On Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:43:02 -0700, "nom=de=plume"
wrote:

I read the wiki on diesels, and I think I read that if a diesel is running,
then it doesn't need a spark (e.g., battery energy) to keep running. If
that's the case, then it seems like you should be able to start a diesel by
hand, assuming you have the muscle or leverage. So, in the former case, even
if your battery died - perhaps got wet and shorted out - then the engine
would keep running. In the latter situation if the battery was already dead,
you might be able to crank it to start it.

It's not that simple. Motors have brains now and that brain often
controls both fuel, spark and timing -- and needs to be powered.

If your diesel was a throwback of many decades, you'd be right.