Leaving car in gear on a steep incline...

sentient_6

I was trying to park the car on fairly steep hill a couple of days ago & because the handbrake isnt the best i normally leave the car in first. But i've never had to park on this steep an incline before. The car rolled backwards & the gear wouldn't hold. It felt like it slipped out of gear or......well, poped maybe. Its hard to describe. But it frightened the ****e out of me cos i thought there was damage done. Afterwards the car felt a bit shakey when coming off the clutch when pulling off but it seems to be fine now.

So i'm wondering is there a limit to the amount of weight or angle of incline which it is safe to let the gear hold the car? & if anyone knows of damge ever being cause to the gears by parking this way?

peasant

Well, you've pretty much managed to turn the engine over dry ...and backwards.

Seems to have done no damage, but an exercise not to be repeated.

If you have to park in gear on a slope do so in the appropriate gear ...i.e. the same gear that you would use to drive that hill, following its slope.

sentient_6

Thanks man. Found some discussion on this elsewhere eventually, of course after i asked the question here. The general consenus seems to be using both the handbrake & gear together but i think in my case the slope wouldv'e been to much for both so ill just avoid anything similar from now on.

Cookie_Monster

sentient_6 wrote: »

The general consenus seems to be using both the handbrake & gear together

do you not do this all the time anyway?
I do every time I park the car (but 2nd, not first)

sentient_6

Not really cause most of the time i'm parking on just a slight incline. The handbrake isnt great so i was avoiding using it altogether. I will be from now on though.

Btw i'm talking about a major incline here, on normal conditions leaving it in gear seems to have being doing me grand for ages.

Magenta

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

do you not do this all the time anyway?
I do every time I park the car (but 2nd, not first)

I was taught to only park in gear when on a slope, any other time, car should be handbraked and neutral. Tester checked as soon as he got into my car on the test too.

GTE

And I believe its not to be done on diesels since they dont need a spark. Irish Ferries say not to do it anyway!

ShayK1

sentient_6 wrote: »

Not really cause most of the time i'm parking on just a slight incline. The handbrake isnt great so i was avoiding using it altogether. I will be from now on though.

Btw i'm talking about a major incline here, on normal conditions leaving it in gear seems to have being doing me grand for ages.

Maybe I'm pointing out the obvious here but surely the right advise here would be to have your handbrake looked at? It probably just needs a tighten which is a 10 minute job.
For peace of mind and the safety of others, I can't understand why you haven't done this already?

woody33

Point your wheels so they will hit the curb if it rolls. and it's hand brake on and in gear for me from now on. A few weeks a man knocks on the door "Do you own such-and such a car?" "Yes why?" I ask. Turns out my car had rolled 40 meters away and parked itself with one rear wheel up on the nearby grassy area, narrowly missing another parked car and a tree. Phew.

Neilw

bbk wrote: »

And I believe its not to be done on diesels since they dont need a spark. Irish Ferries say not to do it anyway!

I was on the swift on Monday and there were signs all over it stating to leave the car in gear with the handbrake on.

As for parking on a hill, this is what the yanks recommend.

GTE

Neilw wrote: »

I was on the swift on Monday and there were signs all over it stating to leave the car in gear with the handbrake on.

Ulysses says otherwise for diesels.

Reason being if the car is jerked forward it could ignite the diesel since that works on compression.
Having said that, its probably for older diesels and not the new fangled modern ones with safety features to stop that from happening.

Midnight_EG

Always park in 1st and handbrake on with the wheels away from the kerb myself.

ShayK1

bbk wrote: »

Ulysses says otherwise for diesels.

Reason being if the car is jerked forward it could ignite the diesel since that works on compression.
Having said that, its probably for older diesels and not the new fangled modern ones with safety features to stop that from happening.

I've a question about that.
If you've ever tried to push start a car, you'll know it won't start unless the ignition is on.
How can an engine "rock start" without the ignition being turned on?

