I got an electrical dilemma on my stock '91 CRX DX, and I need some advice.

I recently became aware of the fact that my alternator is running under the standard 13V (currently running below 12) and that my battery is defective (charging 40 cca where it should be 410cca). I'd like to try to fix the problem myself, and I'd like to see what my possibilities are.

First, I'm going to be getting a three month old battery out of an old carbourated '87 Accord DX that will be on its way to the junkyard soon because of too much body damage, and I have the opportunity to strip whatever parts I wish from it. I've been told this Accord runs an inline-4, which I'm assuming is an A20 . I'm curious; is the A20 alternator interchangeable with the CRX's D15 engine? It seems to me that Honda seemed to standardize a fair few parts between their different vehicles for quite some time; does such a theory hold for a such a wide vehicle range and year span?

Also, in the meantime, I'd like to try to keep this CRX running with what I have. I have removed the stereo system and have regulated the car to daylight hours only so I can keep my headlights off. I was wondering what the power load on the car is at idle with no extended equipment running, and what the best RPM range is for the alternator. I'm hoping that despite the alternator being defective, I can still get a small positive charge out of it in the meantime; just enough to get rid of this battery light (which often flickers off between 3500-4000 rpm). Also, should I even be doing this? I simply want the car running because I like being able to drive it around, but I'm of course willing to let it sit for a while if I run the risk of causing damage.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Berkut99 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> is the A20 alternator interchangeable with the CRX's D15 engine? It seems to me that Honda seemed to standardize a fair few parts between their different vehicles for quite some time; does such a theory hold for a such a wide vehicle range and year span? </TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm not sure, but i know people convert obd2 alternators to obd1. but it seems to me that people have problems with that once an awhile .

You could compare the plugs and the respective wiring, and the ratings of the alternators.

 

i think you best bet would just be to have the alternator that is in there now rebuilt, if you dont know to much about wiring, amps, and all that jazz i would not try interchanging parts risking melting wires and and makin an even bigger mess out of something small.

you might not have a defective battery, if the system is not workin properly you battery will not have sufficient charge due to the fact that the system is now runnin mainly on your battery other than the alternator, and if the alternator is bad it will not charge the battery as it should

i had the same exact problem with my car, i have went through alot of alternators.it cost about 100 bones to have it rebuilt.

 

I wasn't aware that you can get an alternator rebuilt. Do I need to go anywhere special for that, or will any good full-service shop do?

I do appreciate all the advice you guys are giving me. This place has already helped me learn alot.