I was looking up some information in my "Drivers Handbook" only to find out I have been doing it all wrong... What is to follow is right out of my handbook page 55 section 4. (JJM 18 02 06/40)


"The selector lever may be left in "D", "3", "2" unless the vehicle is to be parked. If the vehicle is stopped for a traffic light or junctions, apply the park brake (handbrake) and move the selector lever to position "N". "


I take it our transmissions are to delicate to idle in gear???


Somebody stayed up all night thinking of that one.

 

i believe later xjs had the 4l60e and earlier a turbo 400 both transmissions can also be found in chevy full size pickups. they are a tough transmission. it is possible to heat up a auto transmission sitting in drive with your foot on the break but you would get tired of holding the break and slide it into park long before it was a issue.

 

You'll find a lot of European cars , Land Rover for one, recommend this procedure when
n idling for more than 10 minutes. Really not necessary with the TH400 tranny. But engine does idle a little higher when in neutral for fluid cooling.

 

It's got nothing to do with the robustness of the transmission, it's a safety issue. In England when you are learning to drive it is a requirement that when you come to a stop at a traffic light, you put the transmission in neutral and handbrake on. Failure to do so on your driving test meant failure. (Not sure if that is still the rule but was for me growing up)

The idea is that should your foot slip off the brake or you are shunted from behind, the car does not go careening off potentially causing more damage/injuries.

I still put my transmission in neutral every time I come to a red light, though I must say that I don't apply the handbrake unless I am parked. Old habits die hard I guess

 

Taxi drivers in Hong Kong would do that in stop and go driving. With great enthusiasm, coupled with an equally enthusiastic leap forward for 10 feet before repeating. Used to drive me crazy! Figured it was the English influence in driver training, because I soon learned the rest of the population drove in the same way!

 

i think in America they would fail you on a driving test for doing that

 

I used to do that on my corvette at every stop light, because it would slowly churp the rear tires because it has so much cam.

This is common with motors that take a long.time to warm up too, because it allows the high idle to stay as long as it needs to.