Facebook is full of clips of cars being hauled out of overflowing creeks and such. While watching one today it triggered a memory from when I was working in Port Moresby. One of the school teachers told me of another school teacher who lived in a village down along the coast east from Port Moresby. Every couple of months he would drive to Port Moresby and back again and occasionally the car would stall in one of the creek crossings.
So he would put it into first gear, let out the clutch and drive it out of the creek using the starter motor. I recall trying it just to see if it would work and it did.
Of course most cars now are automatics so this probably will not work.
landy said
10:23 PM Jan 12, 2024
Done that a few times when I have needed to move an otherwise dead car. I think you may have discovered one of the lost arts from when people were a lot more resourceful than they seem to be in today's world. Landy
Long Weekend said
10:59 PM Jan 12, 2024
I also did that once in a Toyata Crown wagon in 1970 - except I used reverse gear. Must have given the battery what for but it worked.
Murray
JeffRae said
02:18 PM Jan 13, 2024
Also useful in your 4WD.
watsea said
08:28 PM Jan 13, 2024
Not quite the same, but my parents had a milk run if the late 1950's. They used a Holden FC ute with a canopy. Lots of stopping and starting at people's homes. They didn't use the clutch when starting. Just key started while in first gear and keep moving.
Long Weekend said
09:16 PM Jan 13, 2024
watsea wrote:
They didn't use the clutch when starting. Just key started while in first gear and keep moving.
Have known about that 'bushys' trick when a clutch failed way out in the sticks leave it in gear and simply start by turning the key. Of course, while being unable to change gear they were able to get back to either camp or civilization.
Luckily, I never had to try it.
Murray
yobarr said
10:12 PM Jan 13, 2024
Long Weekend wrote:
watsea wrote:
They didn't use the clutch when starting. Just key started while in first gear and keep moving.
Have known about that 'bushys' trick when a clutch failed way out in the sticks leave it in gear and simply start by turning the key. Of course, while being unable to change gear they were able to get back to either camp or civilization.
Luckily, I never had to try it.
Murray
"Unable to change gear" you suggest, but this is entirely incorrect. It is indeed exceedinglyeasy to change gears without using the clutch in any manual transmission car, once it is moving.
My Roadtrain has 18 forward gears and once I have moved from a standing start I never use the clutch unless, for some reason, I've had to come to a stop.
Many years ago the semi I was driving had no clutch AND a faulty starter motor that would not engage when the key was turned to start the engine. My mechanic reached under the truck to "cross" the starter motor while I had engaged the lowest of my 13 gears.
As he "crossed" the starter motor the truck would start moving, the engine would burst into life, and Colin had to dive out of the way of the drive axles before he was run over! Ah, the good old days.
And have you seen a car with a flat battery started by jacking a rear wheel off the ground, putting the car in gear, and spinning the rear wheel? Improvisation at its best. Cheers
Long Weekend said
11:13 PM Jan 13, 2024
yobarr wrote:
Long Weekend wrote:
watsea wrote:
They didn't use the clutch when starting. Just key started while in first gear and keep moving.
Have known about that 'bushys' trick when a clutch failed way out in the sticks leave it in gear and simply start by turning the key. Of course, while being unable to change gear they were able to get back to either camp or civilization.
Luckily, I never had to try it.
Murray
"Unable to change gear" you suggest, but this is entirely incorrect. It is indeed exceedinglyeasy to change gears without using the clutch in any manual transmission car, once it is moving.
My Roadtrain has 18 forward gears and once I have moved from a standing start I never use the clutch unless, for some reason, I've had to come to a stop.
Many years ago the semi I was driving had no clutch AND a faulty starter motor that would not engage when the key was turned to start the engine. My mechanic reached under the truck to "cross" the starter motor while I had engaged the lowest of my 13 gears.
As he "crossed" the starter motor the truck would start moving, the engine would burst into life, and Colin had to dive out of the way of the drive axles before he was run over! Ah, the good old days.
And have you seen a car with a flat battery started by jacking a rear wheel off the ground, putting the car in gear, and spinning the rear wheel? Improvisation at its best. Cheers
Hmm. I seem to recall that clutchless gear changing was called 'racing changes.' However, as it required judging engine revs exactly, I personally never tried it.
