Gear stick clicky thing...

[Maylix]

Was going to post this on DAK, but thought I'd get a more considered answer here...

OK, so there are two of us that drive this car; it's an automatic with a T shape gear stick with a knob on the right hand side of the top of the T. You need to depress the knob to move between some of the gear stick positions (e.g. from Park to Neutral), but not others (e.g. Neutral to Drive).

If you don't press the knob and move between the gear positions there's a loud click. If you move between those same positions and press the knob at the same time there's no click. So......one of us thinks that moving between the positions without pressing the knob (and hence loud clicking) is bad for the car, whilst the other thinks that loud clicking is OK and only presses the knob when moving between those positions that require it.

DAK who is right, and why?

TIA
May Lix

[PhaseThree]

This is probably going to depend on what type/brand of car it is and what age/mileage it is.
If its a modern car it may be entirely benign as the stick is just giving a hint to the computer that you might like to change gear. On an older car it may be OK or it may indicate wear in the gearbox.

[88V8]

So......one of us thinks that moving between the positions without pressing the knob (and hence loud clicking) is bad for the car, whilst the other thinks that loud clicking is OK and only presses the knob when moving between those positions that require it.

I would be inclined to find the owners manual and read it... but I would guess that when the car was new one had to press the knob, but wear and tear allows one not to.

So not pressing the knob will not do any harm.

However, making the changes that the knob is trying to flag up as dodgy might do harm, such as engaging reverse at 100mph.
Which I can with the auto selector in my cars, but have actually done only once and that when the road was wet so the rear wheels locking up was only embarrassing and not terminal to the transmission. And I was only doing 30mph or so.

V8

[DrFfybes]

Generally the button is a safety lock, which prevents you from putting it between a forward gear and a reverse gear, or Park.

On ours you can shove it into Neutral from D without pressing the button, handy at the lights, but the next position is R so the lock is a good thing.

If the button prevents you going from D to R or P then I would suggest NOT routinely pressing it when on the move.

Paul

[swill453]

If the button prevents you going from D to R or P then I would suggest NOT routinely pressing it when on the move.

This.

However the "loud click" may indicate something is going to fail sooner or later.

Scott.

[AF62]

I guess this is just a thing for petrol/diesel cars with a physical gearbox, as in my electric car there is nothing to stop you going straight from D through N (there is no Park) to R, with no buttons to push. I guess that because the gear lever is just sending instructions to the computer that controls the electric motor it won’t do anything stupid even if the driver does.

[swill453]

I guess this is just a thing for petrol/diesel cars with a physical gearbox, as in my electric car there is nothing to stop you going straight from D through N (there is no Park) to R, with no buttons to push. I guess that because the gear lever is just sending instructions to the computer that controls the electric motor it won’t do anything stupid even if the driver does.

Yes, better a "gearchange denied" message on the dashboard rather than some mashed cogs.

Scott.

[quelquod]

However, making the changes that the knob is trying to flag up as dodgy might do harm, such as engaging reverse at 100mph.
Which I can with the auto selector in my cars, but have actually done only once and that when the road was wet so the rear wheels locking up was only embarrassing and not terminal to the transmission. And I was only doing 30mph or so.

V8

My goodness how long ago was that?

I once had an automatic Ford Zephyr mark 2 circa 1960 and even on a car as old as that if you shifted into reverse (or park) whilst doing anything over about 3mph forwards the box simply went into neutral until the speed was low enough to do (more or less) no harm! I thought they all did!