I found this by accident (while looking for an article about a 16 year old who modified his truck to run on batteries)
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Alternator delete Alternator deletes have been shown to increase fuel economy as much as
10%. However, extra deep-cycle batteries (and/or another form of power) must be used as a replacement, and their cost may offset any economic savings of reduced fuel consumption.
That said, if your regular starting battery is in need of replacement anyway, it could be replaced with a good deep-cycle battery for not too much more money.
Fascinating. I wonder how far you could go before the (deep cycle) battery runs out of juice. Plus the battery on my '96 Camry is on its last legs. Has to be a Deep Cycle (Marine?) battery, I know...
Could also be useful if someone needs a new alternator but doesn't want to spend the money on a new one...?
Go ahead and do it, just don't head out across the desert at night with the AC running on high.
There is no way in Hell you can drive a car very far without the alternator. This is the stupidist thing I have seen in a long time -- well, since JoeShitForBrains stopped coming around.
Regular car starting batteries have a reserve capacity (RC) rating of roughly 90-150 minutes, meaning they should be able to run a car's electrical system, including headlights, for that long.
The electrical output of an alternator probably consumes 1/2 to 1 HP, and from what Ford said about mechanical distributors, I'd expect the alternator's bearing and belt friction to consume 3 HP. (Ford was trying to justify why their 88 HP revamped 1.9L with sequential port injection, tubular aluminum intake manifold, and electronic distributor was actually better than the 90 HP older version)
LOL, of course no cross-country trips in this car. I assumed another vehicle was available for those. And besides, the desert gets cold at night so no need to run the AC on then. xD
Which could be an advantage if thieves try to steal it ):-D
Of course, this idea is only useful for a short commute. Then the question comes up, "How short is short?"
LOL, of course no cross-country trips in this car. I assumed another vehicle was available for those. And besides, the desert gets cold at night so no need to run the AC on then. xD
Which could be an advantage if thieves try to steal it ):-D
Of course, this idea is only useful for a short commute. Then the question comes up, "How short is short?"
Stopped coming around, or started coming around?
:D
Michael
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ If you are driving your car short enough that you can do on the batteries, you should be walking or riding a bike.
Allow me, for a moment, to relate a story to you. I have a Ford F150 that I use for my work, such as it is. I started it up one morning to go across town -- 15-ish miles round trip -- but I never made it because the alternator crapped out. I had been driving my truck around the valley here with no Charge Light or any sign of pending doom. As I was on my way to the job site this particular day, the Charge light came on about 5 miles from my house. I can make it home on the battery, I thought. Didn't happen. I got to my job site, about a block short, actually, and had to call the AAA to come and bring me home.
If you are driving so short of a distance that you can actually do what you are asking about, then you are absolutely killing your car _because_ you are always driving on a cold engine, and this means the fuel trim is running on Rich all of the time, the oil does not get hot enough for the water vapor in it to steam away, the exhaust system is not getting hot enough to stay clean and dry -- indeed the condensation in the exhaust is eating it through from the inside and the oil is turning to goo.
And, you probably don't go far enough to recharge the battery from the drain on it from starting the car so you could take the short trip that is eating the exhaust from the inside and turning the oil to goo.
The battery alone will die in short order running the car electronics while driving.
I would suggest the idea that the alternator load would be lessened if you had a trickle charger on the battery while the car is parked. If the car battery is already fully charged when you start the car, the alternator only has to contend with one duty -- running your car electronics. It won't need to charge up a low battery too.
I use a Battery Tender Plus during the winter months on a regular basis. However, being winter, it's impossible to confirm any fuel savings due to the cold weather.
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