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#1
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How long could a diesel run with a failed alternator?
Well this is just a hypothetical question brought on by a friend of mine
telling me he made it 20 minutes after his alternator died on his Lumina... I was thinking, with no spark plugs and much less of an electrical load, how long would a diesel engine run without any alternator? Seems to me only the ECU would need power (no electric fuel pumps on a diesel right?), lights could be disabled by switching them off and pulling the parking brake up far enough to activate the DTRL shutoff - but not enough to apply the parking brake. |
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#2
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Rob Guenther wrote:
> Well this is just a hypothetical question brought on by a friend of > mine telling me he made it 20 minutes after his alternator died on > his Lumina... I was thinking, with no spark plugs and much less of an > electrical load, how long would a diesel engine run without any > alternator? > Seems to me only the ECU would need power (no electric fuel pumps on a > diesel right?), lights could be disabled by switching them off and > pulling the parking brake up far enough to activate the DTRL shutoff > - but not enough to apply the parking brake. It all depends. I would not expect a new electronic injection to do as well as an old mechanical model. The old ones could do hundreds of miles. I don't think they needed electric for anything other than holding the fuel kill switch open. -- Joseph Meehan 26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math |
#3
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"Rob Guenther" > wrote in message .. . > Well this is just a hypothetical question brought on by a friend of mine > telling me he made it 20 minutes after his alternator died on his Lumina... > I was thinking, with no spark plugs and much less of an electrical load, how > long would a diesel engine run without any alternator? Not sure about a TDI, but I once was on my way from FL to NY, and my alternator crapped out about 200 miles into a 1100 mile trip...made it the whole way. It was quite without a radio! -- Tony Bad -------------- 02 Jetta Wagon 01 Eurovan MV 91 Jetta 1.6 Diesel 86 Jetta 79 Rabbit 1.5 Diesel (semi-retired for now) Schwinn Continental 10 Speed Radio Flyer Pedal Car (my daughter made me add this) |
#4
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Until the battery voltage drops below what the ECU needs to function. Which
on most I'm told is around 9.6 volts. "Tony Bad" > wrote in message ... > > "Rob Guenther" > wrote in message > .. . >> Well this is just a hypothetical question brought on by a friend of mine >> telling me he made it 20 minutes after his alternator died on his > Lumina... >> I was thinking, with no spark plugs and much less of an electrical load, > how >> long would a diesel engine run without any alternator? > > Not sure about a TDI, but I once was on my way from FL to NY, and my > alternator crapped out about 200 miles into a 1100 mile trip...made it the > whole way. It was quite without a radio! > > -- > Tony Bad > -------------- > > 02 Jetta Wagon > 01 Eurovan MV > 91 Jetta 1.6 Diesel > 86 Jetta > 79 Rabbit 1.5 Diesel (semi-retired for now) > Schwinn Continental 10 Speed > Radio Flyer Pedal Car (my daughter made me add this) > > |
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