Push starting a car with power brakes?

[salem]

I've got a flat battery and am + a mate are going to attempt a push start this afternoon. It's not a huge car but has power steering / power brakes (I assume, the pedal doesn't move much until the engines running). That plus it being a fairly narrow road with a slight incline and turn at the end makes me a bit worried that it won't start and I'll be stuck hurtling down the road with no way to stop.

Can someone tell me I'm being over cautious and actually I'll just need to push the brakes a bit harder to come to a stop if it doesn't start.

 

[Saul Goodman]

They're servo assisted brakes. The car will stop without the engine running, you'll just need to press a bit harder.

 

[Duncan2]

Hopefully the car will start promptly and it won't become an issue but in any event you could surely use the hand-brake if you had to avoid careering through the hedge?

 

[Duncan2]

Yeh what the engineer above said.

 

[existentialist]

I've got a flat battery and am + a mate are going to attempt a push start this afternoon. It's not a huge car but has power steering / power brakes (I assume, the pedal doesn't move much until the engines running). That plus it being a fairly narrow road with a slight incline and turn at the end makes me a bit worried that it won't start and I'll be stuck hurtling down the road with no way to stop.

Can someone tell me I'm being over cautious and actually I'll just need to push the brakes a bit harder to come to a stop if it doesn't start.

I would focus on getting the push start to the beginning of the incline, and use that to start your engine.

A while back, I had a car which had an intermittent electrical problem, and found myself on a number of occasions unable to start it, but without any handy pushstarting assistants. I found that it was possible to push it along and then, when it had gathered enough speed, jump in, engage gear, dump the clutch and headbutt the windscreen...no, only joking, I started it loads of times like that. But not the safest, and almost certainly illegal in seven different ways. Don't try this at home, kids.

 

[salem]

Hopefully the car will start promptly and it won't become an issue but in any event you could surely use the hand-brake if you had to avoid careering through the hedge?

That's a really good point and one I hadn't thought of!

 

[Duncan2]

I would focus on getting the push start to the beginning of the incline, and use that to start your engine.

A while back, I had a car which had an intermittent electrical problem, and found myself on a number of occasions unable to start it, but without any handy pushstarting assistants. I found that it was possible to push it along and then, when it had gathered enough speed, jump in, engage gear, dump the clutch and headbutt the windscreen...no, only joking, I started it loads of times like that. But not the safest, and almost certainly illegal in seven different ways. Don't try this at home, kids.

Yes indeed definitely some risk attendant on pushing a car in neutral off down a slope with no one at the wheel.Also when it doesn't start you have to push it back up which is a good way to give yourself heart failure.

 

[salem]

All went swimmingly and was started first time no bother at walking pace!

 

[two sheds]

Getting rid of starting handles was a retrograde step in my opinion . My dad's first car (Austin something or other with running boards and split rear window) had starting handle which I remember coming in very useful on more than one occasion.

 

[Duncan2]

Getting rid of starting handles was a retrograde step in my opinion . My dad's first car (Austin something or other with running boards and split rear window) had starting handle which I remember coming in very useful on more than one occasion.

This

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I would focus on getting the push start to the beginning of the incline, and use that to start your engine.

A while back, I had a car which had an intermittent electrical problem, and found myself on a number of occasions unable to start it, but without any handy pushstarting assistants. I found that it was possible to push it along and then, when it had gathered enough speed, jump in, engage gear, dump the clutch and headbutt the windscreen...no, only joking, I started it loads of times like that. But not the safest, and almost certainly illegal in seven different ways. Don't try this at home, kids.

When you have alternator issues or similar make sure you park on a bill, pointing down. You live in Wales so shouldn’t be too hard!

 

[MrSki]

Getting rid of starting handles was a retrograde step in my opinion . My dad's first car (Austin something or other with running boards and split rear window) had starting handle which I remember coming in very useful on more than one occasion.

I can remember, much to my shame, whilst a bit pissed in the 80s. putting the startling handle through my mate's radiator in his Morris Minor. He was not happy.

 

[two sheds]

Better than breaking your thumb though, which is the other possibility.

The other retrograde step from my dad's Austin something-or-other was the flappy orange direction indicators and lack of running boards of course - no chance of police shows with copper hanging on for dear life as the car swung round a corner

 

[DownwardDog]

Getting rid of starting handles was a retrograde step in my opinion . My dad's first car (Austin something or other with running boards and split rear window) had starting handle which I remember coming in very useful on more than one occasion.

Modern cars have much higher BMEP so starters are in the 1.5-2.0kW range and usually produce over 200Nm of torque. Almost nobody would be able to produce that output with a starting handle.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Modern cars have much higher BMEP so starters are in the 1.5-2.0kW range and usually produce over 200Nm of torque. Almost nobody would be able to produce that output with a starting handle.

 

[WouldBe]

When you have alternator issues or similar make sure you park on a bill, pointing down. You live in Wales so shouldn’t be too hard!

What's Bill done to deserve that?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

 

[hash tag]

If car fails to start, you could possibly also use the hand brake, depending on which type you have.

 

[A380]

Never heard of those. One of those brilliant ideas that is obvious once you see it.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Never heard of those. One of those brilliant ideas that is obvious once you see it.

There's also the inertia starter, as used on a lot of old radial plane engines.

 

[A380]

There's also the inertia starter, as used on a lot of old radial plane engines.

Cartridge starter the way to go with an aero engine.