I know there is some way to start a manual transmission car by pushing it and then throwing it into first or something. Can someone explain the process to me? Why does it work?

 

Get it rolling down a hill at a good speed in neutral. Press down on the clutch and shift into second. Make sure the key is turned forward in the operating position. Let go of the clutch slowly. As the engine starts to spin the car will start.

Don't know why it works. Pretty much just because the engine is turning over it provides a spark to the cylinder and it starts.

CM.

 

You shift it into second when it's rolling? Does second work better than first or are you just thinking that you'll be rolling to fast to want to shift into first?

 

Works why? Because you are turning the car over just as a starter would.

Method: Put the car in gear and hold down the clutch pedal. 2nd gear works well. Get it rolling down a hill and let the clutch pedal up. It should jerk and start. After that push the clutch again and leave it neutral to let it warm, wait for the fools that were pushing the car.

Warning. If you car doesn't start, you car is now at the bottom of a hill and possibly in the middle of the intersection.

 

before I replaced my starter I had to roll my car in reverse and let go of the clutch. It was really chopy. I hope I never have to do it again.

 

This works every time doesn't it?

 

I used to do this for fun with my Mazda 626. Drive my wife crazy. Kids in the back were hysteric.

My driveway had only a slight slope, 2 car lengths long only, still it was long enough to crank the engine. I would shift in reverse, push the clutch, turn the ignition key to on let go the hand brake, the car will go down the slope. At a critical car velocity, I released the clutch, the car would jerk but the engine had started! I had to synchronize the optimal moment to press the clutch again to let the engine run freely, else it would have stalled in gear.

What helped, is that 4 banger on a normal start would always start on the first crank. My brother in law still drives this 1988 MAzda. Now has 290000 km.

 

Keep in mind, in today's electronic cars, you've got to have at least some juice in the battery . . like you turn the key to the run position and the dash at least lights up. In the old days, if the battery was dead dead dead, you could still roll start the car. Not today.

DW

 

I've had this happen before... only it was me and a friend doing the pushing

The best part... we were parked on an inclined street and there was already minimal room to move between the front and back cars. Keeping yourself from freezing, pushing a car uphill out of a parking spot, AND making sure your leg doesn't get caught between the car you're pushing & the car parked behind it wasn't very...

fun

 

I've heard it's a great way to ruin the catalyst on the vehicle. In the year 2003, can't imagine when that trick is beneficial. It's like John Goodman playing Fred Flinstone might do that.

 

Why would it be any worse on the cat than a regular start?

 

c

 

Yeah... that's not making any sense on first thought...

 

try push starting your by yourself in nyc traffic where everyone is honking at you and then jump in the max and hope it cranks.. btw once you see that the car is trying to start push the clutch in before you stall it out or worse damage the gears...

 

I've always put my car in reverse and pushed it forward, then dumped the clutch.

 

ok....im confused WHY you need to do this I just did this on a mini bike, but with the kill switch, same concept worked for the auto bike (cyntrifical clutch) so could it technically work for an auto car? hold it in 1st or 2nd...force start?

 

torque converter spins.

 

yea, but if your rolling down a hill, the converter would lock/stall

 

What happens is if there is unburnt petrol that gets to the CAT, its life can be shortened due to overheating. If you're trying to push start the vehicle, there is obviously something wrong with it. If that something wrong involves no spark, then the fuel wont get burnt. Other conditions that ruin the CAT are misfiring, leaky injectors, wrong timing, but I suppose CATs are not as expensive as they were 10 years ago so maybe people aren't concerned anymore about the cost of replacing them.

 

yes....petrol. Also if the engine is spining and injecting gasoline, then it is also sparking the plugs. there is no way for unburnt gas to get into the cat, atleast in enough ammount to hurt the cat, without the car starting.

 

Ok you make a good point there. Under some circumstances it could be detrimental to the life of the cat.

Mostly people do it on a working car to thrill and amaze their non-carfreak friends and family.

CM.

 

Just as 1 + 1 = 2, when a motor wont start the fundamentals are spark and fuel. I dunno what "the engine spining" has to do with anything. Your car essentially cannot run without a battery because the voltage will ripple, not to mention that with no load the alternator will be damaged. Um, something called the ECU requires constant voltage. A lot of consequences for failing to address a $39 part, if that's what's causing the no start condition in the first place. You drive a '98, so turn to page 6-9 of your owner's manual:

"Three way catalyst equipped models should not be started by pushing since the three way catalyst may be damaged."

You sound very confident of your opinion. That's all fine and dandy, but the general public should be informed on the SOP regarding push starting manual trannied vehicles newer than 1975.

 

Thanks for the info. I'll still push start if I'm in a bad situation or something (like after a baseball game, and its late at night and want to go home, but batteries dead, then i push start to get home and get a new battery or charge it the next day, or that night) but its good to be informed

 

I don't get what this guy is saying. When push starting a car, you are starting it by using your transmission instead of the starter. Push starting only works when you have a battery or starter problem. How does that damage the cat or ecu? If your car won't start because of fuel or spark problems, then it won't start even by push starting.

 

yea.....you already HAVE the battery, or else it wouldnt start. im not owned, you're wrong

 

1-The only thing that you can damage for good in push/start procedure is your clutch!!IMO

I've frequently push/start my Ranger87 and it run for more than 180K miles and every thing goes great!

2- Yes you do need a bit of batterie left but not as much to have the radio open!! only about to make the solenoid open on the starter (not turning it). Requires really not much batterie to do that!!

3- When I push/start, I usually do it in First gear, and I don't dump the clutch. Ex.: I make it roll a bit and then jump in the car, press the clutch, put it in first gear, release and repress the clutch fast(enough to have the engine turn but):less than a second depress.

When you turn the starter on, it take about a sec to make it start not more than that.

After some try and miss, I've found that releasing completly the clutch have a tendancie to make the engine jerk a lot, but if you press it the engine rev just like after a start with the starter!!

Has I said, only clutch and gears "can be damage" (less damage then dumping the clutch at 2K RPM), IMO cat damage is BS!! Just keep it running until it get hot and everything will come as before!! P.S.: After you push/start it, you have a tendancie to keep it alive and not turn it off just after it, It's mainly when you have starter or batterie problem what do you think!!!

 

hoy! i was right

 

You have a 92, I wouldn't worry about anything, the car is 12 years old. But on a newer car it's sometimes better to borrow somebody's AAA membership instead. Hope your ball team is better than ours was, though we did a lot better this fall!

 

On the 87 Ranger, there's a fuel line reset button located under the glove box on the pass. side. My grad school roommate had one, and used it when his truck wouldn't start. It's white and on top of a small-sized fuse box, and you'll see a line running through it. Sometimes there are features that the vehicles are equipped with so you don't have to go through all the theatrics to get it to start! But as I said, there is the John Goodman, Fred Flintstone way too.