I am having the worst time learning to drive my 4.9L 4 spd. It has the 3.65 gears. Today I took it out for a 20 minute drive, and on the way back, I blew a coolant hose. It could have been so much worse. I went accross a busy intersection, with what looked like a fire in my trunk!!! I dont think anything was damaged. I must admit this is my first manual car. I occasionally drive my roommates ford probe, with very good results. However, I just cant seem to tame the beast. I have no problem going from 1st to 2nd to 3rd to fourth. I just can't get it right from stop to first. I have tried several methods like slowly letting the clutch out to get rolling then giving it some gas. tried slowly giving gas at the same time as releasing the clutch. it just isnt working.

Can someone give me some pointers? Please don't tell me I should have went with an auto, as I already know that. Feel free to dumb-it-up for me. It also doesnt help that it has been off and on snow the past month.

I have never driven a manual 4.9, but generically, assuming your clutch is working perfectly, the best way to me to get from stop to go in first is to slowly let out the clutch just until it starts to grab, then simultaneously releasle the clutch while giving it a little more gas. Given the torque of of the 4.9 you probably don't need to give it a lot of gas, modulating the clutch is the part you need to practice. Good luck.

Does your E-break work well? Find a good hill and put your E-break on and put the Trans in first gear. Pull the clutch out until you feel it grip, then give more gas, and slowly let the E-Break off. You will be going up the hill. Stop and repeat until you feel comfortable with out the E-break. Hope it works out for you. I think you will enjoy it much more than an auto.

unfortunately my ebrake in non-functional since i removed both the rear calipers and replaced them with front calipers due to cost.

Kinda like Jscott said, find the point where the revs start to drop when you're letting out the clutch... with the 4.9, you can probably get it going without any gas at all... this isn't very good to do all the time, but it helps to get used to the clutch. So, just find the point where the revs drop, then start giving it a little gas and release the clutch all the way when you're moving.

Brad

floor it, drop clutch... your going and you put on a pretty good show as long as no cops are around

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'86 Fiero GT

www.KylesFiero.tk

Mine was a bit hard to drive with the idle at 600 rpm. I bumped it up to 800 rpm and it made a big difference. I think I programmed your chip, I don't remember, what does it idle at?

Once you are familular with how far the clutch petal has to come out to engage it will become much easier, especially if you are starting out on a hill. Keep practicing, it'll come.

quote Originally posted by TaurusThug: floor it, drop clutch... your going and you put on a pretty good show as long as no cops are around

Do you drive your Automatic like that...??

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AKA. "SmoothGT"....
Custom Built SHAVED~WIDEBODY~GT!!

it is idling at about 1000-1250 rpms. it generally starts low, and then increases after it warms up. I have not performed your idle procedure, beacuse I'm scared it'll go bad and start idling at 3000 rpm's. My map sensor reads .45 volts