Alternator Problems

My battery light came on today and my idle is now 500rpm above normal. The light flickers when I am up around the 3000 range but my car seems to still be running fine. I just installed a new battery and terminals about 3 months ago so I know that isnt the problem...I even tested the voltage and it was fine. Even when I start it up there are no problems. I even checked all my fuses both inside my car and under the hood.

1.) Do you think l should check the voltage between the alternator and battery? Shouldn't this bypass all the wiring and determine if either my cables need replaced ( I did notice a little corrosion on the positive cable) or if my alternator itself is bad?

2.) Could a short to ground be causing enough stress on the alternator to cause my charging system to malfunction? I was messing with my tail lights today and have had problems in the past with bulbs just blowing a week after putting them in. (The battery light came on about 10 minutes after messing with the lights) This is where I think the short to ground might be ....somehow related to the lighting system in my tail lights.

Any info or replies will greatly be appreciated.

yeh,shorts to ground can cause problems......hows the belt?..........

The belt seems to be fine. I am going to double check in the morning when there is more light outside.

The battery light flickers when yer driving? That could be the brushes inside the alternator. Might want to take them off and see if there's anything left. If not, replace them and save yerself cash by not having to buy an alternator.

yea mine did the same thing it would flicker when im at idele an when i drive it an rpms where up at around 3,000 it would run fine...it got worse an worse to where the light stayed on constintly...i ended up havin to buiy a new altenator. $94 bucks

yeah i agree with the statement about the brushes, my dads 4th gen had the same problem and his alt was shot. Just get a reman or somthing.

It looks like your alternator is failing. I replaced mine around 250-270K miles. You will need to remove the driver side axle or at least detach the outboard joint from the steering knuckle. Just make sure you get a wire to support the hanging axle. You could get an alternator from Honda for around $200-$250. I paid about $150 for mine with an employee price.

This really is best done from underneath the car with some lifts. Don't ignore this problem. It could leave you stranded. I was in San Francisco at 8:00PM when my battery got drained and the car died. For some reason after waiting about 1/2 hour the car started and I had to keep the car reving around 3,000RPM to keep the alternator charging the battery. Made it home and charged up the battery. Went in the next day to replace the alternator.

Claude

You can get one at Autozone for under $100.

Many folks have been able to replace the alternator from the top with a little patience, especially on a fuel injected models where all you have to do is remove the air cleaner box.

You can also negotiate the alternator along the firewall to the passenge side openning as long as you orient it right to get over the humps. I've done it 3 times in 30-60 secs. That was on 3 different accords, LX.

I just replaced mine about a week ago. I had the same symptoms. It is most likely the brushes in the alternator (mine was). Nothing you can do but drop a new one in. I also got the remanufactured one from Honda for $250. My buddy that is a grease monkey there suggested the oem one, as the aftermarket ones are of lesser quality.

Cameron