[GreenKeys] WD-40

[Ralph Irish]

Dave and G/K 

About pushing auto-trans cars to start them: 

Prior to some date in maybe the 1960s, most cars with Hydramatic and Dynaflow and FordOMatic, etc. 
transmissions COULD be pushed to start them. The problem was that the vehicle had to be accelerated 
to around 30-35 MPH before there would be enough 'oil-action' in the transmission to send rotary energy to 
the engine, once the car was put in gear. 

At some point, transmission engineers realized that there was some kind of pump in the transmissions that 
could be eliminated. Whether this was due to other changes or just that that pump was superfluous, I don't 
know. 

Now, without that pump, there was virtually zero fluid motion created by the rear wheels driving the drive 
shaft-driving the transmission, etc. to cause the INPUT SHAFT of the transmission to transfer rotary 
energy to the engine. So, as of that modification or change to transmission design, it was not possible to 
push-start an auto with an automatic transmission. 

- - - - 

There was an old joke about a guy finding his battery dead with his auto-trans car, and finally finding 
someone willing to push him for a start. He told the other driver that since he had an automatic transmission 
the 'pusher' had to be going at least 35 miles per hour. The other driver said, "OK" and went back to his car. 

The guy waited and waited and waited and the other car did not move into position to push him. 

Then, WHAM! The other car slammed into him at 35 MPH !!! Obviously the other driver didn't 
understand what he was told, and he obviously didn't understand the basic laws of physics! 

- - - - 

I am 81 and have gone through that process of pushing another car with an auto-trans to get it going. It always 
beat the hell out of the bumpers, though. Few people were smart enough to fasten some kind of multi-layers of 
a blanket to the two bumpers to absorb the friction. (I wasn't!) 

But, it was possible in 'the good old days'!! I got my first driver's license in 1955 and my first car in 1956. It 
was a 1953 Plymouth with a standard transmission. 

73, 

Ralph - W8ROI 

- - - - - - - - 

From: "Dave Horsfall" <dave at horsfall.org> 
To: "Greenkeys" <greenkeys at mailman.qth.net> 
Sent: Monday, September 14, 2020 9:40:30 PM 
Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] WD-40 

On Mon, 14 Sep 2020, Richard Knoppow wrote: 

> The first cars my family had were equipped with hand throttles and 
> chokes. Had to know how to work those. Another feature of older manual 
> transmission cars is that one could use the starter to move the car. 
> Engine stops and your on the RR tracks put the car in low gear and work 
> the starter. Also can start cars by rolling down hill or pushing. Can't 
> be done on automatic transmission cars. 

I once got water-logged in a creek, and used the starter motor to crank 
myself out; I ended up blowing the side out of the battery... 

-- Dave VK2KFU, who sometimes forgot to push the choke back in 
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