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MG MGA - Starting engine with crank handle

I wonder if there is anybody out there who ever started his MGA with the starter crank handle. Can anybody explain the exact procedure?

I fortunately didn't need it in the past, but I think it is a kind of insurance to know...

In the driver's manual I didn't find anything about it, even though there is starter crank handle in the MGA's standard equipment.

Robert
Robert Mueller

Hello - one thing you need to remember is to place your thumb on the same side of the handle as your four fingers - don't grab the handle as you would a hammer or garden hose. Placing your thumb on the same side of the handle prevents injury - should the handle kick back towards your hand.

Have fun
J Delk

Robert, I ran a 1950s Riley daily for several months in the '60s without a starter motor and it was no great inconvenience unless you stalled in busy traffic! My procedure was to start it on the upstroke from about 25 past. This way if it backfired there was less of a 'kick' on the arm. But don't forget what JD says otherwise you could end up with a dislocated thumb. Mike
m.j. moore

It is the same procedure as starting with the starter motor with a couple of cautions.

Make extra sure that the car is n neutral and the parking brake is on.

I've never started with a cold engine but I would imagine a couple of cranks with the ignition off would pre charge the cylinders with fuel.

As stated, start in the up-stroke. Position the crank handle at 6:00 o'clock ( that's referenced to an analog watch :>)) with the ignition OFF. If you are in good tune and the car is warm, the car could start unxepectedly if the ignition is on. This has hapened to me.

Oh yeah, don't try to start it with the crank and then give up and use the starter without removing the crank handle.

I sometimes display the car at cruise nights with the handle in place. People ask if it is real or just a fake. When I tell them it is real they don't believe it. That is when I start her up to many's amazement. Kinda fun with the kids around. IT makes the MGA stand out that much more amongst the GTO's, 442's and Corvettes.

Chuck

Chuck Schaefer

I used to start my tr-3 all the time with the hand crank, but make sure you follow the above caveats!

"The self-starter came about by accident -- literally. In the winter of 1910 on a wooden bridge on Belle Island Mich., a Cadillac driven by a woman stalled. Not having the strength to hand crank the engine herself, she was forced to wait on the bridge in the cold until help arrived.

In time another motorist, also driving a Cadillac, happened along. His name was Byron T. Carter, and he was a close friend of Henry M. Leland, the head of Cadillac. Carter offered to start the woman's car. As he hand-cranked the engine, it backfired, and the crank flew off and struck Carter in the face, breaking his jaw.

Ironically, moments later another car carrying two Cadillac engineers, Ernest Sweet and William Foltz, came along. They rushed Carter to a physician, but complications set in and a few weeks later Carter died.

Leland was devastated. He called a special conference of his engineers and told them that finding a way to get rid of the hand crank was top priority.

"The Cadillac car will kill no more men if we can help it," he announced."
Fred H

I met a cute 22-year old in Santa Barbara. We had coffee, walked through the park to where the MGA was parked. She commented that it looked like a toy car. When the starter failed (it had failed once before that day) I calmly took the crank handle out of the trunk and inserted it into the grill, cranking it twice. The engine started perfectly. She squealed, "it really IS a toy car!"
Jim P

I have not used the crank to start my 1600 for a few years now since I broke my navicular bone in my wrist as a result of a kickback. When starting your MG with a hand crank, I advise never ever being tempted to complete a full revolution of the crank in attempting to crank start your car. Always start at 6:00 and pull up... repeat as necessary.Keep you thumb positioned so as to allow the crank to pull free if it kicks back. I was impatient and stupid...(emergency staff said they hear that from injured patients all the time) On the downward stroke of a full revolution, the motor kicked back. The broken bone needed to be held together with a pin and took many weeks to heal. I stopped carrying the crank in the car and use it only as another tool in the garage.
David Holmes

My 1959 MGA used to sit outside in Pontiac, Michigan and when the temp got below zero, I would use the crank to start it. I had one person inside the car pulling on the starter as I cranked. This got it to turn over and with enough spark to fire (sometimes).
The crank can replace need for jumper cables or a pull.
HJ
Harley

Harley, that's something I don't think I ever would have thought of, but as always, necessity is the mother of invention.

What was the last car to ever have a hand crank? My '61 TR4 has one, I think they kept them for a while after that.
Tom

For a few weeks, I used to hand crank my 56 Magnette, which had a weak battery. This caused quite a bit of amusement from passers by.

I've also started my MGA by hand once from cold in the winter after a few weeks off the road, which was a bit of effort.

I also tried it with a battery so flat that the fuel pump wouldn't run which failed to get it going. I guess a cupfull of petrol in the carb bowls would have done the trick ...
Dan Smithers

I have never been able to use my handle as the engine sits about half an inch too low. It was the same with my 1500 engine and standard box before I changed to an 1800 and 5-speed. That is despite new engine mounts. Any thoughts?

Steve

PS. My emergency starting system is a second battery held in reserve in the other battery box! My fallback option is to get the wife to push while I bumpstart.
Steve Gyles

Steve,
I have the same problem with my 1500. I have new motor mounts and can't see anything that looks bent or out of position. Mine is only about 1/4" off, and if I push down on the front of the crank, I can get it in, but it is really tight. I have thought about cutting some 1/4" steel plates to go under the rubber motor mounts, but starting with the crank hasn't been high on my priority list.

Back in the early 70's when I had my first MGA and limited funds, I drove for many months with a broken starter. I parked on hills when I could, but had to hand crank it often. I did get a lot of comments from others.

Jeff
Jeff Schultz

This thread was discussed between 30/07/2006 and 02/08/2006

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