stockk

1996 honda civic d16y7.
Here is the run down.

I CAN start my car but usually everytime I do I see the Battery Icon light up.
I've went to 3 alternators and im just tired of changing it..

Yes. i've had the car on and unplug the positive wire and the car turned off..(usually the alternator)
Yes. the battery is charged.. lights are fully functional. and light bright...
Yes. the battery terminal is good.. (the most recent thing i replaced.)

all i have hooked up is some hids and a sony deck.. no amps. or subs..

Note:.. the positive wire towards the battery seem kinda short..


ill check my old alternator tomarrow to see if that checks out good because if thats good then the one in the car is good(the previous alternator and same problem.).. .. so that way ill save some cash..

oh i forgot to mention..
Yeah it does come on but after I rev pass a certain rpm (i dont have a tach to be extact) it goes away.


Q: Could it possibly be the ground wire ? if so, What size are they.. ?

could it be the positive wire towards the battery.. ? if so , what size is that ?
0 or 4 guage?

Thinking of going to home depot and getting some wires.. myself..

Any kind of answer will help and get me less confused. So.. lmk.. but in the mean time. im going to extend the power wire towards the battery and check my old alternator..

THX>....

Former User

So you are not having any electrical problems per se and the problem is that the battery light comes on, right? Please say more about the latter. Does the light always stay on while you are driving the car? Or only sometimes? If so, what seems to make it turn on?

westsideaznboi

mine kinda does that too, but ever time i go pass 5k rpm it lights up.. it flickers

stockk

oh i forgot to mention..
Yeah it does come on after every start up but after I rev pass a certain rpm (i dont have a tach to be extact) it goes away.

Jackal6042

This may sound stupid, but some times its the simple things that are the issue. If it only does it at high RPM have you check the belt tension? If the belt is a little too loose at higher RPM the crank pulley could be turning fast enough for the belt to slip either on the crank pulley or alternator pulley meaning less rotation on the alternator = less charge = battery light coming on. This can be amplified if you have under-drive pulleys.

Jackal6042

That last post was for the guy whose light comes on at high RPM. Yours may be a loose or corroded connection. Or the wire between the + terminal and alternator might be in bad shape. Not enough to prevent a charge from hitting the battery, but enough for the system to see there aren't enough amps going to the battery until the alternator spins at a higher RPM to juice the proper amps through a slightly shorted wire.

I'd say replace the wire lead from the alternator to the battery and go from there. Now when you've replace alternators you've used new ones correct?

stockk

this actually helps..
but i didnt use new alternators. I've used "used" ones that have been tested to work.

Jackal6042

OK, well just my thought is it probably isn't the alternator based on the symptoms you described. Try replacing the wire and go from there. Home Depot might not have the best wire for this. Usually the stranded wire they sell of this size is rather rigid due to the in sulation material and size of the strands. I'd suggest getting some wire from a car stereo shop. Be sure to pick up a big *** eylet connector from them as well for the side connected to the alternator.

oldscoma442

does your speedo work?? it sounds crazy but there is a fuse that controls the alternator and speed sensor. check that. and if you wanna change the cables, just go to advance auto parts and tell them what you want. they have cables already made with terminals. it much easier

stockk

ic ic audio store.. here i come.

yes speedo works.. it happen to me once b4. and i changed the fuse.. for it to work again..
which was a while back.. different from the situation i am in now..

stockk

UPdate.. :

okay well, Knowing that the power wire to the battery was half way in the terminal. I reconnected it fully by cutting the rubber peice to make sure only metal was in contact.

Once i started my car the battery light still comes on but NOW when i unplug the positive wire while the car was running (to check if the alternator is good) its still running so that means alternator checks OUT GOOD...

I seem to cant find the ground wire from the alternator..
Is it the one where you bolt up with a 10mm nut that is in the wrapped plastic ?

can anyone tell me the guage size of the grounds or what is recommended ?

ty. in advance.

stockk

reconnecting the battery terminal did the JOB.. :D battery light gone..


ty all.. i thought it was something more than that. and was trying to get more of the how to fix it if it doesnt go through.. my way... .and THX..

Jackal6042

Awesome!!! I'm glad you got it fixed!!

stockk

guess what ? that didnt do the job :\
A day after, the batterylight turned on again. and i still have to rev a lil for it to go away ...

what size is the ground wire to the alternator ?
or any of the ground wire.. for that matter ?

lmk..

Jackal6042

I'd run a 4 AWG wire for the alternator, depending on future plans (high output alternator, a lot of electronics etc) even a 2 AWG might be a consideration. Personally I think 1 AWG, 0 AWG or anything larger would just be overkill.

For smaller grounds I'd say 8 AWG to maybe a 6 AWG would be good... Maybe even a little over kill.

The key in my opinion is getting good quality wire. Going to home depot and getting the cheapest stuff you can find might not be the best call. In cases such as main grounds and power wires, if you are replacing them, then go with a good conductor.

A little site I had in my bookmarks:
http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm