Originally Posted by Slynky

Maybe I've been under the wrong impression in my 40+ years of driving. But are you saying the clutch somehow stops the flywheel from rotating? I thought the flywheel was attached to the engine/crankshaft and if the engine was turning, the IT was turning. Pressing the clutch merely (in simplistic terms) separates the spinning flywheel from the rest of the drivetrain so you can, for instance, change to a different gear and then when that's done, you release the clutch allowing the pressure plate/clutch to again make contact with the spinning flywheel.

Have I been mistaken all these years?