I've had my alternator replaced THREE times already, and may have to go for a fourth time! What could be causing my alternator to ALWAYS short out and have to replace it? Could there be something not grounded properly to cause this or have i just had bad luck with the alternators i'm getting ? I am using an aftermarket battery, an Odyssey PC680, could such a small battery cause this to happen? (Though we've tried switching to a regular battery beforehand and the car did the same thing, but one of my friends keep suggesting it's my battery for some reason.) I don't have any aftermarket stereo components (such as amps, subs, etc) it's all stock, except for the ghetto cd plater to tape thingy . But, I do play my music a little loud to compensate for traffic jams . Other than that, i have NO idea what's going on, please help guys! Any info and suggestions are welcome!

Thanks in Advance

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bubba55 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Could there be something not grounded properly to cause this </TD></TR></TABLE>

That would be my guess to cause a draw all of the time that would cause the alt. to go bad after a while. also check to make sure that ur belt spins evenly and a pully is not bent

 

thanks for the input, i'll be looking to see what's going on tomorrow morning

 

Could the battery have ANYTHING to do with it?

 

if there is a short, what exactly would i look for?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bubba55 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Could the battery have ANYTHING to do with it?
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Could. If the battery isn't holding enough energy to satisfy the electrical usage the car depands then it will drainvery quick. In that case, the alternator will be on for most of the time and could kill it quicker.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bubba55 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if there is a short, what exactly would i look for?</TD></TR></TABLE>

If there was a short your fuse would blow, who keeps installing these alternators, reason I ask is because one of the top cause of alternator failures is improper belt tension. Also what are the specs of your battery.

 

hopefully your not using some no name brand alternator

 

the specs are as follows:

Specs:

Length 7 in.
Width 3 1/16 in.
Height 6 5/8 in.
Drycell Battery
Without Metal Jacket
12 Volt
16 Ah @ 10hr rate
220 CCA
680 Cranking Amps for 5 Seconds
24 Minute Reserve Capacity
Cycle life @ 77°F 400 at 100% DOD
-40°F to 140°F Temperature Range
Replaces DYNA-BATT 5575B, 5575C
More Specs: (Adobe PDF)

Features:
12 Year design life and 6 to 10 year service life
99.9% pure lead providing minimal plate corrosion
Explosion proof
Corrosion proof
2 to 3 times the cranking power of equilivant size battery
Spill and leak proof
Superior vibration resistance
Fully Charged out of the box
When fully charged can be stored for up to 2 years at 77°F
May be installed on its sides at any angle without sacrificing performance attributes
2 Year Full Powersports Warranty
Made in the USA

http://www.batterymart.com/battery.mv?p=ODY-PC680

My mechanic i usually go to has installed them all 3 times, should i go to another AND change the battery as well?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by spaceman &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">hopefully your not using some no name brand alternator </TD></TR></TABLE>

I use autozone alternators all the time, I have put them in more then 1 vehicle also. Only had one problem and thats because the bottom bolt came loose and fell out and destroyed the alternator but you can't beat the lifetime warranty. Anyways to the original poster, did you ever noticed a squealing sound from your engine or anything like that ? Also talk to your mechanic about it, see what he says. Also watch his work, make sure the new alternator is going in and not some other one. I would also check all your wiring, make sure there is not high resistance some where causing the alternator to work harder then it should. And take a look at the fuses, make sure the right size fuses are in there, I know a lot of people will just put a bigger fuse in a place if the old one keeps blowing.

 

yeah sounds like he has some wire issues..check fuses,replace with correct amperage,check your ground connections and add some more if possible,make sure your getting the correct alernator for your vehicle and obd..denso makes a top quality alternator...good luck dood

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 90blackcrx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I use autozone alternators all the time, I have put them in more then 1 vehicle also. Only had one problem and thats because the bottom bolt came loose and fell out and destroyed the alternator but you can't beat the lifetime warranty. Anyways to the original poster, did you ever noticed a squealing sound from your engine or anything like that ? Also talk to your mechanic about it, see what he says. Also watch his work, make sure the new alternator is going in and not some other one. I would also check all your wiring, make sure there is not high resistance some where causing the alternator to work harder then it should. And take a look at the fuses, make sure the right size fuses are in there, I know a lot of people will just put a bigger fuse in a place if the old one keeps blowing.</TD></TR></TABLE>

