Okay, so, as usual I'm at Canadian Tire and, my car floods. I think its because i start and shut it off too soon because the mall and Canadian Tire are rather close to each other. This is the second time this happened...the first time i was stuck there.

Luckily, when the car wouldnt start i just went back into the store looked around, and came back out to my car a little while later and it started right up after a second try....it didnt turn over the first time at all but did the second...i think its because it was kinda still at operational temperature.

Anyway, I know this came up before when I had my automatic but didnt really do me any good, but now i have 5 speed! How do I push start my 7 if it floods?! Or for any reason it decides to be a bitch.

 

Put it in neutral, push it down a hill, or have another car push it, or open the door and push yourself (not down hill). Either way, once you get the car rolling, jump in and quickly push in clutch, put shifter in 2nd, and let the clutch out.

 

yeah - that's pretty much it (what project 84 said)

just wanna add though, that if you flood the engine while it's cold ... you need some "serious momentum" if you intend to clutch-start it, and if you don't have the luxury of a steep hill or another car to push/pull you ... the only thing that will work is taking the plugs out and cranking the extra gas out ...

 

What aboot the ol' ATF method? I was thinking about it but decided i didnt want to wait for it to soak or do an oil change when i got home.

Push, jump in, push in clutch put it in 2nd, sounds easy enough. I'll make sure I park on top of a slant when I go to Canadian Tire.

Thanks G's

 

Word of warning- turn the ignition on first. Heard of an accident when the car was roll started and the steering lock was on. The car veered sharply into a parked car!

 

Very good point! I forgot to mention that. Years ago, a friend of mine was driver her boyfriends RX-7 and she had problems starting it. He came over to the church (her pops was a decan or something like that) and he push-started the car with another car. She didn't have the steering column unlocked and ran right into the church. I guess she did like most women in a panic situation and threw her hands up screaming instead of stomping the brake.

 

you can push start in reverse also. not that im an expert at push starting my car....

 

Make sure the ingition/key is turned to the ON position not just that the steering wheel is unlocked. I can't tell you how many people I've tried to help push start their cars only to find out the key was only turned to the "Accessory" position. It's hard to start a car when it's not on.

I hope this makes sense. If it doesn't, you shouldn't be trying to push start a car; call AAA.

-Mike

 

I think push-starting is probably pretty hard on the car. In the manual, Mazda says never to push-start.

I'm sure it's no problem once or twice, but I wouldn't rely on it all the time. It's an emergency, no other alternative thing to do. I'd leave my car, call a buddy, get my tools and unflood it first, personally. Try to fix the problem that is causing your flooding, and don't be taking your 7 on short trips until you fix it. That flooding is not normal - my car has never flooded, ever, in 7 years.

I have push-started once, when my battery died and my car was still warm from driving 15 mins earlier.

 

I forgot to post, yeah, i push started my car, boy was it ever easy, well...for me anyway, clutch in, second gear, let go of clutch car starts to putter pushed clutch back in, starts up.

Oh, and its a good idea to have the key in at the "on" position and not only that but the CHOKE on as well
I did do it in one try though, my mechanic gave me the extra pointers.

It turns out it wasnt flooding it was my starter...a loose wire on my starter.

 

Sure, pull the choke out if the starter is toast, but if it's flooded leave the choke "OFF!"

 

I have an oil pan gasket leak, and the dribbling oil has coated every friggin thing under the car...including the starter! So the starter must have oil in it, because it decides it does'nt want to do anything once in a while. If I tap it with a heavy ratchet, that usually does it.

Of course it only does this if I've forgotten, and parked over wet ground!

Anyway, I frequently push start my car. Very little momentum on flat parking lots, and tossed into 1rst, and away she goes.

I've often wondered how it can be detrimental, as SilverRocket says. Does anyone know for a fact that it's not good?
I mean, I'll just stop procrastinating and fix my oil leak and rebuild the starter, but I just wondered anyway.

 

It just puts an extra heavy strain on the driveline components in the opposite direction.. No different than dumping clutch in reverse.

Why do people say to push start in 2nd gear. I usually use first because I don't move the car faster than waking speed. I also use reverse sometimes, only when the car is facing uphill though.. Same concept... It's the same proceedure for push starting any manual car.

 

in first gear there is often enough resistance in the drivetrain to make the car want to STOP when the clutch is dumped. This can damage not only your ReX but the car or people pushing it.