AWW$HEEET Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 listen to the rpms and the load on the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 Not sure if it has been said yet, but when parked, leave it out of gear and use the damn E-Brake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Sweet Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 Since you can't hear the engine, you'll have a harder time especially since you said the tach isn't working correctly. All it takes is practice. Every stick car will drive different. I would be driving my Camaro all day and come home and get into my truck and it would feel so weird at first, the clutch and shifter feel is so different depending on what you're driving. Learning how to drive a stick is a lot of fun, just keep practicing. I'm stuck with two autos at the moment and I don't like it. 99% of the time I prefer driving manuals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fubar231 Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 listen to the rpms and the load on the engine. He cant really do that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjrsplat Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 Ideally a vehicle with a working tachometer would be the best starting point, I'd look into fixing the tach on the ranger to help get acclimated to driving with a standard transmission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ansonivan Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 Rangers all vibrate enough that you won't need hearing or a tach to figure out what the engine is doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjrsplat Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 Rangers all vibrate enough that you won't need hearing or a tach to figure out what the engine is doing. I used to have a 91 Ranger 5 spd that didn't even have the tach option, I learned how to drive a manual transmission with that vehicle. I'm well aware of how they behave on the road, I'm still confident that If i were deaf in that scenario, I'd benefit from having a tachometer installed while learning to drive it. I only stated it would be helpful, I didn't state it was necessary. Also keep in mind there's not much that can go wrong with a tachometer on an older ford ranger. its either a signal issue, or a gauge issue. I'd be willing to guess its an issue with the gauge given the information the op provided as to how it starts working accurately at a certain rpm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTQ B4U Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 What does slipping feel like? I know that's a stupid question. The tachometer in the truck is busted. it won't show anything below 3,500 but once it passes 3,500, it will start showing the current RPMs. Smoothly shifting, do I need to give it some gas as I shift or just shift then gas? Busted tac. makes learning a bit more difficult, but in every day driving it's the feel not the visuals or even the sounds that matter. Get a feel for where the clutch begins to catch as you raise it up off the floor. That's the point where you begin to ease gently into the gas. Lift up on the clutch and depress the gas simultaneously and smoothly. You'll eventually get the knack and not even think about it. As others have said, you can get going without any gas in some cars. My MS3 is like that but it's not easy or fun. The amount of gas and speed of clutch release once you engage it will vary depending on how you are driving it. Drive it easy and both are smooth, if you give it too much gas too quickly and come off the clutch, you'll spin....and likely smell a bit of the clutch doing so. In the end, just get a feel for the release point, go slow and start off by shifting at lower to mid rpms. Don't go fast and furious for a while as it may not end well. I've driven a manual for years but my MS3 was the first in over 12 years and even I spent an evening at a parking lot getting used to it. MS3's have very unforgiving on/off style clutches. Do you have a hand brake the truck? I cheated and sometimes still do on hills by using the ebrake to keep from rolling back. Especially helpful in high traffic hilly areas when people tend to creep up on your ass. Give yourself 2-3 weeks of driving it everywhere and you'll find yourself doing it with easy and not even remotely thinking about it. You'll have a very connected feel to the vehicle which really will set in once snow hits. That's one thing I really like about the MS3 is winter. So much easier to get around in than the slushbox Ford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copperhead Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 What does slipping feel like? I know that's a stupid question. The tachometer in the truck is busted. it won't show anything below 3,500 but once it passes 3,500, it will start showing the current RPMs. Smoothly shifting, do I need to give it some gas as I shift or just shift then gas? Slipping is where the clutch and pressure plate are making contact but not fully engaged. This happens every time you take off and to a smaller degree when you shift, this is a normal part of the process. However, some people use it as a way to be lazy on a hill to hold them in place instead of using the brakes. It is possible to engage the drive line enough that it will hold you in place on a hill but not actually start to move forward. This will ruin a clutch very quickly. When a clutch wears out it will start to slip when fully engaged. When this happens you can tell because you hit the gas and instead of it reacting evenly with the amount of gas you give it, it accelerates much slower, until it stops engaging altogether. With a slipping clutch you can be rolling in gear, gas it and watch the RPMs go up without it accelerating at an equal pace. With a tach that doesn't work correctly you are going to have a difficult time. I learned on vehicles that didn't have a tach in the first place which meant getting a feel for what the engine was doing, which unfortunately for you is mostly by hearing it. I'd suggest getting that tach fixed. As far as what to do when shifting - the taking off part as already been covered by others. Give it a bit of gas (not too much) then when you feel the clutch engage start giving it more gas while lifting off the clutch. Between gears, always lift off the gas, otherwise the RPM of the clutch will be way higher than the pressure plate when you go to release the clutch. This means you will either get slip (bad) or with a grippy racing clutch an unpleasant jerk. Once you get comfortable with driving a manual, look into rev matching for downshifting. It makes downshifts much smoother which makes the ride more pleasant and is easier on the clutch, but that's not something to worry about until you have the basics down. Practice on flat ground quickly transitioning from brakes to gas and timing the releasing of the clutch for takeoff. If you can get good at that without stalling then hill starts will become easier to practice when you feel ready. The only difference is you will need to give it a bit more gas so you don't stall out when on a hill. Also, always remember to push in the clutch when coming to a stop, or you will stall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M0nk3y Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Not sure if it has been said yet, but when parked, leave it out of gear and use the damn E-Brake. I leave my car in gear all the time with the E-Brake on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cordell Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Practice practice practice. And don't slip the clutch to hold it on a hill, use the brakes. That's a good way to eat through clutches This. Practice is the only thing that will get you the feel of giving it gas and clutch in right amounts, and even after you get decent at one vehicle the next one you drive will have just a little different feel. Although once you get good at one car the rest won't have much of a learning curve. Just keep at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starkmaster03 Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Be slow with the clutch at first to learn the engagement and drive it multiple times a week. My fiance is finally learning after 5 years with me nagging. She would try it here and there and would get frustrated but I made her drive it 4 times in a week and she caught on. I now trust her with it only a few weeks later and she has taken it out by herself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Bastard Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 my aunt bought a firebird years ago that was in arizona. she took my dad with her because she didnt know how to drive a manual assuming my dad would drive it back for her. when they picked the car up and my dad gave her the keys and told her she was driving back. by the time they got back to ohio she knew how to drive a stick pretty well. all i can say is practice makes perfect, i know you said you still drive the saab on longer trips, but it would prolly help you more to just drive the truck on longer trips to get more of a feel for it at once. just have patience with the stalling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRD2BDF Posted May 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 I really appreciate all of you offering tips. It really helps. One person suggested practicing taking off without touching the gas, I've got the hang of that already both in forward and reverse. For those who keep suggesting that I fix the tachometer, unfortunately, the truck isn't mine and my Dad does not want to fix it. I tried to practice hill starts on the driveway, it's slightly inclined. No luck. I did end up moving forward but only after a massive burnout. I thought I ruined the clutch because I kept feeling this whirring so I slowly let off the gas then the truck moved. I looked back and saw a cloud of white smoke and thought, "yep, the clutch is smoked" then as the truck kept moving forward, the long peg-legged mark showed up. Still got to work on the damn hill starts and smoothly shifting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Spam Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 I leave my car in gear all the time with the E-Brake on. +1 for doing it the right way! Always first gear always. It wont move with it in gear and esp with the ebrake on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Sweet Posted May 11, 2012 Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 +1 for doing it the right way! Always first gear always. It wont move with it in gear and esp with the ebrake on Yep, first or reverse. I never understood why someone would leave it in neutral when parked. If the e-brake fails and your car isn't in gear, good luck with that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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