You are free to believe whatever you choose.  Just because a site like
Wikipedia gathers information does not mean what they gather is necessarily
correct.  If you want the facts do a search of the industries bible,
Automotive News.      ;)

As to setting sources straight I did write to Motor Trend at one point early
on, when they published disinformation about the 91 Escort being Mazda
based.  Although many of my letters, to buff mags over the years have been
published, by MT and others, MT did not publish that correction or even
acknowledge it receipt.

I guess they don't like their opinions to be challenged since they never
changed their view, even though Ford sent them the same correction stating
that the Escort was not based on 323.  In one later article when MT said it
was based on the 323, they did say "Ford says is it is not, wink, wink."  If
you doubt what I'm telling you, go to a Mazda dealer and try to by a major
'91 to '99 Escort/Tracer body part.   Not even the windshields were common
to both.

Anyone who knows anything about the business knows Mazda did not have
anything near the capacity to build enough components to meet Escort/Tracer
sales volumes.  The fact is we designed the chassis that was adapted for use
by Mazda, not the other way around.  The ONLY exception was the '88 to '90
model tracer but even that chassis and body was not common to any Mazda.
The ONLY engine that was a Mazda was it higher winding 1800 CC used in the
Escort GT with a manual tranny.   The Ford 1900 CC was used in all the other
Escorts and Tracers. Ford.   The only Escort built in Mexico was the
notchback four door and some excess wagon demand in the final years

 I must apologize for Mr. My c.nt - excuse me, "Mike Hunt" (which is
a poor excuse for an anonymous name) - his Momma dropped him on his
head many times as a baby, he enjoyed it, and it certainly shows.

 Seems he is one of those 'Ugly Americans" you were warned about who
thinks that the USA exists in a vacuum and the rest of the world bows
down in fealty to us...  He is pathologically unable to notice that
you and The Doctor are in Australia, and there are vast differences
between what gets a Ford badge put on it down there (or in the rest of
the world) and what goes on in the United States.  

 And he claims to be a "Retired Ford Engineer", he claims to "Have
owned the USA's biggest cluster of new car dealerships" that has sold
practically every nameplate ever made.  He claims to own a winter
mansion in Key West FL, and lots of vintage expensive and rare cars...

 And a lot of other grandiose claims, most that have been thoroughly
debunked over the years - but no matter how many times we trap him in
bald-faced lies we still can't get him to Shut The f.ck UP.

 Okay, enough of that.  Moving on...

 You should be able to get a half hour to an hour of daytime driving
on a fully charged battery and a dead alternator.  15 to 30 minutes at
night because of the headlight loads, and two or three easy starts out
of a fully charged battery - but you can only do that about a dozen
times before the battery will start to go downhill fast and eventually
fail altogether from deep cycling.

 The chemistry of a normal Lead-Calcium (and sometimes Tin) starting
battery does not deal well with being drained more than 10% of nominal
capacity without being immediately recharged by the alternator during
driving.  

 A Lead-Antimony "Deep Cycle" or "Golf Cart" battery will handle the
same treatment more gracefully and give you several hundred cycles -
but they don't have that high of a cranking current rating, so don't
try it in a cold climate.

 And the Deep Cycle batteries also need to be charged up more-or-less
immediately when you are done using them, they don't like being left
discharged for more than a few hours and can suffer permanent damage
if left flat for too long.

 If you can't fix the alternator in your car yourself, charge the
battery fully at home overnight, take the charger with you, and make
one trip directly to your local mechanic or dealer for them to fix it.
And if they can't get to it immediately, put the battery charger on
the car to start recharging the battery ASAP.

 --<< Bruce >>--