How To Fix An Alternator On A Honda Civic 1997 Ex?
A bad alternator can get out your Honda Civic without power and unable to motility. Alternators don't always go bad in the exact same way. Nosotros'll cover the symptoms of when an alternator goes bad, and how to diagnose a bad ane (which is actually pretty easy).
How Your Borough's Alternator Works
The alternator'southward job in your Civic is to provide electricity equally information technology is running. The battery stores enough voltage to be able to start the engine without the assistance of an alternator.
It is turned past a serpentine belt. It's worth noting that a bad serpentine belt tin crusade the alternator to finish charging effectively. It's pretty like shooting fish in a barrel to tell if one is bad. Information technology'll expect dry rotted. If it's been slipping a lot it'll have a glossy shine to information technology. You'll have probably heard information technology squeal when you start the engine. They typically don't neglect quietly.
Symptoms of a Bad Alternator: Honda Borough
Most of the time, when replacing an alternator, the alternator itself is relatively affordable. It's the labor that makes the chore expensive. Here are the well-nigh common symptoms of a bad alternator in a Honda Borough:
Battery Light
The battery calorie-free is designed to tell yous that there is non plenty voltage to properly charge the battery, or that the bombardment itself is non holding the proper voltage.
In rare occasions the service engine shortly light may light upward. Besides, some vehicles have an "alt" light that specifically tells y'all there is a problem with the charging organisation, and not the battery itself.
Dead Bombardment
Outside of the battery warning lite, a expressionless battery is the most common symptom of a bad alternator. As the alternator tin no longer supply your Civic with an adequate power supply, it will begin to feed off of the reserve in the battery.
Once this battery reserve hits a certain level, the vehicle will begin to run erratically and will no longer start when the fundamental is turned.
Often, the battery light will come on, the alternator gets replaced, and and so a few days later the vehicle dies. That's why it'south important to examination the battery before yous just replace it. Nearly whatever motorcar parts store volition test your bombardment for free to come across if it holds a charge. The process tin can sometimes accept an hour or then, but it'south worth it to know before throwing money into a battery that you practice not demand.
Stalling Engine
As described above, a bad alternator volition drain your Civic's bombardment fast. When the bombardment gets and then expressionless it will no longer exist able to power your Civic'south ignition organization. As the ignition system is no longer able to produce a total powered spark, the engine volition begin to sputter and stall.
If you find yourself in a position where you doubtable that your voltage is dropping, but yous need to safely get off the highway, turn off everything that yous possibly tin. Kill the radio, daytime running lights, air conditioning, heated seats, EVERYTHING. That will permit all of the limited voltage in the battery to become to the ignition system.
Bearing Noises
If your Borough's alternator starts to take bearings that fail, it'll begin to brand some very obnoxious noises. If the serpentine belt has gone bad, it tin can make some noises besides, but it won't audio metal like the bearings going bad would.
Dim headlights
Dimming headlights are one of the well-nigh common signs of a bad alternator in the Honda Civic. Dim headlights indicate that the alternator can't proceed up with the free energy asking for the lights. As your Civic begins to swallow through the voltage stored in the battery, the headlights will brainstorm to fade.
Electrical Accessory Bug
Many accessories in a vehicle require quite a bit of voltage. Heated seats, the blower motor, power windows, and fifty-fifty the radio will work erratically or not work at all when the alternator is bad.
Honda Civic Bad Alternator Diagnosis
Some alternators become bad right abroad, and some slowly lose their ability to charge under heavy loads. The ones that fail completely are like shooting fish in a barrel to diagnose. The battery drains and you are stuck with a vehicle that goes nowhere.
The challenge is diagnosing an alternator that is just not quite charging like it needs to be. You can easily diagnose it with almost whatever multimeter. Hither's what to practise.
- Get a multimeter. They are cheap (you can become a decent one for $ten), and you tin get them almost anywhere.
- Gear up it to read voltage. Specifically, you'll need to prepare it to 20V DC.
- With your Borough turned off, you'll connect the negative side of the meter to the negative battery post or wire. You'll then affect the positive side of the voltmeter to the positive bombardment wire. With the engine off, you lot should go a reading somewhere between 12.0 volts and 12.6 volts.
- Now that you lot have this baseline, it'due south fourth dimension to turn the engine on. Let'south go alee and leave the air conditioner off, too as the headlights and any other accessories.
- With the engine just fired upwards, you should go over xiv.ii volts. If you lot got 14.two or more volts, the alternator is charging fine. If information technology's still showing in the 12's, it'due south time to supervene upon the alternator. If information technology'southward producing a voltage level in the 13's, go ahead and take it into a parts store and have information technology tested. It's probably bad.
- Now, assuming that the alternator was producing over xiv volts, get alee and turn on the headlights, air conditioner, radio, and whatever other accessory you lot tin call back of, and run the same test all over once more. If the voltage dropped back into the 12'due south, it'southward a very strong indication that the alternator is bad. Information technology'south still worth having it tested, just be prepared to replace it.
Another test you can practice that'south non nearly as scientific is to turn the headlights on and then kickoff the engine. They should get brighter afterward the engine starts, since the voltage is increasing past well-nigh 2 volts.
Now with the engine idling, rev information technology upwardly a fiddling fleck. Did the headlights get brighter every bit you lot increase the RPM? This is a very strong indication that the alternator has in fact gone bad.
This test depends a lot on you to notice very subtle differences in lighting. Information technology should not be used in substitute for checking the voltage as described directly above.
Determination
Over the life of whatever vehicle, the alternator is going to go bad. Good luck diagnosing the alternator in your Civic. If there is annihilation that you lot would like to add together, delight leave a comment beneath.
How To Fix An Alternator On A Honda Civic 1997 Ex?,
Source: https://www.700r4transmissionhq.com/bad-alternator-symptoms-honda-civic/
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