OT Can you push start a FI vehicle?

[P T]

I'm not talking exclusively about Subarus here. Just wondering, can you
push start a car with a stick if it has fuel injection?
(I tried to help a friend this way recently, and the car would not
start.)

 

[AustinMini.OsiTech.Net]

Yes you can and speaking from personal experience. I think know what you are
thinking but if you have enough battery power to prime the injectors you
should be fine and there should be enough gas anyways in the line.

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[y_p_w]

Yes you can and speaking from personal experience. I think know what you are
thinking but if you have enough battery power to prime the injectors you
should be fine and there should be enough gas anyways in the line.

Shouldn't a proper push start also fire up the alternator?

 

[Jim Stewart]

Shouldn't a proper push start also fire up the alternator?

Yeah but... if it's trying to charge a dead battery
there might not be enough juice left to run the injectors,
fuel pump, ECU and ignition.

You might be able to do it, but I'd sure not bet on
it.

 

[AustinMini.OsiTech.Net]

I hear you Guys and I concur.

 

[JaySee]

I've push started a completely dead FI Honda Civic.

 

[hippo]

I've push started a completely dead FI Honda Civic.

91 Liberty wagon push &/or roll started several times, ditto several other
cars. IME biggest problem is usually the car getting around the initial
confusion when the motor first fires up and can't work out what the hell
is going on or quite where it is for a few seconds! Cheers

 

[Gilles Gour]

My owner manual says it's bad for the catalytic converter and should not
be done, but does'nt explain why.

 

[AustinMini.OsiTech.Net]

Because it MAY introduce unburnt fuel into the exhaust system and cause a
fire on start up.

 

[T]

I'm not talking exclusively about Subarus here. Just wondering, can you
push start a car with a stick if it has fuel injection?
(I tried to help a friend this way recently, and the car would not
start.)

There is nothing about a car being Fuel Injected that prevents it from
being started. Why would this be true?



One thing to consider; fuel not being were you need it prior to
starting. With a carb you might trickle some gas down the venturi to
goose things a bit prior to starting, with a FI car you would need the
fuel pump to run for awhile to purge any bubbles out of the feed line
(Most FI that am aware of is a continuous run of gas in and back to the
tank, what is not used by the motor gets sent back to the tank.)


TBerk

 

[FNO]

There is nothing about a car being Fuel Injected that prevents it from
being started. Why would this be true?



One thing to consider; fuel not being were you need it prior to
starting. With a carb you might trickle some gas down the venturi to
goose things a bit prior to starting, with a FI car you would need the
fuel pump to run for awhile to purge any bubbles out of the feed line
(Most FI that am aware of is a continuous run of gas in and back to the
tank, what is not used by the motor gets sent back to the tank.)


TBerk

As long as the battery is not completely dead and the fuel pump can
pressurize the fuel lines, it will work fine. The other thing to remember
is that some cars have a clutch lockout switch; the clutch must be fully
depressed in order for the ignition to fire. If the battery is completely
dead, it can't detect that the clutch was fully depressed.

 

[JazzMan]

There is nothing about a car being Fuel Injected that prevents it from
being started. Why would this be true?

One thing to consider; fuel not being were you need it prior to
starting. With a carb you might trickle some gas down the venturi to
goose things a bit prior to starting, with a FI car you would need the
fuel pump to run for awhile to purge any bubbles out of the feed line
(Most FI that am aware of is a continuous run of gas in and back to the
tank, what is not used by the motor gets sent back to the tank.)

TBerk

The problem with push starting a FI car relates to the
available voltage and current from the presumably dead
battery. The lower the voltage the more likely that either
the voltage will be insufficient to fire the injectors or
the fuel control computer itself may not operate properly
or at all. If the injectors won't fire, or if the ignition
system won't fire because of insufficient power to the
computer, then you can push the car all you want it it will
never start. Even if the alternator turns there's no
guarantee that power will be generated because modern cars
frequently use the computer to activate the alternator only
after the engine is running.

Now if you're push starting because the starter is defective
then it's a whole different game.

JazzMan
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