Hand Book Says Depress Clutch To Start Engine

[Roker]

Not a serious issue but I am curios.

How many people depress the clutch to start the engine? I have been driving for 45 year and never had to do this, I cannot see the logic of Toyota recommending this in their handbook, (Press the clutch to the floor and hold until the engine is started page 272) surely this will put more load on the Battery?

Another contradiction is to disconnect the Battery when charging but they will allow the connection of another Battery for jump starting ? page 290.

[Phoenix999]

As my car is an auto I am not sure if you 'have' to depress the clutch to start the car. But when I had my last Nissan I did have to depress the clutch, because had I not done so the car would simply not start. Is this the same with your car?

[cmia]

Not a serious issue but I am curios.

How many people depress the clutch to start the engine? I have been driving for 45 year and never had to do this, I cannot see the logic of Toyota recommending this in their handbook, (Press the clutch to the floor and hold until the engine is started page 272) surely this will put more load on the battery?

Another contradiction is to disconnect the battery when charging but they will allow the connection of another battery for jump starting ? page 290.

some newer cars require the cluth to be depressed before starting. No load on the Battery just sends a signal to the ecu.

and their is no contradiction in respect of charging or jump starting a car. thats how you supposed to do it!

[Pat2u]

Recently had a hire car a yaris, we had to phone the hire company we thought it was a none runner, that too had to have clutch pressed to start it, when i owned my transit van i did press the clutch in cold weather only to take the drag off.

[Q.S.]

Not a serious issue but I am curios.

How many people depress the clutch to start the engine? I have been driving for 45 year and never had to do this, I cannot see the logic of Toyota recommending this in their handbook, (Press the clutch to the floor and hold until the engine is started page 272) surely this will put more load on the battery?

Another contradiction is to disconnect the battery when charging but they will allow the connection of another battery for jump starting ? page 290.

Pressing the clutch pedal puts less load on the starter/battery as it disconects the drive to the gearbox, the starter does not then have to turn the gears. When the gearbox oil is cold there is quite a drag.

Secondly, it is good safety practice. If the car is still in gear, it won't lurch forward when you turn the key.

P.S. I always press the clutch to start.

[eddieinvader]

I do.

I have been driving twenty years and was tought from the beggining to depress the clutch, i do it instinctively when I get in the car.

I was told to do it in case someone else had been driving the car and left it in gear and I forgot to chech to see if it was in neutral when I got in.

Goes to show it pays to do it as when my sister gets in my car she always tries to start the car when it is in gear as this is how I leave the car when I get out, gets her every time.

[Thermal]

On the T27, you cannot even start the engine when the clutch pedal has not been firmly pressed to the floor.

[Red Yaris 54]

Most of the current Toyota cars require that the clutch is fully depressed prior to starting.

Without the clutch fully depressed the starter motor will not function

[SF695]

Didn't the old Saabs have to be put in reverse with clutch down to start? Or was it just for removing and sticking in the key? (The switch was between the front seats)

Anyway, in the user manual for all my Toyotas it said to put the clutch down. Quote, translated from danish "Put your clutch down and put the gearstick in neutral, until the engine is started".

Sometimes i do it, sometimes i don't. Normally my car is in neutral when parked outside the house, because i'm worried that someone might start it and forget to put the clutch down or put it in neutral, so it will crash into the wall, in which case i don't have to touch the clutch before starting. If i park it on a hill however i allways put it in first.

[hertsnminds]

With the push button start you have to depress the clutch before the car even attempts to start. As others have said it is a good safety feature as you should always be leaving the car in gear when parked so it does not roll away if the handbrake fails.

[Roker]

With the push button start you have to depress the clutch before the car even attempts to start. As others have said it is a good safety feature as you should always be leaving the car in gear when parked so it does not roll away if the handbrake fails.

Thanks it makes sense now (after 45 years)It will start without depressing the clutch but I will use good practice now.

As regard charging, There is a condradiction that you cannot supply a voltage from a Battery charger but you can from a Battery.

[Jamesbelfast]

When charging a Battery it is always good practice to disconnect it from the car. Think of a Battery as a tank of water and by charging you are trying to fill the tank. If the tank (battery) continues to leak as some energy will always be drawn off even when the car is parked then it will take you longer to refill the tank. Primarily a Battery uses chemical reactions to produce energy. When discharging the chemical reaction works in one direction and when charging in the opposite. So by disconnecting it ensures there is no conflict between both these reactions thus charging is much more efficient.

Jump starting is entirely different - the additional battery is only used to supplement the other. It's like having another tank of energy connected by a pipe.:)

[revband]

Just add to what James has said.

Some high output Battery chargers (normally commercial ones) can increase the voltage to a level that is unsafe for the car electronics, I suppose that Toyota have taken this eventuality into consideration, your average home charger is probably safe but why take the chance?.

[Roker]

If you connect a good Battery to a flat Battery, current is going to flow the same as a connecting a charger, the higher pressure will flow to the lower pressure, ie. 13v will flow to 10 volts

[Q.S.]

If you connect a good battery to a flat battery, current is going to flow the same as a connecting a charger, the higher pressure will flow to the lower pressure, ie. 13v will flow to 10 volts

As revband said, some chargers faced with a dead flat Battery will start off charging at a very high voltage and low current, sometimes as high as 20v initially. Not good for the vehicle electronics.

[buzlby]

In regard depressing the clutch pedal, I always do. My last car (VW Jetta diesel) I sold with the origional clutch, mileage 440,000.

Doesnt seem to do any harm, and seems to be beneficial. No brainer really.

