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My wife has never driven a manual transmission in her life. She's learning to drive one now with my 2000 5-speed Insight. It has just 26,000 miles, and it's had all the recalls performed. She has a new job that requires 60-mile commute, so I thought I'd let her drive the 60 miles-per-gallon Insight, while I'd drive her 38 miles-per-gallon Scion xA in my 5-mile commute.
Anyway, she's getting there in terms of using the clutch, gas and shifter properly, but it's slow going. She's killed the engine a few times in first gear, and each time the "check engine" light has come on twice. The light shuts itself off after a few start-ups and shut-offs.
(On the bright side, she's been averaging 63 miles per gallon in the short time she's been driving it.)
I figure the "check engine" occurs because the gas got a bit flooded with the engine when she killed it during a bad shift in first gear. I'm not terribly concerned, but I'm just checking ... should I be worried by the "check engine" light business? And any other tips for a manual-transmission rookie?
Anyway, she's getting there in terms of using the clutch, gas and shifter properly, but it's slow going. She's killed the engine a few times in first gear, and each time the "check engine" light has come on twice. The light shuts itself off after a few start-ups and shut-offs.
(On the bright side, she's been averaging 63 miles per gallon in the short time she's been driving it.)
I figure the "check engine" occurs because the gas got a bit flooded with the engine when she killed it during a bad shift in first gear. I'm not terribly concerned, but I'm just checking ... should I be worried by the "check engine" light business? And any other tips for a manual-transmission rookie?
