Jack Absalom "How to start a manual car by hand"

Ray

Yes. Better to use a piece of rope or snatch strap and start it like a lawnmower. Third gear is a good gear to use. Don't forget to switch the ignition on.


Cheers

I saw him do it on his TV show when I was a kid.

Louie.

Ray,

Can't remember using this method on a manual car, but we did use the principle on a Dodge truck, with a Perkins diesel engine.

Truck had flat batteries, so jacked up one of the rear duals, wrapped a long rope around it, and hooked end of rope to a ute. The ute did the pulling, and think someone worked the clutch, so that the wheel/driveline got up some momentum, before dropping the clutch.

Think it took a couple of attempts to synchronise clutch, with spinning transmission, but it did work.

Don't know what would happen with car with LSD?

Regards,
Bob.

Depending on terrain, it'd be quicker just to clutch start it.

If it has a Limited Slip Differential, you will need to get both wheels of the ground and make sure 4wd is not engaged! I have an old book of his, "Safe Outback Travel", there is not too much that is relavent in it for these modern days but the basic common sense approach still works!! Michael

A mate of mine has told me the story of how he once used this method on a F100 with a dead battery in the bottom of a steep gully , they used a rope around the wheel and removed a spsark plug (maybe 2 can't remember) .

What ever happened to the good old days when the car was fitted with a crank handle. It was inserted through a hole on the steel front bumper and engaged on the end of the crankshaft pulley. A couple of quick turns and the motor was running. I know because I once had Morris Minor 1000 that had a crank handle and thenlater a big six cylinder Austin A105 Westminster , and that was fitted with a crank handle. Came in useful on several occasions when the battery was flat the next morning due to the fact that the radio had been left on all night.

Unfortunalty with modern efi cars you need battery power to run the injectors. Even on a long downhill run they often will not start if the battery is dead flat.
Cheers Pete

Exactly the same principle as 'push-starting' a vehicle. Why wouldn't it work !

Funny old character, Jack. :))

I nabbed a 5-dvd pack of his old TV series for $20. Well worth it for entertainment as well as "education". He demonstrates this very starting method. He also happily trailed around the Strezlecki in a Colt Sigma with standard tyres and stresses the importance of having tyres fully inflated, which flies in the face of current opinion. His finger-wagging old-school mannerisms are a joy to behold.

LOL

Dio ..... your right ... ???????????


Like most of the old dependable methods of getting going again, " victa zip starting " works a treat ... unless on a vehicle dependant on battery power supply for fuel control / immobiliser / PCM etc ... not too mention stupid, so called safety features like having to have the clutch pedal depressed - for the starter circuit to work ...

All the "wonderful " (pfffft ) technology really works against you in the end.

Ray ...
Well done ... the poor mans, diesel wind down, turbo timer and fuel cut off - ditch the 2h off solenoid for a choke cable .... worked a treat eh.

Crank handles ...
Yep good ol Landys ( and others ) ... pull the spark plugs, fit the crankhandle and use the factory supplied winch ... the gearbox. Do the job right and there was even time to boil the billy ... of course every body being in such a rush to get nowhere these days - chooses an extra couple of batteries / overpriced winch, and bar to mount it on / battery switching system etc and will get to use it all ... no more times than I ever had to crank a landy .... lolol

Wasnt aware of the Studebaker system ... but not surprised as plenty of other late model, you beaut ideas have been around in different forms for years.

Vehicles today are just like washing machines ... full of gadgetry and still only do the same thing they did 50yrs ago. The only real advances in vehicles best suited for long distance remote travel, are suspension configurations and seating quality ... The blingy doodads are just an expensive fix waiting to happen ... over and above - any mechanical breakdowns.

Good thing is ... one doesnt need to carry tools and spares anymore .... All the money normally spent on those items can be left in a bank account titled " Tilt Tray Funds " and a bit of it used for a sat phone purchase.

Sure does work!

We flattened the battery so bad in a HT Holden ute once this method wouldn't work either as there wasn't enough power to fire the ignition coil!

Solution? Rip the 6volt battery out of the dolphin torch and hook it up to the coil. Spin the rear wheel in third gear and away she went.

With the ignition on there is just enough sting in a dolphin torch battery to excite the alternator and give the volts to keep it running.

Once she's away disconnect the torch battery.

As to crank handles, I regularly used the one on my FJ40 Landcruiser with the 2H petrol engine!

Like someone above said, the trick is to swing the handle up, not down and keep you thumb on top with your fingers. It also helps if the engine is kept in a good state of tune.

Geoff