"I'll tell you: I don't know." - Tevye the milkman in Fiddler on the Roof.
When one cylinder leaks down and the crankshaft turns, another comes up on the compression stroke. Or so it seems to me. The attempt to move the car with the transmission in any gear requires turning the engine faster than it might crank manually. In a lower gear, it really turns faster. This I think reduces the tendency of the car to move and self rotate the engine. Sometimes an old engine with weak compression will actually allow a car to move a bit, a herky jerky bit, especially in top gear. Robert > [Original Message] > From: Peter Merle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; Mercedes Discussion List <mercedes@okiebenz.com> > Date: 11/26/2007 5:24:57 AM > Subject: Parking car in gear > > I have always been puzzelled how a car can continiously by held in > position by the compression of 1 cylinder by leaving it in gear ( manual > tranny ) . One would think that eventually ( after a few > seconds/minutes ) the rings will leak air and the car would then lurch > fwd and then start a runway. This does not seem to happen though. Any > thoughts on the physics involved? > > PEter _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com