FIXED! ALTERNATOR FTL. enjoy the weekend all who helped!


another tech question for the brains of honda-tech!
i just picked up an eg coupe off a buddy of mine because he gave up on trying to fix it. he cant afford to buy anymore batteries. i would like to fix it so i can list it for sale so somebody can enjoy a clean civic with a gsr swap!
PROBLEM:
-civic eg coupe, gsr swap. car randomly one day at start up started smoking out of the hood so he popped the hood to see that the grounds were pretty much on fire. this problem caused the battery to be killed for good. i advised that it was probably a massive power source touching something it shouldn't somewhere in the harness. we swapped out harnesses with my known good harness, new battery, new ecu and boom there goes another battery. the car will start but once it fires up this problem happens....

Assumptions:
-since its not the ecu nor the harness or battery....could it be inside the starter problems, distributor? anything? lol this has pushed my limits on knowledge of wiring.

 

get a service manual and test it with the voltmeter.
check for power wires beeing squished somewhere or rubbing.
when the engine runs the car vibrates and so does the wire if it does short out somewhere.

but a voltmeter and service manual would be the first things.

 

any ideas of other power wires besides ones through the harness? its a good harness so count that out. thanks!

 

check alternator output voltage?

 

You may need to check continuity instead of voltage. You seem to have continuity, a short. Putting voltage may find it with a short agaon.

 

thanks a lot everyone, keep the ideas coming as i will attempt to get through this!

 

prolly starter.. if the positive on the battery grounds out that will make it explode. if the one to the alt grounds out the wire will catch on fire and fry the fuse box. id swap them both since most honda guys have several laying around.

 

i happen to have both sitting here! thanks for the advice guys! im going to swap out the starter and alternator to be sure. wish me luck! batteries arent cheap

 

is the fuse box under the hood ok? check the bottom side of it.

 

Only time I had a smoking batter was from my alternator being grounded out. Tested it out at Orielly's and it was pushing out too much voltages. Swapped it with new alternator and battery, been good since then.

 

fuse box is good, had it in my race/street car. good lookin out!

 

thanks for the info! im going to swap out the battery and alternator...most likely the starter too since i have one here.

 

Anytime. Goodluck with it.