ZinkZ10C@aol.com wrote:
>steven@newellboys.com writes:
>
><< Kid stuff! I once drove home from Broomfield, CO to Littleton, CO --
> about an hour -- with a failed alternator and completely dead battery.
> The car was a 1976 ... any guesses? >>
>
>76 Mercedes
>
>Why? Because it was a diesel and had a manual fuel shutoff rather than the
>electric solenoid the similar year VW Rabbit used.
>
>Harold
>
Right! I'd driven up to a meeting with the alternator light shining
dimly but it went out -- then when I turned into the parking lot I
noticed the dash turn signal light wasn't flashing. I got out, didn't
turn off the car, and checked to see if the headlights were shining at
all. No. I skipped the meeting and headed for home since it would be
dark in about an hour.
At the time I wasn't sure everything I'd need would keep working, so I
called 1-800-FOR MERC and asked the woman in the call center who
answered. She said the fuel pump would shut down, probably right in the
middle of an intersection, and I should stop immediately. I asked if she
was sure of that, because the battery was completely dead and yet I was
driving down the highway while she was talking. She was sure. I got home
and recharged the battery, and recharged it every weekend for a couple
months till I got a parts car with a good alternator.
Steven Newell
Littleton, CO USA
various old cars
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