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A lot of times you are in a position where you can not get the car or truck to move. This happened to me in the winter on year. Truck was snowed in. It was more than capable of driving out of it but it needed to be running to do so
If anybody comes around who can jump start you, you can borrow all the other stuff in the emergency kit from them, or send them to town to pick it up for you. I still don't see the need for jumper cables.
If anybody comes around who can jump start you, you can borrow all the other stuff in the emergency kit from them, or send them to town to pick it up for you. I still don't see the need for jumper cables.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88
Hey, you don't need the jumpers. It's a stick-shift. just get it to roll, and pop the clutch. Buying a stick shift in the first place makes a lot of sense, exactly for that reason.
Unless the car is equipped with an EFI engine, in which case you're SOL if the battery is completely drained.
If anybody comes around who can jump start you, you can borrow all the other stuff in the emergency kit from them, or send them to town to pick it up for you. I still don't see the need for jumper cables.
A lot of times people will stop to try to help but not have cables of their own and I certainly wouldn't ask someone to go out of their way to buy something and expect them to bring it back to me. For the modest investment of $20 it seems foolish not to have them.
As Viking also mentioned an EFI stick car can't be push started as there is no way to power the fuel pump.
A lot of times people will stop to try to help but not have cables of their own and I certainly wouldn't ask someone to go out of their way to buy something and expect them to bring it back to me. For the modest investment of $20 it seems foolish not to have them.
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But we're talking about a life-and-death emergency, right?
Unless the car is equipped with an EFI engine, in which case you're SOL if the battery is completely drained.
A carbureted engine won't start either if the battery is completely dead, unless it is a very old car with a DC generator instead of an alternator. The alternator needs to be supplied an initial voltage before it starts producing its own. And without that, you have no spark, EFI or not.
Cash
Jumper Cables
Flashlight
Batteries
Small tool box with hand tools
Spare Tire
Jack
Medic's field kit
10-20ft 16 awg wire
10-20ft 3/4" or 1" Thick Rope
Tow Cable
Hand Gun
sawed off shotgun with pistol grip
At least 100 rounds of ammo for each
Ski Mask (to resupply cash while on the run)
Chainsaw (for the zombies of course)
A carbureted engine won't start either if the battery is completely dead, unless it is a very old car with a DC generator instead of an alternator. The alternator needs to be supplied an initial voltage before it starts producing its own. And without that, you have no spark, EFI or not.
I think it usually takes days for a battery to go completely dead. If the dash lights glow or the dingers ding, or if the solenoid clicks, there is enough spark to push-start the car. If we're talking about equipping a car to be a life saver, we're probably talking about a car that the user is staying in close proximity to (because it contains all the rest of his catalog of essential gear), and therefore running it at least once a day. This car will start if pushed and popped. No jumper cables needed for a stick, especially if there is no working car parked within a couple of feet of your car.
I think it usually takes days for a battery to go completely dead. If the dash lights glow or the dingers ding, or if the solenoid clicks, there is enough spark to push-start the car. If we're talking about equipping a car to be a life saver, we're probably talking about a car that the user is staying in close proximity to (because it contains all the rest of his catalog of essential gear), and therefore running it at least once a day. This car will start if pushed and popped. No jumper cables needed for a stick, especially if there is no working car parked within a couple of feet of your car.
Again, if it's EFI though, it doesn't matter if the lights come on if it doesn't have enough charge to power the fuel injection.
I tried it enough times to know it doesn't fly. Sometimes you need cables, or if no other car is available (which might be the case in the highly unlikely situation the OP seems to be planning for) a battery booster.
Locally a car broke down on the highway in the passing lane. Just after dusk, a streetsweeper came along and hit him sending both of them to the hospital. The car had no lights on( !) but I'm not sure if the street sweeper was on a cell phone or not or was just totally caught off guard.
If I break down I have flares and flash lights and even a blinking LED red light wand. I'd also have all passengers get out of the car and get off to the side of the road. I'm paranoid about getting hit and with cell phones today I'm even more so. I'd also never change a flat tire on a highway, same reason, afraid to get hit.
Besides flares and lights, duct tape is good to have. If you have a coolant leak in a hose, that could get you home or to a repaur place. I have one of those fix a flat inflators but I don't know if they work or not. And I have two fire extinguishers, one normal one in the trunk and one of those newer aerosol sprayers under the seat.
I passed a brush fire along a busy highway and debated trying to put it out, it was fairly small and confined to dry grass. But I didn't... I was afraid I'd get hit.
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