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Wheels move when off the ground

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Old Sep 13, 2013 | 03:07 AM
  #1  
kayweb's Avatar
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From: Olympia, WA
Default Wheels move when off the ground

Now, this is tenuously related because mine's a 5th gen and standard transmission, but my wheels move when off the ground with the car in neutral too. Not sure why.
 
Old Sep 13, 2013 | 06:28 AM
  #2  
JimBlake's Avatar
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I moved this out from the other thread because it's really very UNrelated to that one.

Anyway, it's normal. I assume you mean that happens when the engine is running, transmission is in neutral, front wheels raised off the ground.

When a manual transmission is in neutral, the gears are actually still meshing. All of them. The synchromesh hub inside each gear will engage or disengage that gear from it's shaft. In neutral, each gear is disengaged from it's shaft. The gear has a bearing to allow it to spin on the shaft, but that bearing has a small amount of friction. With the engine running, that shaft is spinning, and the bearing friction is dragging the gear along making it want to spin.

I bet you can grab the tire with your hand and stop it from spinning. The force making it spin is really that weak. Just be careful if you try that. If you run the engine with the car lifted, you better make sure the car is supported real solid, even if you're not going to grab the tire. Use gloves in case there's any sharp stones embedded in the tread of the tire. Don't get hurt just to prove something.
 

Last edited by JimBlake; Sep 13, 2013 at 06:32 AM.
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