Driving Without Using the Clutch

You may find yourself in the situation where your clutch cable has snapped or the fluid has drained out of your hydraulic clutch. You can't drive like that, can you? Well, actually, you can. All you need to know is described here:

* To start the car, put it into second gear, take off the handbrake and turn the ignition key. The engine will start, the car will jump forward and the engine will stall. Immediately, while the car is still moving, turn the key again. This time the engine will start and will continue to run.

* You can now drive. When you feel the car is going at the speed where you would normally change gear, rev it up slightly higher, then pull it out of gear. At the same time, ease off on the accelerator and push it into the new gear. With a bit of practice (and luck) you'll get a smooth gear change.

* Changing down gear is similar except that you don't rev up beforehand and you leave the engine longer out of gear so that it can slow down and match to the lower speed.

* When you want to bring the car to a complete stop, change down to a low gear, then brake heavily to cause the engine to stall.