Bump Starting the Engine

OK, you know the moment...
You come out to the car on a cold morning, get into your pride and joy, set the choke, pop the key in, give it a quick turn and....

*click*

We've all been there.
Most common cause; a flat battery. (You left your lights on again didn't you?!)

The following is a quick Beginners Guide to Bump Starting a car.

Your best bet for Bump Starting is to get the car on some flatish ground, a downhill stretch is a bonus!
If you are on anything other than a downhill slope, you'll need to engage the help of an assistant.

Get in the car and turn the key to the second position (the one which causes the oil warning and battery lights to come on in the dashboard). This is what is known as 'Turning the ignition on'.

Set the choke (if your car has one) to where you would put it to start from cold normally,

Pop the car into 1st gear and press the clutch down,

Get your assistant to push you down the road.

Once you are being pushed along at about 3 - 5 mph (that's 'three' to 'five' mph. not thirty five... you don't want to kill your assistant!), release the clutch to turn the engine over using the momentum of the car. (Just lift the clutch and press it down again. You just want to get the the engine to turn enough to 'fire')

After a couple of attempts, you should get it going.

Also note, that this problem can also be caused by a bad battery connection,
Please see 'checking_battery_connections' for more details.