How far on battery only ? (1 Viewer)

[Redbarn]

I’ve searched but can’t find an answer.
I’ve got a hundy with a dead alternator & 2 fresh batteries.
What are the opinions on how far I can get on a battery only with minimal electrical circuits on ?
50 miles ? 100 miles ?

I realize that there is no precise answer but on flattish roads, what a good guess ?

 

[YotaWagon]

How far do you need to go? If you can run without any accessories you can get about 90 minutes of run time on each battery.

 

[Redbarn]

I need to go about 250 miles.
I could take 2 lane highways but that would take longer & I think that the battery use is time dependent.
So using Interstates would probably be best.
If I can get within 100 miles, AAA will trailer me the rest of the way as a last resort.
I might just buy a 3rd battery & go for it.

 

[Redbarn]

Anybody know at what voltage the engine ECU shuts down the engine ?
This will will be the limit on judging the range while in motion.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Anybody know at what voltage the engine ECU shuts down the engine ?
This will will be the limit on judging the range while in motion.

Around 11 in my experience.

You can read about my harrowing experience in bfe Wyoming/south Dakota.

I bought a new group 31 to back up my existing group 31 and made it all the way home on just the one battery. My alternator behaved just enough to maintain voltage, but at multiple points in the drive home it died. The 100 really seems to need some output from the alternator to maintain idle with lights and brakes running. I was fine moving, but coming to a stop was often a near stall or stall.

Good luck!

 

[Redbarn]

I’ve started a trip plan & have printed a list of all the O’Reilly’s & other auto parts stores en route.
If I look like falling short, a new battery even at retail is cost effective compared with other potential costs.
I’m thinking that ECU volts around 11.2 volts should be the battery change point.

 

[CJF]

Any special reason you're not just replacing the alternator?

 

[Redbarn]

I’m away from home at a friends house. They have no facilities for working on a car.
I called the local dealer on Saturday morning & they can’t touch it for 5 days &
also aren't sure they have the parts anyway.
The best solution is to get home where I can fix it.

As my Mother used to say, “Visiting friends & fresh fish go off after 3 days “

 

[AlpineAccess]

Is your alternator putting out any voltage?

 

[Redbarn]

I have a similar failure mode as @suprarx7nut described above.
It behaved just enough to maintain voltage & put the battery icon off but at multiple points it dies & the battery icon glows strongly.
It kicks in again intermittently below 2000 rpm for a while then shuts down again.
If I assume & operate as if I have a total failure then this should be the best way to get home.

 

[Travis 76]

I made about a 2 hour trip in my FZJ-80 on just a battery. Had the AC going most of the trip before I realized something was wrong. Drove from Las Vegas to St George. Flats and uphill. I don’t know how different the power drain is on the FZ motor compared, but it kept running, gages and everything quit working before the engine. I also had a few start ups before the trip, got an oil change and they broke the alternator wires.

 

[e9999]

I would get a $15 voltmeter that plugs in the cig lighter and keep an eye on that.
I would try to use brakes as little as possible as those bulbs (if incandescent) will suck up current.
You could also have a jump accessory battery to restart the engine in case of need.
(No idea about how long, sorry)

 

[Redbarn]

I always carry a portable lithium jump battery anyway so I planned to use that just for starting.
I have an old multimeter so I’ll use that to keep an eye on the voltage.

 

[e9999]

if you want to use a regular multimeter, you could just get a cig lighter plug, extend a couple of wires out and then have a screw-in strip that you can hold the multimeter probes with. Very easy and there would be very little chance of a short then.

 

[flintknapper]

I've had that happen and my LX didn't go far at all with a fresh battery. But my adventure was at night....so headlights were necessary.

I made it maybe 30 miles on my jumpered battery and then another 40 on a new one. I have a ScanGauge on mine and could watch the voltage draining off. My alternator was putting out Zilch when it went. Maybe if an alternator was putting out something (11 volts or better) you could go a good distance...but once my batteries hit 10.7 volts everything shut down.

 

[Njck22]

If you can avoid hitting the brakes and use the parking break instead you can make it alot further. I have driven about 45 minutes in half city/half highway while using the brakes. You could probably push it to a 1- 1 1/2 hours of highway and no braking, no headlights, no ac, no radio. Buy an extra battery from a chain store and just return it if you don't end up needing it.

 

[kagey]

Or, just change the alternator, a set of spanners would cost way less than a battery. People who do tuff 4x4 tracks change them in the bush all the time, it's not a hard job. Usually 2 bolts and some cables. I reckon you could probably do it with a single shifter.

 

[kevin2i]

I’ve searched but can’t find an answer.
I’ve got a hundy with a dead alternator & 2 fresh batteries.
What are the opinions on how far I can get on a battery only with minimal electrical circuits on ?
50 miles ? 100 miles ?

I realize that there is no precise answer but on flattish roads, what a good guess ?

In DAYLIGHT (no lights) you can go about 200 miles (daytime running lights disconnected). Of course this depends on condition/quality of battery.
I had an alternator failure 450 miles from home. I bought 3 batteries from Home Depot (and a charger). Since it was late, I just stayed at a motel and charged all the batteries. Ended up going about 200 miles on each battery (made it home with one not used at all). I charged up the new batteries and returned them all to Home Depot. Yes, you can buy something in Alabama and return it in Florida. My emergency plan basically cost me a motel stay.

What Happens?
I would try to exchange batteries before failure (this might be putting stress on the ECU). Basically the ABS light comes on, then the car dies in another 1-2 miles.

 

[Dizzy]

Toyota offered a hand-crank that was stored in the back of the 40-Series. The F / 2F has a special nut on the harmonic balancer, so that the engine can be spun by this standard tool, there are holes on the factory bumper for a crank guide. Tons of YouTube fun. I don't have the hand-crank, and I'm plenty safe not using one, but, I bet that I could energize my semi-electronic coil with a laptop battery and make it to Colorado or Texas with a rigged wiring harness.



With a points-type ignition (which is standard equipment you'll see on all the one-page Land Cruiser wiring diagrams up until mid-'70s) compression braking, and the hand-crank, I'd bet that you'd need an oil change before you need a battery, that is if the battery is full when installed.

I wonder how much it would help to put the same amount of money to attach Harbor Freight solar panels to the roof rack, instead of running with multiple batteries?

 

[medtro]

Toyota offered a hand-crank that was stored in the back of the 40-Series. The F / 2F has a special nut on the harmonic balancer, so that the engine can be spun by this standard tool, there are holes on the factory bumper for a crank guide. Tons of YouTube fun. I don't have the hand-crank, and I'm plenty safe not using one, but, I bet that I could energize my semi-electronic coil with a laptop battery and make it to Colorado or Texas with a rigged wiring harness.



With a points-type ignition (which is standard equipment you'll see on all the one-page Land Cruiser wiring diagrams up until mid-'70s) compression braking, and the hand-crank, I'd bet that you'd need an oil change before you need a battery, that is if the battery is full when installed.

I wonder how much it would help to put the same amount of money to attach Harbor Freight solar panels to the roof rack, instead of running with multiple batteries?

Toyota offered a similar crank for the 100 series too. It is at the rear of the car