How to push start a car

[StealthParticipant 5335]

Sounds simple, but there is apparently technique involved.

I’m writing this after UNSUCCESSFULLY trying to push start my vehicle, the failure of which resulted in an expensive tow to an expensive dealership. NOT KNOWING this information cost me maybe a grand:

After looking online, here is what I’ve figured out:
1) works only with a manual transmission.
2) put the car in second gear. This is the step I skipped. I had mine in neutral.
3) driver sets up the car like he’s starting it: key turned forward, clutch pedal in.
4) second person pushes the car until appx 5-10 mph
5) driver immediately and quickly takes foot off the clutch pedal to engage the gear (again, not in neutral!). Maybe give it some gas or put clutch pedal back in swiftly to avoid stalling out. I’ve only read about this step since I didn’t reach it.

"Once you’ve taken care of the basics, there’s very little in this world for which your life is worth deferring." -David Hansson. "It’s not when women are mean or nasty that anything is out of the ordinary. It’s when they are NICE to you that you have to be on high alert..." -Jackinov.

[JVBParticipant]

What if by yourself?
Neutral first, gather momentum then put into second.

Peace is > piece.

[AutoliteParticipant]

I used to be able to push-start my Pinto myself all the time. But that was many, many years ago. Back then you had to know how to do that before they even gave you a driver’s license…

[hmskl’dParticipant 6406]

Yes, I have neighbors who park their tractor on hillside and use gravity to start it each time. They keep a chunk of firewood under the tires and pull that away to roll down slope for starting. We have hills with a few moguls here .. so we don’t need pushers .. just gravity. It’s just like a ride at the fair.

I’d also choose second gear for the starting point. Exactly, between five and ten mph is about where I feel right with letting out clutch and expect a slight bounce as it fires. If it doesn’t .. push in clutch and keep rolling and I try again. I usually get two or maybe three chances on hill.

If I reach bottom of hill and she still hasn’t started .. but came close, then I need to sit and think for awhile about my other options. This has happened and I still do have options .. call neighbor and have him pull with tow strap on tractor. Visit Amish neighbor and have him bring over team of horses. There always is an option.

[DorkShitParticipant 4353]

Autolite wrote:

I used to be able to push-start my Pinto myself all the time. But that was many, many years ago. Back then you had to know how to do that before they even gave you a driver’s license…

Hahaha. I thought I was the only moron with a manual pinto piece of s~~~. My father bought me the car using our joint checking account (My money) for 800 dollars.

I had to park on a hill so that I could roll it. Good thing it was a perfect beater car.

Stealth, you also need to learn how to power shift without using the clutch.

I was young and didn’t know how to repair the clutch so I just power shifted.

Ahh, the sound of gears grinding…

Peace brothers

[DorkShitParticipant 4353]

I rode that pinto like a horse.

I put it in first gear. A bucking pinto. Rode that car into the ground.

Roll downhill until I was going 30 or so and pop the clutch…hold on…

At school I parked so a friend was behind me. After school he’d push me woth his car. Good times!

It was as anti chick magnet for sure but the girls loved to get jolted.

Peace brothers

[Anonymous 42]

Stealth wrote:

works only with a manual transmission.

Not true, Chrysler torque-flight has dual bands and dual pumps, the tail shaft also pressurizes the hydraulic system, neutral and 15 mph dropped into low will spin over the engine, this system guarantees the transmission lubrication whenever the car is rolling, other automatic transmissions can be damaged after 50 miles of towing without starting the engine.

Popping the clutch is easy, double clutching to align the sincros and power shifting takes timing skill and practice.

If you blow the clutch linkage in anyway, you can still drive and shift without the clutch, use the starter in first gear to get rolling and started at the same time, then shifting by matching the engine speed to the next correlating gear weather up shifting or down shifting, the trick is to shift lightly without grinding or jerking because the gear speeds didn’t match.

I’ve limped home every way imaginable with some of the s~~~boxes I’ve driven!

[GregB0Participant]

Autolite wrote:

my Pinto myself all the tim

Same with my Nissan Sentra coupe. Light weight, easy to maneuver and quick to start.

​"​My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.​" - Clarence Buddinton Kelland

[VirgilParticipant 970]

I had to do this about 10 years ago. I sheared off 3 bolts at the linkage to transmission housing.

Well long story short after limping that pony home, she ground the 3 bolts into dust. 4th one was barely holding on. Led to a fairly lengthy repair as the bolts had to be extracted without damaging the transmission housing.

That’s just my word of warning about it. Was first and only time I have had to rolling start a vehicle.

Hope that someday I may lead others the path I have learned. As Virgil led Dante through Hell.

[GregB0Participant]

Stealth wrote:

Sounds simple, but there is apparently technique involved.

You touch on a point related to the inability for men to be tutored and mentored by other men today.

When I was learning to drive in the ’70s, I learned how to drive every type of vehicle that was common in the area, as well as farm tractors, fork lifts, commercial trucks (dump trucks), anything that I could effectively manage so that someone else could perform a task that I could not do when help was in short supply. Don’t even get me started on changing tires, jumping batteries, bypassing starter cylinoids, changing oil, changing starters/water pumps/alternators, replacing bulbs & wiper blades, etc. etc. etc.

The same goes for using the washer / dryer, house hold appliances, lawn & garden equipment, firearms, etc. etc. etc. Basic maintenance and repair was also taught.

This was done to ensure that I could eventually be self sufficient, as well as able to help the family and community.

Today adults and children exist in a world where they are either indifferent towards learning, or do not know what they do not know.

Silverbacks are respected in their tribes for more than just physical abilities.

How many people have even heard of a three speed in the column or a Chrysler push button transmission, let alone driven a car using it?

​"​My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.​" - Clarence Buddinton Kelland

[AutoliteParticipant]

GregB0 wrote:

How many people have even heard of a three speed in the column

One of my currently running vehicles is a ‘three-on-the-tree’

GregB0 wrote:

or a Chrysler push button transmission, let alone driven a car using it?

‘Christine’ had a push button tranny. The movie actor (Keith Gordon) had trouble figuring out how to use it…

According to Keith Gordon on the DVD Commentary, he kept having trouble with Christine’s TorqueFlite automatic transmission control. The 1958 Plymouths (along with all other Chrysler products that year) used push buttons to select “Reverse,” “Neutral,” “Drive,” etc. (The buttons can be seen in some shots located near the steering column but are never seen being pushed in the film.) He says that it would routinely take several tries to put the transmission in gear. In a few instances, filming would be delayed so that a technician could repair the selector buttons, and even then he’d still have trouble with it.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085333/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv

[TheGreatSiameseParticipant 127]

You can roll start a manual transmission vehicle in reverse as well. I’ve roll started a Ranger truck in reverse before. It was a little hairy as I only had about 15′ of space between the truck and the garage door.

[Anonymous 42]

I’m actually working on a Gravely tractor transaxle, non sinc 4 speed, hi/lo range and PTO I’ve been checking and double checking for hours! One mistake and I have to take all apart!

[bstoffParticipant 4863]

This was common knowledge back in the 70’s and 80’s. Pretty much a requirement if you were a dude.

FYI. This is also how you jump start a motorcycle.

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