When you shift release the gas, shift to the next gear and re-apply pressure to the gas pedal. It happens in millseconds so there's no appreciable loss of momentum.
After a couple days driving a stick will become second nature.
It blows my mind that you have a driver's license and dont know how to drive a manual. I recommend youtube videos where people show you how to drive a manual.
To your question, yes it does do your engine harm if you stall the car. As in if you let the clutch up too fast and your engine dies. Because the engine isnt stopped via ignition switch, its stopped by force. If you mess around too much with the clutch while shifting you can do damage to your clutch too, for example you can burn your clutch. When trying to start moving with the car, dont let your engine rev at a high rpm while letting the clutch up too slowly. I recommend pressing the gas just enough to reach about 1200-1400 rpm and start letting the clutch up, when you feel the car starts moving you can add a little more gas. Honestly youre going to have a hard time learning by yourself, if you have a friend who knows how to drive a manual ask them for help.
While shifting gears, as in when you press the clutch down you should lift your foot off the gas completely, shift gears, let up the clutch, and press the gas again. If youre good at it you can do all this under 1 second. And the car shouldnt feel like it gets a kick when you let up the clutch and press the gas.
You can keep your car from rolling down a hill (assuming youre at a stop sign) by pressing in the clutch and keeping the car in place with the brake, so you use both your feet, when starting to move again simply release the brake, the clutch and press the gas just like always. If youre at a stop light on a hill, and you know youre going to stay in one place for more than 15-20 seconds, you should put your car in neutral, that way you only have to press the brake to stay in place and you can take your foot off the clutch. When the light is green and you know youre going to go, press in the clutch, put the car in 1st gear, let up the clutch, gas, like always. Why I said this is because keeping the clutch pressed in for too long can do damage to your clutch.
Very important, your left foot is only for the clutch, while your right foot is for the gas and the brake. Do not use your left foot for the clutch and the brake and your right foot only for the gas. Left foot - clutch. Right foot - brake and gas.
Please watch those youtube videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaKfihd1C... and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK4red5Mq...
Drive safe.
its bad to learn this on your own... best with a friend who knows how... best thing you can do right now is just sit in your drive way let the clutch pedal out very very slowly till you hear engine bog/slow down a lil bit... do that a few times then faster and faster till you learn about where that mark is without letting it out too far to kill the engine... if your fast about it then you wont roll backwards much on a hill... don't rev the crap out of it but when your going to take off while learning still do slight rev's right as your letting that clutch pedal out slowly till you feel it catch and then hold steady pressure on the gas pedal slowly giving more gas as you let off the clutch pedal faster once it catches. eventualy you will get to the point you don't need to do any extra reving you can take off like a automatic transmission if you get good at it. when you go to change gears you let off the gas, press the clutch pedal in, shift your gear and let the pedal back out, do it quickly but at the same time don't just pop the clutch out ethier. you will learn where the pedal grabs at eventualy to where you can shift faster and take off easier. you will be slower at first. you don't change gears till you get to the proper rpm's, clutches rpm's will be higher than a automatic.
let off the gas when you change gears.
go to a parking lot and practice starting in first with the clutch only.
then with giving it a little gas.
I just bought a brand new manual transmission car and I have been trying to get used to it. Now that I got my new car I have been trying to drive it, but I keep stalling the car in the first three days. Does it do any harm to my car? This is my fourth day and I haven't stalled the car. Also while I am driving the car when i want to switch gears from first to the second gear should I let the rpm drop and smoothly release the clutch. Do I have to do it for all other gears? Or should i keep my rpm up while pushing the accelerator. My clutch is very sharp by the way. How do I keep the car from moving backward while I am on a hill?
