Hand-cranking was a method commonly used to start early automobile engines, but it was inconvenient, difficult, and 'dangerous'. The behavior of a gasoline engine during starting is not always predictable - the engine could kick back, causing “sudden reverse rotation” of the crank handle. Even a simple backfire could result in a broken thumb, and it was possible to end up with a broken wrist, a dislocated shoulder or worse when hand-cranking. Over the years, larger and larger engines with higher compression ratios made hand-cranking even more physically demanding (if not impossible) and severely dangerous.
I couldn't find any information on aftermarket hand-crank systems, or how to design one. The likely reason is they could be held liable for injuries.
Glenn
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Thursday, March 25th, 2021 AT 8:30 PM