This thread spins off from a discussion in another thread: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showpost.php?p=135638800&postcount=6 specifically: Is it easier on a 328 [or any other Ferrari, for that matter] to have the clutch pedal depressed when cranking the starter, or to leave the pedal up? Obviously with the transmission in neutral in both cases. The St. Louis dealership (where I bought my first 328) recommended always depressing the pedal. In the above thread FChat gurus suggest it's easier on the starter to leave the pedal up. Today I telephoned three local dealerships for their advice: Ferrari of San Francisco: Either way. Cammisa Motors: Pedal up. Ferrari of Silicon Valley: Pedal up. The reasoning is that pedal-up puts slightly less strain on the starter, but it is a very minor distinction. Curiously many modern manual-transmission cars will not start unless you have the clutch pedal depressed. Just to confuse the issue. Any further thoughts, O wise and venerable FChatters?
Who ever you spoke to at any of dealerships mentioned are almost certainly not technically oriented and obviously should not be giving technical advice. They are not qualified to do so. They are also telling you to do something that is dangerous. The correct answer and one that has been in universal acceptance since Gottlieb Daimler invented the automobile is to press the clutch to the floor when starting. One of the main reasons was very well displayed in one of the posts in the other thread. Starter draw from having to turn the gears in cold thick gear oil significantly increases the amount of energy to turn the motor so much so that anyone raised in the north east or midwest in the days of 6 volt systems will tell you it was a matter of starting the car in the morning or not. This has been understood since electric starters were invented and used to be part of driver education. The friction developed by the throw out bearing is nothing. Silly idea. Wearing out the thrust bearings , sillyer idea. Thrust bearings do wear substantially from people who sit at every signal light with their foot on the clutch, but from starting, no. Then there is the safety factor. Used to be that starting the car without pressing the clutch was good enough to fail a drivers test. Really bad idea. That seemed important enough from a liability standpoint it caused many car makers to part with some of their hard earned cash to install systems that would prevent ill informed, untrained drivers from hurting someone by not stepping on the clutch.
IIRC, on my old '85 308 QV, I HAD to depress the clutch in order to crank the car -- even in neutral. I seem to recall a clutch switch that required this procedure. The manual stated that this was the proper procedure as well.
For what it is worth, I start all of my manual cars with the clutch depressed for the reasons stated by Rifledriver (328, Miura, Miata). The Miata has about 80,000 miles on the original clutch, plate, bearings, etc. It will not start without the clutch depressed. This is proof enough for me that depressing the clutch to start has no adverse bearing (no pun intended) on durability. Alberto
