Car Talk

Q. A friend of mine at work and I have a disagreement regarding using the clutch on a standard-shift car. He says that keeping the clutch pressed in will wear out the throw-out bearing, and I say it won’t. For example, he says that when on a hill, the smart driver will put the car in neutral and let the clutch out, keeping one foot on the brake, to save wear and tear on the throw-out bearing. I say keeping the clutch depressed won’t cause wear and tear. Who’s right?

RAY: He is.

TOM: There are two common ways that clutches die. The most common is that the clutch disc wears out. That happens over time, due to the natural slippage that takes place when you engage the clutch to get the car moving. Eventually, the friction just wears out the disc, the clutch starts to slip and you need a new clutch.

RAY: This process can be greatly accelerated, however, if you ride the clutch — that is, give the engine too much gas and let the clutch out too slowly. We call this first-degree clutch murder.

TOM: The second most common type of clutch failure is when the throw-out bearing (also called the release bearing) fails. That’s the bearing that pushes the clutch plates apart when you push in the clutch pedal to change gears.

RAY: Used correctly, the throw-out bearing will last much longer than the clutch disc. But if you sit at red lights with your foot on the clutch pedal all the time, you can wear out the throw-out bearing before you wear out your clutch disc. And because that’s an entirely preventable condition, we call that clutch murder in the second degree.

TOM: The problem is, if either the disc OR the bearing fails, you then have to replace the whole clutch. To reach either of those parts, you have to remove the entire transmission. And once you’ve paid for all that labor, you’d be crazy to do half the clutch. On most cars these days, a clutch job is at least a thousand bucks.

RAY: Now, you can take your chances that the throw-out bearing will last longer than the disc, even though you’re using it more than you need to, but why risk it?

TOM: So, your friend is absolutely right. The best way to preserve the throw-out bearing is to keep your foot off the clutch pedal, except when you’re actively shifting gears (or starting the engine). That way, you’ll have the best chance to avoid any clutch-slaughter charges.

Q. Is it ever safe to start a car with no oil in it? I have a 2004 Honda Civic, and when I change the oil filter, it always drips all over the place, down the side of the engine and onto the struts or CV axles, I’m not sure which. My brother-in-law says to start the car after I drain the oil, and it will pump the oil out of the filter so I can remove it without a mess. I told him he is insane! Was I right? I told him I would rather clean up the mess than buy a new engine.

RAY: I’m assuming your brother-in-law is a man with a very clean garage floor and lots of experience rebuilding engines. He’s also nuts, by the way.

TOM: You should never, ever run your engine without oil. Not even for a few seconds. The engine is full of very expensive metal parts that slide along each other at high speeds. To keep them from ruining each other, engine manufacturers go through a lot of trouble to make sure these parts are ALWAYS bathed in oil.

RAY: They even go so far as to put a big, red idiot light smack in front of the driver’s face that lights up if the oil pressure drops. Apparently, the light’s not big enough for your brother-in-law.

TOM: So that’s not a good option. But there’s no perfect solution. Oil filters often are attached at odd angles, and crammed into hard-to-reach places. And they’re generally hard to remove without spilling oil. On your Civic, the oil drips — harmlessly, but messily — right onto an axle.

RAY: What you CAN do is punch a hole in the oil filter with an awl. After you’ve drained the crankcase, slide your oil tub underneath the filter, loosen the filter a little bit to let air in, and knock a hole in the lowest part of the filter. Then go and take a break.

TOM: When you come back 20 minutes later, most of the oil will have drained out. Then you can grab the filter with a rag and unscrew it, with less oil running down your arm and onto your axle.

RAY: You’ll never pass the white-glove test. But you’ll be able to reduce the mess without reducing the life of your engine.

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