AutoStop behavior: Is This a ?Problem or Not? (long)

1805 Views 11 Replies 6 Participants Last post by cakley, Apr 3, 2004

Holicow

Discussion Starter · Apr 1, 2004

OK, I know this beloved function has been discussed, and there is information all over the place, but I have a specific question after 3 whole months of experience:

Should autostop happen while the shifter is still in gear, with the clutch engaged (depressed)?

Mine will autostop in any gear if I depress the clutch below 20 mph or so.

In 3rd or any higher gear, this is not a big deal. If I feel I need to accelerate, I will need to downshift and this starts the ICE again.

This IS a problem in 2nd, or less commonly 1st, since sometimes I will depress the clutch and then find that I don't need to stop and release the clutch only to find that autostop has shutdown the ICE, and then I need to clutch and shift out and back into gear to get it going.

For example: I am in a little traffic, in 2nd and it looks like the car in front is slowing to turn left, so I let off the gas and then depress the clutch anticipating stopping, or at least downshifting. But the car turns and I can go....but I can't. In that brief second that the clutch was down, autostop has kicked in. When I let up on the clutch: nothing........................

Oh....... it's off. Clutch in, shift out of gear and back into 2nd (or now 1st) and it refires.

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Tim Maddux

· #2 · Apr 1, 2004

http://www.insightcentral.net/encyclope ... estop.html

According to this, idle stop can happen when "the clutch is disengaged or neutral position is now selected" so long as the other conditions are satisfied.

The behavioral solution... don't push down on the clutch. It prevents regen, and downshifting isn't as nice as regen with an Insight. If you do depress the clutch, shift to neutral at the same time. This is what I do, and the car then restarts when I select a new gear.

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Tim Maddux

· #8 · Apr 2, 2004

Holicow said:
I prefer not to be in neutral in a turn or slowing.

Fair enough. However, if you continue to assert your preference while driving an Insight and don't take steps to prevent auto-stop, it will implacably continue to auto-stop, forcing you to put the car into neutral before re-engaging a gear. You will have to go into neutral at some point

and it is up to you as to when you prefer to do it.

Steps you can take to prevent auto-stop include engaging climate control in AUTO (and not ECON) mode or disconnecting/disabling the exterior air temperature sensor.

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Tim Maddux

· #10 · Apr 2, 2004

Holicow said:
the "almost" stopped autostop is probably overkill in the grand scheme of things.

No way! I totally dig that one. It's fabulous for handling stop-and-go traffic. If you do it right, you can keep rolling along in idle-stop for quite a long distance. I have gotten over 80mpg average in such traffic on busy freeways.

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