Hitchcocks Forum

Some of you might remember Piazzo igniters for gas fires/boilers etc a single push or pull would produce a healthy spark at the earth point, I was thinking that if one was wired to a HT lead on a single cylinder engine with the piston at ATDC with IG on and primed carb, push the igniter which would spark at the plug and drive the piston forward /downward and may’be start the engine . There is absolutely no point to this, I’m just wondering if it would work, if it did work the ES and kicker could be eliminated, thoughts anyone. Science starts with a question so be gentle.

Or maybe backwards, that would be fun! (Just in the spirit of scientific questioning you understand!)

REgards, Mark

Piezo grill lighters are used to ignite the charge in potato guns after the atomized fuel (hair spray) is injected into the bore of an ABS pipe and loaded with the potato projectile. What you propose would require an atomized fuel charge under compression to ignite.
One way to do that is to crank the engine.

Old Fords (and others) used to have 'trembler coils'. A simple shower of sparks at just about sort of nearly the right time. Occasionally you could achieve self-starting when the ignition contacts closed...

We used to have Backwards Bantam races:


Start Bantam, position front wheel hard up against wall, rev mtr, let out clutch slowly, Engine stalls/backfires, bike goes backwards...


Alternate was to simply bump-start the bike backwards...


Do not attempt to do this drunk or otherwise under the influence of mind altering substances.




One night in town I watched a Jawa rider having troubles starting his steed. Back-fired (apparently) and started...


Rider waits for break in traffic revving motor, gap spears, Big Fist-full, drop clutch, bike reverses at a great rate of knots backwards over the footpath and through the Chemist shop window.

I have used one of these as a plug tester in the past.

It used to be said that you could start an old Rolls Royce by jiggling the advance and retard level back and forth to create a spark,which in essence is what op is suggesting. Since an engine tends to come to rest towards and therefore before tdc on compression then surely even if an explosion could be induced it would only kick back. ... sort of a Phantom sneeze??

Hi Guys----- all this talk reminded me of the film "Flight of the Phoenix" and when--- after all their trials and tribulations---- it all came down to the actions of that old cartridge-type starter........So I thought I'd post it for you---------------Enjoy !!!

Somewhat similar procedure I had to endure when starting the Bullet.
Thanks, I really enjoyed that.

Which ever of these methods are possible even in that film clip the piston would have to be ATDC, and unless there was some sort of indicator as to where the piston was like the ammeter on the Bullet, no engine is going to like being fired backwards, unless it's a Bantam which I have seen run backward.

For those that are unsure, I'm not being condescending, ATDC, After Top Dead Centre.

My old Series 3 6pot Landy was timed at ATDC and not the usual BTDC.