Morris Minor Owners Club

2nd to 3rd? What do you do in the middle phase of the 'de clutching' ?

If you don't blip the throttle on the middle phase of double declutching it can sometimes smooth the unchanged a little. Whether this is because re-engaging the clutch when the revs have dropped quickly slows the 'box, or just because it forces a slower change, I don't know.

You want the revs to drop on an upchange....

Double declutching is not an excuse for not adjusting the free play on the clutch pedal!

bmcecosse wrote:You want the revs to drop on an upchange....

Indeed. If you read what I said, you'll see I agree

Well I have adequate free play on the pedal and just in case I have got my method wrong here's what I have to do through 3rd gear both ways...; driving in second , in order to change up to 3rd I depress the clutch disengage 2nd,leave the clutch, out blip the throttle depress the clutch and engage 3rd and release the clutch.On dropping down from 4th to 3rd I depress the clutch , out of4th, let the clutch out ,blip the throttle, depress the clutch, engage 3rd.......I think that's right ! However if I am going slow enough then coming down from 4th to 3rd she will slip in with no problem.

The tricky one is 2nd to 1st up a steep hill

I see this thread is gearing up to be an epic
I drive the company car for miles without using the clutch, up changes are a doddle, just come off the diesel and feel it in. Down changes are also easy with a blip of the throttle. Blip, hold gentle pressure and it drops in when the speeds are matched. Going across the gate makes it much harder but can still be done.



Thus, I rarely use clutch for in line changes. By this I mean
1 and 2
3 and 4
5 and 6

I use clutch for setting off
And
2 to 3
4 to 5

Can drive all day like this without a crash.
Al

mike.perry wrote:The tricky one is 2nd to 1st up a steep hill

Hell yeah, not tried it but must be proper nasty.

I did this all the time when I was driving my works transit van for years to save my knees but it's a different matter with the moggy !

Budgie wrote:I did this all the time when I was driving my works transit van for years to save my knees but it's a different matter with the moggy !

Absolutely, chalk and cheese my friend.

There is double de-clutching and double de-clutching.

When changing up:-

Dip clutch.
Move gear lever to neutral.
Let out clutch..................This helps to equalise the gearbox shaft speeds.
Dip clutch.
Move gear lever to required gear position.
Let out clutch.

When changing down:-

Dip clutch.
Move gear lever to neutral.
Let out clutch.
Quick blip on the throttle..........This helps equalise the gearbox shaft speeds.
Dip clutch
Move gear to required gear position.
Let out clutch.

I have in the past driven a Scammell Explorer recovery truck & several Scammell Constructor heavy haul tractors which not only have a crash box but also have a gate fitted around the gear lever.
If you can drive those without crashing the box changing gear in a Minor is a doddle.
Even when driving my modern I have a tendency to double de-clutch (old habits die hard ) and the transition from one gear to another is seamless and flawless (most of the time ).

The next lesson is drivng a Minor without using the clutch pedal when the linkage breaks.

mike.perry wrote:The next lesson is drivng a Minor without using the clutch pedal when the linkage breaks.

used to do this on a tr6 years ago, I mean getting the revs up and changing gear without the clutch

Interesting name, palming the change.

Kind of where I had got to as I do it occasionally and since rebuilding my box with a new laygear and 1st don't want to destroy it, I drive an auto daily so the minor is a lesson in changing gear for me as well.