Car wont idle; battery light on...plz help!!

[CA5_KMT_LX]

Hey guys, I have an 87 Honda accord lx 5spd and 2 weeks ago my battery light would pop on for a bit then go away. Today the SOB turn off on me twice when the battery light turned on. I was able to start it back up but when i did, it was running VERY rough and wouldnt hold idle without my foot half way on the pedal, still idling badly doing that. Now when the battery light is off it idles and runs fine... But the moment it blinks on the car sputters and dies and when I start it back up it smells like its not running right AT ALL. Now I'm not a newbie when it comes to the CA and i Had bad batteries and alternators in the past,but I have never encounterd this. my battery and alternator a less than 5 months old.... My alternator was just rebuild.I think it's an electrical issue so I'll run down my current setup. I also have 2 12" alpine type r a nice size hifonics amp and a 4 farad capacitor along with a 700 CCA battery, way more than OEM. I have also don't 0 guage wire from the battery to the amp, 0 gauge grounds and the BIG three in the engine as well. When I was holding the car at idle today with the bat light on... My capacitor said it was only getting like 12.3 volts... Which means that it's losing voltage when all this is happening. Could it be mt dizzy causing the issue( its like over 5 years old) or is my alternator a POS?? I hope it's not a carb issue... Just had that bitch rebuild like 4 months ago!


Any info would help me soooo much.. This is a head scratcher... for me any way! Thanks guys!

[Dr_Snooz]

it smells like its not running right AT ALL.

Can you describe this a little more? Does it smell rich?

[lostforawhile]

why would the dizzy cause this? you got a crap alternator, the battery is probably run down to nothing because it's not charging right, it needs to be charged on a charger, when the light is on it means the alternator isn't charging, when the alternator isn't charging, the blue/white wire from the alternator becomes a ground instead of 12 volts, when this happens the choke heater no longer works and the choke is partially closing. the choke heater is also part of the blue/white wire. that wire changes state to turn the charge warning light on, when the warning lamp is on there is no power to the choke heater,and the car runs rich

[CA5_KMT_LX]

hard to describe the smell... yeah kinda smells rich.... like its dieseling. I have 2.25 piping no cat and pacesetters. when i hold the idle around 1g-2g it putters and if im driving and hold the trottle around that rpm..you can feel the putter (makes the car rock back and fourth.. a little) i dont think its a crap alternator..been going to the same place for like 10 years with MULTIPLE cars... never an issue. i was reading up on the choke heater that may be it since the car wont idle and smells shity. how wold i go about changing or fixing this.. is it just a wiring issue? im gonna take it to y alternatr guy to test it though.
thanks

[lostforawhile]

hard to describe the smell... yeah kinda smells rich.... like its dieseling. I have 2.25 piping no cat and pacesetters. when i hold the idle around 1g-2g it putters and if im driving and hold the trottle around that rpm..you can feel the putter (makes the car rock back and fourth.. a little) i dont think its a crap alternator..been going to the same place for like 10 years with MULTIPLE cars... never an issue. i was reading up on the choke heater that may be it since the car wont idle and smells shity. how wold i go about changing or fixing this.. is it just a wiring issue? im gonna take it to y alternatr guy to test it though.
thanks

did you read my post or just skim over it? if the alternator light is ON the choke heater is OFF and the choke is partly closed, something is wrong with the alternator if the light is on, nothing else causes the light to come on, if the alternator blue/white wire is 12 volts,the alternator is working and there is power to the choke heater, if the light is on, it's NOT working,the wire becomes a ground, and the choke heater receives no power

[go2eleven]

Sounds like classic charging system problems. Either the alternator is bad, or else something is wrong with the cables. If you are only reading 12.3V while the vehicle is running, either the voltage regulator in the alternator is only putting out 12.3V, or else there is something between the alternator and the battery that is causing it to only get 12.3V there.

[lostforawhile]

the light being on is triggered by the voltage regulator, if it's on the alternator isn't working, if the alternator light is on the choke won't operate, as the white/blue wire becomes a ground instead of 12 volts