Honda Car Forum

I have been thinking of a good way to prevent stranding
myself from a dead battery. It happened twice. Once at a
beach from leaving my lights on. The other was at a college
campus which the stereo and the dome light ran down the
battery. Unlike the beach, the college campus have lots of
helpful students with beat up cars that have jumper cables.
Now, I have a new idea. Once my battery runs dry, I
remove my alternator belt and wrap a rope around the
alternator pulley. I then pull the rope so it'll turn 10
revolutions per pull. I keep doing this for about 20 times.

What is the possibility that this will supply enough charge
to start the car. If not, can somebody think of a clever idea
to start an automatic?

Thanks

Sam Nickaby wrote:
> I have been thinking of a good way to prevent stranding
> myself from a dead battery. It happened twice. Once at a
> beach from leaving my lights on. The other was at a college
> campus which the stereo and the dome light ran down the
> battery. Unlike the beach, the college campus have lots of
> helpful students with beat up cars that have jumper cables.
> Now, I have a new idea. Once my battery runs dry, I
> remove my alternator belt and wrap a rope around the
> alternator pulley. I then pull the rope so it'll turn 10
> revolutions per pull. I keep doing this for about 20 times.
>
> What is the possibility that this will supply enough charge
> to start the car. If not, can somebody think of a clever idea
> to start an automatic?
>
> Thanks

I don't think that a) you will spin the engine fast enough to start it
or b) that if the battery is dead you will be able to generate enough
juice while doing as you suggest to power up the engine electronics,
fuel pump, etc. You *certainly* won't with the alternator belt removed.

If this is of real concern to you, I would get one of those "booster
packs" and keep it in the trunk; alternately, get one of those gizmos
that straps to the battery that will cut the power to the vehicle when
the battery is significantly (but not fully) discharged - the idea is
that there should be enough juice left for one good crank after you
reset the thing.

nate

--
replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
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In article <dCiIf.29977$F_3.607@newssvr29.news.prodigy.net> ,
"Sam Nickaby" <SamN@has.none> wrote:


> Now, I have a new idea. Once my battery runs dry, I
> remove my alternator belt and wrap a rope around the
> alternator pulley. I then pull the rope so it'll turn 10
> revolutions per pull. I keep doing this for about 20 times.
>
> What is the possibility that this will supply enough charge
> to start the car.

Pretty much zero. You (and any three other guys you want to grab at
random and consider together) simply ain't got enough "ooomph" in your
whole body to put enough charge on a car sized battery to "git 'er
started" that way without spending days or weeks (maybe even months) in
the attempt. It'd depend on alternator, I imagine, but I'd expect that
having the stator coils energized during the time it took you rewind the
rope after each pull would burn more juice than you produced with the
pull. Of course, that assumes you could even pull it over at all against
the load the battery presents.

> If not, can somebody think of a clever idea
> to start an automatic?

First clever idea: Don't do bonehead things like leaving the lights on
at the beach (Yeah, I know, we all have brain-farts now and then) or
just plain idiotically STUPID things like letting frat-boys use your
*CAR* as a *BOOM-BOX*. (for this one, I put on my best "Red Foreman"
voice and say "Serves you right, dumbass!" with absolutely no attempt at
being humorous) Notice that I used two different words there? A car is
transportation. A boom-box is a music producing device. Learn and
understand the difference, apply that undersanding, and you'll never
have such a problem again - at least not from that source - Guess it
can't rule out a brain-fart at the beach, huh?

Failing that, get a AAA card. I have yet to even hear RUMORS about a car
with a battery so dead that a AAA card can't get it started, or to home
or the shop. Remember Visa's "ATM fix EVERYTHING!" ad campaign a few
years back? Well, when it comes to stranded cars, it ain't ATM that
fixes everything - It's *AAA*

--
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or the subject of the message doesn't contain the exact text "PopperAndShadow"
somewhere, any message sent to this address will go in the garbage without my
ever knowing it arrived. Sorry... <http://www.sonic.net/~dakidd> for more info

Sam Nickaby wrote:

> I have been thinking of a good way to prevent stranding
> myself from a dead battery. It happened twice. Once at a
> beach from leaving my lights on. The other was at a college
> campus which the stereo and the dome light ran down the
> battery.

Simple.

Don't use electrics when the engine isn't running !

