[bennelson]

Hey everyone.

My 1995 Chevy S10 2.2L (4 cylinder) 5-speed manual transmission is currently getting 31 mpg.

I only have a few basic mods on it. Swapped mechanical radiator fan for an electric (from the Metro!) put in synthetic oil, and have a partial tonneau cover.

I am very interested in the idea of disconnecting the alternator to improve fuel economy. I would then simply recharge the battery from the wall with charger I would leave built-in to the car.

Essentially, this sort of makes a hybrid, because some of the energy the vehicle uses comes from a source other than the gasoline.

Two things are stopping me from doing this. Daytime running lights, and using my starter after engine-off-coasting.

Daytime running lights would obviously wear down the battery much quicker than NOT having them on. Is anyone familiar with a simple way of disabling them? I have heard to put on the parking brake one click to turn DRLs off. I am a little afraid of clicking too far and adding drag. Maybe I could get in there and find the actual switch the is hooked up to, pull it out and modify it to some sort of manual override?

I do some engine-off-coasting, a lot of it coming up to traffic lights. If I coast to a light and am stopped there, then I have to use the starter to restart the engine to pull away once it's green.

I don't know how many times I could use the starter without the alternator. I think I might naturally want to turn the engine off LESS OFTEN if my alternator is disconnected.

If I disconnected the alternator, I would also replace the starting battery with another battery type, such as an Optima Yellow Top, or something similar. Starting batteries do NOT like to be deep cycled.