutch down it's no extra force required to start the engine.
In both cases there is no drive being sent it's just at different points in the system (pressure plate / friction disc) rather than at the gearbox / driveshafts where the load is.

I'm sorry but I think this is a bit daft.


And as Rich said... what's a clutch pedal?
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: danishmkvgti on July 27, 2013, 09:17:24 pm
Most cars 09 ish onwards have to have the clutch pedal pressed down to start.  You cannot disable this iirc.

I have never heard of an issue before caused by pressing the pedal down on starting?

Neither have i before now, remember this issue is only relevant IF you have a highly uprated clutch pressure plate, when pushing the pedal down before starting the engine the enegry you use to push down the pedal is pushing the crank sideways and when the engine starts there no oil pressure to the axial bearing, (only word i know for it and google translate it to this taking from the danish word for it)
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: M7AXB on July 28, 2013, 09:43:35 am
You need to depress the the clutch on an 07 S3 so I can't see it doing any harm. I don't do it personally on the golf.
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: ARV_90 on July 28, 2013, 09:51:24 pm
Most cars 09 ish onwards have to have the clutch pedal pressed down to start.  You cannot disable this iirc.

I have never heard of an issue before caused by pressing the pedal down on starting?

Neither have i before now, remember this issue is only relevant IF you have a highly uprated clutch pressure plate, when pushing the pedal down before starting the engine the enegry you use to push down the pedal is pushing the crank sideways and when the engine starts there no oil pressure to the axial bearing, (only word i know for it and google translate it to this taking from the danish word for it)

"Thrust bearing" fella  :wink:

I wouldn't worry about it.... Pushing the pedal will just stop the main layshaft from turning in the gearbox when cranking,  Maybe on a very cold frosty morning it would make a difference to how fast it cranks over,  but i doubt you would notice.  No oil pressure to big end bearings,main bearings, cam lobes, etc etc for a second or so and they survive  :smiley:  std clutch or not doubt it makes any difference.... Anyway whats a clutch pedal :-)
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: sat1983 on July 29, 2013, 07:46:01 am
Modern cars are tough beasts- but I always use mechanical sympathy just in case.
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: drsilviuro on August 04, 2013, 11:20:35 am
Look like this is real, my mechanic said it was possible. But never had to repair/replace an engine because of this, and should happen on really really strong pressure plates (with bi-disc, etc)
Title: Re: What procedure do you use when starting your car?
Post by: danishmkvgti on August 04, 2013, 06:11:44 pm
Look like this is real, my mechanic said it was possible. But never had to repair/replace an engine because of this, and should happen on really really strong pressure plates (with bi-disc, etc)

reason for me making this tread is that it is possible, and just by changing behavoiur at start up you can do difference and possible save a lot of money.

This is one of the engines, the one having had the stage 4 clutch

(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi715.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fww160%2Fjakethemoss%2Fth_VIDEO0016_zpsc9781d46.jpg&hash=56aa3a5187187f6f6c96667b58431129289a1ed9) (http://i715.photobucket.com/albums/ww160/jakethemoss/VIDEO0016_zpsc9781d46.mp4)