"As I found out the hard way, IRRC it confuses the ECU, and it will often not restart. Homestart told me it was a very common reason for call outs."
Agree not a good idea - but my impression is that it may not be a problem with diesels.
Anyone confirm or deny?
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Have always, always, always, pushed in the clutch when starting any car. Was drummed into me by my dad, and why take the risk of not having it in neutral and someone walking in front of or behind the car when starting the engine?
RE: running accessories when engine switched on. Will have no effect on charging, engine will just work harder. I use it as a lazy trick to warm the engine up faster.
Not sure about having headlights on at same time, seems utterly pointless anyway as most cars divert power from non-essential electrical systems when the engine is starting.
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These are all pointless tips to try to ease the passing of a terminally ill battery. A good battery will start the car whatever the weather, and whatever else you have turned on. Once the engine has started, the alternator will power anything you have on, and the battery will be topped up again to full charge within minutes. (Anyone remember the add with the Morris Minor in a deep freeze? And that probably had a dynamo not even an alternator)
If you have to resort to these methods to give the battery an easier life, then the battery has had it. Just get a new one.
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Agree with Cliff. Son has 1993 Fiesta 1.1. battery was very old when he bought car in 2003. Left in garage and started once a month for a year. Starts with lights on. Drives car out of garage , stops to close door. restarts. leaves car with lights on when parked (had to rescue twice).
Inshort does all things not to do - from above.
Battery now 8? 9? years old. Still starts first time every time (But I doe check belt tightness once year change oil/ clean ht cables and change plugs etc)
madf
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These are all pointless tips to try to ease the passing of a terminally ill battery. A good battery will start the car whatever the weather, and whatever else you have turned on. Once the engine has started, the alternator will power anything you have on, and the battery will be topped up again to full charge within minutes. (Anyone remember the add with the Morris Minor in a deep freeze? And that probably had a dynamo not even an alternator) If you have to resort to these methods to give the battery an easier life, then the battery has had it. Just get a new one.
I agree. I'm amazed how mean and penny pinching people can be when it comes to their cars. A new battery is a relatively cheap item, when bought from the nationwide tyre and battery people and when fitted can usually resurrect prompt starting and reliable electrical function.
In days of yore when starting handles (and broken thumbs) were de rigeur, of course things were different but with battery technology having improved so much in the last decade or so then there is no excuse for hanging on to one that is, say, over five years old, especially as most people leave their cars in the open nowadays and thus exposed the worst that the winter weather can throw at us.
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there is no excuse for hanging on to one that is, say, over five years old, especially as most people leave their cars in the open nowadays and thus exposed the worst that the winter weather can throw at us.
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I recall an American contractor, who was working with me, saying that battery failure was very rare in up state New York where he lived.
It transpired that their norm was to routinely fit a new battery EVERY TWO years.
There is no sign of us southern types moving to that approach.
IMO for him and others in remote/ colder areas it makes so much more sense to have a good battery.
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Try the Philippines version: drive your vehicle without any lights at all at night, then switch everything on when a vehicle comes from the following direction.
It is genuinely believed this save the battery, mainly on trucks, buses and other public utility vehicles. This method is alarming when:
+ the lights are on a 10t ton Nissan 10-cylinder overladen truck;
+ only one front light of the oncomer is working (30 years old bus imported from Beijing), or.
+ up to 6 lamps may be suddenly switched on, and what was previously an indiscernible wraith in the other lane becomes lit up like the proverbial, with startling results;
+ red/blue/purple (frequently used for decoration instead of white for front lights).
Ah well, the weather is warm, the beer is cold and the women are beautiful.
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How do starting handles result in broken thumbs? Before my time, I'm afraid!
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You can get kick back but if you hold the handle correctly it's not a problem. You need to keep your thumbs on top of the handle.
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I think, I'm confused now, it's a long time since I have done it...
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That's right, thumb on top, on the same side as your fingers. If the engine fails to start, it can backfire (in the true sense of that word), ie fire but give a kick in the wrong direction that can give a nasty jar to your thumb.
The trick of starting with a handle was not, as many people thought, just to try and spin the engine as fast as possible, but to position the handle so that you were just building a piston up to compression, and then give a flip over the top. Watch an old clip from a WW1 air ace film, as the man standing at the front flips the prop. Only in that case he stands to lose his head, not just his thumb.
With a diesel with a decompression lever the technique is different. Decompress, work the crankshaft round as fast as you can, then keep your hand clear and engage the lever again. It's still used in moderm marine engines - I've recently bought a Yanmar that can be hand started in an emergency.
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Yes - I remember my old man showing me how to crank a starting handle as soon as I was strong enough - so he didn't have to get out in the snow / frost to do it himself,it was usual only to require one turn of the handle if it was done properly.
The same principle applies with the motorcycle kickstart only its a broken shin or ankle you have if you get it wrong rather than a broken thumb.
There is no better way of warming up on a cold morning than trying to hand crank a car or kickstart or bumpstart a recalcitrant motorbike in full cold weather gear.
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Starting using a handle should not cause kick back as long as you retard the ignition.
You don't have a lever to retard the ignition? My magneto fired 1929 Riley 9 had one:-)
madf
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My brother got given a diesel mini-bulldozer that had sat outside for 20 years. After emptying the engine of water and changing the oil, and putting fuel in, he tried to start it.
IIRC, he noticed the decompression lever and wondered what it was for, and then cranked the engine with the starting handle by brute force until it fired. Went after about 30 seconds, shows how long you can leave a diesel for.
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These are all pointless tips to try to ease the passing of a terminally ill battery.
Ouch! Hardly pointless as impoverished neighbour's daughter has had another month of life out of the battery. Not everyone can lay their hands on the dosh for recovery and supply and fitting of a new battery at a moment's notice.
I was just looking for a best practice guide; and although I am a committed clutch-dipper during cranking, I failed to mention it.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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Sorry Hawkeye, I wasn't trying to be critical. As a short term expedient all the things mentioned are worth doing as a way of buying time for a bit. But there are some people who try and run a car permanently on that basis, and suffer endless flat batteries and let-downs rather than facing the inevitable - battery is defunct.
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Ouch! Hardly pointless as impoverished neighbour's daughter has had another month of life out of the battery. Not everyone can lay their hands on the dosh for recovery and supply and fitting of a new battery at a moment's notice.
Anyone that drivers a car should have sufficent funds for basic replacement items, if they don't then they shouldn't have a car. What would someone do if they were miles from home and needed a new exhust or something else ?
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