[s-cars] alternator

[Theodore Chen]

--- Kent McLean <kentmclean at mindspring.com> wrote:

> Theodore Chen wrote:
> > alternator in my '92 S4 died yesterday.  had to get the car towed.
> > i was driving across a long bridge.  the alternator warning light came
> > on.  i kept going, hoping to make it to the other side of the bridge before
> > the car stopped.  just as i got to the first exit on the other side, the
> > car died.  
> 
> You should have gotten a lot further than across the bridge.
> Did you have the lights and heater blower on? The radio?
> Wipers? If so, you should have shut all that stuff off. I've
> driven for up to a half hour on just a battery.  (Of course,
> I guess you could have been in stop and go traffic for a half
> hour trying to get over a bridge.)

the san mateo bridge, including the approaches, is nearly 10 miles long,
and it was during rush hour.

also, i had noticed earlier in the day that the windows seemed to be
moving rather slowly but didn't give any thought to it.  i had the radio 
and HVAC going all day.  the indicator light didn't go on until i was
approaching the bridge and had passed the last exit before the bridge.

once the light went on, i shut down all the electrical stuff.

i think the alternator was failing before the light went on, but the
light didn't go on until the voltage was quite low.

-teddy



		
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