Dear Tom and Ray:
My neighbor swears that "goosing" the motor and then quickly shutting off the ignition saves a lot of wear and tear on the motor. His Henry J. looks like new and runs real quietly. What is your opinion, goose or no goose? - Warren
TOM: Well, I don't want the ASPCA on my case, Warren, but I am unequivocally anti-goose on this issue. Goosing may have been the norm when your neighbor bought his 1951 Henry J., but it doesn't do modern cars any good. RAY: The reason people used to do that - rev up the engine and then shut it off quickly - was to make it easier to start the next time. Older cars were notoriously difficult to start. Gasoline in the carburetor's float bowl tended to evaporate overnight. So goosing the engine and filling up the carburetor bowl to the brim increased the chances that there would be gasoline in there when you came out to start the car the next morning.
TOM: But that doesn't make any sense anymore. First of all, improvements in carburetion made goosing obsolete even before the Henry J. was made. And more recently, fuel injection has made even using the gas pedal obsolete when starting the car.
RAY: And now, goosing is actually counterproductive. If you force extra gasoline into the cylinders and then shut off the car, that gasoline will leak down the cylinder walls, wash down the oil needed for lubrication, and dilute the oil in the crankcase. So I hate to be the one to break the news to you, Warren, but I'm afraid your goosing days are over.
Dear Tom and Ray:
Please clear up some confusion! I've been having a debate with my husband and some male friends about this one for years. Which offers less wear on the clutch of my 1987 Subaru three-door coupe: Keeping my foot on the clutch and the shifter in first while stopped at a light, or keeping my foot off the clutch and the car in Neutral? - Karen
RAY: Well, Karen, you don't say which position is yours and which is your husband's, but I'd be willing to bet that it's your husband who wants to keep his foot on the clutch and the car in first gear.
TOM: We all know that due to testosterone poisoning, most men have a biological need to be the first one away from the light when it turns green. And if that's your top priority, then you should keep your foot on the clutch and the car in gear.
RAY: But if your goal is to make your clutch last longer, then you should put the car in Neutral and take your foot off the clutch. When your foot is on the clutch, you're shortening the life of the clutch's throw-out bearing.
TOM: So the appropriate procedure at a light is as follows: Put the shifter in Neutral, take your left foot completely off the clutch pedal, and put your right foot on the brake. Then, when the light turns green and the guy behind you (with his foot on the clutch and his car in gear) starts honking, wave to him in your rear-view mirror, put your car in gear and slowly drive away.