> cut all the power from batteries and generator, as it did on old cars/motorbikes. Tord - surely that is exaggeration. I doubt there's been a car built in your lifetime where this was true. They all had parking lights... and most had other functions that kept working with the ignition key removed - cigarette lighters, engine & turbo cooling fans (my '78 SAAB), burglar alarms, clocks, etc - quite a long list. So historically, we haven't needed to kill all power in the vehicle - just stop the engine; which we can do by killing the power to the sparkplugs or (if it's a diesel) shutting off the fuel supply. I would love to hear from anybody with a vehicle (old or new) which doesn't do one or both of those when you turn off the ignition switch ! If the engine is stopped, it shouldn't greatly matter if the gearbox or accelerator is under computer control or completely insane - you can deal with those issues later. Most cars will retain enough 'power assist' to steer & brake to a safe halt when the engine shuts down. Don't assume that you have much extra time however, eg: to wend your way down a long grade to a pull-off on the flat... Last weekend, travelling with a group of friends (all with kayaks on the roof) a friend had his main 'fan' belt break when we were 100 km from anywhere. We called upon one of the 4x4s in the group to give him a short tow - to a safe spot for the car. Because the fan belt drives all the engine accessories (as in many cars), he very soon lost power brakes and steering which caused him some excitement - as he claimed to have no effective brakes at all. (He's a very strong guy.) Luckily, the handbrake worked and the 4x4 escaped unscathed ;-) This is worth keeping in mind - you might even want to test your car's ability to retain some power-assistance (when the engine stops) to brake and to steer. Just be careful that the testing session doesn't go pear shaped ;-) Best Regards Paul Hayward, Auckland, New Zealand *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Apr 13 2010 - 01:18:29 PDT
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