clutch down CORRECT!

NO START BUTTON.....engine will chug/fire when the clutch is popped!

 

really.....

How ???

 

:waits for Xviper to chime in : not sure the how but from experience I know it works!

 

All the start button does is turn the starter motor over to spin the engine. Of course, by popping the clutch while the car is moving you're spinning the engine just fine without the starter motor - so no need to press start. Just make sure the key is in the "run" position - the engine's electricals are all powered up and ready to go with the key in the run position, just waiting for something (usually the starter) to turn the motor over. The computer doesn't care how the motor gets turned - it just sees the engine rotating to the right positions, starts firing the plugs and injectors, vroom - off you go.

Note that you DO have to get the motor spinning fast enough for it to be able to start, and that with a high compression engine like ours the job is a little tougher. Compressing all that air inside the cylinders takes energy, so as you start to turn the motor over (right after you pop the clutch) you're starting to loose momentum. Hence the downhill thing being a good idea and all - less work for the folks pushing!

Matt

 

....sounds like me I dont care how I get turned on

 

First, from my experience with depleted batteries, when the voltage gets to around 11 volts, chances of actually being able to crank the starter is slim to none. If you were watching the voltage while draining the battery with something like a TV, you should be getting a little nervous once the volts get between 11.5 and just under 12 V.

As for "push starting" a car:
You need road speed - not that much, maybe 10 - 15 mph.
It easier to roll a cold drivetrain while in neutral.
If you are rolling forward (either down a hill or being pushed, in which case, you may only get up to 5 - 8 mph but that will have to do), once you get up to an adequate speed, key full ON, clutch in, into 2nd gear (more mechanical advantage to turn the engine), quickly release clutch. Once it catches, slowly drive to a safe location to let it stabilize its idle a bit. If you can, get the clutch in and stop ASAP to let the idle stabilize. If the car was already warmed up, then just slowly speed up (because you are in 2nd remember) and drive away.
If going backward (not my first choice but can be done), do same as the forward procedure but you will put the tranny into reverse. However, doing it in reserve, it is more important to get the clutch in and safely stop the car as soon as the engine fires. You don't want to be driving backwards down a hill for too much distance.

 

I agree with xviper--2nd gear for the roll start. Much better than first. In first gear the car will try to come to a screeching halt as you pop the clutch. I almost had to do this yesterday (left my lights on ) but fortunately it barely turned over and started running.



Regarding the voltmeter, the best solution might be to read voltage and temperature through the HU display itself (no additional display necessary). Most of the newer Alpine HUs have "Amplifier Link" inputs which allow not only control of external amps, but also display of data from external Alpine amps. It would be nice to use that interface to feed our own data into the HU display (personally I would like voltage and outside temperature displayed). Up to eight amps (or input sources in our case) could be addressed selectively. You need a KCE-510m interface module from Alpine.

To do this one would need to hack the "Amplifier Link" communication protocol and as far as I can tell that hasn't been done yet. Searching around it looks like Mbus has been solved, AiNet has been logged but not broken, and "Amplifier Link" has not been attempted.

Another alternative might be to find a damaged Alpine amp, take the temp sensors/communication guts out, use them at will.

Maybe one of our resident EE geniouses would be interested in the challenge.

 

 

i'll also agree on the 2nd gear thing... you're much more apt to get a good start.... and once it turns over and comes to life, get that clutch in so you don't stall.

in years past when i was in college, i've more than once started cars alone using this method when i'm eeking along till i could afford a new battery. at one point, i started my '83 Dodge Challenger like this for a week.

in Southern Louisiana there aren't many hills... so it's all manpower too baby!


btw -- in the true PJK fashion, my father actually went an entire year in grad school w/ his old VW Bug and a dead battery... he got his Masters at KSU, so they had hills there... he had a reserved parking space at the top of a hill that everyone left open for him....

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by LATEOTT
I agree with xviper--2nd gear for the roll start.