Hello Honda-loving friends. I'm in a bind and I could really use some help, as I'm not the most knowledgable about cars and this seems like a great place to get some advice. I've been driving an '88 CRX HF for the past four years now. It's got about 195,000 miles and some significant rust from three winters in outdoor lots (at my college). Other than (probably) some electrical issues, it is in good running condition.

This past summer, the alternator died and I had it replaced. A month later, this new alternator goes bad and I have it replaced again. I had a mechanic friend of mine look at it, and he said that old Hondas tend to have shorts in the wiring harness that kill alternators. The mechanic fixed a short that he found in the harness, but this alternator went bad as well after another month. It was under warranty, so I had it replaced by a local mechanic near my school in Illinois. He didn't seem like he understood what I was talking about in describing the wiring harness, so he just replaced the alternator and sent me on my way. After not even four hours of total driving, my battery light is back on and I'm thinking that this alternator is on the way out if not already completely useless.

Here's the problem: I want to drive this car from Illinois 12hrs to Pennsylvania where I live this coming wednesday (the 24th of november) so that my dad and his mechanic friend Steve can fix it up and sell it. The local mechanic is clueless (like me) and I don't think that another alternator is going to work. I don't have access to a vehicle that could tow it either. My dad and I discussed having me purchase an extra battery. I would drive the 12hr trip without a working alternator. Drive for a few hours in the morning, find a shop somewhere in Indiana or Ohio depending on how long I could last, charge up the battery, drive until it dies, replace it with the new battery that I purchased, and then hopefully drive home with minimal headlight usage.

Some questions: How long would the battery last in my CRX without a working alternator? Do new car batteries come fully charged, or would I need to have it charged up somewhere? Is this idea ridiculous? (I kind of think it is..) Another other thoughts/ideas/alternatives/bits of advice for me?

Please help! Thanks!

 

Jesus H. Have you thought of diagnosing the problem with your wiring? Fix that and you don't even have to sell the car. Since this is your first post, I am guessing not. Welcome. Now find yourself a service manual (online or hard copy) and get to work, asking directed questions after you've done your homework. I can tell from your spelling and grammar that you're not a ****** so you have an excellent shot at fixing this yourself.

 

i think brand new batteries do not come fully charged. They are new in the sense that they are 100% capable of holding a charge, but they do not come fully charged. Now from my understanding of how cars operate is that when you are driving your car is pulling power from the alternator. That's where it gets all the power from while the car is on. Now if you suddenly need more power than the alternator can output then the alternator will pull extra juice from the battery.

Now if you buy a new battery, and do not charge it up, then i am sorry but you will not get that far at all.

I would go to a reputable shop and have the electrically test the entire system. it's obvious you have a short somewhere that is frying your alternator. You said you have some rust on the car, it is possible that some of the wiring has frayed or perhaps there is a ground that is no longer grounding out because of the rust. Either way you need to get it checked out. You cannot drive a car on a battery alone. I have never tried it, but I know you will not get far.

 

When my alternator died, i made it about an hour and a half before it finally spluttered and the fuel pump cut out. I hate electrical problems, they are the worst, wish you luck!!