Ok, so I'm working on my car as we speak, and I've got a quick question.

I think my alternator has gone bad....so I first checked the voltage from the battery when it was off, it was at 9.09 volts. So then I was going to test it with the car on, but I first wanted to check the connections because I had gone off the road into gravel not too long ago. Connection's look ok. Then when I got into the car, the alarm went off. I didn't think that my alarm was on, but it started chirping, really really softly and then it died off and stopped.

Then right after the alarm went off, I rechecked the battery and now the voltage is at 7.46. Is this normal? Why would the alarm going off for about 2 seconds drain that much?

I'm going to go and put a new battery on and test it again, and then start the car and see what the reading is.

But if anyone has any idea's what could be the problem or what else I could do to troubleshoot, please let me know.

P.S. The alarm has an auto start function and that was just worked on and rewired not too long ago. I'm not sure if it's just cooincidence or not, but soon after, I started getting these problems.

 

New battery should do it.... 9.09 v. is low... You should be around 12.0 volts i believe. If you still have the problem get back to us. goodluck.

 

1: Start the car.
2: Pull the negative terminal off the battery.

Result: If the car dies your alternator is bad or not charging.


[Modified by ZC_CRX, 10:46 PM 1/6/2003]

 

Ok, I did a few more tests. I didn't want to do the remove battery cable test because I heard that could mess up electrical stuff.

But I did replace the battery with one that read 11.44 volts with the car off. When I started the car, it dropped to about 10.75, then when I turned on lights it dropped .5 volts and then another .5 volts when I turned on the AC full blast.

But I'm still wondering about the alarm draining that much out of the battery. Because the alarm will always get's it's power from the battery, and if it drains it that much when it goes off....that's not a good thing.

Ok, so I think I'll replace the alternator and then get the alarm/auto start checked.

If it turns out that the alternator died because of the alarm, is there anything that I can do to get someone else to pay for a new alternator? Because my car is a '99 w/ 50 k miles on it. I don't think that it should have died this early. But do car alarm installer's cover things in the car that break if it is due to their fault.

 

just so you know, theres nothing wrong with disconnecting the battery terminal while the car is running. thats the best alternator test there is. and i think the alarm wiring probably messed everything up, but id say the alternator is bad.
ok i didnt read the last part of ur last post... but who installed the alarm?? and who did the rewiring you spoke of? it kills me when the first thing people do is think of how they can get somebody else to pay for their broken ****. geees.


[Modified by 22lbGS-R, 4:24 AM 1/7/2003]

 

doesn't the warranty cover the alternator?

 

Hey, I've had no problems paying for my broken parts. However, when someone else is the cause for the damage, I don't feel as responsible as when I break it myself or it is the cause of normal wear and tear. Especially when they say that they are certified professional installers that are distributers for the alarm/auto start that I bought. My car has been in and out of their shop for months, and I've paid for at least 15 hours of work @ $25 an hour.

I also feel that removing the battery cable is bad...don't know exactly why. But I was told with newer vehicles, you should never do that. Older vehicles might be a different story. But you may go right ahead and keep pullin your cable.

 

I bought the car used, and it's a '99. What kind of warrenty does acura have? And how can I find out if I still qualify? Thanks

 

Contact the seller of the car.

 

thank you. you never said who did the rewiring. ive seen a lot of threads lately about remote-start cars with alternator problems. looks like a new trend to me.
well, ill do that. come on man, hondas are simple. everything is fused. tell me what it will hurt. im a full-service mechanic and work on $60,000 cars all day. you can trust me. the reason for pulling the battery cable is then the car is gettin all its voltage from the alternator. if the alt. is bad, it will cut out, not hurting anything. if the alt. is good, it will continue running perfectly. it wont hurt a thing i promise. but its ur car. i cant force you to try a simple and accurate test.


[Modified by 22lbGS-R, 6:07 AM 1/7/2003]

 

The place that did the origianl install did the rewiring, "Audio Works".

I was told that it can hurt the ECU, and other electrical equipment...but as long as the ECU is on the list, I'm not doing it. I'm heard that pulling the cable causes a voltage spike which can fry things. I got that information from the electrical technician at Schuck's. He said that with 99 and newer vehicles that is a bad test and can cause damage. But older vehicles are ok. Something about how newer vehicles are run more dependant on the ECU and so when you do that "test" the ECU takes a hit, rather than before when they weren't as ECU dependant and regulated. But that's just his words and my interpretation.

But then again, using a voltmeter isn't that hard of a job and if you get the same results...why not do that?

If anyone has any information about this, let me know...

 

What I know that the seller wasn't the original owners.
Can I get the needed information from an Acura dealership or mabye run the VIN number?