Need ways to start a car with a dead battery.- 92 Civic Auto.

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

 

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.

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*

 

Simple.

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

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

Just don't drain the battery.

Graham

 

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.

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...

 

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.

 

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

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

 

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.

 

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

 

Get a battery booster and keep it in your boot.

Or do what the rest of the world does and get a manual and park it on a
hill!

 

That works ! ;-)

Graham

 

Not any more it doesn't!!!

That 'used' to work before computers and electric fuel pumps, but I
found out the hard way that push starting a modern vehicle with a dead
battery is only good for exercise.

The fuel pump and computer need power or the engine won't start. The
gent would be just as well off 'pull starting' on the alternator
pulley...

The booster packs you carry in the trunk appear to work well. Several
Jeepers I know bring them on bush camping trips so they can run an
electric cooler without worrying about starting later.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

 

Follow the advice given in this thread -- it is very sound.

You should also know that every time you allow a battery to run down to
the point where it does not start the car, you lose battery capacity.
In other words, the battery will 'hold' a charge to a lesser degree,
and this capacity degreases with every dead start. Eventually your
battery will get to the point where it can't even light a dome light.

You may actually need a new battery at this point. If your battery has
an issue, eventually your alternator will give out (yes, it does
damage). Get it checked and replace it if it isn't any good.

Remco

 

It still works (I know from personal experience), but there is a catch. You
have to push it with a car at speeds high enough to get the alternator
turning fast enough to get the fuel pump and computer to power up. Then it
will start. The last time I tried it, it took about 1/4 mile pushing at
about 15 MPH with the clutch engaged in 2nd gear before the warning lights
came on and it would start by popping the clutch (obviously it has to be in
gear and spinning to build up the charge - to make it start, put the clutch
back in and let it out again while still being pushed. I don't think you
could do it by hand anymore. A long enough down hill run would probably
still work.

 

Stop being an idiot and using power from the battery when the engine
isn't running.

Best solution is to get a battery saver unit and install it. It will
shut down the power when it senses a current draw.
As for removing the belt and spinning the alternator. It will NEVER
work. The alternator requires voltage to it before it will generate any
power. Spinning it won't make any difference.

 

I've never known a battery go *that* flat ! ( without obvious abuse )

If it does - probably it was seriously short of charge before the event or
the battery was simply on its last legs.

Graham

 

The 'obvious abuse' is what the OP stated, leaving the lights and/or
stereo on.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

 

One other 'catch'. The (most that I know of) alternators won't fire up
and start charging without excite power or field power.

Mike

 

Better yet, how about if you quit running the battery down? I had a period
of time where I'd frequently let my lights run down the battery when it
rained. I'd have the headlights on in the rain and then forget to turn the
lights off. My solution then was to put a relay in series with the headlight
switch that switched them off with the ignition.