At some point, every driver will face a situation. Imagine coming back to your car and realizing that you left the radio on, and now the battery is dead. If your car uses automatic transmission, you might be wondering if you can start it by pushing it.
Unfortunately, you can’t Push Start Automatic Car. This is because these cars have a special clutch that doesn’t work for push-starting. So, if your automatic car’s battery is dead, you’ll need to do a few things. You can either use another car’s help to jump-start your battery, or you can call a tow truck or roadside assistance.
In this article, we’ll talk about why you can’t push start an automatic car with a dead battery. We’ll also talk about what you can do in this situation. We’ll cover different options like jump-starting your car with cables and another car, using a portable jump starter, calling a tow truck, or asking for roadside assistance.
Straight to Point (Solution)
You can’t make your car start by jumping it. But don’t worry, you have other options. You might need to change the battery or use another battery to give it a boost. You can even try using aspirin to help. And if nothing works, you can ask the experts to help you.
Just look at your choices and pick the one that’s best for you! So now, if your automatic car doesn’t start, you know what to do!
How to Push Start Automatic Car
Why You Can’t Push Start Automatic Car?
Torque Converter
![Push Start Automatic Car](https://chevychampion.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Torque-Converter-1.png)
The thing that can stop push start automatic car is the torque converter. This is like a helper device that moves power from the engine to the transmission. It has special liquid inside, but when the car is off, this liquid doesn’t move. When the transmission doesn’t get power from the engine, the engine won’t start.
Open Clutch System
Most automatic cars use something called an “open clutch system.” This system is in almost all these cars. It’s there to separate the engine from the moving parts, so when you push the car, it can roll smoothly without any blockage. But, this also means you can’t start the car by pushing it because the engine can’t make the electricity it needs to start.
Different Methods to Push Start Automatic Car
Start Your Car With a Portable Jump Starter
Using a portable jump starter to make your automatic car start is really helpful. You don’t need anyone else or anything special to make it work. Plus, these jump starters have safety features, so if you make a mistake, nothing bad will happen.
Here’s how you can do it in 8 easy steps:
- Connect the jumper cables following the same colors. Like connect the black cable to the black terminal or the negative one, and the same for the other color.
- Make sure the connections are really tight.
- Make sure the portable jump starter is turned off too. This is important to keep you safe.
- Try starting your car. If it doesn’t work the first time, wait a bit for the car battery to charge up more.
- Turn off all the electrical things in your car.
- Turn off your car engine.
- Turn on your jump starter.
- Wait for three to five minutes after each try. Eventually, your car will start.
Start Your Car With Another Vehicle’s Battery
![](https://chevychampion.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/ChevyChampion-2-1.png)
You can make your car start again if you find another car with a battery that’s charged up. Just make sure you have special cables called jumper cables. Here’s how:
But before you start, remember these two important things:
- Check that your battery and cables aren’t broken. If they are, using them could be dangerous.
- Don’t wear metal things like rings or jewelry because they can cause problems if they touch the battery.
Now, follow these steps:
- Turn off everything that uses electricity in your car.
- Bring the other car really close to yours.
- Turn off the engines of both cars.
- Get the jumper cables ready.
- Connect the red cable to the good battery’s plus (+) side, and the other red end to your battery’s plus side.
- Connect the black cable to the other battery’s minus (-) side, and connect the other black end to a part of your car that’s not painted.
- Try to start your car. It might need a few tries, especially if your battery is very low.
- Once your car starts, leave it running for around five minutes. After that, you can turn it off and go.
Be careful: When you connect the cables, don’t mix up the positive and negative sides. Mixing them up could start a fire or hurt your battery a lot.
Change Your Car Battery
If you can, you might want to change your old car battery for a new one. Before you start, make sure you keep safe. Here’s how you can do it:
Wear gloves and protective goggles to keep yourself safe. Also, take off any metal things you’re wearing and turn off your car’s electrical stuff.
Follow these steps:
- Stop your car on a flat surface and turn off the engine.
- Put on the gloves and goggles, and then open the front of your car.
- Find where the battery is.
- First, take off the negative cable (it’s usually black) and tie it so it won’t touch metal.
- Then, take off the positive cable (usually red) and do the same thing.
- Gently lift the old battery out of the car.
- Get the new battery ready.
- Clean the ends of the new battery where the cables will connect. This will remove dirt.
- Put the new battery in the right place.
- Put a little bit of special stuff (grease) on the cable ends.
- Attach the positive cable tightly.
- Attach the negative cable tightly.
- Close the front of your car and try starting the engine.
Remember to follow these steps carefully and take your time. It’s important to do things safely when working with cars.
Call Roadside Assistance
Even if they cost a bit of money, roadside help services can be a real help in situations like this. If your car battery is dead, they can come and make it start by giving it a boost. They might also be able to assist you if your tire is flat or if you need more gas for your car.
Charge Your Battery With a Battery Charger
The first thing to remember is that not all automatic cars can be charged the same way. So, you have to check if the charger you have will work for your car.
Let’s pretend your car has something called Stop/Start Technology. That means it has a special kind of battery. Before you start, make sure your battery is clean and not covered in dirt. Then, we can begin charging.
Here are the steps to charge your battery:
- Open the front of your car and find the plus (+) and minus (-) parts of the battery.
- If there are plastic covers on these parts, carefully take them off.
- Look at the instructions for your charger. Different chargers work differently, so read them carefully.
- Get your charger.
- Find the red and black clamps on it.
- Put the red clamp on the plus part of the battery.
- Put the black clamp on the minus part.
- Make sure the clamps are really tight on the battery.
- Put the charger far away from the battery.
- Plug in the charger and turn it on. The charger will decide how long it needs to charge.
Sometimes, this way might not work right away. If your battery is really low, the charger might not know it’s there. In this case, you might need to jump-start your battery first. After it has a bit of power, you can use the charger to finish charging it up.
FAQs
Can you bump start an automatic car?
No, you cannot bump start an automatic car. Bump starting, also known as push-starting, is a technique used to start a manual transmission car by getting it to roll and engaging the clutch. Automatic transmissions require the engine to be running to engage gears, so bump starting doesn’t work with automatic cars.
How to push start automatic car?
You cannot push start (bump start) an automatic car. Automatic transmissions require the engine to be running to engage gears, so push starting doesn’t work with automatic car. Above, we have discussed the best ways to push start automatic car.
Conclusion: Push Start Automatic Car
Sadly, if your car’s battery is dead, you can only push start automatic car it if you have a manual transmission. In this article, we explored the choices for people who drive cars with automatic transmissions when their battery is dead.
The simplest choice is to jump-start the car. You can do this by connecting special cables to another working car or by using a portable jump starter. Or, you could call for help on the road or have your car taken to a mechanic.