Wheel spin in neutral, is this normal? Options

[rwilner]

My car is on 4 stands right now. When I start it up in neutral, the passenger side wheel slowly rotates clockwise while the car is idling (as if the car were moving forward). I can easily stop it with minimal force using my hands. I have not checked to see if the wheel will stop rotating once I push the clutch in, as my wife is at work and the cats aren't interested in helping.

Is this normal? if not, what does it mean -- my clutch cable is too tight?

[Richard Casto]

I think Rich got his answer, but as to "why" this happens...

The input shaft in the transmission is turning (as already stated). Car is in neutral, so the input and output shafts are not locked together via one of the gears. But remember that all of the five forward gears are in constant mesh, but are freewheeling on either the input or output shaft. If you had perfect zero friction bearings, etc. the gear that is freewheeling would not transmit any power. But real world friction allows some power to be transmitted from the input to output shafts. Then it is just a matter of overcoming the friction of the differential bearings, one or both of the wheel bearings, brake pads, etc. If all of that is overcome, then you will get a wheel to turn.

The best way to see this is to take a gear stack that is out of a transmission, make sure it's in neutral and then spin the input shaft. You will get the output shaft to spin as well. Of course the power being transmitted is minimal.

Richard