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Hey guys, I have a 1997 Honda Civic HX and I had a problem with my battery light constantly on. I’ve replaced the alternator, battery, ground wires and made sure everything is clean and not corroded. The belt is good to. Also checked all the fuses and don’t know what it could be at this point, I’ve used my multimeter and the ecu seems fine as well. Any suggestions? It hasn’t caused problems lately but it’s left me stranded before and I’d like to get it fixed before that happens
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As for the possibility of diode trouble, a high-pitched whistling sound sometimes accompanies this kind of failure. Give a listen the next time the car’s running.
[quote=”GearheadTool” post=138252]How tight is the belt on the alternator?
Sounds like you are having the charging issue from hell, for sure.
But that alternator belt has to be reasonably tight.. From what I hear, “just turning the pulley” isn’t charging it “enough.” Can the pros please confirm/deny that?[/quote]
There are specs for belt tension (in the service manual), and belt tensioning gauges to measure tension for belts that do not have automatic tensioners. If the belt is too loose it can make noise and the accessory won’t work properly. If it is too tight it will ruin bearings. Without tensioners and belt gauges, a rule of thumb is to find the longest span between pulleys and adjust the belt tension to allow no more than 1/2″ deflection of the belt when it is pressed inward between those pulleys.
[quote=”Evil-i” post=138256]As for the possibility of diode trouble, a high-pitched whistling sound sometimes accompanies this kind of failure. Give a listen the next time the car’s running.[/quote]
That’s true in some cases, particularly old Delco alternators, but shoddy reman parts won’t whistle, they are just under spec parts.Yeah I haven’t heard any whistling or anything. The motor itself is relatively healthy so it’s quiet. I guess I can double check the tension but I’m about to just give up and take it to Honda. I’ve about had enough diagnosing and messing with this
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[quote=”conorem1″ post=138265]Yeah I haven’t heard any whistling or anything. The motor itself is relatively healthy so it’s quiet. I guess I can double check the tension but I’m about to just give up and take it to Honda. I’ve about had enough diagnosing and messing with this
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You said you checked all the fuses, correct? How did you check them? Visually or with a DVOM/test light/Power Probe?
Did you notice any unusual odor from the alternator?
I stand by my original diagnosis of a diode failure (open).
Backround: There is this test called the Battery Recharge Electron Current Test. It gives information about how the battery is recharging. Initially, the battery experiences a large in rush of re-charge current (ie 45-75 A). It quickly tapers off to under 10A after 5 minutes if the battery is OK. When the recharge current is high 5 minutes after starting, a strain on the diode bridge occurs and failure due to excessive heat can occur.
Test: A large current clamp (not the mini type), set to read voltage is attached to the negative battery cable. Start car. Current clamp should read less than 10 A after 5 minutes. Note: for conversion factor, 1mV = 1A.If you end up taking it to Honda, let us know what they found
No updates. I got frustrated and ended up doing other work on it and stopped worrying about this issue since it hasn’t caused any problems recently. I guess the next time it dies I’ll use that to take it to Honda and have someone with a little more knowledge look at it.
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