boostedef123

I recently put 2 12`s and a 500 watt amp in my civic. Brand new alternator also. For about 2 weeks its been awsome. But yesterday I had some issues start up. My car wouldnt start up at all and had to get it jumped off. Figured the battery had a dead cell maybe so I went and bought a new one. Now my subs dont seem to hit as hard at all anymore and the sound just isnt that great. I upgraded the door speakers. I think my stock 6x9s are blown. If they are like the door speakers I know they are lol. Anyone else had problems with systems in their civics? Friend of mine had a Ef sedan and in his it was messing up the eletric load sensor or something. Any idea how to check that and see if it might be the same thing on mine?

93egSLEEPER

Your not pulling enough power w/ a 500w amp to mess up the electronics. Sounds like you have a bad ground or a power wire hooked up wrong where its not off the ignition switch causing a slow draw draining your battery.

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

^X2 this.

boostedef123

I went and rechecked all my wiring. Pulled the cd player back out and checked everything. Its all where it is supposed to go. It just happened out of no where. This new battery was dead within a day. So it has to of been something that just happened. I think I could have gotten a bad alternator. Im gonna try and get it started up and go to advance and see if they can load test it for me. Plus I know it cant be the amp draining it because this morning at like 1 am I went to start it. It started but was very very weak. I pulled the fuse out of the power wire to make sure it wasnt draining. I came back 3 hours later completely dead.

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

Swap in the old alternator.

boostedef123

I dont have the old one already gave it in for the core charge. I hope it isnt the alt because its so retarded having to pull the axle to get it out.

Former User

Check for parasitic drain.

Linked

a drain as bad as killing it in one day is most likely too much amperage for typical multimeter, i think most of them max out at about 2 amps, i've seen some expensive craftmans go to 10. he'd prolly need an ammeter

a simple but time consuming way to check is to:

charge your battery

disconnect your amp by removing the inline fuse

check the next day, if its not dead then the drain is in the subwoofer system

if it did die, connect back up the inline fuse and pull the alternator fuse in the under hood fuse box and wait again to see if it dies

for example, if it doesnt die, then you have a drain in the alternator or the wiring associated with it

Former User

Not necessarily. I think you are overestimating the drain. What you describe would be classified as a short. Testing is worthwhile.

boostedef123

Got my charging system tested today even with the wiring for the amp off it drained the living hell outa the battery alt is only doing 12V. So Gotta replace that. What fun pulling a drive axle out for a alternator. Hopefully thats all thats wrong with it. When a battery dies your car does some funny things.

93egSLEEPER

Pull the drive axle? You should be able to get in there with the car up on stands just fine. What motor?

boostedef123

D16Y8 cant pull it out through the top and only through the bottum with the axle out.

Former User

With the front end raised on stands, you can get the alternator out from the bottom without pulling the axle if you remove the lower alternator mount bracket and the splash shield.

boostedef123

Believe me I tried the area where it looks like there is a splash guard is solid. Ill take a video of it being pulled out to show you what im talking about.

Former User

Did you remove the lower alternator mount bracket and the splash shield? Removing the driver's wheel would also help.

boostedef123

Yes I removed all of that and it just wont clear the axle at all. No matter where you try to move it. Not that big of a deal to me to undo the coil and pull out the axle but I know there should be an easier way to do it.

Linked

only from personal experienece, i had a 2 amp drain (1.75 to be exact) in my car last fall, it didnt kill the battery overnight, but would cause a weak crank the next day, so i'd assume that a current draw killing a battery that much would draw more than 2 amps of current ( 2 amps being the typical limit for everyday multimeters)

and when i was taking auto electronic classes, a drain could be cause by a high resistance short

for instance, one way the alternator could have a drain is if one of the diodes in the alternator shorted across itself.

Former User

Are you raising the from end by driving the front wheels on ramps or by using a jack and supporting the frame on stands?

boostedef123

So if that happens can the alternator drain energy when sitting there?

boostedef123

I put it on a lift and removed the left front wheel and could not remove it.

Former User

People have problems with the axle if the front wheels still support the weight of the car. In my experience, if done the way I mentioned, the alternator comes out where the splash shield covers the area behind the driver's wheel. This happens after moving the free alternator toward the driver's wheel and rotating it so that its smallest dimension fits through the gap. Post a picture or video showing how your car is supported by the lift.

Linked

yes, because the diodes are wired directly to the battery, and directly to ground

the only thing stopping from touching each other are the diodes. if the diode fails, it can allow a small amount of current to flow from power to ground, acting as a load, and drain the battery

Former User

The OP needs to click the link on parasitic drain and read it. He can compare the amp drain with and without the 4P alternator connector plugged in. It should become immediately evident whether the alternator is drawing the amps. If not, removing hood and dash fuses one at a time should pinpoint the problem.

boostedef123

The alternator is pulling 15 amps turned off replacing and posting videos of what I was talking about when I get home

boostedef123

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_64VM3cpqM


This is where im talking about.