I have been told a few times that resting your hand/arm on the shifter of 4 speed for extended duration while driving may harm the transmission (synchros?). I woulda thought the shift detents in the side cover would prevent any movement in things...
http://www.chevelles.com/forum/confused.gif
Any truth to this - what is the issue?
Thanks for any comments.

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Ron Cook TC Gold #1276 ___ ACES #5136
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[This message has been edited by Bow_Tied (edited 08-18-2002).]

I've never heard that. The synchro is locked to the fourth mainshaft gear when the tranny is in fourth. The shifter hub is held in place by the shift fork which in turn is held in position by a spring loaded detent. Since the synchro is locked to the gear, there can be no relative movement between the two parts.

The reference may not have been the synchro, but I have had a couple of people say " Don't rest your arm on there while driving..."

Maybe just an old wives' tale...?

I rested mine on 'em for years and never saw any ill effects.

I don't think there's a problem.

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I don't know, but I have an opinion...
grasp the shifter knob lightly without any pressure on it at 55mph in 4th. Do you feel any vibration? Then rest the weight of your hand and forearm on the shift knob under same conditions. Do you feel any/increased vibration? If so, why? does increased vibration indicate increased load on some component? Is it enough to worry about?
I don't rest my foot on the clutch pedal and I don't rest my arm on the gearshift knob. Just "personal technique" I guess.

My $0.02

READ CAREFULLY:---------------OLD WIVES TALE!

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Tom Parsons

There is a case where it is bad to do this, but it is specific to the old Volkwagen type 1 & 2 models.
On the old 'stickshift' automatic Volkswagen bugs, it seems that the weight of your hand on the shifter would allow the power to disconnect from the drive wheels and would cause the engine to scream.

Thanks guys! Team Chevelle kills another myth. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/cool.gif

Yeah and Dont Powershift at 7000.

NOT!!! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif

From Chevy High Performance, September 2002 issue, page 79, Tech Tip #12....."Have you ever found yourself cruising down the highway with your hand resting on the shifter? If you have a manual transmission, this is not good. This preloads the shift fork against the slider while the transmission is spinning. When this occurs, the slider wears rapidly. After numerous miles, transmission problems may occur. All this just adds wear on parts that don't need the extra abuse. So rest your hands somewhere else, like on the wheel."

Now, I personally wouldn't know a shift fork from a dinner fork. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif But, I knew I had read something about this recently. Finally found it tonight and thought I would post it for you guys' further discussion.

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Danny Wooldridge
Member #1129
Aces #5044

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by djw69elky:
From Chevy High Performance, September 2002 issue, page 79, Tech Tip #12....."Have you ever found yourself cruising down the highway with your hand resting on the shifter? If you have a manual transmission, this is not good. This preloads the shift fork against the slider while the transmission is spinning. When this occurs, the slider wears rapidly. After numerous miles, transmission problems may occur. All this just adds wear on parts that don't need the extra abuse. So rest your hands somewhere else, like on the wheel."<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks Danny. I am not expert either, but in a muncie, I would think you would have to have hulk hogan weight arms to go past the side cover shift detents... Could it be?

If your shifter is adjusted correctly and the detent cams in the side cover are working, then you can't "over throw" the gear and it would be very difficult to push the fork foward so it was rubbing the slider enough to make a difference.

Yep, magazines need to fill up their pages so why not fill it with BS. Maybe they could better use the space to print a nice piece on how to maintain a Muncie, adjust the shifter, stuff like that, but no, they would rather print bull $hit like this.

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Gold 67
1967 Malibu, 2nd owner.
1971 Malibu, been in the family since new.
There is nothing like rowing through the gears at 7500. Stick cars are so much fun they should be a controlled substance!

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Wally:
If your shifter is adjusted correctly and the detent cams in the side cover are working, then you can't "over throw" the gear and it would be very difficult to push the fork foward so it was rubbing the slider enough to make a difference.

Yep, magazines need to fill up their pages so why not fill it with BS. Maybe they could better use the space to print a nice piece on how to maintain a Muncie, adjust the shifter, stuff like that, but no, they would rather print bull $hit like this.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah! Ya know, I friggin love the fact that we got guys here like Wally and DZ that can just shut down things like this when the question is posed. Not from "I heard" or "this guys told me" but "This is the way it really is and I know cause I been doing it since your mama was in diapers"

Sometimes a tear comes to my eye when I launch I.E. and see those little flags and the TC logo because I know I am home. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif

Didnt think it was possible for one to become addicted to knowledge until I found TC.



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The only thing resting your hand on the shift lever will do is put wear on the shift forks and the sliders as the sliders are spinning against the forks.
Akin to resting your foot on the clutch pedal causing the throw-out bearing to spin against the pressure plate.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by chev64:
MM, You are one sick pup. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/wink.gif

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

True dat boyeeeee! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif



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'70 SS 396
4spd, 4.10's and a smile
TC# 1341
ACES# 05388
Beaux
The SS (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/btmyss.JPG)
The Rat (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/btmill.JPG)- Plans for a 496 in the works.
Interior (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/midint.JPG)

Life is a gateway drug that leads to Chevelle addiction.

