As many of you know, I've had a lot of recent problems with my R that I couldn't figure out. Many of you stated alternator, some stated ignitor, some said battery, others said relay and ECU.... The car just randomly dies...
I ordered a new ignitor from Len and a new alternator from Bert-O I replaced the battery last week and the car died 1.5 days later. After sitting for 4 hours, it fired back up and I was able to make it back home which sort of indicated ignitor. Tonight I had some free time, so with the help of a good friend, I replaced the ignitor and recharged the a/c thanks to new lines from DavidNYC Everything went smoothly. Car started beautifully, recharged the a/c - nice and cold in the ******* Florida heat. Lights working fine. I hit the gas and the lights go brighter indicating the alternator is charging fine. Now the test of death. With the car running, I took the positive cable off the battery and she still ran. Turned the lights on and she still ran fine. Turned the a/c on and it died immediately. So does this single out the alternator? how long with the car run without having an alternator charging the motor?

Marc ---> who was , but is still

 

I am guessing the alternator.

Yo realtor just find someone with a DVOM or analog volt ohm meter and see what the voltage is when the car is running. holler

I think they do tests at autozone/advanvce places for your alternator also.

 

see if you have a short somewhere by, taking off the postive cable and putting a test light between the cable and the battery, if it lights up you have a short.

Other wise I'm stumped.

 

Will try that Rob.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by v-attack &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I think they do tests at autozone/advanvce places for your alternator also.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Just a data point - Autozone sold me three bad starters in a row for my Scout. I made them bench-test them each and every time, and while they checked out on the bench, they wouldn't even begin to turn the Scout over.

Finally punted and took the truck to a shop. Bad starter. Told them I had just replaced it with an Autozone unit, and they said "that's your problem, their rebuilds suck. Go to Napa and bring one back from there, we'll charge you less."

Got Autozone to reimburse me for the repair bill


Cliffs: Don't trust Autozone's test. Just because they claim it's ok doesn't mean it really is.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Splat &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Cliffs: Don't trust Autozone's test. Just because they claim it's ok doesn't mean it really is.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I couldn't agree more.

 

The fact the car died when you turned on the AC doesn't surprise me in the least. The Type R altenator is, well, wimpy to say the least. AC is a huge current draw on the battery, when it is connected. The altenator cannot source that kind of current. The purpose of the altenator is to charge and assist the battery, not to run the vehicle. I think your going down the wrong path, or your on the right path but for the wrong reason.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 00ITR#756 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> I think your going down the wrong path, or your on the right path but for the wrong reason.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I don't quite understand what you mean....

 

Broke *** R... 4 life

 

at least the back seats don't smell....

 

once again, D or myslef to the rescue

 

OK, A/C does not draw THAT much current to kill the motor. The fans comming on do however. Are we sure the A/C compressor isn't siezed? At normal operating temp. does the idle rise when the lights are turned on (IAC valve)? What were the results of the charging system load test? You did that test right? Have you considered your ignition switch could be at fault, jiggle the key with the engine running and see if it dies. The right front shock tower (pass. side) has several vital connectors/wires, make absolute sure these are making positive connection. This WILL cause the car to die for "no reason" Feel free to IM me, I've got lots of tips on this problem...

mikehonda: who up to 47 fixed Honda buy-back cars