eli5: what is actually happening when a manual vehicle stalls?
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An engine needs to be spinning to keep itself running. This why you have to spin the engine electrically with a starter to get it going when you start the car.
At its core, when the gas explodes in the chamber, this drives the piston down. If the piston stops before it can can back into position for another explosion to force it down, nothing will happen
A manual transmission is mechanically connected to the crankshaft via the clutch and flywheel. What happens when you stall it is that the engine is not making enough power to turn the wheels and the wheels (through the transmission) stop the engine from turning.
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