Re: [A/S] Stick shift for towing?

["Woody Schlom" <woody@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I believe you've got it backwards.  Diesel engines have MUCH more
compression than gasoline engines, and therefore they provide much more
compression braking.  I have a small diesel engine in my boat and its
compression is so high it can't be hand-started unless you activate the
"decompression" lever.  You hold down the decompression lever and crank the
engine as hard and fast as you can and then pop the decompression lever.  If
you've got the flywheel spinning fast enough and are strong enough the
engine starts immediately.  If not, the engine's high compression
immediately stops everything dead.

Even without an engine brake ("Jake Brake"), diesel engines have lots of
natural compression braking, but with a "normal" automatic transmission, you
won't notice the difference.  With a manual transmission you will notice the
difference.  I remember the first time I drove my mother's Mercedes diesel
car.  When I took my foot off the "gas" pedal my head nearly went through
the windshield.