an Odd Question.

[Aren Jay]

Yes even odd for me.

Now in movies and such we see things called EMP pulse which is an attack method used or caused by various weapons or equipment that when activated sends out a pulse of electro magnetic energy and it basically fires every computer that is turned on. Cars, toaster ovens, PC's, Servers, Power circuits in power stations, for a few minutes for some permanently for others.

Damage depends on range if it goes off next to you everything could be fried, but at a distance several hundred miles for a large EMP it will just fry the programming. If our cars are fried at a distance this way, would a X-Cal tuner be able to revive such a fried car computer?

May not do anything for the ABS module or what ever other modules we have but with the basic computer we might be able to drive; right?

[FordNut]

Usually it would fry the components, not just the program. So the xcal wouldn't fix it. If it happened while driving, the brakes would revert to "normal" operation without ABS or TC. Since we have a vacuum operated booster, we would still have power brakes but some cars have an electrical or hydraulic booster so they may lose the power assist immediately when the engine quits.

Regular electrical, rather than electronic, systems should not be affected. Stuff like points, plugs, coils, relays, switches, batteries, etc. So the antique cars would probably run, but starting in the late 60's and early 70's electronics started creeping into cars in areas such as voltage regulators and ignition modules.

[ckadiddle]

Wikipedia has some interesting info on nuclear bomb EMP and non-nuclear EMP.

[Paul T. Casey]

[QUOTE=FordNut;653105]Usually it would fry the components, not just the program. So the xcal wouldn't fix it. If it happened while driving, the brakes would revert to "normal" operation without ABS or TC. Since we have a vacuum operated booster, we would still have power brakes but some cars have an electrical or hydraulic booster so they may lose the power assist immediately when the engine quits.

QUOTE]


Of course since the engine would shut down due to the EMP, the vacuum would be lost, thereby reverting us back to no power assist. However, if for some reason you encounter an EMP, you probably have bigger issues to deal with than brakes, car computers, etc.

[Master]

You'd still have the brakes for one or two pushes, then it would all be over. By which time, of course, it probable WOULD be all over. :(