Correct way to push-start a car

[Ayahuasca]

Inspired by the other thread!

Here goes -

ignition on
car in neutral
on a hill preferably
not an up-hil, a down-hill
get out
PUSH
build up speed
jump in
take of handbrake that you had inadvertently left on
jump out

THIS IS THE EXCITING BIT:

jump in
foot on clutch
into second
clutch out quickly

BOOM!



What do you do?

Edited by Ayahuasca on Friday 10th December 21:21

Edited by Ayahuasca on Friday 10th December 21:22

[southpaw]

That makes no sense...push the car, jump in and take off the handbrake?!?

[EDLT]

Ayahuasca said:

Inspired by the other thread!

Here goes -

ignition on
car in neutral
on a hill preferably
not an up-hil, a down-hill
get out
PUSH
build up speed
jump in
take of handbrake
jump out

THIS IS THE EXCITING BIT:

jump in
foot on clutch
into second
clutch out quickly

BOOM!



What do you do?

Well I take the handbrake off before I start to push it.

[Jasandjules]

Ayahuasca said:

take of handbrake
jump out

You are either really strong or you don't push start cars often......

[dave0010]

why push if the car is on a hill why not just take off the handbrake an stay sat in the car

[soda]

Firstly ensure steering lock is off (friend of mine done that once)
Neutral
ignition on
handbrake off
push like fk
jump in
clutch in
2nd gear
clutch out
Roberts your mothers brother

If the above steps failed to work, push harder you big girls blouse.

Or if you can it's an advantage to have a couple people do the pushing while you sit in comfort.

[Thorburn]

When I left the lights on in the Elise on the roof of a deserted multi-story car park I went with....

Neutral
Push car backwards a little way up the ramp to the very top deck
Handbrake on
Get in
1st gear, clutch in
Handbrake off
Roll down small section of ramp, across flat section, and on to the next down ramp
Clutch out
Ignition
Success!
Look around to check no one saw the whole ordeal

[kambites]

I don't think I'd ever push start a car on my own.

[davepoth]

I had to push-start a car with a broken clutch once. That did not make a very nice noise when I rammed it into gear. I usually use first gear just to make the speed involved lower.

[Pigeon]

kambites said:

I don't think I'd ever push start a car on my own.

I have. And you've all forgotten "drive into a wall while sitting in the driver's seat panting like fk and having a heart attack"

[soda]

kambites said:

I don't think I'd ever push start a car on my own.

Depends what size it is, supermini no problem but you would have to be a big lad to try it in a 7 series

[Urban Sports]

A friend of mine asked me for a push a while ago because his battery was flat, luckily I live on a hill so it was an easy push.

The main problem was for some reason he didn't realise he had to have it in a gear and release the clutch to get the car started.

He just rolled to the bottom of the hill turning the key.

Bless

Edited by Urban Sports on Saturday 11th December 13:45

[Pothole]

I once push started an Austin 1800. It was heavy!

[paolow]

In my more desperate days I had a Capri with the Ford VV carb which often meant a bump start. Before I switched to the Weber I would often not even bother trying to start it conventionally and bump it down the road (I lived on a hill)
This of course was second gear, clutch in, ign on, handbrake off, reach 10 mph and clutch up smartly with throttle at circa 50%.

More recently I am in a purgatory of focus estate turbodiesels. I have found however that I can bump these myself - in neutral with ign on, push like crazy - jump in - into first and sidestep clutch with foot flat on accelerator. Works surprisingly well!

[NHK244V]

Depends how flat the battery is TBH, if it has some life and it's say a diesel i turn the key to start as i pop the clutch and use any battery power left to help but 9 times out of ten i sit in the car and yell push! to the wife and kids

[Pigeon]

paolow said:

In my more desperate days I had a Capri with the Ford VV carb which often meant a bump start.

Yeah, what was it with those things, they were why Fords would never start in the mornings. Why couldn't they act like a normal manufacturer and buy a carb from someone who knew how to make them, instead of producing their own which was so desperately crap that anyone with half a clue binned it ASAP and put a Weber on?

[Petrolhead_Rich]

Ayahuasca said:

Inspired by the other thread!

Here goes -

ignition on
car in neutral
on a hill preferably
not an up-hil, a down-hill
get lots of friendly people to push
foot on clutch
into second
Shout "FASTER!"
clutch out quickly

BOOM!

That's my method, bks to this pushing malarkey!

[slomax]

Interestingly, me and my mate push started a punto the other other day. It was on the flat, so that didnt help much. Some randomer had broken down and either the starter had gone or it just didnt have enough juice in the battery.

1) Gave it a good old push (with handbrake off+neutral)
2) Guy hopped in while we still pushed to get more momentum
3) Clutch down, second gear, release clutch
4) Car started

simples...

[5678]

I'm sure the answer is "No", but having been awake for hours now, I cannot think straight.

You can't bump start an auto can you? I cannot think of a way that it would work.

[dase1ats]

Has anyone ever had to push-start a car in reverse?

I had to once, parked up hill on a one way street. In a T2 Bus. It was a rather crunchy experience, and later that day my clutch cable snapped. Good job anything that goes wrong on an old VW is fixable with a hammer