Smart idle RPM

[Irv Mac]

My Smart idles at about 1000 in neutral, but in gear, at a stoplight, for example, I have to keep my foot mashed on the brake pedal to keep from ramming the vehicle in front. It runs at about five miles an hour in idle. This seems dangerous to me. What do you think?

Best regards,
Irv

[Dunerunner]

Irv..I don't have that problem. Closer to the same RPM. It could need a clutch adjustment.

[Okie Boy]

Originally Posted by Irv Mac

My Smart idles at about 1000 in neutral, but in gear, at a stoplight, for example, I have to keep my foot mashed on the brake pedal to keep from ramming the vehicle in front. It runs at about five miles an hour in idle. This seems dangerous to me. What do you think?

Best regards,
Irv

If the car is in D and you take your foot off the brake the car will engage the clutch and the car will probably idle at 5 mph, that is normal operation.

[a2jack]

Irv. Ours does exactly the same at the same RPM.

Three issues here... Which is right?

1. Car creeps if you don't hold brake.

2. Car should not creep and may need clutch service.

3.Holding brake disengages clutch. A2Jack

[PeteInLongBeach]

Okie is correct. Usually, the clutch is completely disengaged when stopped at idle with foot on brake or parking brake up. Releasing the brakes begins clutch engagement instantaneously.

There is a subtle creep function where the clutch drags slightly for a few seconds but ONLY after low speed crawl below a certain speed. This is programmed in anticipation of additional cycles of slow stop & go. It is a similar scenario to the "auto-stop" function of my Honda Insight, where auto-stop does not engage during slow stop & go below a certain speed.

Your car is behaving normally. No worries.

[a2jack]

Good thread.

I was playing with the creep function the other day and thought about clutch slip.

Glad to hear all is well. Thanks to all. A2Jack.

[SuperGeek]

Also, a brand new Smart will have this far more pronounced and have a noticeable "squat" after the transmission decides you're serious about stopping. After about 500 miles it calms down considerably and you don't need nearly as much brake pressure to keep it stopped. The creep function is intentional.

[Piccola]

Originally Posted by SuperGeek

Also, a brand new Smart will have this far more pronounced and have a noticeable "squat" after the transmission decides you're serious about stopping. After about 500 miles it calms down considerably and you don't need nearly as much brake pressure to keep it stopped. The creep function is intentional.

I have 3,000 miles on my little smart and I still have the "squat" at stopsigns - not all the time, but most of the time. And, I make sure the brake is firmly depressed. Because of all the great info on this forum, I wasn't worried. But now, I wonder......should I take it in for an adjustment??

All you mechanics on this forum have been a huge help for all of us who aren't "mechanically inclined" - while we learn about these little cars. Thanks for any info.

[NCC1701]

Originally Posted by Piccola

I have 3,000 miles on my little smart and I still have the "squat" at stopsigns

2500+ My car 'squats' ... I thought the computer was just disengaging the clutch, exiting creep mode. A mechanical genius I'm not. But, from day one, I never felt I had to use an unusual amount of brake pressure to keep the car from moving while in creep mode.