I recently drove a stick for the first time because my friend was sick and didn’t want to drive. Well, as you guessed I stalled the car a few times, in all about nine times. I think I kept the clutch down at a few stop lights and going down a hill once. The real killer is I had a hard time getting into first and I gassed it into first a lot, spinning the wheels. Probably seven time, each one with tires screeching. I managed to get the car to her but I want to know how much damage I did. I’ve read a lot of the articles involving the stick on this website including the 68 miles to burning out the clutch, and I was wondering if anyone knew how the honda fit takes this kind of abuse because I want to be responsible and pay for any damages I may have caused, and keep her from the surprise of her car stalling out of the blue, and yes, I have a better understanding of how to drive a stick after visiting this website.
None of us have any idea what, if any, damage you might have done…Only time will tell. In your laundry list of abuse, you did not mention any gear-grinding, so that’s a good sign. Nor did you mention any funny burning smells, like over-heated brakes, so that’s another good sign…
Hop in her car with it running, put on the parking brake. Put the car in 5th gear and gently let the clutch out and maybe give it just a little bit of power like if you were going to start from a complete stop. The engine should promptly kill itself if the clutch is o.k.
After your friend drives it around for a few days only she will be able to determine if all is well.
Really it’s her own fault for handing the keys to a driver who isn’t proficient (no offense), I hope it was an emergency at least.
It’s stronger than a Yugo and weaker than a Borg-Warner T-10. The clutch should burn out before the transmission. Clutches are cheaper than transmissions.