GTE

ShayK1 wrote: »

I've a question about that.
If you've ever tried to push start a car, you'll know it won't start unless the ignition is on.
How can an engine "rock start" without the ignition being turned on?

bbk wrote: »

its probably for older diesels and not the new fangled modern ones with safety features to stop that from happening.

Point being the older diesels can still get a pull of some fuel and crash into the car in front and cause a whole heap of ****. Not a runaway, just that jerk forward in a tightly packed carpark.

vibe666

bbk wrote: »

And I believe its not to be done on diesels since they dont need a spark. Irish Ferries say not to do it anyway!

diesel or not, i doubt it would be safe to park a ferry on any kind of an incline and if you were going to, the handbrake would be the least of your worries.

Neilw

ShayK1 wrote: »

I've a question about that.
If you've ever tried to push start a car, you'll know it won't start unless the ignition is on.
How can an engine "rock start" without the ignition being turned on?

It won't, at least it won't on all modern cars.

Del2005

It more for older diesels. New ones shouldn't start. But there is a small chance they might, like mobile phones at petrol pumps causing fires. It's easier to say no then list exceptions. I know an old tractor that started itself. In San Fran you get fined if you don't park with your wheels turned so they hit the kerb if the car rolls

Del2005

Del2005 wrote: »

In San Fran you get ...........

San Fran eh :eek:

L1011

Neilw wrote: »

I was on the swift on Monday and there were signs all over it stating to leave the car in gear with the handbrake on.

The back of your window hanger (if given one, they often don't bother in Dublin as they only have the terminal to themselves, and unless its at the time when both boats leave) has the petrol/diesel distinction on it.

Clearly they don't consider it very important any more as, as you noticed, its not on the signs onboard and you don't always get the hanger!

Esel

RoverJames wrote: »

San Fran eh :eek:

He means Frisco, maan! It's true though, and good advice - if there is a kerb.

BostonB

bbk wrote: »

Ulysses says otherwise for diesels.

Reason being if the car is jerked forward it could ignite the diesel since that works on compression.
Having said that, its probably for older diesels and not the new fangled modern ones with safety features to stop that from happening.

I don't think thats possible. It needs more than compression. On an older diesel, you need glow plugs and a fuel pump. Also diesel has much higher compression, so it would need a lot more than a jerk to create the pressure needed to start. Newer diesels have a bunch of electronics needed to start and run. Never mind the fuel pump.

BostonB

Handbrakes fail. So it makes sense to leave a parked car in gear. Part of your starting technique should always be to put the car in neutral.

That people have problems with a car jumping on starting, suggests they don't check it, as part of their habit. It makes no sense to do one thing on hills and another on slopes. Thats just asking to get mixed up.

How the heck can you do a hill start, in traffic without a handbrake. You'd have to ride the clutch. You shouldn't be driving around like that.

challengemaster

Del2005 wrote: »

But there is a small chance they might, like mobile phones at petrol pumps causing fires.

Apart from the fact that there's never actually been an occasion where this happened, and it's all bullshít. Same as mobile phones on planes... Possibly a bad example to use there...


I'm also fairly amazed at the OP not leaving a handbrake on at all... if it's that bad, get it fixed ffs. It's on the car for a reason...they didn't put it on for a laugh during design/production like...

peasant

BostonB wrote: »

I don't think thats possible. It needs more than compression. On an older diesel, you need glow plugs and a fuel pump. Also diesel has much higher compression, so it would need a lot more than a jerk to create the pressure needed to start.

On an old tech mechanical diesel truck with direct injection all it would take is a defective fuel-cut-off valve and a shifting load of 20 tonnes (easily done in heavy seas) to get it going.

This is where these signs stem from and in typical health and safety fashion it has now been extended to include anything with wheels and and engine

seamus

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Always park in 1st and handbrake on with the wheels away from the kerb myself.