Cheers

Bazzer

[2009joe]

On 3/25/2010 at 11:08 PM, Thermal said:

On the T27, you cannot even start the engine when the clutch pedal has not been firmly pressed to the floor.

quick question i have a 2014 toyota avensis 2.0d4d i have to push the clutch to the floor to start the car i was wanting to do away with this and pull out the switch plug and put a jump wire in it so dose away with it. i was wondering will this use up my Battery more been conected all the time and will it cause problems .i hate the push clutch to start tbh i really have no need for it

[FROSTYBALLS]

The reason for having to depress the clutch in order to start the car is a safety feature - to prevent the car moving forwards or backwards if inadvertently left in gear when the car is started. Most cars have this nowadays. 

If the car is taken to a garage for service, repair, MOT or whatever, you will need to inform the garage of the modification, as they will be expecting the feature to still be operational. 

I would leave it in place.

[Catlover]

3 hours ago, 2009joe said:

quick question i have a 2014 toyota avensis 2.0d4d i have to push the clutch to the floor to start the car i was wanting to do away with this and pull out the switch plug and put a jump wire in it so dose away with it. i was wondering will this use up my battery more been conected all the time and will it cause problems .i hate the push clutch to start tbh i really have no need for it

If you bypass the “foot to floor” clutch pedal technique, yes you are likely to put more drain on the Battery. As has been said earlier, pressing the clutch pedal releases the mechanical connection between engine and gearbox. The starter motor, fed with power from the Battery, needs to turn the engine to start. Having to turn the gearbox as well, which usually is full of revolving parts and has thick oil in, puts a big strain on the battery/starter motor. The modern car has a lot more electrics that want feeding, a strong Battery is needed, thus manufacturers put into place battery safeguards, simple things, like press the clutch pedal when starting the car. Things have moved on “since I was a lad”, so either go with the good advice or stick in a bigger battery from an old tractor (then grumble about all the extra weight that has to be carried).  The other advantage of pressing the clutch pedal is the safety feature, and that has already been explained.                               
Buy a Toyota hybrid and then get your head around having to press the brake pedal or the car won’t start, and Toyota hybrids don’t even have a starter motor!

[2009joe]

On 12/5/2020 at 4:43 AM, Catlover said:

If you bypass the “foot to floor” clutch pedal technique, yes you are likely to put more drain on the battery. As has been said earlier, pressing the clutch pedal releases the mechanical connection between engine and gearbox. The starter motor, fed with power from the battery, needs to turn the engine to start. Having to turn the gearbox as well, which usually is full of revolving parts and has thick oil in, puts a big strain on the battery/starter motor. The modern car has a lot more electrics that want feeding, a strong battery is needed, thus manufacturers put into place battery safeguards, simple things, like press the clutch pedal when starting the car. Things have moved on “since I was a lad”, so either go with the good advice or stick in a bigger battery from an old tractor (then grumble about all the extra weight that has to be carried).  The other advantage of pressing the clutch pedal is the safety feature, and that has already been explained.                               
Buy a Toyota hybrid and then get your head around having to press the brake pedal or the car won’t start, and Toyota hybrids don’t even have a starter motor!

well small price to pay ive already did that mod and well tbh thinking of connecting a wite perm to it as its great like my older car starting without me having to put clutch to the ground. i have a nice push button wired up to a blank switch under the stering wheel looks nice .im my bother is having that circuit conected all the time would it drain the Battery or not more as instead of coming on and going off the way i would like it would have be on all the time .im kina hoping maybe this circuit maybe is a stupid small one and have no bother if connected or not 

[yossarian247]

15 hours ago, 2009joe said:

well small price to pay ive already did that mod and well tbh thinking of connecting a wite perm to it as its great like my older car starting without me having to put clutch to the ground. i have a nice push button wired up to a blank switch under the stering wheel looks nice .im my bother is having that circuit conected all the time would it drain the battery or not more as instead of coming on and going off the way i would like it would have be on all the time .im kina hoping maybe this circuit maybe is a stupid small one and have no bother if connected or not 

I'm really baffled as to why its such a problem to just push the clutch pedal to start the car? I've always done it on every car I've owned. You have to push the clutch pedal down before you put it in gear to set off, and every time you change gear anyway! If you wire in a switch you'll just have to remember push the switch instead of pushing the clutch pedal! What's it achieving?

[2009joe]

9 hours ago, yossarian247 said:

I'm really baffled as to why its such a problem to just push the clutch pedal to start the car? I've always done it on every car I've owned. You have to push the clutch pedal down before you put it in gear to set off, and every time you change gear anyway! If you wire in a switch you'll just have to remember push the switch instead of pushing the clutch pedal! What's it achieving?

that was only a test im going to wire in a wire so u can just start with a key without depressing clutch .plus when gets cold i just have to start car when im outside the car then go in let it war up while i get ready for work. plus the reason is also u have to push the clutch in then hold it then start the car.well must be great to not have much knee pain as well i do and i cant be bothered pushing in the clutch to the ground hard then hold it then start the car.that answer your question.i was only wondering would keep that push clutch to start connected cause problems later on in the circuit or us up my Battery faster thats only thing i dont know yet 

[Catlover]

2009joe, your last post is the first time you mentioned you have knee pain which is exasperated when you have to depress the clutch. Sounds like a reasonable explanation to why you want to get round the situation. But you still have to depress the clutch many times when you out driving. How do you cope with knee pain then. Have you considered getting an automatic? Or even a Toyota hybrid with the ecvt and no clutch pedal?