Also I never heard of that trick of spinning a rear wheel to start the engine with a flat battery. But there has been a number of times where I have had to help push a car with a flat battery. The car was started rolling at about a fast-walking speed and the clutch let out, the engine hopefully started then the clutch was quickly pushed in to avoid stalling - and that often happened!
What with automatic transmissions and the rapid introduction of electric vehicles those little bits of road folk lore look like dying out.
However, Yobarr, you look like having a few more years with gear changing with your large trucks. But I'm pretty sure you will never have to start one of your truck engines by spinning a rear drive wheel!
Murray
Edit: fixed a couple of typos.
-- Edited by Long Weekend on Saturday 13th of January 2024 11:19:33 PM
dogbox said
08:07 AM Jan 14, 2024
poor old YOBARR (i wonder at the name) he shares some life experiences with us an those with less experiences of life doubt him!
jacking up a rear axle to start an engine with a flat battery is not unheard of, even in cities, kids with cars an no money! but can anyone remember the the old air start MACKS an if in remote places with no air, stuck in mud so you could not jack wheel off ground, lighting a fire under air tank to get enough air pressure in tank to start engine. how resourceful people can be when the chips are down
yobarr said
03:10 PM Jan 14, 2024
dogbox wrote:
poor old YOBARR (i wonder at the name) he shares some life experiences with us an those with less experiences of life doubt him!
jacking up a rear axle to start an engine with a flat battery is not unheard of, even in cities, kids with cars an no money! but can anyone remember the the old air start MACKs an if in remote places with no air, stuck in mud so you could not jack wheel off ground, lighting a fire under air tank to get enough air pressure in tank to start engine. how resourceful people can be when the chips are down
Thanks for your support! Yes, thebold air start Macks were something different. Remember well the cries from neighbours in Sydney in early 1980s when we air started the old Mack R600 at 5am. Tough luck!
An unverified story that I heard many years ago was that when a truckie had no air left to start the truck he connected a spare wheel and drained that into the air-start tank. Even though the pressure in the 2 receptacles equalised, there was sufficient pressure to start the truck. Cheers
Can you imagine the consternation of the precious "beautiful people" if we tried that in inner Sydney now? Cheers
yobarr said
03:17 PM Jan 14, 2024
Long Weekend wrote:
Hmm. I seem to recall that clutchless gear changing was called 'racing changes' .' However, as it required judging engine revs exactly, I personally never tried it.
Also I never heard of that trick of spinning a rear wheel to start the engine with a flat battery. But there has been a number of times where I have had to help push a car with a flat battery. The car was started rolling at about a fast-walking speed and the clutch let out, the engine hopefully started then the clutch was quickly pushed in to avoid stalling - and that often happened!
What with automatic transmissions and the rapid introduction of electric vehicles those little bits of road folk lore look like dying out.
However, Yobarr, you look like having a few more years with gear changing with your large trucks. But I'm pretty sure you will never have to start one of your truck engines by spinning a rear drive wheel!
Murray
Hi Murray, Can't say that I've ever heard this procedure referred to as 'racing changes', but you may well be correct.
Changing gears this way simply involves pulling the gear lever out of one gear and slowly lowering the engine revs while gently holding the gear lever against the next gear spot. When the revs are right it simply slots in. Works changing up or down, but judging engine revs is the key, as you suggest. Cheers
poor old YOBARR (i wonder at the name) he shares some life experiences with us an those with less experiences of life doubt him!
jacking up a rear axle to start an engine with a flat battery is not unheard of, even in cities, kids with cars an no money! but can anyone remember the the old air start MACKs an if in remote places with no air, stuck in mud so you could not jack wheel off ground, lighting a fire under air tank to get enough air pressure in tank to start engine. how resourceful people can be when the chips are down
Thanks for your support! Yes, thebold air start Macks were something different. Remember well the cries from neighbours in Sydney in early 1980s when we air started the old Mack R600 at 5am. Tough luck!
