My car started by itself

Barber31

Barber31

Well-known member
I'm sure this has happened before to somebody on here. This is the steps I did before she started. Pulled the choke, pulled 3 times on the hand crank, opened choke, walked around turned on kill switch, turned key on, then pushed timing lever all the way up and boom!! It roared up pretty good. I freaked out a lil since I was standing outside the car and I hadn't checked if it was in neutral with the ebrake on. Crazy. I'm guessing the pistons were in the right spot and when I pushed the lever the points fired, making one piston start the rotation? How common is that? Haha.
 
Common occurrence to have them start without using the starter. Ernie Judson from Oak Harbor, WA, had just parked his 1930 Model A roadster in his garage. The garage door was closed and the A was left in reverse. All he did was reach in and turned his ignition on. You know the rest. The roadster fired up in reverse, and it went half way out through his garage door. There was a lot of damage to everything. A fellow at the Lynden Fair demonstrates his model A there every year. He sets his engine to just the right position, then he then turns on his ignition switch. Amazingly, the engine starts right up when he jumps on the running board. When he jumps on the running board, there is just enough rotation to the crankshaft for the points to fire it off.
 
BARBER31, Great, something like that happen to me last week. I had been running my car about 2 miles, stopped and shut it off. about 1 minute latter had spark all the way up and just turned key on and she started up, didn't even have time to step on the starter. tried to do it again and no luck but it was kool the one time. have fun modelAtony tony white Lafayette, LA
 
The fellow that used to do my babbit work did something like that on a regular basis.He had a Tudor with a well worn engine,when he pulled into the gas station he would pull this,push that,and set it up for an instant start when he got ready to leave.I think he would turn the switch on and retard the spark,it would fire up without the starter.His friends at the station loved it.A warm T will fire off that way a lot of times too.Throw the switch,pull the spark lever down,and away it goes.When I was little an old fellow named Pokey Fuller used to drive his T to the store for his beer.He was not on the roads,but drove through the woods and through the brook up through our yard to get there.He would shut the T off,fiddle with the spark lever,and when he came out with his quart of beer he would kick the front tire.The car would roar to life.The spark lever was so worn out that when he kicked the front tire it would drop a couple of notches to fire the coil.He said it was a common stunt he had learned as a kid on worn out T's.He always did it as a show for us kids,coming out yelling and swearing at that car,then kicking the tire.We loved it.
 
Usually you have to choke it pretty good when you shut it off so there is plenty of gas in the cylinder. Original posting says you pulled on the crank 3 times first, so you would have known if it wasn't in neutral then.
 
Hi Barber,

FWIW:

1. This type of engine start, was explained to me over 50 years ago by my Dad, (born 1902), who was a mechanic in the 1920's & familiar with Model T's, A's, & any gasoline engine with "manual" spark advance.

2. This type of engine starting by turning the switch "ON" and moving the manual spark advance up & down can happen "only" first while having a proper air/fuel mixture in one of the engine's combustion chambers; & secondly, while having the distributor cam & rotor positioned such that the ignition points can open & close to generate a hot spark from the coil one of the spark (4) spark plugs.

3. For example, if a Model T or A engine is cold & has been inoperable for a spell, & if a fuel/air mixture was initially present in a combustion chamber after turning the ignition switch to "OFF", after time, the composition of the air/fuel mixture changes to where the engine "cannot" start.

4. However, if one cranks the engine with or without the choke & provides fuel in the combustion chamber; or if one shuts off the engine whereby in either case there remains a proper unburned air/fuel mixture in one or more of the combustion chambers, the engine can start if one moves the manual spark lever up & down which causes the points to open & close thereby sending a spark to one of the spark plugs.

5. This type of start is rare with a Model A; but it can happen far more often with Model T's because the Model T has four (4) ignition coils, one for each cylinder & combustion chamber. I started our local Ford Dealer's owner's Model T like this over 50 years ago by turning the switch "ON" & moving the T spark lever up & down -- he never knew his Model T could start like this when his engine was still warm.

6. We may forget that todays modern cars safely start only in "PARK"; however, a "CARDINAL VINTAGE CAR SAFETY RULE" is to always get in the habit to "ALWAYS" start in "NEUTRAL" to avoid accidents & possible death of a love one.
 
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Modern cars won't even allow the switch to turn/work without the clutch in. My model T once did a free start after chocking it after a winter storage (cold) and I just turnd the key and I came alive. Whenever I tried to show this off it made me crank and crank. I think that T had a sense of humor. My sister in law once found her diesel tractor trying to push the barn down after a phantom start, we don't know what really happened that time.
 
I have had that happen on rare occasions, BUT, never when I wanted to "show off". I could not predict, when it would happen.
MIKE :) (mikeburch)
 
Might add for additional "SAFETY", (I forgot I also do this by habit from many years ago), but to insure safe starts with "all" vintage vehicles including old tractors, place transmission in neutral "AND" depress the clutch pedal prior to trying to start the engine.

Hope this can help to avoid an accident.
 
In the book, "What They Were Like To Fly" the author, Gene Smith, describes starting an OX-5 engine in a WW1 "Jenny" like this with a mag booster. He describes pulling the prop through a dozen or so blades and then stopping and the pilot cranked the mag booster until the engine magically started up.
Terry
 
I have a model T as many here do. Free starts are quite common. If the car has been sitting after say a drive and it will free start after being parked it is a good sign. Sort of a free leakdown test.
 
I'm slightly OCD about certain things and the shifter in neutral is one of those things that ill wiggle it about 4 separate times before I actually try and crank it over. So not even getting a chance to touch it really scared me when it started. I didn't even think about it when I was priming it first. And yes it had been sitting for about a week before I did this.
 
With stands under the front axle & plugs out, I stood alongside & reached in to work the starter. My elbow must have knocked it in gear & that sucker lurched forward off the stands!!!! IF, it had been in REVERSE, I might not have been able to tipe this!
Bill W.
 
Hi Barber,

Thank goodness you were in Neutral & thanks ever so much for this most compassionate Model A Warning.

Not mentioned often; but it is a good idea to always warn others, (young & old), to "always" park vintage vehicles in one's garage or anywhere else in "Neutral" when at all possible.

We are "all" so accustomed to modern cars starting only in "Park" that it would be so easy & natural for "anyone" to turn a Model A or any vintage vehicle switch to "ON", hit the starter, then panic, & plow through ten (10) picnic tables where it would take several ambulances & hearses to transport those who were hit.

May sound a bit old fashion; but many will agree that such vintage "Reminders" appear so much more important to our friends who are not accustomed to driving vintage vehicles which can start in any gear.
 
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