***Disclaimer: The following information is not a legitimate user manual and should not be used to operate a vehicle. It is sample copy created by J. Austin solely for writing portfolio purposes.

Technical Writing Sample

by Jessica Austin

Us er Manual for Operating a Ford Escort with a Manual Transmission

This manual will show you how to operate the clutch and stick shift on a 1999 Ford Escort. Read these directions

carefully, and then practice by following them step by step in a safe location without traffic.

Section A—How to Start the Car and Move Forward in First Gear

1. First, get in the car and adjust your mirrors so that you can easily see traffic to the side and behind you.

2. Put your seat belt on.

3. Put the key in the ignition and push down the clutch (which you will find to the left of the brake pedal) with

your left foot. You will need to hold the clutch down in order to start the car.

4. Put your right foot on the brake, which is the pedal located between the clutch and the gas pedal.

5. Keep holding the clutch down and use your right hand to put the stick shift into first gear by sliding it

gently all the way to the left and then directly up.

6. Turn the key in the ignition so that the car’s engine starts while holding down the clutch.

7. Release the parking brake (the horizontal lever between the two front seats) while keeping your right foot

on the brake.

8. To make the car move forward, release your left foot from the clutch slowly. Hold it steady once it reaches

approximately halfway to the fully released position.

9. While holding the clutch halfway out, push the gas pedal with your right foot very gently until you either

feel the car start to creep forward or you hear the engine sound get louder.

a. If the car starts to move, continue to release the clutch with your left foot extremely slowly while

giving the car a little more gas with your right foot. The car should continue to move forward.

b. However, if you hear the engine sound get louder and the car does not move forward, release the

clutch a little further and ease off of the gas pedal a small amount.

i. Once you have found the “sweet spot” where the car is neither revving nor stalling, you can

release the clutch all the way, gently give the car more gas, and accelerate.

c. If the car stalls, repeat steps #3-9.

10. When you feel the car start to move forward at a faster rate, release the clutch all the way.a. Do not push the clutch down while driving in gear unless you need to change gears.

***Disclaimer: The following information is not a legitimate user manual and should not be used to operate a vehicle. It is sample copy created by J. Austin solely for writing portfolio purposes.

b. Use the gas pedal to accelerate and to control your speed. c. If you need to stop suddenly, use the brake pedal and push down the clutch to prevent the car from

stalling.

Section B—How to Shift Gears While Driving

1. Once you are driving in first gear, listen to the engine. When it sounds higher-pitched and louder—when

the RPMs (revolutions per minute) hit 3,500—you will need to shift into second gear.

a. The other way to know if you should shift into second gear is if you have hit 15-20 mph.

2. To shift into second gear, push down the clutch all the way with your left foot while releasing your right

foot from the gas pedal.

3. While holding down the clutch, use your right hand to move the stick shift directly downward into second

gear.

4. Follow steps #8-10 again--release the clutch to the halfway point, find the “sweet spot” (the point where

the neither revving nor threatening to stall), add some gas with your right foot, and then release the clutch

all the way.

5. Follow the same procedure in order to shift into third gear (20-30 mph), fourth gear (40-50 mph), and fifth

gear (60-70 mph).

Section C—How to Start on a Hill

This section explains a trick for how to prevent the car from rolling backward when you must move forward from a

standstill on a hill.

1. While holding the clutch down with your left foot and keeping your right foot on the brake, put the car in

first gear and pull up hard on the emergency parking brake.

2. While holding the parking brake up, release the clutch about halfway and give the car enough gas to reach

the “sweet spot” or “friction point”.

3. Once you are sure the engine is ready to propel the car forward (If you are unsure, give the car a little

more gas until you can hear the rpm’s rev.), release the parking brake all the way and at the same time,

release the clutch while giving the car gas to make it accelerate.

4. The car should move forward on the hill, rather than roll backward.

a. If the car stalls, quickly repeat steps #3-9 in Section A and then steps #1-3 in Section C.