In article >,
Don Bruder > wrote:
>In article >,
> Nate Nagel > wrote:
>>
>> you probably can't push start an alternator car completely without a
>> battery, unless there is enough residual magnetism in the field coils to
>> allow the alternator to bootstrap itself.
>
>At which point, the diodes will probably go up in smoke, leaving you
>with a dead (if present) battery, *AND* a dead alternator.
>
>Running an alternator no-load/micro-load is a great method of letting
>the magic moke out of the diodes.

The other electrical accessories are enough to keep the diodes from
going up in smoke. Been there, done that, when a battery wire terminal
corroded all the way through.
--
There's no such thing as a free lunch, but certain accounting practices can
result in a fully-depreciated one.