I took my '98 Civic to the Honda dealer because there is a very strong sulfur smell coming out of the right side of the engine. My usual mechanic has confirmed it is not the catalytic converter. The dealer tells me that the alternator is burning up everything and needs to be replaced. Has anyone ever heard of this happening? Could it be my alternator? The car has 124,000 miles.

 

did they explain how the sulfer smell is related to the alt? never heard that one before... if an electrical motor goes bad (alt) it doesn't smell like sulfer.

as a check, get a multimeter and measure the voltage at the battery terminals when you rev the car to about 2000 rpm or so. If the readings fluctuate and goes up to about 14v or a bit more, I'd say your alt is good.

any problems with flickering interior and exterior lights at night?

 

I haven't noticed any problems with flickering lights. My car does seem to be using a lot of gasoline if that means anything....The Honda tech did not say how the smell was related.

When I had my mechanic look at it he said the smell was coming from somewhere near the "cup" on the firewall on the left side of the engine (that's if you are looking into the engine...I'm a dumb woman and don't know much about cars. ).

I'll have my husband get a multimeter and try that.

 

great. Keep us posted on what you find.

Cup on firewall on the left side of the engine bay???

 

I called the Honda tech back and he said the sulfur smell is because the alternator is heating up and is causing the connections to heat up and the smell is coming from the dirt and dust???? It sounded like a good explanation to me....

The "cup" is a black canister with an electronic switch on top and fuel hoses going to it.....that is how my husband explains it.....but that is the vicinity that the bad sulfur smell is coming from.

 

That "cup" would be the charcoal canister.

Run the voltage checks and see what you get. Check the voltage and be make note of the high readings. The alt may have a blown voltage regulator which might account for the dirt at the connectors "burning" up.

have you had any other electrical related problems lately??? Battery overflowing or acid on the battery top, both indications of an overcharged battery from the alt.

 

I would think that an alternator "burning up" would smell like magic smoke (kind that comes from a fried amp, or deck). But then again I've never smelled an alternator when its going bad. Cat conver. are the only things I've ever smelt on a honda that smell like sulfer when they're going bad.

 

Ok, the Honda mechanic called back this morning and said that the alternator is overcharging and the battery is boiling. My husband seems to think this is a good answer and is going to put a new alternator in for me. I hope that solves the problem. I think I will have him run the voltage checks first just to be sure.

 

That makes perfect sense. Depending on how much the alt is overcharging, you may be smelling acid from the battery being burnt up as it overflows.

Look for signs of a liquid around your battery and under the battery tray area. If you find a wet spot, I'd spray down the engine compartment area with some water to wash the spilled acid away. Do this when the engine is cold. You can futher neutralize the acid by pouring/brushing some baking soda solution on the affected areas.

good luck... hope the new alt solves your problem. BTW, if you are not in a rush, I bought a use alt off ebay for like $20 a few months back. Also, instead of using new Honda parts, you can use those from the local parts store... lots cheaper. If the Honda dealer doesn't like that idea, take it to an independent for installation.

 

Thanks for your help and advise. I picked up an alternator at NAPA last night and my husband will put it in this weekend...or maybe he will suprise me and it will be done when I get home from work today.

 

Depending on what model civic you have, it may be a struggle to switch the alt. It just doesn't come right out w/o a fight.

check out this thread...

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1212146

most times, taking it out the bottom is the way to go, it seems. also, you don't need to pull the axle to change it.

good luck... let us know how it turns out.

 

I got home from work last night and my husband was changing my alternator...took him less than an hour. He did have to jack up the car and take off the lower mounting bracket, but then it came out with a little wiggling. He also ran a voltage check on the battery and it is fine. My car is like new again! Thanks for your help.