Are you supposed to tap the gas when you start your car?

Question

My mom makes me tap the gas when I start the car but I am the only one I know that does this. Am I supposed to? Thanks! =)

Answer 1

If it is fuel injected you should not have to touch the gas pedal at all. She probably learned to drive on a carburated car, which requires you to press on the gas at startup. The computer in the car will inject gas into the cylinders, requiring you to only turn the key in the ignition.

Answer 2

If you car has fuel injection then there is no need to tap the gas pedal. Tapping the pedal comes from back in the days of the carbs on cars. You would have to tap the gas to get some fuel in to the engine to start it up. With fuel injection the engine automatically does this for you when you start the car. Don't worry though, you haven't done any damage to the car.

Answer 3

In the old days, cars came with carbs, not fuel injection. You'd pump the gas a little, because a carb actually has a little plunger pump on it, called the accelerator pump" which squirts raw gas into the engine. This helped with starting the cars.

These days, with fuel injection, pumping the throttle does nothing - doesn't help, doesn't hurt. Definately not needed.

Answer 4

In really cold weather, you can push the pedal partway down, but, otherwise, you don't touch it. Your mother remembers the older cars with carburetors when you tapped the gas pedal before starting to set the choke. It is not the proper way to start a fuel-injected car.

Answer 5

The others were correct stating that with properly operating fuel injected engine, you are not supposed to touch gas. With the old carbureted engine, you push (not pump) the pedal ONCE only when the engine is cold - this is done to lock the choke in the high RPM/rich position. It's supposed to release itself when the engine warms up.

Answer 6

Tell Momma, NO, homie don't play that.

In my day, we used to have to do that to release the mechanical choke on the carburetor. Today with fuel injection we don't need to do it, and in fact, they recommend that you don't hit the gas until after the car is started.

If you explain it to Mom, she might understand the reasoning behind it and let you get away with not hitting the gas.

Besides, if she isn't with you, then don't hit the gas, I won't tell on you. lol

Answer 7

No. Not even in a stick shift. If you have a standard car you press down on the break while starting. Never the gas. You could blow your engine

Answer 8

not if its a newer fuel injected car. but if its an older carbuerated car then sometimes it is neccessary

Answer 9

With EFI, no

with carb, yes.

Answer 10

if it fuel injected then no, if it has a carb , yes