mytest23

My '05 Accord died while driving! Stopped in the middle of the road - no electrical power. Scary. Got a jump and the car died again a few minutes later. Towed the car to a dealer.

Dealer looked at the car and replaced a dead battery. Returned the car to me saying it was fixed. I asked about the alternator - dealer said something about newer cars doing something to keep the alternator safe. I didn't understand it. Dealer said it was just a dead battery.

I am not convinced that the car won't die again on me while driving. I drive at night on the freeway. I don't want to be out there without my lights broken down on a four lane highway.

I thought an alternator could keep a car powered even with a dead battery so that a car won't die on the road.

My Questions:
--------------
1. Will an 05 accord with a dead battery die in the middle of the road? Even with a good alternator?

2. How long will my car with my new battery run with a presumably bad alternator? Will I know in a few hours or will I get a few days?

3. Is the dealer telling the truth - do the newer accords have some circuit to protect the alternator in the case of a bad battery? Was my problem just that battery was old?

Thanks.

ch0baca

you're fine, it's a battery problem. if it hasn't happened again, it's fine

your alternator should still be in good condition since ur car is still new. with a 2005 car you should not be worried about parts going bad yet such as shocks, etc.

ppl usually talk about car problems like that bc they are not used to the newer cars. they refer to cars such as integras and older civics that have these problems bc they're OLD. enthusiasts refer the older, "track" cars, but rarely consider the newer cars

Ross 2.0

The car has no such circuit to "keep the battery or alternator safe" An alternator is an alternator. I have never seen a bad battery take out an alternator though, I have seem PLENTY of bad alternators take out an otherwise good battery though.

soon2bdropped

if it hasnt happened again then ur fine.

schock3

Batteries are only meant to start a car. a alternator recharges the battery and supply's the vehicle with power when the engine is on.

BLKFLSH

The alternator can charge a weak battery, but not a dead battery. If the battery was 4 or more years old, it was due.

blasterman87

id be willing to bet the alternator will leave you setting again. when a battery dies it does it slowly, like it will begin losing cranking amps at start up or lose charge while setting... ive seen alternators work fine one day/kill the batt/start working again. could also be the voltage regulator, witch i think is built in to the alt. test the alt, start car/touch multimeter+ to batt+ and -to the -, it should read around 14 volts with all the lights and stereo on

Ross 2.0

This statement discredits your business highly. You don't know too much about car electronics.
Try this out. Unhook the negative battery cable from your accord after it's started and go for a drive. Let me know what happens.

schock3

read the MECP Advanced Installer book and when you get your certification then comment on the statement. thats why i put it up here. ive driven on a dead battery with all the accessories off in the car. Didn't have any issues.

Ross 2.0

You still haven't done it then. As soon as you step on the brakes the car turns off. It's happened to me quite a few times. The fact that you're certified is even more scary.

Let me explain.
The alternator is supposed to sustain the car while it's running. This is true. The alternator can't switch from lo to high (or higher % in newer cars) fast enough to absorb a sudden load on the system thus the system dips too low and the car shuts down because the ECU doesn't have enough power to function.
So yes the battery does more than start the car. It absorbs sudden loads and provides power when the alternator can't catch up.

schock3

of course it stabilizes electrical loads, all batteries do. kind of like a capacitor in a car audio system.

sasa007

after 4-5 years you need to replace the battery...and TEST the alternator

HONDAPARTSMANMIKE

i agree have the altenator tested. i believe an autozone or most autoparts store will check it for free. i no the dealer i work for we will usually check it for free with a new battery or even sometimeswhen a customer says the battery keeps dies or car died while drivin etc. all dealer are ran different though.

bsivoljr

I always like to see things broke down to a mild science

TAS

Has anyone had to replace their alternator in their 2006 Honda Odyssey twice in one year? Anyone have an idea of why this is happening? HELP !!!

BLKFLSH

Delphi, no doubt. Some last, some don't. If it happens again, I'd switch to Denso.

tkuy2k

I have 2006 odessey and my car lost electrical power for about couple of seconds and everything was back on in couple of seconds. I have replaced battery 6 months ago and was told about 1 week ago that my battery is not good. What should I do? This has happend 3 times so far.

wickedj05

I had the same problem on my 05 accord. The car died on me on the freeway. Luckily, I was able pull the car over before I caused a accident. I knew it had to be the battery or the alternator. So I got the battery checked out and it was dead. So I replaced the battery and it still didn't work. I got the alternator checked out and it was fine. So I took it a shop and come to find out, it was the main relay that went out. After they replaced the main relay, it still didnt work. They found out that there was a short circuit in the wiring. They fixed the short circuit and now the car runs like a champ. If you're worried about your car, take it to a trustworthy mechanic to check out the main relay to see if there's any indications of any problems. Good luck

Cristoba

I have a 2006 Honda Odyessy that was working fine until this past Monday night. I went into the store and when I came back out, it wouldn't start. The dashboard lights were flashing and even with jumper cables, it still didn't start. Eventually, I called AAA and they came out and used that jumper box on it. It started right up and I drove straight home. The next day, I asked my fiance to take the battery to Auto Zone to have it tested. He said that they were not able to charge it and there was a dead cell in it. Well, today (Saturday), I called AAA to give me another jump because I had an important meeting to attend. Though I am not a mechanic, I am mechanically inclined and have always heard that a car can still run with a dead battery, but I just couldn't cut it off. As I was driving, the car cut off. I was able to get it into a parking lot fortunately, but it was nearly dead. I called AAA again and this time, the guy that came out said my alternator is bad. I didn't see him put anything on my car to test the alternator, but he said that when he put the jumper box on it, the voltage was going down. He said I have a bad alternator. I am concerned about this because before Monday night, I never saw any signs of a bad alternator. My kids have left the lights on over night 2 times before, causing me to need a jump both times, but no issues other than that.

My radio played with no problems, lights were not dim, windows rolled down, etc. I feel that it is just my battery, which is a brand I have never heard of from 2010, but could it be my alternator?

I would appreciate any help I can get. Thanks

Cristoba

Lost Again

Get a new battery in the car. Then see what you have from there.

JDMTERRY

Your car doesn't run off your battery unless the cars engine is not running or your alternator isn't working, so it wouldn't die while driving unless it was using the limited amount of juice left in your battery

Black R

Alternator died.

Car ran off battery until battery died.

My bet is that your new battery will run the car until it is depleted.

Test the alternator!

siralosha

TAS, did you ever get anywhere with this?
Just replaced. 2nd alternator from AutoZone in 10 months on wifes 2006 Odyssey EX-L iVTEC with VCM "J35A7". Same thing happend both times, wife driving home from work, after 10 miles she notices all electrical components going haywire. drives another 3 miles, then calls me on cell, I tell her to pull over. She makes it .5 miles & pulls into parking lot, actually I would say she coasted, since she had no power. Van died within. 1/8 of mile from last time.

vfeezy

Check your alternator again. AutoZone's prices maybe cheap but you get what you pay for. Go to Napa, Advance or the dealer. You may spend a little more but you will save yourself the time of constant replacement.

Had three autozone alternators in 1 and half years on the same vehicle. Ended up at the wrecking yard to get an OEM alternator and 3 years later it's still working like new.

Honda242

With my experience with Hondas,
I've ran through about 3 batteries in the space of a year. It was due to my bad alternator. After I got tired of replacing batteries I took it to a dealer to get a diagnostic scan.
Confirmed my alternator was gone so I went and got a used one and to this day I haven't needed a new battery nor alternator.