An unverified story that I heard many years ago was that when a truckie had no air left to start the truck he connected a spare wheel and drained that into the air-start tank. Even though the pressure in the 2 receptacles equalised, there was sufficient pressure to start the truck. Cheers
Can you imagine the consternation of the precious "beautiful people" if we tried that in inner Sydney now? Cheers
it took more than one spare to get enough air pressure to start one.
landy said
10:25 PM Jan 14, 2024
I once drove a VW Beetle from High street Preston to the dealers in Fairfields with no clutch, gear changing was no problem as Yobar said put it in neutral and coasted to a stop at traffic lights, then turned the motor off and popped in back into first gear for the next in gear start when the lights changed green. Landy
Facebook is full of clips of cars being hauled out of overflowing creeks and such. While watching one today it triggered a memory from when I was working in Port Moresby. One of the school teachers told me of another school teacher who lived in a village down along the coast east from Port Moresby. Every couple of months he would drive to Port Moresby and back again and occasionally the car would stall in one of the creek crossings.
So he would put it into first gear, let out the clutch and drive it out of the creek using the starter motor. I recall trying it just to see if it would work and it did.
Of course most cars now are automatics so this probably will not work.
Landy
Murray
Have known about that 'bushys' trick when a clutch failed way out in the sticks leave it in gear and simply start by turning the key. Of course, while being unable to change gear they were able to get back to either camp or civilization.
Luckily, I never had to try it.
Murray
"Unable to change gear" you suggest, but this is entirely incorrect. It is indeed exceedingly easy to change gears without using the clutch in any manual transmission car, once it is moving.
My Roadtrain has 18 forward gears and once I have moved from a standing start I never use the clutch unless, for some reason, I've had to come to a stop.
Many years ago the semi I was driving had no clutch AND a faulty starter motor that would not engage when the key was turned to start the engine. My mechanic reached under the truck to "cross" the starter motor while I had engaged the lowest of my 13 gears.
As he "crossed" the starter motor the truck would start moving, the engine would burst into life, and Colin had to dive out of the way of the drive axles before he was run over! Ah, the good old days.
And have you seen a car with a flat battery started by jacking a rear wheel off the ground, putting the car in gear, and spinning the rear wheel? Improvisation at its best. Cheers
Hmm. I seem to recall that clutchless gear changing was called 'racing changes.' However, as it required judging engine revs exactly, I personally never tried it.
Also I never heard of that trick of spinning a rear wheel to start the engine with a flat battery. But there has been a number of times where I have had to help push a car with a flat battery. The car was started rolling at about a fast-walking speed and the clutch let out, the engine hopefully started then the clutch was quickly pushed in to avoid stalling - and that often happened!
What with automatic transmissions and the rapid introduction of electric vehicles those little bits of road folk lore look like dying out.
However, Yobarr, you look like having a few more years with gear changing with your large trucks. But I'm pretty sure you will never have to start one of your truck engines by spinning a rear drive wheel!
Murray
Edit: fixed a couple of typos.
-- Edited by Long Weekend on Saturday 13th of January 2024 11:19:33 PM
jacking up a rear axle to start an engine with a flat battery is not unheard of, even in cities, kids with cars an no money! but can anyone remember the the old air start MACKS an if in remote places with no air, stuck in mud so you could not jack wheel off ground, lighting a fire under air tank to get enough air pressure in tank to start engine. how resourceful people can be when the chips are down
Thanks for your support! Yes, thebold air start Macks were something different. Remember well the cries from neighbours in Sydney in early 1980s when we air started the old Mack R600 at 5am. Tough luck!
An unverified story that I heard many years ago was that when a truckie had no air left to start the truck he connected a spare wheel and drained that into the air-start tank. Even though the pressure in the 2 receptacles equalised, there was sufficient pressure to start the truck. Cheers
Can you imagine the consternation of the precious "beautiful people" if we tried that in inner Sydney now? Cheers
Hi Murray, Can't say that I've ever heard this procedure referred to as 'racing changes', but you may well be correct.
Changing gears this way simply involves pulling the gear lever out of one gear and slowly lowering the engine revs while gently holding the gear lever against the next gear spot. When the revs are right it simply slots in. Works changing up or down, but judging engine revs is the key, as you suggest. Cheers
it took more than one spare to get enough air pressure to start one.
Landy