On 17/01/2012 09:15, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:45:11 +0000 (GMT), Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

I recall when I was young and penniless bump starting my Mini
every
morning there was a frost. I was hoping it would last until
spring,
and then I'd be all right all summer.

Then we had some snow. You can't bump start on snow

Makes it harder, but not impossible I would have through higher gear
and don't drop the clutch?

You can start the original 850 Mini by jacking up one front wheel,
plonking it in top gear and 'spinning' the wheel by hand.

Neat trick. Was going to say what wrong with the starting handle but
then remembered the transverse engine. B-)

I guess that would still work for petrol engines today but possibly
not on a diesel.

Modern diesels probably won't have a chance of starting 'cos they need
power for the electronics, never mind the compression you'd be fighting
- I know that when the Primera 2.2 TD that I had developed a fault and a
tendency to stall, it'd nearly throw you through the windscreen as the
compression fought the inertia.

There again 20 years ago I flattened the battery on a 1.6 diesel Fiesta
and with no power from the battery, a valve wouldn't open (at least
that's what I assumed at the time) and the damned thing couldn't even be
tow started.

I borrowed a set of jump leads, which began to melt.

I borrowed a better set of jump leads and got it started - in the
process destroying the other guys factory-fit alarm! It didn't matter
though, he wasn't much liked

SteveW