Do the opposite if you park pointing down the hill - car in reverse, wheels pointing towards the kerb (and handbrake on).

I always thought it was mechnically impossible for an engine to be forced to go "backwards", and any gear when pointing up a hill would be secure as bolts, but clearly I'm wrong :eek:

CJhaughey

challengemaster wrote: »

Apart from the fact that there's never actually been an occasion where this happened, and it's all bullshít. Same as mobile phones on planes... Possibly a bad example to use there...

I have seen security camera footage of mobile phones igniting petrol vapour.
Maybe not here but it has happened.

BostonB

peasant wrote: »

On an old tech mechanical diesel truck with direct injection all it would take is a defective fuel-cut-off valve and a shifting load of 20 tonnes (easily done in heavy seas) to get it going.

This is where these signs stem from and in typical health and safety fashion it has now been extended to include anything with wheels and and engine

I take your point. But the context was the OP car on a hill. We've now moved to a truck on a ship, with 20 tons in storm. I think the OP doesn't have to worry about that scenario.

keithclancy

CJhaughey wrote: »

I have seen security camera footage of mobile phones igniting petrol vapour.
Maybe not here but it has happened.

Its possible, but really only if the phone is faulty, i.e. lose connection that causes an arc and can ignite the fumes.

In theory it could happen with any electrical device in proximity with a dodgy battery connection.

Wossack

this gear and handbrake debate reminds me of that awful thread where someone burned out yer mans car in his driveway. The heat made the brake line fail, and the burning car rolled down his driveway, and into another one of his cars parked across the road - totalling them both

Yawlboy

I was in a LR/Volvo dealership last year and this guy came in complaining about the fact that the handbrake had failed in his Volvo and the car had gone through a wall into his neighbors car. Volvo were not covering the damage to his car, the wall or the neighbors car. The guy starts having a go at the service manager stating that he was a solicitor and that he knew his rights etc etc etc.

The service manager then asks him did he read the manual that comes with the car, the guy answers no and the manager then reads him the section that covers parking which states that the car must be left in gear when parked.......

biko

Always in 1st, add handbrake if sloping.
What I do anyway.

With the old SAAB that was never an issue as you cannot remove the key from the ignition without putting it in reverse first.

djimi

Im very seriously worried that the OP thought that because the handbrake wasnt working so well they wouldnt use it at all... Seriously, wtf?!! Surely even 25% holding power is better than not using it at all?

Cookie_Monster

biko wrote: »

Always in 1st, add handbrake if sloping.
What I do anyway.

another "add handbrake" WTF, you should always use the handbrake, thats what it's there for!

Draupnir

Surely handbrake is the minimum everyone applies when they park?! I always park with handbrake + appropriate gear depending on whether there is no slope (1st or 2nd gear), uphill slope (1st or 2nd gear) or downhill slope (reverse).

Bit dismayed to learn of all these parked cars with no handbrake on, must start trying to roll a few parked cars!

demonx

woody33 wrote: »

Point your wheels so they will hit the curb if it rolls..

Make sure that you nearly have the wheel touching the curb though when you do this because if you don't and all fails the car will have built up enough momentum to mount the curb - taking the right hand wing & light off the lovely shiny new 2010 mercedes parked right behind you ( whose handbrake actually works ) flying through the front door of an unsuspecting neighbours house, through the hall , narrowly missing the phone table ( phew ) straight out the back door and into the outdoor heated pool ! and all because of a darn handbrake.

bryaner

I once left the handbrake off in my brothers car outside the pub.

It's not a nice feeling when the barman asked him why his car

was parked in the back doors of the pub. :eek:

peasant

If you regularly have to park on a steep slope, there are always these yokes

djimi

peasant wrote: »

If you regularly have to park on a steep slope, there are always these yokes

My mother had an old Volvo once with a dicky handbrake, and she had to keep two concrete blocks in the boot for that very purpose!