I was at the food store Monday night at about midnight. When I took
the MG to the store I noticed that when I started the car it cranked
slower than normal. It had been parked on the street and not in the
garage. I buy my stuff, and climb back into the MG. I crank the
engine but it was not turning fast enough to catch. In about 30 seconds it
would not crank at all. My battery was dead. Since I want to get
home and go to bed I look around the parking lot. It was empty with
just a few cars. I figure since all parking lots have some small
slope I looked around and saw a drain in the middle of the lot. I
figure this is good, I can push the car down this tiny slope hop in
and pop the clutch. Gravity is my friend. A simple plan and I would be
on my way home. I decide to lower the hood so that I would have a chance of
hopping into a moving car. I start to push the car and I have to steer it
around a
parked car. I turn the wheel and I hear "Click". I forgot to unlock
the wheel and am headed right at the parked car. I bit of twisting
and I get the steering wheel unlocked. I just get around the parked
car, and my MG is picking up speed. I hop in the car and put it into
second gear and pop the clutch. The engine spins but does not catch.
I grind to a halt. I am about half way to the drain so I give it one
more try. Once again gravity is my friend, I push really hard, pick
up speed and jump in the car. I pop the clutch again, the engine
spins but does not catch. I come to a stop on the storm drain. In
the next couple of seconds I realize that I had the key in the
accessory position, NOT in the run position! I decide that I should
give it one more try, realizing that I could never get enough speed
pushing the car up that gentle slope, I decide to push it up the hill
then back down for the jump start. I start pushing it up the slope
and now gravity is not my friend. I get it about half way across the
lot, I am covered in sweat, breathing hard, and am sure that I have a
hernia. I thought these cars were suppose to be light. On the bright
side the pain in my side was not my heart. So now I put the key in
the run position and start pushing the car down the hill. I am tried
now so I cannot get that much speed up, but I jump in and pop the
clutch. Engine spins a couple of times and the car stops. Now I am
in the car covered in sweat, it must be about 40 degrees out, and my
hands are numb from pushing that cold car.
I figure I would try the starter one more time. The car cranked
slowly and then caught. Since I worried about the car stalling I did
not put the hood back up. It was a cold trip since I was now covered
in sweat. My breathing returned to normal by the time I got home.
I looked at the car tonight and I found that on the positive battery
terminal one of the cable clamp bolts was stripped and the positive
wire was loose. I will get a new terminal on Friday to fix that
problem. I still should check that the alternator is putting out the
correct voltage. Now here is my question if you are still with me,
the alternator should be putting out about 13.8 volts correct? What is
considered an acceptable range?
Not a bad trip, but a shocking reminder of just what an out of shape
load that I have become. Damn desk job.
--
Later,
Bill mailto:w.gilroy@verizon.net
"Facts are the enemy of truth"
77 Midget
90-2001 Shar-Pei
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