So it's night time, kind of dark under the bonnet, and I'm not happy
that the battery is dead on my Midget (79 -1500). I put the jumper
cables on in reverse and before I found my mistake, I let some of the
precious Lucas smoke out of the alternator. Maybe 15 seconds worth.
i correct my error, start the engine and am on my way. When I get
home, knowing that the battery had been dead for a while, I put on
the trickle charger to top off the charge.
Since then, I have have several good strong cold starts. The battery
seems to be charging fine. The alternator light seems to indicate
proper operation (on at ignition, off by 800 rpm or so).
So did I let too much smoke out? Is there any test I can do to see
what I might have fried inside that is not apparent to the casual
observer?
Steve
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