I had another thread a while ago about this, still haven't solved the problem.

Here's what's happening...

-Idle voltage is around 13.6, seems a little low compared to all the other 90-95 Hondas and Acuras I've owned. Used to seeing 14.0-14.3.

-When headlights, heater, rad fan, etc are turned on...voltage will drop to as low as 11.2-11.4 and doesn't go back up until all that stuff is turned back off. It is my understanding that the ELD should detect this drop in voltage, notify the ECU, and the ECU tells the alternator to put our more power.

-When the car is shut off, battery voltage immediately drops to 11.0-11.5. I am able to start the car again, but I think if I let it sit too long it will need a jump...it's been sitting for almost 24 hours, so I'll try to start it in a few to see.

The first ELD passed all tests, but I replaced the under-hood fuse block anyways...no change in the results.

Doing a parasitic drain test with a good test light shows no drain on the battery while car is off, even in almost complete darkness the bulb emits no light. I had someone open a door while I was performing this test to make sure the light picked up the drain from the seatbelt circuit, and it did by lighting up as expected.

The first alternator tested bad, second reman'd alternator tested good but was replaced anyways just in case, third reman'd alternator tested good and is still installed.

Alternator belt tightness seems acceptable, belt looks to be in acceptable condition.

Alternator section of the engine harness looks to be in acceptable condition.

I have not tested the battery or replaced it, it is a full size everstart battery which I plan to eventually replace with the correct size battery since this one is too big for the tray and is rubbing in to my clutch cable.

The ECU is a PM6 from what I think was an EX sedan, I bought it from a seller on here...not sure if it's any different than an Si PM6. Have not swapped out the ECU for another since I don't have a spare on hand.

I have checked all wiring and connections at least 50 times, I see no signs of damage/shorts/corroded contact points/etc.

I have installed brand new heavy-gauge ground cables...one from the battery to the chassis, one from the battery to the trans/clutch cable bracket.

I have installed a clean OEM ground cable from the valve cover to the core support.

All fuses are good, all electronics work great apart from wipers/rear defrost and a weird signal issue which are all due to the completely-toasted ICU which I will be replacing soon. I fried the ICU after reinstalling the dash and accidentally plugging the two big dash harness plugs in the wrong spots on the fuse block, beyond me why Honda made those plugs exactly the same and have them plug in an inch from each other.

I have checked, and cleaned, the thermostat housing ground...this is the second time I did that, first time was because the car wouldn't start/fuel pump wouldn't prime/etc due to the contact area being dirty.

So what could it be? Could the larger normal-sized battery be too much for the charging system to handle, since this car was meant to be equipped with a smaller battery? Could the ECU be bad, meaning it's not receiving a signal from the ELD/not sending a signal to the alternator to crank out more power? Could the battery be bad, or going bad?

 

yea i have that issue with the ELD i have no idea why its doing what its doing but i crank my car but never starts and backfires after a few seconds from cranking it. tmrw im going to try spraying starter fluid in the intake manifold to see if i can get running and if it does to see for how long. if the eld is bad how do i tell and how do i replace.

im on a tight budget so if theres a cheap way of replacing it or fixing it for a while let me know!! thanks!!

 

jaco 09 open your distributor cap and look at double check the distributor internals. and socialistic sounds like you have a short somewhere. or your alternator is done.

 

I don't know if a bad ELD would keep the car from starting, but to replace it you have to replace the whole fuse box under the hood. There is a walkthrough on testing the ELD, I'll try to find it tomorrow.

No, it is not the alternator. And if it were a short I would imagine the car wouldn't start, or there'd be other obvious signs. These symptoms are that of a dying ELD or dying battery, yet both seem to be fine.

 

Replace the battery, just went thru the same exact situation with a customer about a month ago. He was like, "I just bought that battery a week ago", but that never matters... parts go bad, its jus life. Your battery cells jus might not be able to take the charge.

N no, it doesnt really matter if its a lil bit bigger battery, ur charging system should be able to keep up with your car + battery's demands

 

why dont you test the battery? pop the caps n check the water in it, if the cells are low, fill with distilled water

 

well the night it broke down on me i tried using the battery from a friends car but yet nothing happened it almost wanted to start but just kept doing the same thing its doing now

 

The battery is the only thing I haven't replaced or tested, I'm pretty sure Autozone can do tests on them so I may try that and post the results.

I do plan on buying a smaller battery eventually since I need something that will fit and tie down on that battery tray, my current battery is digging in to the clutch cable and is too big for the tray.

Haven't tried that yet, mainly because I don't know how to do that stuff.

You'll probably get the answer you need by making your own thread.

 

i madee a new thread. would like as much help as i was getting here.!

pls and thx heres the link for that new thread

https://honda-tech.com/forums/showth...3#post44707953

 

im currently in the same exact boat...hopefully someone can assist in some ideas or answers...ill be redoing all my grounds tomorrow. my alternator and battery are brand new as well, not remanned but new. if i turn my headlights on, defroster and blower the idle drops to like 300 and my lights flicker and carry on...i cranked up the idle for now but thats just a band aid. ill post if i can find any answers as well.