alternator / battery light weirdness

[RustyHo88]

ever since i replaced the alternator in my 88, the battery light has come on, but it seems to be doing a fine job recharging my battery. anyway, i was trying to do that test that it talks about in the accord manual, but i cant do it fully, because when i installed the new alternator, i broke the plastic arm on the alternator wiring harness, so i had to glue the harness in there. anyway, i pulled each fuse, and when i pull the alternator/fuel pump fuse, the light goes out. does that mean my alternator is still the problem? i doubt its my fuel pump, i replaced it like 1500 miles ago. also, sometimes the light will flicker, then just turn off. but the next time i start the car, there it is again, its becoming quite frustrating, not to mention confusing. any ideas? thanks

[NXRacer]

check the ground wire that connects to your valve cover. I've seen my car act REALLY strangely when its disconnected.

If you still suspect your alt. take it to a battery shop or an auto parts store and they'll usually run a free charging check for you.

[RustyHo88]

im certain the ground wire on my valve cover gasket is connected. im remember putting on my cover and forgetting it, and having to re-torque everything. my mechanic is the one who helped me glue in the alternator, ill have him look at it again, but im pretty sure its ok. is there anything else on the same circuit as the alt and fuel pump that could be causing the prob? btw... i used to live in corvallis nxracer... i sure miss having no sales tax. oh well, later.

-will

[RustyHo88]

oh yea, i also miss having no rust on my car.

[NXRacer]

heh heh for the amount of rain we get here in the northwest you'd think we'd have more rust, but thank god the DOT outlawed salt on the roads so the only people who have a bad rust problem live at the beach.

[RustyHo88]

yea... i miss the rain, i used to hate it, now i just hate the horrendous amount of snow during the winter we get here. the other thing i miss about oregon is the little chips in your paint you get from driving over the mountain pass roads that are covered in pumice. ::sigh:: yep... good times.

[RustyHo88]

anyway... BACK TO THE LIGHT PROBLEM! so, i found out by pulling the same fuse out of my 84 accord, the battery light also automatically comes off, meaning that me pulling the alternator fuse and the battery light going off means nothing. i also notice a loud click whenever i recconnect the negative battery terminal to the battery after removing it. my 84 does that too, but not nearly as loudly. is there any way i can test to see if my alternator isnt fully charging without pulling the wiring harness out? can a alternator shop do this without removing the harness? btw... anyone have a parts car with a 3 pronged alternator wiring harness that doesnt have the plastic arm broken off? :D if so, ill give you $5 for it, plus shipping.

[joebeets]

Your alternator is defective, or, I should say, your voltage regulator. It's charging the battery, but not powering the early fuel evaporator heater, electric choke, or turning out the light, which all share the same circuit. I've been driving like that for some time on my 88 Accord DX.

[RustyHo88]

well, this is the 2nd time ive replaced the alternator in the last month. maybe because i bought a re-man alternator, it will keep doing this to me. still, is it possible for me to replace just the voltage regulator inside the alternator? and does anyone know what they do to re-man alternators to supposedly make them work again? ive only heard complaints from people buying re-man alternators. my hanes manual says something about removing the fuel evaporator heater power wire to test to see if the voltage regulator is faulty. does anyone know where the FEH is, and what it looks like?

[88LXi/87CRXSi]

Originally posted by RustyHo88
my hanes manual says something about removing the fuel evaporator heater power wire to test to see if the voltage regulator is faulty. does anyone know where the FEH is, and what it looks like?

Your Haynes manual neglected to inform you that only carbed engines have the EFE heater, so skip that.

[RustyHo88]

uhhhh.... my 88 has a carburator, im not cool enough to have EFI. :)

[cruznz]

then you dont have a 88 LXi

[RustyHo88]

thats odd... the previous owner must have taken a 'LXi' chrome thing from another car. that sucks, now i have to change my profile. anyway... so where is the EFE heater?

[joebeets]

My understanding of this circuit is, you’ve got the battery positive voltage on one side, the lamp in the middle, then EFE/choke heaters, and ground on the other side. Lamp glows. A new positive voltage, from the spinning alternator, appears between the lamp and EFE/choke. Lamp goes out. But if the EFE/choke does not provide some electrical resistance, the new positive voltage is “grounded” and unable to oppose the original battery positive voltage. Lamp glows again.

That’s what you’re checking—that they have some resistance. The EFE is a thick pair leading from the base of the carb on the driver’s side; the choke heater is a small bullet connector behind the carb. Disconnect both and the lamp has no path to ground and will go out. (BTW the ECU will disconnect the EFE once the engine is warm.)

But I think a faulty alternator is more likely. I got mine at Autozone for $85 w/ lifetime warranty