Hey my 92 ex isnt starting, the lights can come on but the car tries to turn over and wont start, i know its a power problem cuz jumping fixes it. Is there a way to tell if its my battery or the alternator?

iv had to jump it a couple times just to get it on, its sitting in my yard not being driven

 

battery believe it or not. same thing happend my other car, an 02 saab. lights were on but didnt actually start. new batter is in and she runs great again.

 

well if it is a bad alt then it will not charge the batt what you do is when you start the car disconnect the battery posts and see how your car runs if it dies then it is your alt and if it dosent then it is your batt and if it stalls then get a volt meter see if it is puttin out 14 volts it might just be not charging the batt enough to do a cold start

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BlUAc &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">...when you start the car disconnect the battery posts and see how your car runs if it dies then it is your alt and if it dosent then it is your batt </TD></TR></TABLE>

reason for this: you'll creat a voltage spike to damage the ecu/ sensors/ blow a fuse or 3... it's fine-&-dandy for carbureted engines w/out any electrical fuel management system, but not for today's cars...

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">...and if it stalls then get a volt meter see if it is puttin out 14 volts it might just be not charging the batt enough to do a cold start</TD></TR></TABLE>

shoulda just done this from the git-go... replace the battery, put the voltmeter on the pos + neg posts... read about ~12V then start car to see ~14+ V...

if not, then suspect the Alternator & you can have that bench-tested or tested on-car-in the parking lot by autozone/advance auto parts for free...

 

so i should just get a volt meter and do that first right? i anything above 12 good or does it have to be 14V?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by KillerElfboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so i should just get a volt meter and do that first right? i anything above 12 good or does it have to be 14V?</TD></TR></TABLE>

well, if you don't have a voltmeter on hand, replace the battery & hope the closest store is nearby, just in case you'll be running off battery power if the alternator is dead...

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">...you can have that bench-tested or tested on-car-in the parking lot by autozone/advance auto parts for free...</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

well im not driving it right now cuz im waiting for my insurance to get back to me on a claim i have going so its just sitting there

 

Do you have access to a battery charger? If so, charge the battery overnight and see if the car starts. Then try it again later. If the battery is good, it will hold a charge and start the car.

After you jump start it, do you drive it enough to charge the battery?

And yes, a voltmeter is the best way to check if the alt is charging the battery. Like others mentioned, Never disconnect the battery on a running engine. The battery should be just a hair over 12volts, and you should have around 14 volts when the engine is running.

 

It sounds like the battery the same thing happened to my car and i got a new battery and it worked fine

 

i would disconnect it and take it to autozone or orielly's they will test the battery for your and charge it for free. could save yourself alot of time and money. but it does sound like could be your battery. i had the same problem in my 5th gen, tested battery and changed.

 

its definantly the battery cuz if it was ur alternator when you jump it with the plugs and took the plugs off the car would die. if its an open cell battery u may want to throw some DISTILLED water in the cells and give it a charge by doing that once a year i know a guy with a nissan quest who has had the same battery for 5 years

 

its a Honda Battery... i dont know if its open cell,

 

see if the top of the battery have removeable vent caps... like the ones you walk thru walmart or whatever parts store...

(of course, wear eye protection B4 opening them up to add some distilled water before charging up the battery)

the following is a sealed battery, which you can't pry it open to check the fluid:



then, there's the removeable caps:



google FTW!