Push starting a car

Gloomendoom

marlot wrote: »

They were fine on low-ish compression 8hp engines, but I doubt any use on anything made in the last 50 years.

I had several Citroen's (GS & GSA) that had starting handles, the last one was a 1981 model. I've also got an A prefix (1983?) V8 Range Rover which has a starting handle. Never used it though. I relied on the handle to start one of the Citroens for about a week when I had a battery problem.

Incidentally, if you are trying to push start a car, the higher the gear, the easier it is.

AdrianC

They were on 2cvs until 1990. They were certainly on Series Landies until the '80s, and I believe on early petrol 90/110s, too. I think Lada Rivas kept them until the end of import in the early '90s.

BeenThroughItAll

AdrianC wrote: »

Perhaps you missed my last sentence.

No, I didn't; but it wasn't relevant in the context I was talking about, which was Strider saying his interior lights stay on for 30S or so after locking. He didn't say they stay on permanently.

Hintza

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Mine stay on until you lock the car,

Good god how awful, couldn't cope with that. We never lock the cars (nor the house mind you).

BeenThroughItAll

Hintza wrote: »

Good god how awful, couldn't cope with that. We never lock the cars (nor the house mind you).

To be fair, they do go off after a while regardless, but I don't tend to sit in the car for more than about 10s after parking so they go off when I lock it.

zagubov

Gloomendoom wrote: »

I
Incidentally, if you are trying to push start a car, the higher the gear, the easier it is.

I think you can use any gear higher than first. Even reverse will do, as its "between" first and second IYSWIM (I had to do that once when I was on a slope).

Gloomendoom

zagubov wrote: »

I think you can use any gear higher than first. Even reverse will do, as its "between" first and second IYSWIM (I had to do that once when I was on a slope).

Effort wise, reverse would be as bad as first with the added complication of having to push the car backwards.

zagubov

Gloomendoom wrote: »

Effort wise, reverse would be as bad as first with the added complication of having to push the car backwards.

The car was facing uphill on an empty road so it was easier to push backwards, down the hill.
It was surprisingly easy to start- I'd never heard of it but a mate explained how easy it was, as reverse is a higher gear than first (but not quite as high as second).

Richard53

We had a Land Rover with a dodgy battery at work. It used to fail to start about five times a shift, and owing to the nature of the site it was sometimes necessary to bump start it in reverse. Worked every time.

Richard53

zagubov wrote: »

I think you can use any gear higher than first. Even reverse will do, as its "between" first and second IYSWIM (I had to do that once when I was on a slope).

Basically, the higher the gear you are in, the slower the engine will turn for a given road speed. So selecting a higher gear makes it easier for the engine to turn, but it turns slower. I have found the most success bump-starting in third and then catching the engine quickly with the throttle when it fires.