Can a car run with no battery?

[miniyazz]

Assuming you've got it started so the alternator is doing its thing.

 

[Clarkey]

Yes. It is by no means a good idea though.

 

[Brookert]

Role playing mode in a car, sounds fun

 

[Mickie]

if you couldnt jump starting it would be pointless

 

[miniyazz]

Yes. It is by no means a good idea though.

What's the problem? Out of interest.

if you couldnt jump starting it would be pointless

Well no, when you jump start a car the battery tends to still be there

 

[bullit in head]

I've not seen a car recently that can run without a battery.
20 years ago maybe, anything since then no.

Bullit

 

[rodenal]

Potential strain on the alternator

And you'd better pray that if you stall it's on a nice downward slope

 

[4T5]

I don't know about new cars but I've done it plenty of times with older motors & transit vans.

 

[Mickie]

What's the problem? Out of interest.



Well no, when you jump start a car the battery tends to still be there

its still there but dead most the time, that or the starter..

 

[miniyazz]

Potential strain on the alternator

And you'd better pray that if you stall it's on a nice downward slope

Now I always thought you couldn't bump start a car if the battery was totally flat, but is that not the case?

 

[bullit in head]

You can bump start a totally flat car ,it's just a lot harder, ee fine lashing it up to a van easier to do it if that's the case, as the engine has to have several rotations as opposed to half or less.

Bullit

 

[Amoeba]

I had once been doing work on my 200sx and forgot to clamp down the battery cables. The negative came off half way to work, and apart from the radio not working when the headlamps were on, there was no problem

 

[robj20]

Totally posible, but not a good idea on a modern car, the battery acts as a huge capacitor to take care of load spikes which are not great for an alternator. This would be very noticable at idle, you can feel the drop in revs by switching your lights on, imagine that without a battery.

 

[Abraxaz1]

Don't f1 cars run without batteries hence why they can't restart after stalling and for spikes from the alternator just install a dc:dc converter with a smoothing cap.

 

[Rossmac]

When my 95 Clio's alternator went on a long drive on a motorway, the radio stopped playing and I thought "oh, ****". It chugged to a slow stop in the hard shoulder; effectively bump-starting itself until it ran out of momentum.

So flat battery and broken alternator = no in my case.

 

[DRZ]

Don't f1 cars run without batteries hence why they can't restart after stalling and for spikes from the alternator just install a dc:dc converter with a smoothing cap.

They do have batteries, they don't have a starter motor.

As said, a battery in a car with a running engine is there to act as a massive capacitor to smooth out the load on the alternator.

 

[Third Opinion]

It's meant to knacker the ECU, their again I had a battery fail on a car, bump started it and drove it 70 miles home. Got a new battery at it was fine.

 

[MOOGLEYS]

My Vectra will not run with the battery disconnected. It just flags up an immobiliser fault and cuts out even if you start it then disconnect.

 

[monkey_boy]

When the aux belt came off my old Leon the battery ran flat enough that the lights wouldn't work but it still ran. Diesel though so no spark plugs would be the reason I guess?

 

[The Edge]

When the aux belt came off my old Leon the battery ran flat enough that the lights wouldn't work but it still ran. Diesel though so no spark plugs would be the reason I guess?

That'd help, but what powers the ecu?