[mirimir]

That depends on the vehicle. If it's an ICE with a manual transmission, and you can get it moving fast enough, you can pop the clutch to start it. Back in the day, with a ~dead battery, I'd park on a hill. Even without a hill, 2-3 people can generally just push.

[wolrah]

> That depends on the vehicle. If it's an ICE with a manual transmission, and you can get it moving fast enough, you can pop the clutch to start it.

This depends on just how dead it is on newer cars.

If it's able to run the electronics but just unable to crank enough to start, this can work. If it's dead enough that you can't unlock the doors it's probably also dead enough that the fuel pump, ECU, etc. aren't going to be able to do their thing.

Carbureted vehicles can be bump started from flat dead for the most part, but EFI and especially direct injected vehicles need some electricity to operate.

[mirimir]

Good point. I should have noted that I've only done that with a 60s VW Bug. Just to see, I have turned off and restarted my ~10 year old Civic, going down a hill. But not with the battery disconnected. Maybe I'll try it. Not now, though.

Edit: And upon reflection, maybe not. Because I'd have to pay someone to reset the computer.

Edit: But wait a minute. If the vehicle is moving downhill, and you engage the clutch in first gear, the engine will be turning. And even if it's not firing, the alternator will also be turning. So you should have enough power for the computer, ignition and fuel pump. Or am I missing something?

[Someone]

It wouldn’t surprise me if newer cars require a higher battery charge to start, which means you would need to roll the car for longer, or (worse) don’t effectively charge the battery at all at lower speed because the partially booted system takes too much power, so that you need a higher speed to start charging the battery enough to power the ignition system.

Also, are there cars where you need the electronics to disengage the brakes?

[jacobush]

Don’t do it with battery disconnected, it can cause the voltage to go too high and you may fry things. Back in the day only bulbs, nowadays who knows.

[mirimir]

Thanks. I'm not going to try it.

[jotm]

The alternator needs to get some decent RPM to generate enough power. You'd have to go downhill quite fast.

[mirimir]

In first gear, so not that fast.

[drfuchs]

Careful! Shutting off the ignition will lock the steering wheel on older cars.

[ryacko]

That’s called powered steering.

[mirimir]

It depends on the vehicle. Power steering can either be electric (EPS) or mechanical, with a compressor that's belt-driven off the engine. My Civic has rack-and-pinion steering with EPS. When the engine is off, it's still steerable, but there's no power assist. But you don't want to turn the ignition lock all the way off, because that does lock the steering wheel.

[perl4ever]

I don't remember ever having any problem starting my 92 Civic that way. It definitely had EFI and an ECU. I know I started it when the alternator was bad, as well as when the battery was dead. (not at the same time)

[mirimir]

My Civic is mid 00s, but I'm pretty optimistic that I could manage it. Hopefully won't need to, though.

[userbinator]

Interestingly enough, early automatic transmissions also allowed this, since they had a rear pump that could build up enough hydraulic pressure to power the rest of the transmission without the engine running first:

http://oldcarmanualproject.com/manuals/Buick/1953/Owners/ima...

This feature disappeared in the early 60s for cost reasons.

[gorgonian]

And what percentage are manual transmission vehicles these days? Probably less than 1

[nraynaud]

90% of southern Europe?

[rocqua]

Why just southern Europe? Here in West Europe there is still a vast majority of manual transmission.

[macintux]

Some models it’s much higher, but overall definitely single digits in the U.S.

Europe has a much higher take rate on manuals.

[dividedbyzero]

>>90% in Germany

[mirimir]

True. But some of us still like them.

I'm not hard core enough to have a pre-computer vehicle, though.