hey guys so i was on my way home last night in my DD and my car suddenly died... i had noticed my radio was shutting off, cluster lights had dimmed dramatically and my HID's had shut off as well prior to the car dieing... i tried my hardest to keep the idle but it killed off before i could park. the car would not crank over at all and was forced to push start multiple times.

a couple days ago i tested the battery and had a CCA level of 439/500...so i added water and recharged the battery that put the CCA level to 518/500. idk if my battery is just bad, alternator is just going out or if i have bad grounds possibly

any input or help would be much appreciated HT

 

if your stuff dimmed... then i would take a look at the alternator. if it is bad then the car is running purely off the battery itself, and when the battery gets low ur dash/lights etc all get dim 5-15mins before the car finally turns off.

the easiest thing is test the battery, which most likely will be dead so give it a charge. if the car starts with a fresh charge then i would test the alternator with it in the car, or just pull the alternator out and take it to a shop and test.

 

This really sounds like the alternator died
Inspect to be sure there is no corosion on the alternator 4 pins connector and the big wire bolted on it. be sure your alt belt is okay .

If everything is right and you still eating battery, you might have to replace the alternator

 

thats kinda what i had figured...my next adventure will be to drive the car to work (at honda dealership) and test the alternator and replace if needed. THANK YOU!

 

get a full charge on the battery, and when driving dont use the radio or headlights etc... headlights will really drain the battery

 

I had this exact same issue, it was my alternator, when you get a new one, have them test it before you buy it, I ended up getting a bad alternator the first one I bought.

89 Civic HB - This car has given me so much hell.

 

im on #4 from advanced auto in about 9 months. voltage regulator once, bushings twice, and i nvr found out the original 1s problem.

*i have a 3yr warranty though

 

THANKS FOR ALL THE INPUT GUYS! I ENDED UP DOING THE ALTERNATOR AND HAS NOW BEEN 5 DAYS WITH NO ISSUES SO FAR AND SEEM TO HELP MY PROBLEM... ONLY THING NOW IS MY CAR SEEMS TO HAVE A ROUGH IDLE...

REMOVAL OF THE ALTERNATOR WAS FAIRLY EASY!! JUST SCOOTED IT OUT BEHIND THE ENGINE AND UP WHERE THE HEATER/WATER HOSES ARE

 

Its always a pleasure to help!

 

I slid my alternator out the same way, and what kind of a rough idle?