okay my problem started last night when i couldn't start my car. the starter would crank, but the engine wouldn't start. this is the first time my car has not started since i bought it last august. at first i thought it was possible that one of my fuel kill switches or relay had burnt out, so i started ripping those out and wiring the fuel pump back together again. no luck. i can hear the pump priming just before i try cranking it (something i should have done before ripping out my damn switches..), so i don't think its my fuel pump or the main relay.

when i put the car in the ON position the CEL doesn't blink or anything out of the ordinary. when i am under the hood, i hear a slight continuous humming which i think is coming from the alternator. its a humming i have never heard before with her in the ON position.

i've been searching around and i read in another thread that some members have experienced a burning smell almost like burning wires coming from under the hood just a few weeks before their alternator died, and now that i think of it, i had actually slightly smelled something similar coming from my hood once or twice during the past few weeks. i just never thought anything of it since i have only been a used integra owner for 9 months.

my car is stuck in front of a friend's house and i practically have no tools around to do anything immediately, so all i can do at the moment is research as much as i can before i start taking things out that i dont need to.

does anyone think it may be the alternator? my battery seems like it still has enough juice in it to crank a good few more times if needed. i can probably try push starting it when i get the chance, but wouldn't i still need the alternator to keep it running?

should i pull the alternator out to see if i can have it tested somewhere?

im pretty stumped. but now all signs point to the alternator. so if anyone can help confirm this i would be very very grateful! thanks for taking time to read this mess.

 

If you're saying your car will turn over but not start, I don't see how it could be the alternator. A bad alternator would drain the battery (well, actually just not charge it) and the car wouldn't turn over.
Did you check for spark?

edit -- exact same thing happened to me (if you're saying the car will turn over) and it was my coil. Just an FYI.

 

double post retard here.

 

hey thanks for replying. see i thought the same thing - the alternator wouldn't allow me to even crank it. but that humming is concerning me.

how would i go about testing for a spark exactly? i don't really have special tools for such testing. would you know how much a new coil would cost? is it fairly easy to replace myself? THANKS, BRO!!

 

you gould go testing for sprak by removing the plug closest to the ground on the valve cover. Keep the wire on it but hold the other end of the plug to the ground and have a buddy turn the car over.

And if its a humming noise like a washing machine on spin cycle your bearings could be on there way other of the alt. Take it to a auto parts store and have them test it.

 

might be the igniter, sounds like what happened to me, my alternator IS starting to whine, but i replaced the coil with no luck so i replaced the igniter and that did it. Good luck!

 

igniter? sounds like a flux capactet not putting out the required 1.81 jigawatts

 

sorry im a no0b at this sometimes but im not exactly sure what it means if there isn't/is a spark..

about the bearings, i didn't know any bearings anywhere could make noise when the engine is shut off but the key in the on position. it sounds like it coming from around the alternator area.. i dont know, something tells me it could be normal but i have no clue.

ill try and get it somewhere tested soon somehow. thanks for the replies guys.

 

do u have a volt meter?


u can get a cheap one at radio shack

to test ur alternator all u have to do is start the car...put the volt meter on the battery if it reads 13.6 and up ur good, anything below that ur **** isnt charging correctly bad alternator.

anything to high i say above 15 volts then ur regulator in ur alternator is bad , to high voltage you'll start blowing fuse's and ecu's

its not brain science just clipping the volt meter test leads to the positive and negative side of the battery turning the car on and looking at the meter to see how many volts ur cars charging system is pushing out , dont pay a shop to do that ****

 

when i do the spark test, and i don't get a spark, it means the ignitor or coil needs replacing, correct?

also, for what its worth, i noticed that sometimes when i would start my car, the engine would start, but it would slowly climb to idle. almost sounding like gas was slowly being fed to it at first - not the normal, start car, RPMs jump to 2, then go back to below 1. does this sound like something in the dizzy?

 

anyone else have any ideas before i start pulling money out of my pocket?

i will be paying my 1st months rent AND be paying off a lawyer tomorrow so my money situation is looking REALLY grim at the moment. the last thing i need is a busted car.

 

YUP. turns out it was the ignition coil. thank god for friends of family that come to your house and fix your car for you. AMEN.

with a bill of $176 i don't think i can complain. thanks for all the replies, guys!