Joe, a word of caution. Disconnecting the battery on a running car with
electronic controls is an invitation to fried electronics. John
Garner, Joseph P. wrote:
> You guys will love this.
>
> One of my housemates has a 93 mustang convertible. It's his prize and joy,
> and oh how he has scoffed at me for buying an MG "It'll always break down"
> he says "not like my trusty mustang" he says. So anyway, last week the
> stereo stopped working. There's poor old bill scratching his head in
> confusion at the labyrinth of gubbins under the hood. So magnaminous as i am
> I help him find the fault (half-arse installed power-lead got crimped
> against the frame and shorted the whole system out). "Be careful the battery
> isn't too flat" says I. "It'll be fine" he says and drives of jollily into
> the sunset. Sure enough that afternoon the car won't start and he has to get
> a jump in the supermarket parking lot. The same things happens twice more
> over the next few days: "Should never have bought an american car", says I,
> "it'll always break down". Bill pulls a face. Anyway, off we go to diagnose
> the problem and the alternator is patently shot (jump the car it runs, pull
> the ground off the battery and it stalls). So we spend an entire afternoon
> putting in the new alternator - the joys of the MGBs spacious engine bay
> become blatently apparrent, even to Bill.
>
> Then, oh joy of joys, we jump start Bills 93 king-of-cars mustang, with my
> 79B, I would have taken a photo, but unfortunately you can't see which way
> the electricity is going! Anyway "Make sure the battery isn't too
> knackered", says I. "It'll be fine" says Bill, very pleased at how much
> brighter his lights are all of a sudden.
>
> Suffice it to say that i had to go and rescue him from the fast-lane hard
> shoulder of interstate 80 yesterday morning. So if any of you whizzed past a
> white 79B jump-starting a 93 red mustang by the central divide of the I-80
> between davis and sacramento yesterday rush-hour morning. That was me
> enjoying a moment of extreme pathos as I jump started bill's car (again),
> only this time in front of the entire commuting community. Irony, upon
> pathos, though - how many of those people will have assumed it was the B
> that broke down?
>
> cheers
>
> Joe
>
> ___________________________
>
> Dr. Joseph Garner
> University of California
> Department of Animal Science
> One Shields Avenue
> Davis
> CA 95616
> USA
>
> Phone: (530) 754 5291
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