Battery/Alternator Issue 01 Integra

[neocpp]

Hey guys, I'm having an issue with my car.

Recently, my 01 Integra had trouble starting. I checked the battery (it was 7 or 8 years old at that point), and it was sitting at ~11.5V, so I figured that was the issue and replaced it. This was a couple months ago.

I've noticed the same issues are occurring again with the new battery. So I test it and it's sitting at ~11.8V.

I'm thinking the alternator isn't charging it, so I start the car and look at the voltage. At first it's around 13.5V, but if I leave it running a bit it decays down to 12.5 or so. If I really open up the throttle, it goes back up to around 13, but in all cases it seems lower than normal (reading online I've seen 14.4 recommended).

I also tried disconnecting the battery from the car while running. The alternator voltage remains around 12.5 and the car didn't show any signs of dying even after a few minutes.

I don't drive the car very much (maybe 20 miles a week in a couple trips), so maybe this is expected, but I didn't have this issue before. I connected an ammeter between the battery and the car and it looked like the parasitic drain was 15-20 ma, which seems reasonable.

Any ideas why the alternator voltage decays over time and where to start looking? I've starting cleaning the terminals and looking at fuses as well, but nothing has jumped out at me.

Thanks,
neocpp

 

[LTC8K6]

Your alternator is probably failing.

It's not a good idea to connect or disconnect the battery with the engine running, though.

You can get the charging system tested for free at Advance Auto, or Auto Zone, O'reilly...

 

[pcgeek11]

Agree ^^^. Chances are the Alternator is failing.

 

[Meghan54]

Never disconnect a battery cable while the engine is running to "test" the alternator. Doing so can cause high voltage spikes that can damage the alternator as well as other electronics.

That said, just do what LTC said, take it to a parts store that tests alternators, get it tested, buy replacement if necessary---which it probably is, given the low voltage reading you're getting.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Just because your battery is new, doesn't mean it's still good.

I would start with battery test/recharge.....

 

[neocpp]

Thanks for the replies. I was planning on heading back to the autozone where I got my battery to test it (and replace if necessary). Can they test the alternator with it still in the car or am I going to have to remove it? On this car it seems like it will be a bit difficult to take it out.

 

[jlee]

Thanks for the replies. I was planning on heading back to the autozone where I got my battery to test it (and replace if necessary). Can they test the alternator with it still in the car or am I going to have to remove it? On this car it seems like it will be a bit difficult to take it out.

They can test it in the car.

 

[LTC8K6]

Thanks for the replies. I was planning on heading back to the autozone where I got my battery to test it (and replace if necessary). Can they test the alternator with it still in the car or am I going to have to remove it? On this car it seems like it will be a bit difficult to take it out.

You don't need to take anything out. Just drive the car over there.

 

[neocpp]

I know this is a month old now, but I just finished replacing the alternator (it was MUCH more of a PITA than I thought it would be at first... you gotta love rust) and now everything seems to work - 14.4 V when engine is on, and the battery is clearly having an easier time when starting.

Something strange I did notice though, the alternator was replaced as recently as 2009 (it was marked on the one I pulled). I thought they usually last a while; should I check out some other parts of the car to make sure it's not going to kill the new one I put in? It doesn't look like anything was leaking on it and the splash guards are all there.

Anyways, thanks for your help guys.

 

[LTC8K6]

The quality of a replacement alternator can vary a lot, unfortunately.

Rebuild quality varies a lot, also.

In my town there is a great local place that will rebuild your alternator or starter, and they give a three year warranty. Plus you can watch them work on your part, if you want to.

I use them because I never need to worry about the part fitting back on the car.

 

[neocpp]

The quality of a replacement alternator can vary a lot, unfortunately.

Rebuild quality varies a lot, also.

In my town there is a great local place that will rebuild your alternator or starter, and they give a three year warranty. Plus you can watch them work on your part, if you want to.

I use them because I never need to worry about the part fitting back on the car.

Thanks for the tips, I will keep that in mind for next time. There are some rebuild shops in the area, and I don't know how good they are, but I didn't even process that as an option this time.

It sounds like I can't really do anything more about it at this point, just hope the new one will last for a while.

 

[tortillasoup]

Clean your grounds OP. Take out your alternator and have it tested at a shop. More likely than not, they'll probably say it's alright. Also weak/dirty grounds can damage an alternator and you'll be back to square one.

Any car over 10 years old needs to have its grounds cleaned up.

 

[LTC8K6]

Clean your grounds OP. Take out your alternator and have it tested at a shop. More likely than not, they'll probably say it's alright. Also weak/dirty grounds can damage an alternator and you'll be back to square one.

Any car over 10 years old needs to have its grounds cleaned up.

I think you missed a post...

 

[tortillasoup]

I think you missed a post...

Nope, my post is EXACTLY WHAT HE NEEDS except the part about retesting the alternator.

 

[angminas]

Six years sure sounds like "a while" to me.

 

[tortillasoup]

Six years sure sounds like "a while" to me.

Alternator should last quite a long time. Alternators typically get burnt out if they're under chronic heavy loads like trying to charge a weak/discharged/bad battery or if you have bad electrical grounds. Alternators are of a cheap, inefficient, prone to failure design if under constant load which is why I like hybrids so much since they do away with that shitty design.

 

[neocpp]

Clean your grounds OP. Take out your alternator and have it tested at a shop. More likely than not, they'll probably say it's alright. Also weak/dirty grounds can damage an alternator and you'll be back to square one.

Any car over 10 years old needs to have its grounds cleaned up.

Does this just involve sanding the contact points and terminal connectors? That was actually one of the first things I fixed when I got this car a couple years ago. I had an issue with an unreliable alarm which I'm figured was due to a bad ground. I cleaned everything up and the issue never came back. Although if it was running like that for a while, it may explain why the old alternator died. I looked at it when testing the old one and they seemed fine, but it might be worth going through again to be sure.

Six years sure sounds like "a while" to me.

I suppose, although the car has been driven less than 50k miles in that time. The previous owner drove it less than 10k per year and so far I am averaging 4k per year. From what I've read before the alternators are supposed to be good for double that or more, and this echoes my parents' experience with their vehicles. But now I can see how if the remanufactured parts' quality isn't quite up to par it might die early, especially if coupled with other problems.

 

[tortillasoup]

I'll see if I can find the electrical wiring diagram with a location of all the grounds.

 

[mmntech]

Bad alternators are a common problem with Hondas from the early 2000s. Must be some sort of manufacturing or design defect with them. I've had to replace them twice in my 7th Gen Civic. Lesson learned, don't cheap out and get rebuilt parts.

 

[LTC8K6]

Nope, my post is EXACTLY WHAT HE NEEDS except the part about retesting the alternator.

Take out your alternator and have it tested at a shop.

I disagree. He's not having any signs of trouble with the new alternator. So he doesn't have any bad grounds to worry about.

You clearly missed the part where he had already replaced it.

I was correct about that, and you should have just admitted it, instead of getting snarky.