Did you know that you should not push a car downhill to start it?

Did you know that you should not push a car downhill to start it? Many people have heard, seen, or even taken part in a push or two, but over the years it has been shown that this is not advisable in more modern cars. Let’s debunk the myth of pushing a car downhill to start it. Are there alternatives?

To start a car by pushing it, you must check that it is an old car. If it is a new one, it may be too sophisticated and the effort will be in vain because the system will not allow it to start. Push-starting is an emergency solution that carries considerable risk, both for the people pushing and for the car’s mechanics.

How was a car started by pushing it?

At the end of the 20th century, electronics arrived in cars, but until then cars were much simpler. Ignition depended on similar elements, but without control units or systems as complex as those fitted today. First, you turned the key to start the ignition system; the battery supplied power to the motor; the starter motor gave the initial impulse to turn the engine; the distributor chose the firing order for each cylinder; the spark plugs generated the spark, and so on, step by step. The theory was that if you had run out of battery, you could force the initial impulse as if it were the starter motor.

First, you had to release the steering lock, press the clutch pedal, engage second gear without lifting your left foot, release the handbrake, push if necessary, turn the ignition key, lift your foot off the clutch and, voilà, off you go!

Why should you not start a car by pushing it downhill?

Of course there are risks, even in the most favourable situation and with the simplest car. Among other dangers, the most notable are dents, scrapes, the awkward access to the interior if you do it alone, collisions, injuries, ending up in the wrong places and even the occasional run-over. On top of all this, modern cars add factors such as the fact that the steering cannot be released just like that, the brakes have also become electrified and so need power to work properly, the handbrake will not work correctly either, automatic gearboxes will not allow the car to be started with second gear engaged, the control units are much more complex and, we must not forget, modern cars are much heavier than old ones because of all the safety and comfort systems.

Nevertheless, we recommend that if you have a new car you contact your insurer and stop trying tricks. Do you think it is worth running these risks?