Hi guys I recently purchased a 2000 Ford f150 with a 4.2 liter v6 and a 5 speed manual transmission. I'm a young guy and pretty new to a stick shift so my question is.....I took off in first gear the other day at a stop light and as a result of not paying attention didn't shift out of 1st gear until 20 mph.....could this have caused the truck to over rev or am I just being paranoid ....thanks for your replies.

 

depend on the gears in the rear but i dont think you will over rev at 20mhp with a stock rear but you might wana look into putting a tach in so you know where ur shifting

 

I agree, get the tach it will help you with shift points. Especially if you need to use higher than normal shift points, you will know the safe rpm.

 

you cant really over rev these trucks....... sure if you held it in first forever..... your going to cook it...... but for a split second.. no.. there rev limiters... 20mph doesnt seem like very much for first gear..i dont know what the recommend shift is but i can try to see if i can find something..you really just need to shift by ear.. once you get a hand of it ... you wont even know you are driving a manual

 

The owners manual should state recommended shift ranges. You didn't hurt anything at that shift/speed, I can assure you.
Generally speaking, you should upshift nearer the high end of the recommended shift speeds when pulling heavier weights, or accelerating harder (like when merging with traffic onto a highway, passing, etc). One thing to also be aware of is a condition called "lugging". That's sort of the opposite of over revving, and is caused be driving too slow in a particular gear. You'll know this is happenig if the truck starts jerking, and/or does not seem to accelerate normally. Most often lugging occurs when going uphill or when passing... or if you forget to downshift in traffic when slowing.
You will learn to love manual shift once you get comfortable with it!

 

If you're looking for a tach, locate a cluster out of an XL or STX with a manual transmission, as most had the tach option (suprised yours did not). They come up for sale often on Ebay motors. Easy swap (I've written up a proceedure; search for it). Only thing that will be different is the odometer mileage; if you want that to match your old cluster, it will need to be flashed into the new replacement cluster.

 

Once you get the hang of it, you'll never look at your tach. But since you're just starting out, get one like they say to. Best way to know when to shift is when you feel the truck stops "working" to go forward or you have to give it considerable throttle to get it to go more. And as long as the throttle is WO, you should never over-rev your motor. If it feels like you're over-doing it, then you probably are. Just like when you knew you were too high on revs when you were going 20mph in 1st gear. Ever shift should be smooth, not jerky also and you can do this easily by keeping your RPMs below 3k. Best of luck... you'll be a natural in no time.

 

Tachs are over-rated. If the tach says 4,000 rpm in first gear and you aren't moving, are still going to shift into the next gear and mash the gas pedal? That will lead to bad results when the tires finally get traction.

My first 3 vehicles were manuals and didn't have any tachs. The engines were still going strong with over 100,000 miles on each (no burnt clutches - the bodies gave out). Just learn your engine sounds (TURN OFF THE THUMPING RADIO!!). Watch your speed and listen to engine revs. Yes, it takes practice. Also, try some compression slow and go without killing the engine.

 

I disagree with tachs being overrated....why is it that NASCAR installs a tach and not a speedometer? It's because they are excellent guages to track RPM's for more than just shift points.

I do agree that a "seasoned" driver of a manual transmission can shift by ear, listening to the engine revs, and knowing when the power band has been exhausted for that gear, but a tach is still a good guage to have. Personally I think all autos should have one. The higher end cars and trucks do.

 

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