How far can a car get on a battery charge?

[NiceCupOfTea]

Worth getting a new voltage regulator from an auto factor - cost is a few quid and easy to fit if access is OK.

[alangla]

Eggman said:

If it has a mechanical injector pump (as I suspect it may), you could just unscrew the stop solenoid and drive indefinitely - battery or no battery.

You would need to stall the engine when you reached your destination, but apart from that it would be fine.

You might not even need to do that - the two XUDs I've had (Bosch & Lucas pumps) both had emergency stop levers on the injection pump in case the solenoid jammed in the run position. Owner's handbook shows how to operate it, but it should have "STOP" stamped on it anyway.

[hondafanatic]

98elise said:

otherman said:

doogz said:

The car never runs 'off the alternator' electricity comes from the battery.

No, the alternator generates all the electricity that the car uses. The battery just stores it for a bit. If you disconnect the battery once the car is running it carries on running.

Correct, the alternator generates a higher voltage than the battery, so when running the alternator charges the battery, and runs the car electrics. The battery only comes into play when either the engine is off, or the power drawn exceeds what the alterator can deliver. In this case the alternator voltage will be pulled down to the battery voltage, and they will run in parallel.

I did not know that. Every day is a learning day.

[Man from UNCLE]

NiceCupOfTea said:

Worth getting a new voltage regulator from an auto factor - cost is a few quid and easy to fit if access is OK.

This. Get a new regulator that comes with brushes which will have worn down & be causing your problem. Take the old regulator out & put the number that you find on it into the second site below.

This is basically what you want. http://www.myautoparts.info/index.php?m=336&la...

And these are the people to get it from. http://www.woodauto.com/

[NiceCupOfTea]

Man from UNCLE said:

NiceCupOfTea said:

Worth getting a new voltage regulator from an auto factor - cost is a few quid and easy to fit if access is OK.

This. Get a new regulator that comes with brushes which will have worn down & be causing your problem. Take the old regulator out & put the number that you find on it into the second site below.

This is basically what you want. http://www.myautoparts.info/index.php?m=336&la...

And these are the people to get it from. http://www.woodauto.com/

When my alt went in NE Essex one night I got as far as the Blackwall Tunnel before the car conked out. And that was with selective use of headlamps!

Sat here for 2 hours waiting for the AA



And the cause:

[g3org3y]

Man from UNCLE said:

NiceCupOfTea said:

Worth getting a new voltage regulator from an auto factor - cost is a few quid and easy to fit if access is OK.

This. Get a new regulator that comes with brushes which will have worn down & be causing your problem. Take the old regulator out & put the number that you find on it into the second site below.

This is basically what you want. http://www.myautoparts.info/index.php?m=336&la...

And these are the people to get it from. http://www.woodauto.com/

Their postage costs are a lot!

I'm after one to replace this:

Bosch part #1 197 311 005

Corresponds to Wood Auto VRG4641. £7.60. Plus VAT and delivery, comes to £18.12!

Anyone suggest anywhere more reasonable?

[grimfandango]

I managed a 150/200 mile journey in a pinto engined Ginetta with a broken alternator once. With about 10 miles to go the engine started to splutter a bit, but somehow it still ran for the next five miles. It finally broke down 3 miles away from home!

[Man from UNCLE]

g3org3y said:

Their postage costs are a lot!

Wow! Their shipping charges have gone up, I'm sure the last time I used them their p&p was a lot more reasonable. Anyway a quick search of your part number doesn't return much but these people might be worth a call, their site says they have your part in stock. http://www.comlec.co.uk/index.php/contact-us

[Man from UNCLE]

NiceCupOfTea said:

When my alt went in NE Essex one night I got as far as the Blackwall Tunnel before the car conked out. And that was with selective use of headlamps!

I don't envy you being stuck there! I would of been well away not daring to look waiting for the big smash.

[NiceCupOfTea]

Man from UNCLE said:

NiceCupOfTea said:

When my alt went in NE Essex one night I got as far as the Blackwall Tunnel before the car conked out. And that was with selective use of headlamps!

I don't envy you being stuck there! I would of been well away not daring to look waiting for the big smash.

Yeah, cruised down the M11 & A12 without headlamps on the lit sections, but the lights were red at the Tunnel entrance. As they turned green and I started to pull away the engine started stumbling - no way was I risking breaking down in the tunnel so just dumped it into those cones. Was pretty horrible waiting on the central res. for an hour or so. Fumes are very bad and very noisy, cars flying past 6 inches away, even with the hazards on and a warning triangle stuck there. People in the LH lane wouldn't let people in the RH pull over so it got very close a few times. Even worse, some cretin stopped on the left hand side of the road opposite the car to complete a phone call for about 10 minutes!!

I seriously thought I would be taking the car home in a bucket a couple of times...

Edited by NiceCupOfTea on Tuesday 14th June 11:55

[The Beaver King]

I managed to go from Le Man, France all the way to the M42 J3 outside Redditch when my dynamo died...

10 miles! I drove approximatly 500 miles on a single battery charge and finally broke down 10 miles from home.

My car? A 1962 Austin Healey Sprite with 948cc A Series. The only thing that needed electricity in that car was the distributor, well, until I had to turn the lights on when I got to the M42

[ambuletz]

its been 5 days and you haven't posted pics of this lady

[frosted]

My first car was 1.5d 106 , it went thru alternators every few months . Everytime I went over a speed hump too fast , diesel would spill directly on top and cause it to burn . I suggest scrapping it