You can beat a lifetime warranty....its called go OEM. They offer a lifetime warranty cause they are junk. I can offer a lifetime warranty on a turd, but that doesnt mean it will last long.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rsbad454 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You can beat a lifetime warranty....its called go OEM. They offer a lifetime warranty cause they are junk. I can offer a lifetime warranty on a turd, but that doesnt mean it will last long.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I've had autozone alternators outlast OEM alternators so saying OEM will last longer is not true, **** I have a customer come back with in a year because there OEM alternator failed on them. And I never said a life time warranty means that it will last long, it means if something does go wrong with it I could keep getting them for free as of paying the 130 Honda wants if something goes wrong them.

 

sorry but on a B series i totally agree on the oem thing

D series dont rev so high, and i could reccomend an aftermarket

i blew 3 bosch alternators before i just went and bought an oem one

they cannot handle 8000-10,000 rpms very well.
oem does.

i actually watched under the hood as one of the bosch blew up.

u wanna upgrade on B series the 94 GSR plugs in, bolts up, and is a 90 amp

 

thanks for all your input!

 

do you know the amp rating for an obd0 b16a alternator?

 

nope, its around in the forums, tho. search around

 

i agree, get a oem altenator,

 

I'm bringing this topic back from the dead because someone else knows what I'm talking about when it comes to oem parts.

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1054878

Moral of the story is, you might think your buying an oem part but thats not always the case, thats what I was trying to explain more in this post because I know the kind of stuff that happens at dealerships that customers will never know.

 

the duralast refurbs and others like it are not the same as oem. high output and otherwise aftermarket alternators aside, anyone saying they had a refurb last longer then an oem got lucky.

i have some more fuel for that dealer info, they do the same thing with alarms and remote starts. they use aftermarket pieces and hook it up to facotry remotes and dont tell the customers, i see that everyday at work, but that doesnt mean going to get an oem piece isnt a good diea.

i do use autozone alts myself, (im a cheap ***) they work decently. but i have NO AUDIO AMPS and nothing very powerful drawing on it.

one thing to mention is if you have any type of powered added devices in the car always make sure the gauge (thickness) wire you use on the ground is THE SAME as the power. ie: if you run 8 AWG for an amp, use an 8 AWG ground. failure to do so can strain an alternator and cause premature failure, cause fuses to blow very often, and most commonly, damage the equipment itself if the ground is thin, which is somehting people dont realize, i see it on customers cars all the time. especially on DIY audio installs.

if you painted your engine bay make sure you scraped away the paint where you make your grounds under the hood.

also make sure the belt isnt INSANE tight, like you could drive a mack truck across it. it shouldnt be loose either of course, the proper procedure for belt tension is in the helms manual you can find it on honda hybrid for both d and b seires engines.

perhaps someone readin this could chime in about a faulty ELD over-working an alternator?

i know nothing about your car so i sort of threw in all i could think of for now.

hope this info helps, good luck with your next alternator.

-mike


Modified by doublethink at 8:32 AM 11/15/2004

 

Off topic, but prostreet's timing belt kits are the same as what you would get from autozone. My neighbor worked for autozone and pointed this out to me. Perhaps it is the same manufacturer as oem as prostreet claims, but I could have gotten it cheaper and not have hd to wait for it to be shipped.

 

I think that pc680 is killing your alternator. Your battery has a 24 minute reserve which makes me think the alternator has an increased and constant load. Try a new battery and alternator at the same time. Check the grounds too. Bad grounds=increased resistance=increased load on the alternator.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by doublethink &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the duralast refurbs and others like it are not the same as oem. high output and otherwise aftermarket alternators aside, anyone saying they had a refurb last longer then an oem got lucky.</TD></TR></TABLE>

You missed my point, if you go to a Honda dealership and they don't have your OEM alternator, they will just run to autozone and pick up an alternator and sell that as OEM.

 

I have had a guy worked at an acura dealership tell me that certifit body parts are oem...a certifit fender is from $30-$60 depending on the car...I know majestic gets over $150 for one and I'm sure if I just walked into a local dealership I'd have to pay over $200...so yea dealerships pull crap like this all the time.