(1) How to: roll push start manual transmission

New video how to do this in reverse:    • (7) How to: Manual Transmission Rever...   Here is a short video how to push or roll start a manual transmission car that has a dead battery. This cars battery doesn't have enough power to start the car but since the car is on hill we can roll it down the hill to start it.
Normally your engine is turning and when you engage your clutch connecting the transmission to the engine, the power from the engine goes to the wheels. In this situation you are rolling the car to get the wheels moving, then when you engage the clutch you are using that motion of the car to spin the engine. With car on and power going to the engine, once it starts to spin it will start.

If you are going down hill you can use either 2nd or 3rd gear for this. If you are on flat ground use 2nd. The lower the gear the faster the engine will try to spin up. So why not use first gear? The problem is when you engage your clutch you are trying to spin the engine and you get what is called engine braking , the force of trying to spin the engine is enough to stop the car. In a lower gear such as 1st the sudden acceleration of the engine causes a more aggressive engine braking which can jerk the car to a stop before the engine actually starts. If you have a very limited amount of space try first. When you use 2nd or 3rd, the engine speeds up slower but there is less jerking to the car allowing a greater distance for the engine to start.

When trying this have control of your clutch and release it smoothly, once you feel the car trying to start try releasing it faster. It is very important you remember not to stall the car after it has started, a good way to do that is for you to press you clutch in as soon as it starts or to accelerate away.

Roll starting it is the same as push starting...except with a roll start on a hill or short slope you may only have one chance vs friends pushing you over and over. make sure you pay attention to your path and any objects that may cause you to press your brakes and come to a stop before you have started your car.