Shifting from neutral to reverse while driving..

^^Haha ya my gf sometimes shifts it from drive to neutral and that scares me sometimes too. Good to know that there is no real danger.

 

Does it matter if you are in neutral? just currious.

 

It's amazing to me...how many idiots drive Tacomas.

Engine Braking

Auto Transmission Cooling

Hate to be negative but some of you guys have the mechanical knowledge of a 4 year old girl.

 

wow...

 

Yeah, thanks for your constructive post.

I was mistaken. You still drive the pump while coasting. It's more putting it back in D that can be really harmful.

Also:
http://www.caranddriver.com/feature...to_a_stop_2c_do_not_shift_into_neutral_page_3

 

Actually ya, I heard of them when I was like 11 or 12.

Guess my sarcasm was lost in translation.

 

I had a 1997 Ford Taurus and accidentally shifted into reverse while coasting down a hill. It cut the engine and I about flipped out because I though I'd broken it. It started right back up. It must have had a kill switch or the computer did it.

 

I find coasting down hill in drive more controlled than when in neutral. I often downshift to 4, and sometimes 3, to get better control. There is significant engine drag, even with an auto. More control and cooler brakes.
I have very little concern about transmission trouble. It' a Toyota.

 

I remember doing it to my dad's ' 65 Chrysler. I don't know how much or little damage it did, but the massive clunk sound wasn't pretty.

 

My friend did it in a f-150 going about 30 mph. The truck lurched and the tires squealed. Don't remember if it stalled or not. I was pretty freaked out at the time. The truck is still alive and well 3 years later

 

Looks like you just pointed yourself out.

 

How does taking it out of gear give you more control over the vehicle? That takes away both throttle input AND engine braking.

 

A 1965 Chrysler would have had a Torqueflite transmission. Reverse was locked out by hydraulic control at speeds above 3-5 mph.

 

Interesting some people convinced themselves that they have more control of their vehicle while in Neutral then in a gear in a coasting situation

Crazy also because you can get a ticket for it in Washington State, with the issue being stated as "operator has no control over vehicle"

 

As stated before, do NOT coast in neutral with an auto transmission (manual is fine). Only put it in neutral to coast as an emergency event (aka prius out of control situation).

The way an auto works is by having fluid do the transfer of power from the engine to the gears, through the torque converter. This is also why you can't (rather shouldn't attempt) to start an automatic by doing a rolling start. It's a great way to ruin your transmission. If you're in neutral, the torque converter is still spinning as it's directly bolted to the flywheel on the engine, but it's not moving the fluid through the transmission allowing it to cool.... so all that fluid in the torque converter is rapidly heating up and unable to cool (usually a few quarts worth).

You can probably get away with it for awhile, but the more you over heat the oil, the less it will be able to do it's job to properly lubericate and protect the parts in the transmission. Not worth it.


Also, in most states it's illegal to do this anyway. Arizona is one of them. Coasting in neutral (auto or manual) is considered that you have the vehicle in an 'out of control' situation, if you were to wreck in that state you could be found at fault. Not worth it.

As for having more control in neutral... that doesn't even make sense. The only possible thing for this I can get is you two foot and use left brake and right gas. If you are, stop doing that... it's very dangerous and a horrible driving practice.

 

I drive a 5 speed so my situation is different, but I coast in Neutral constantly. You gain so much more momentum when going downhill...it's free acceleration.

 

Shift to a lower gear and use engine braking. The owner's manual even endorses it. On heavier trucks it's the only way to slow safely downhill - slam the brakes first and you will jack-knife.

 

My truck shuts off if I am rolling forward and it ends up in Reverse. Trust me.

 

Didn't know that. Maybe it was my '66 Mustang...? And maybe I went into Park... LOL... must be my Oldtimer's kicking in.

 

Well the way I see it, when the vehicle is taken off from any gear and left on the velocity of which the slopped zone provides, through gravity, THEN I have full control of how fast I can hit the brakes when a dog crosses the street or a kid throws a ball into the street. I also think its a better way to drive especially when coasting down an residential street. You might accidentally get side-tracked and hit the gas pedal than the brakes when needed. That's really the only time I like to drop down to neutral.

I don't accelerate to 80 on the freeway and punch it into neutral, if this is anyone's idea of coasting.