[Tony Radford]

During my due-diligence this morning, I've learned some interesting things. Most importantly, it's a bad idea to jump start a car with a dead battery and drive it on the alternator - especially if it's a high output alternator. I left my running lights on a week or so ago and drained the battery. I jumped it off and by the time I got home (40 minute ride), everything seemed fine. According to one alternator site I visited, this can cause permanent damage to the alternator's charging ability. Seems coincidental that this would occur, so I'm leaning towards that as the likely cause. Damn - learn something every day! For me, it's usually an expensive lesson.