1928 Cadillac - GM Heritage Center

16 CADILLAC OPERATOR'S MANUAL
OPERATION 17
actually the case, proof of which is in the fact that in coasting down grades
the resistance of the engine is used to assist the brakes in controlling the car
speed.
It will be observed in operating the clutch pedal that the pedal offers
almost no resistance until it has been moved about one inch. It is at this
point that it actually begins to disengage the clutch. It is important that
the pedal have this "lost motion." If the full pressure of the clutch springs
is felt just as soon as the pedal is moved from its released position, necessity
for adjustment of the pedal connections is indicated. Failure to make this
adjustment will result in the clutch slipping. (See page 95)
Transmission Control
The Cadillac transmission has three forward speeds and reverse. It is
controlled by a lever, the handle of which describes the letter "H" as it is
moved from one position to another. It should be observed by those who
have driven other makes of cars,
that, although most cars have the
conventional H-type of transmission
control, all of these cars do not have
the same positions of the lever. The
+*M. - *t and if the various positions of the
-¾ * • lever are different from those to
*JBt -I - J
ii -• ••• **? which he has been accustomed, he
• T .*v.,
*s • should master this arrangement
o. ' i
before attempting to drive.
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Figure 7. The positions of the transmis
sion control lever form the letter "H •
be glad to give this instruction.
may be of assistance.
No attempt can be made here to
teach the beginner the technique of
gear shifting. The beginner should
secure individual instruction from
the distributor or dealer from whom
the car was purchased and who will
The following suggestions, however,
Before shifting from neutral to low to start the car, wait a few seconds
after disengaging the clutch in order to give the gears a chance to stop
"spinning." The faster the idling speed of the engine the longer it will
take for the gears to come to rest. For this reason it is best to have the
throttle lever set as near the closed position as possible without stalling
the engine.
When shifting up, from low to intermediate or from intermediate to high,
there should be a short period of hesitation in neutral before completing the
shift. This period will be shorter or longer according to the speed of the
car when the shift is made. It is necessary to learn from practice just how
long to wait.
When shifting back from high to intermediate there should be no hesitation
whatever in neutral. The lever should then be moved as quickly as
possible and the car should not be traveling faster than 15 miles per hour.
There are times when it is desirable to be able to shift from high to intermediate
at higher car speeds. It is possible to do this by the following
method which is called "double de-clutching":
Disengage the clutch and shift the transmission control lever at once to
neutral. Re-engage the clutch, at the same time accelerating the engine;
then disengage the clutch again and instantly shift to intermediate; after
which re-engage the clutch. The speed to which the engine should be accelerated
while the transmission control is in neutral depends upon the speed
at which the car is traveling when the shift is made.
It is not recommended that the driver attempt the double de-clutching
method until he has become expert in shifting from high to intermediate in
the usual manner at lower speeds.
Make a practice of shifting the transmission control to intermediate or
even to low before commencing the descent of steep grades. The reason for
this is explained on page 21, where will also be found further suggestions
for coasting.
Do not make any of the following shifts when the car is moving:
From reverse to any forward gear.
From any forward gear to reverse.
From high gear to low gear.
From intermediate to low gear (except when the car is moving very
slowly.)
Brakes
The foot brakes, which consist of external brake bands on the rear wheels
and internal bands on the front wheels, are operated by the right-hand pedal.
This pedal differs from the conventional brake pedal in a construction
that provides automatically for notifying the driver when re-adjustment of
the brakes is necessary. Every driver is familiar with the fact that, as the
brake lining wears, the brake pedal must be pushed further toward the
floorboard to apply the brakes.