I've got a semi new battery (about 3 months old) but the water pump went out on my '91 honda civic and it's been sitting for a while so the battery is dead and needs to recharge.

I can't run the car at cruising speed because it starts to overheat but it can idle forever.

How long will it take to charge it with the alternator at idle?

I've idled for about 2 or 3 hours and it still wouldn't start again when I turned the car off.

Thanks,

-Tyler

 

sounds like your alternator is weak. check your voltage while engine is running. should be about 14v. From a jumpstart, i can start the car again .5 to 1 hour of idle time.

that or you have alight on somewhere like the trunk.

you should post in the 88-91 EF fourm though.

 

you should pull the battery and charge it.

 

You should probably repair your vehicle so it doesn't over heat while you're driving it. And bring the battery & alternator to a car parts store to have them tested.

 

What the folks above said.

I had a similar issue and found that the actual battery cable clamps were crappy and weren't holding correctly. FWIW, New clamps fixed my charging issues.

 

Alternators do a poor job at charging batteries, but a great job at maintaining charge. Most parts stores will test and charge batteries for nothing.