euroborn1

i just bought a 97 ex 2 weeks ago...for those 2 weeks the car started without a problem, then 2 days ago, i started it, turned it off then tried starting, and the fukr wouldn't start, so i hooked it up to my buddies car and jumped it, fired right up....SO..i figured it's the battery, went and got a new one, and it started up right away...for the past 2 days since i put in the new battery, it always started up good, even tho couple times it kinda sounded like it didn't want to, but did anyway...today i went to the store, came out tried starting, didn't start...5 seconds later i try again, and it started...WEIRD SH-IT.....after all this, it started 2 more times throughout the day, then all of a sudden im trying to start this thing and not a damn thing...lol...hooked it up to jumpers, boom, started right away...drove for a little while, parked turned it off, tried to start it....NOTHING....again, i hooked it up to jumper cables and it started like a champ .....LOL....so this is the story of the 97 honda civic coupe i bought from some fckin grandma on CL... any help will be greatly appreciated on what this could possible be....

thanks

euroborn1

and btw, i DID get the old battery tested and they said it was no good anymore

addiction2bass

well first off charge the battery fully and get the car started and take the car a autoparts store that will check the alternator and battery for free and have them check the alternator... it could be alternators about ready to crap out on ya!

2nd thing it might be is your wires. check both battery terminals for any white/green corosion on the terminals, and take the terminals apart. i know on my 99ex it had a extra wire going off the side of the battery terminal and it was coroded BAD when i got the car and quickly got coroded again. probably due to the old leaking battery. i replaced the battery and put new battery terminals on my car and havent had a problem since!
also check the ground wire as well where it bolts to the body, take it out and make sure it is clean and then tigthen it back down.

the 2 most common problems is the alternator/battery, and bad/dirty wires.

blk92_d16

Sounds like a classic dead alternator...the battery itself will crank a car, but w/o a good alternator the car's normal functions draw power the battery thus draining it.

Go to an auto parts store like AutoZone to have BOTH checked out.

quicksilver1689

why dont people by cheap DMM's/dvoms and just save alot of work.

spray_bombed

go get the new battery checked....i work at a quick lube/tire/battery place....they will sell you old, messed up batteries and not even think twice....plus if you didnt install it...someone may have rigged something

Scud

yea i had the same problem.. they gave me another battery and its worked fine. take it back to the place you got it and try another one..

mikeycivic

its your alternator. Go get it checked at local parts store.

JDMPHILEP91

agree its your alternator.

euroborn1

thanks for all the replies, and it was the alternator! today i pulled the old one out, and now im having trouble putting on the new one...lol for some reason, the bottom of the alternator don't wanna fit on the bracket....it looks kinda LIKE THIS



PLEASE HELP

addiction2bass

simple.... use a hammer and push the insert OUT of the hole enough to slide the alternator in. and when you tighten down the nut it will force that slide/metal sleeve back against the alternator holding it firm!

euroborn1

are you sure it's a insert in the bracket? it looks like its a part of the metal...

1992Si

Just hit either one of them. they move.

May be a little wd-40

addiction2bass

yes trust us the piece on the motors bracket is just a metal slide/collar. give it a few hits and she will slide out alittle, it shouldnt pop out all the way because those things are typicaly in there really tight! so it wont move easily its only in the way of the alternator by just a fraction of a inch... remember how tight your alt was to get out of that mount? yes i know it was tight its because of that small slide.

just about every car ive ever worked on has the same type of metal sleeve/slide piece. other wise your alternator would be almost imposible to tighten down.

when you reinstal the alt just finger tight that bottom nut, and then put the belt on and use the top bolt and tighten it down with tension on the belt. THEN go back and tighten that bottom nut to really lock the alternator in place.

1992Si

newbies We've all been there...

addiction2bass

LOL ya we all gotta learn by doing it one time.

hopefully the new alternator will fix the problem for ya. tho i would charge the battery fully before starting up the new alternator. it will just help it last alittle longer. a alternator can only charge so many batteries before it dies as well one thing i learned on my old 66impala. i went thru countless batteries and alternators till i finaly replaced them both at the same time cause i was so tired of them going bad! and now im still running the same alternator, but the battery sets most the time and its dead from sitting around for over a year now.

euroborn1

im hammering the hell out of the insert, from both sides...and it won't move one bit! i was trying to take off the insert too, but those nuts are rusted to sh--it... lol

euroborn1

typo---i was trying to remove the bracket, not the insert...

addiction2bass

the alternator lower bracket is held on by 2 bolts. mine were tight but not really tight. remember its into a aluminum block

its hard to move the sleeve out. dont hit it both ways, by hiting it in towards the center of the car is only making it lock up more. just keep hiting it outwards towards the drivers fender till it moves enough to get the alternator in. you must just be to weak or not hiting it straight. keep at it man it will move!

euroborn1

lol i just tried for another half hour, NOTHING! i sprayed it with bunch of wd40 and some other sh--it...its hard to hit it straight cuz the axle is in the way, so im kinda hitting it on a angle....im thinking the best thing to do is just to take the bracket off and do it like that, hopefully that will work...i never really worked on cars before except doing my own oil changes and the little sh--it, so now im actually trying lol...and its definitely not going smoothly...but yea im sure ill eventually pop that bitch out...

addiction2bass

ya if ya pull the bracket off you should be able to hit it nice to move it. i worked from the bottom of the car with the axle removed when i changed my alternator. i couldnt get my stock one out any other way!
its only 2 bolts holding that lower bracket on the block. just be carefull when reinstaling it and dont overtigthen it. otherwise ya might strip the threads out of the block.
also when reinstaling them alittle WD40 on them should help them go in easier.

euroborn1

yea i pulled it out through the top, it took a while, but eventually came out somehow lol...im gonna continue tomorrow with that punk *** bracket