Q: How to bump start the Mirage? - Tutorial Wanted

[Donut]

Hello,

I am a one week owner of a neat Mitsubishi Mirage in DE trim with manual transmission.
On my 7 miles daily commute, I am able to score a ~41 MPG (in-car display) on non-highway streets.

I've read about the bump start possibility in this forum for squeezing out more mileage after an engine off coast, but I wasn't able to get the engine on. If I put the key to ACC and let the car roll at around 15 mph, the Mirage only brakes a lot when I let the clutch gently engage into the 2nd gear.

Can anyone please describe how you bump start the Mirage in a tutorial-like manner?

thx

[kalifornia]

well the key has to be on the run position. if its breaking/slowing down then try 3rd gear. before kick starting, look at your speed a make mental notes. soon youll know what gears match what speeds the best. make sense?

[m4v3r1ck]

In the old days when I used to do bump start because the start motor or the battery dies, not only did I let go of the clutch on 2nd or 3rd gear, I also turn the ignition key to help start the car.

[MetroMPG]

Welcome, Donut! Congrats on the Mirage. I think that's the model & colour I would buy.

The goal is to re-start the engine at the end of an engine-off coast, while the vehicle is still moving fast enough to spin up the engine. You want to impart as little shock/wear to the drivetrain / passengers as possible.

Don't ...

• ... don't simply dump the clutch in the gear you plan to use. Not smooth! It's hard on the drive train & potentially dangerous depending on the circumstances (sudden engine braking of the drive wheels).

• ... as with other advanced techniques, DO NOT try to learn this in traffic! Learn on a deserted road or a parking lot where there's no traffic.

Do this instead:

• 1) select a higher gear than you would otherwise be in for the vehicle's current road speed. (EG. I'll typically select 5th to clutch start at speeds where I'd normally be in 3rd, 4th where I'd normally be in 2nd, etc.)

• 2) let the clutch out (just past the friction point) quickly & smoothly, just as far as needed to spin up the motor, then

• 3) immediately depress the clutch as soon as the engine spins up

• 4) select the appropriate gear for your current road speed... while you

• 5) "rev match" while engaging the clutch again: blip the throttle to bring the engine speed up to match the transmission speed before smoothly re-engaging the clutch.

Note on (1): you obviously can't select a higher gear if you're already traveling at speeds where you would use top gear anyway. But you should still do the "partial" clutch engagement and immediate dis-engagement to restart the motor, and then rev-match to re-engage the clutch.

Note on the first "don't" - one instance where you might simply dump the clutch in the appropriate gear for your road speed is if you need the engine on NOW (maybe for safety reasons), and the extra 1-1.5 seconds to switch gears & rev match would take too long.

With practice using this technique, "bump" starting should contain no "bumps". It should be smooth, smooth, smooth -- nearly imperceptible to a passenger.

Last note: engine off coasting is potentially dangerous if you're not prepared for it. Your power assisted steering goes away (more effort required to turn the wheel), and you only have ~2 power assisted brake applications before the vacuum reserve is gone and you have to use a lot more pedal force to use the brakes. It's also illegal in some places.

[m4v3r1ck]

Wow nicely described, very detailed as well. And sounds easy to execute. Can't be harder than to learn to drift.

[Donut]

Hello,

thx for the tipps. I went out into the wild and tried the above instructions. I was able to start the engine once when the car was still pretty fast, using the 4th gear. When I pushed the car myself and jumped into the seat, it didn't work, but guess I'll have to do more training rounds.

[m4v3r1ck]

Hello,

thx for the tipps. I went out into the wild and tried the above instructions. I was able to start the engine once when the car was still pretty fast, using the 4th gear. When I pushed the car myself and jumped into the seat, it didn't work, but guess I'll have to do more training rounds.

I won't try push the car myself and jumped in ..... I would pay a few mexicans to push the car if I were you

[Daox]

At lower speeds bump starting is more difficult. You have to let your clutch engage longer than you would at a higher speed.

[m4v3r1ck]

At lower speeds bump starting is a lot more difficult.

I know, used to own a crappy heavy car which has start motor problems from time to time. Made me looks like i've been to sauna before going to high school. I used to live in Indonesia so it's always 29-35 degree celcius there and imagine u have to push ur car alone and jump in to start it. Once was never enough, have to try at least twice on good days.

A ... ha .... now I remembered why I was so thin back then in Indonesia .... am like a fat pig now compared to then. I always looked like a skeleton no matter how much I ate ...

[Donut]

oh yeah, it worked, I've just bump started my Mirage from the stand for the first time.

I put it on neutral, paddled it into motion with my left leg, turned the ignition on ACC, and let the clutch come into 4th gear when it was rolling down the inclined parking lot. It made a little click and the engine roared into live.

A great day that ends with springtime MPG.