> Now, I have a new idea. Once my battery runs dry, I
> remove my alternator belt and wrap a rope around the
> alternator pulley. I then pull the rope so it'll turn 10
> revolutions per pull. I keep doing this for about 20 times.
>
> What is the possibility that this will supply enough charge
> to start the car.

Zero.

> If not, can somebody think of a clever idea
> to start an automatic?

No. You *can* push start a manual transmission car though.

Just don't drain the battery.

Graham

Sam Nickaby, <SamN@has.none> was motivated to say this in
rec.autos.driving on Tue, 14 Feb 2006 10:50:49 GMT:
> I have been thinking of a good way to prevent stranding
> myself from a dead battery. It happened twice. Once at a
> beach from leaving my lights on. The other was at a college
> campus which the stereo and the dome light ran down the
> battery. Unlike the beach, the college campus have lots of
> helpful students with beat up cars that have jumper cables.
> Now, I have a new idea. Once my battery runs dry, I
> remove my alternator belt and wrap a rope around the
> alternator pulley. I then pull the rope so it'll turn 10
> revolutions per pull. I keep doing this for about 20 times.
>
> What is the possibility that this will supply enough charge
> to start the car.

Slim and none. From your proposal, you would turn the alternator 200
times (20 pulls * 10 revolutions per pull). Most cars (once the engine
got running) would take about a couple of hours to charge a battery
(IIRC) if charged that way (maybe less for a partial charge to just
start the vehicle the next time). I don't know about your car, but mine
idles at about 800 to 1000 revolutions per *minute* so as such, I doubt
your plan would work.

> If not, can somebody think of a clever idea
> to start an automatic?

Couple of ideas: either a) a membership in AAA or similar auto club or
b) get a booster pack (or even a spare battery if you want to go to the
expense) from the parts store and keep that in the trunk for the next
time you have a dead battery...

"Sam Nickaby" <SamN@has.none> wrote in message
news:dCiIf.29977$F_3.607@newssvr29.news.prodigy.ne t...

> What is the possibility that this will supply enough charge
> to start the car. If not, can somebody think of a clever idea
> to start an automatic?
>
> Thanks

Alternators do not produce any current unless there is enough charge in
the battery to create the electromagnetic field. So you can huff and puff
all
you like, you won't get any results.

And if the voltage is too low on the battery, a push start on a manual
transmissioned vehicle wont work either. The ECM or DCM wont work
nor will the ignition fire.

A few times well stranded will perhaps teach you how to avoid this
situation.

"Sam Nickaby" <SamN@has.none> wrote in
news:dCiIf.29977$F_3.607@newssvr29.news.prodigy.ne t:

> I have been thinking of a good way to prevent stranding
> myself from a dead battery.



1) Turn your lights off when you leave the car.

2) Turn off the dome light and the stero when the ignition is off.



> It happened twice. Once at a
> beach from leaving my lights on. The other was at a college
> campus which the stereo and the dome light ran down the
> battery.
>



--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

>> What is the possibility that this will supply enough charge
>> to start the car.
>
> Slim and none. From your proposal, you would turn the alternator 200
> times (20 pulls * 10 revolutions per pull). Most cars (once the engine
> got running) would take about a couple of hours to charge a battery
> (IIRC) if charged that way (maybe less for a partial charge to just
> start the vehicle the next time). I don't know about your car, but mine
> idles at about 800 to 1000 revolutions per *minute* so as such, I doubt
> your plan would work.
>

Actually, when you start your car ONCE, you have to drive 8 miles before the
battery returns to it's previous charge state. That assumes that your car
starts on the FIRST try, and that your electrical system (including
alternator and battery) is in good condition. For every time you TRY to
start the car, add another 8 miles for the alternator to recharge the
battery. Also, that 8 miles is not at idle speed. More like 2000(ish) RPM
or even faster on many vehicles. So if the alternator could be hand
cranked, you would need at least 16,000 revolutions to give the battery
enough juice to attempt to start the car ONCE. If it fails to start on the
first try, another 16,000 revolutions would be needed. Yikes. -Dave

You need a new plan. Sounds like you never went into one of those
buildings on campus.

Al Bundy wrote:

> You need a new plan. Sounds like you never went into one of those
> buildings on campus.

Talk about 'dumbing down' !

I wonder if the kids that come out of university these days can even
look after themselves. Way too much spoon-feeding in today's so-called
'education'.

Graham