Hi all. Im new to these forums. The problem i am having is with my battery not charging up fully after a drive. there was a huge current drain on the battery when the car was off and the interior lights seemed to drain the battery. now that the problem is fixed the battery does not seem to gain any charge its just always just above 50% which means i cant use my alarm or it will drain the battery. Im sure this problem has been posted before but i have tested the charging system and cant find a fault.
Charging Problems
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If it is indeed your battery... before replacing, I recommend you clean them cable terminals (specially ground) clean all contact points, from the battery terminal all the way down to the engine block... you may have to remove the battery tray to gain access but it's well worth it... welcome and good luck!Jarryd said:
Also, 2 other things to check: (1) ...pop the caps off the battery and see if the fluid (electrolyte) level is low. If it is, top up with distilled water. (2) ..check to ensure that the alternator is putting out enough current to keep the battery charged. With the car idling, and most of the power accessories on (A/C, lights) put a meter on the battery: it should be reading about 13.5 volts minimum.
thanx for all the feed back guys. i have gone through 3 batteries and this one is about 3 weeks old. its 550CCA. the terminals do get corroded all the time after i clean them. and it is a mantinace free battery so it will tell me with that led indicator if i need to top up the fluid levels. and when the car is on the voltage is about 14.4volts but i will put all the accessories on and ill check out what voltage its putting out. when i put the battery into my dads porsche 911 it charges up fully so i think there is still some kind of fault in the system that i cant find. Thanx again for this welcome to the acura legend forums.
I'd go with Pnoye2's suggestions on cleaning the battery cable points at the body / engine side. Are you sure you've completely solved the problem that was originally draining the battery dead? Also ....you wouldn't happen to be running a huge, honkin' after-market stereo system, would you? That's often the problem in cases like this ...these cars only have a 60amp output alternator.
Hahah no its not a huge stereo in it just a normal headunit and 4 speakers no sub. well after i fixed the interior light circuit the amout of amps being drawn from the battey has dropped alot and now its about a 100mA. wow the G1 legend only has a 60amp alt. i always thaught it was 75amp. coz my bros 86 civic has a 55amp alt. well ill clean the terminals now and ill see how it goes.
just cleaned out all the terminals. installed the battery and started it up. battery voltage was 14.4v @ idle. turned on most of the accessories. lights (high beam) a/c radio ect. and the voltage dropped to 11.5v so it is deffinately the alternator.
...5speed's right ...70 amp. But, still not enough to run a huge honkin' after-market stereo system.
Jarryd: now that you know it's the alternator, suggestion: instead of shelling out the $$$ for a new or rebuilt, consider replacing the alternator brushes first ..that's what usually wears out. Check how bad the old ones are before buying ...You'll have to remove the alternator to replace the brushes (see Haynes manual, chapter 5, pages 9-10) ..but its worth a shot because its a lot cheaper route to go.
Jarryd: now that you know it's the alternator, suggestion: instead of shelling out the $$$ for a new or rebuilt, consider replacing the alternator brushes first ..that's what usually wears out. Check how bad the old ones are before buying ...You'll have to remove the alternator to replace the brushes (see Haynes manual, chapter 5, pages 9-10) ..but its worth a shot because its a lot cheaper route to go.
thanx digger89L i had some spare brushes that i had lying around after i replaced them on my brothers 86 civic alternator. they where new and they seemed to fit and its now showing about 13.8v when all the accessories are on. also the regulator is working well so i think the problem is solved. but one more question, how come the altenator light did not come on in the car if the alternator was bad?
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Because your regulator was still operating correctly and sensing some sort of alernator output.Jarryd said:
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Im going to have to say thats a "No..." Just went out and took a look at the two alternators and visually the G2 is substantially larger in size (hence more amps) than the G1...therefore it would not be able to fit in the already tight space allotted for the stock alternator. Also you'll notice on G1's the alterantor is mounted on top of the motor between the banks and over the Timing Belt cover. On G2's the Throttle Body goes here and the Alternator is now mounted on the lower right hand side of engine under the battery (and most likely mounted differently at different points) thereby allowing for the much larger size...Jarryd said:
Run a Search on "Accord Alternator" and you may find some interesting info on upgrading to an OEM Higher output Alternator...
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I don't think the G2 alternator will fit in. But you could try an 90-93 Accord alternator. This would allow you to get alot of power . Here's the post:
http://acura-legend.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=71233&highlight=accord+alternator+stinger
Also, you could get a price quote from someone like Dominick Irragi for a H/O alternator. But it's pricey.
You could (if you feel gutsy) re-wind your stator (or get someone to do it for you, like an alternator shop) with a thicker gauge wire. I'm trying to get an OEM alternator and re-wind it, then I'll test it out on a generator (I also plan on building one). There's alot of info for doing this on the web (not for our cars, but alternators in general).
. Here's the post:http://acura-legend.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=71233&highlight=accord+alternator+stinger
Also, you could get a price quote from someone like Dominick Irragi for a H/O alternator. But it's pricey.
You could (if you feel gutsy) re-wind your stator (or get someone to do it for you, like an alternator shop) with a thicker gauge wire. I'm trying to get an OEM alternator and re-wind it, then I'll test it out on a generator (I also plan on building one
). There's alot of info for doing this on the web (not for our cars, but alternators in general).
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And this guy on eBay (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...d=1,1&item=8012594079&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT) says that certain Preludes alternators will work.
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You could also do what I'm doing and make a custom bracket in the existing alternator location to install a 1-wire 240A alternator. You will have to remove the battery indicator on the dash tho cause it will be illuminated at all times.
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Too much work for that, IMO. I would rather buy an alternator that would fit, w/ just a little work (Accord) or rewind one.
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