DMcGrady

I was wondering if anyone can tell me what will and won't work on a 1996 Dodge Cummins after an EMP Strike.

I would imagine that if necessary I could manually operate my fuel cut off switch. But what about the rest of the sytems on my truck, namely the alternator will it charge the batteries?

Would it be prudent to have at least one vehicle that you could swap the ignition system on in the event that this happens. Or would a better option be to have a PCM in a lead box. Or would it be even more prudent to go ahead and encapsulate in lead the existing vehicles PCM'S?

Not trying to worry anyone. I'm just a former Boy-Scout. You know the Motto, " Be Prepared".

Thanks in advance.....

patdaly

The only thing you will really face is no trans control.

You could bypass the PCM for charging, have an external Chrysler regulator in a Faraday cage, Trans control would be the same.

Or you could have a spare NV4500 setting for that day......

And you aren't nuts, that was one thing that made me sell Brownie over Greenie.........

Hvytrkmech

Don't electronics have to be energized and active in order to be disrupted by an emp? I don't think electronics that are dormant and unenergized are affected.

CamperAndy

Not if the pulse is strong enough. The induced current fries things no matter if they are in use or not.

sheriffav8r

Note to self: Park a reasonable distance from possible EMP strikes....

DMcGrady

So if I shielded the PCM with a relective blanket, would the transmission be ok? If so do I have to shield it with lead. Or is there a lighter more effective material?

Thanks for the info....

dguru

The truck wiring would be like a bunch of antennas so shielding the PCM would be moot.

Red3quarter

I'll have to remember to do the same.

patdaly

LOL, like on the Moon?

Parking fees are pretty high I heard......

Don't think it as implausible as it sounds EMP happens every so often naturally, I believe it was 1859 when the ground caught fire from a EMP strike.

The Sun has been throwing hissies lately.

There are more than a few rich Arabs who could also throw us a curve.

boney

Mid-sixties VW bugs can be push started at .5 MPH in reverse (when tuned well) and run without a battery. They also have no electronics. The question would be how an EMP would effect the magnets in the generator.

BRO

That's good, very good!

BigBore050

I invested in ammo and weapons for that day. Might be a tad more handy than a sweet ride.

patdaly

Till someone with a Cummins pulls up just out of rifle range with a Howitzer behind that sweet ride........

Just pickin, ammo and weapons are mothers milk, your Dodge is the sippin whiskey.

justme-

Magnets would not be affected- the wire in the starter motor however might be. The pulse current will affect smaller wires and circuits more so than larger gage wire.
All electronics that need to be protected would have to be placed in a Faraday cage- the PCM, as well as the relays and solenoids in the transmission, but I do have to wonder if the transmission itself would function as a Faraday cage and protect it's internals. Not lead- any metal will do- google Faraday cage. It's the principle that keeps you alive when a car or airplane is struck by lightning.
As to occurrence of EMP- aside from terrorist attacks with an intentional EMP burst, a nuke would create an EMP burst (back pack nukes are a concern by the govt being detonated in key cities), as do some Police road block items- the have a few styles of vehicle immobilizer that can release a pulse of emp to a vehicle but they need physical contact to do so.

purduepurdy

Easiest way would be to turn a garage into an anechoic chamber. When I took a RF class at Purdue we worked in a small one testing antennas. The walls were about a foot thick and had copper plating. No energy will enter or leave for that matter. Check out the size of this one. Massive.



Not for sure if I would be driving around in a vehicle that didnt have some steel around it though. All it takes is someone wanting your vehicle more with a rifle to obtain it from a distance. End of the world planning, gotta love it.