Guys i need your help.
today i was buying dinner with my wife and kid under a big rainy storm,
i went to a gas station to wait for the rain to stop and when i turned my car on the battery indicator was on ( first time ever).
after driving for a while i notice my dashboard lights were a little dim, and my windshield wipers were slow as hell, tried tightnen battery terminals but didnt work, called my attention that the car cranks well, and drives well, whats going on? alternator not charging battery? all of a sudden?
thanks in advance.

 

Battery light is almost always a bad alternator. You can get a multimeter and do a few tests. Start the car when it is completely cold and test for voltage. With it auto-idling at 1500 rpms or so you should be seeing atleast 14 volts. Then turn on the headlights and you should atleast be above 13 volts. If not i would replace the alternator. The best reman alternator is made by Denso who originally make Honda alternators and you can get one from Rockauto.com at a great price.

 

Thank you holmesnmanny,
that what it thought, alternator, my first option is to take it to an auto electrician, i live in Honduras and is very difficult to get those parts, i could buy it though, but i dont have 140 usd (just checked rockauto).
another question, (dumb i think). is it going to drain my battery while off?
is it going to drain it while driving?

thnk u

 

If the alternator is not charging the battery, the car will run off the battery til it dies. Not good. Check for blown fuses, and check all your electrical connections. Maybe you ran into a large puddle and the alternator was flooded?
Depending on how the charging circuit failed, it may or may not drain the battery.

 

Sometimes, its just a brush not quite seating. I normally give the alterator a good tap, with a mallet(Not metal is you can help it). Sometiems, this will help the brush seat. Youll know it because the engine sound will change as the alt loads it down a little bit. Not a permanent fix though, and if you hit it too hard you can damage it.

 

Thanks for your responses fellas, i tried your suggestions, checked connections, tapped the alt an same thing,
BUT today, at 6pm the car started normal as usual, no battery indicator and all systems were working fast and nice,
my guess is like MadMike said, maybe the alternator was flooded?, thats all i can think of,

thank you guys!