Pooh Bear wrote:
>
> AZ Nomad wrote:
>
> > On Tue, 14 Feb 2006 11:51:26 -0500, Steve W. > wrote:
> > >...work. The alternator requires voltage to it before it will generate any
> > >power. Spinning it won't make any difference.
> >
> > Is that really true?
>
> Yes. You need field current to create the magnetic field.
>
> > How is it possible to push start a car w/
> > a manual tranny if the alternator will never put out any current when
> > the battery is dead? Perhaps when a battery is "dead", it still has a few
> > volts
>
> Yes.
>
> > and that is enough for the alternator to operate?
>
> Irrelevant during starting.
>
> Graham

Say the battery only has enough to fire up the alternator field, then
the push start can have a sudden 12-14 volts injected into the spark
circuit which can be enough to start it up.

If the battery has a heavy draw like an electric fuel pump, it might not
have enough to fire up the alternator, well in my experience, it doesn't
have enough, so you get no start on a push.

The old carb systems didn't have any/many heavy draws with the key in
'on' so they were 'easy' to push start.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
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