I don't know Diddley about transmissions, but I remember listening to Car Talk with Click and Clack when someone asked a similar question. They recommended against it, but I'm not sure if it was for transmissions in general or a particular one.

with a hurst shifter you would be ok,because your shifting stops would be set right.but with one of those stock used pieces of junk shifters you found at a swap meet it could wreck your forks or syncros from preloading the the fork...

I have been resting my hand on the shifter of my FWD daily driver whenever I need to be poised for up or downshifting. Once I'm sure that I can keep it in gear my hand comes off the shift knob. This is how I have done it for 350,000 kms. and have suffered no ill effects; it still snicks into gear with the original syncros.
I am looking at the owners manual for my 2003 Passat, and I quote: '... Resting your hand on the gearshift lever knob while driving will cause premature wear in the transmission.' Perhaps they are being a little over-cautious, although sometimes you can exert a little pressure on the shifter without realizing it. I would never rest my foot on a clutch pedal though, I'd continuously leave it an inch or 2 above it if I thought that I may need to take a stab at it.
Some great observations were made earlier by others in this thread about how this is bunk if your Hurst shifter has been set up correctly. I realize that a Muncie is not a ZF transaxle, but generally an automotive manual transmission works on the same principles regardless of manufacturer.

Sigmund Freud: "Sometimes a shifter is just a shifter."

it preloads the shift fork agins the slider while the trany is slipping. when this happends the slider wears very fast. and after a while some bad stuff could happen.

I thought this thing was dead, where is my wooden stake!!!!

I have never seen a slider/clutch wear down where the shift fork rides. What is more likely to happen is the fork will wear out, like all forks wear out. The act of shifting into a gear pushes the fork up against the clutch/slider and it stays there until you pull it into another gear or in the case of fourth gear the whole time you are crusing. So to do any real damage, you need a shifter that will over throw the gear and push the clutch in the the gear face. Then as you are riding down lifes big highway, put both hands and on the shifter handle, one foot on the dash, around your radio is good, and pull back on the handle while in fourth gear. In about 10,000 miles the shift fork will begin to show signs of wear.



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www.muncie4speed.com (http://www.muncie4speed.com)
Gold 67
1967 Malibu, 2nd owner.
1971 Malibu, been in the family since new.
There is nothing like rowing through the gears at 7500. Stick cars are so much fun they should be a controlled substance!

Maybe a comealong to the rear seat support would work nicly?

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In tractor trailers the drivers rest their hands on the shifter handle while going down the road. This puts pressure on the shift fork against the sliders. The common result is the trans mission slips out of gear occasionally due the shift fork wear not fully engaging the slider onto to shaft. Common repair in heay truck shops. Where as a chevelle equipped with a hurst comp plus has rod button stops built in to prevent over shifting and premature wear. Every manual transmission guy out there has passed this down to me. Maybe every car isn't set up like a chevelle. Rather be cautious than sorry. Just my .02. Wait a minute that was more like two bucks.:D By the way i know the thread was dead. But it was never explained why that is bad for tranmissions.:sad:

From Chevy High Performance, September 2002 issue, page 79, Tech Tip #12....."Have you ever found yourself cruising down the highway with your hand resting on the shifter? If you have a manual transmission, this is not good. This preloads the shift fork against the slider while the transmission is spinning. When this occurs, the slider wears rapidly. After numerous miles, transmission problems may occur. All this just adds wear on parts that don't need the extra abuse. So rest your hands somewhere else, like on the wheel."

Now, I personally wouldn't know a shift fork from a dinner fork. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif But, I knew I had read something about this recently. Finally found it tonight and thought I would post it for you guys' further discussion.

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Danny Wooldridge
Member #1129
Aces #5044

I have to agree with the above statement. All the muncie trans I've had apart over the years, I have seen badly worn(means I would'nt use them) shift forks and for that reason I do NOT rest my hand on the shifter in my car but since i dont have to fix your car go ahead do it if you want to. :noway:

I rested mine on 'em for years and never saw any ill effects. I don't think there's a problem.

Same here I have been doing it since I was 16 no problems here.

I have to agree with the above statement. All the muncie trans I've had apart over the years, I have seen badly worn(means I would'nt use them) shift forks and for that reason I do NOT rest my hand on the shifter in my car but since i dont have to fix your car go ahead do it if you want to. :noway:
I continue to do it and no problems.....:yes:

There is a case where it is bad to do this, but it is specific to the old Volkwagen type 1 & 2 models.
On the old 'stickshift' automatic Volkswagen bugs, it seems that the weight of your hand on the shifter would allow the power to disconnect from the drive wheels and would cause the engine to scream.

It causes the servo to start releasing the clutch on and off and burns it out rather quickly! Replaced a lot of them back in the day!:)

We now have a winner for the "oldest ressurrected thread" award! :thumbsup:

I see worn shift forks all the time on the heavy truck side of things. This is usually due to the driver using the shifter as an arm rest. This will affect engagement of gears and if real bad will not allow full engagment. Most of the time all it does is add another part to the rebuild list that otherwise would not have to be replaced. On an automotive trans this will occur as well and can end up with the same results, extra parts or a poor shifting trans. The stick is not an arm rest...but it sure is handy.