Cooling fan resistance?

[hondaaccorddrew]

try to get a higher end nappa one,they have the standard part and the more expensive part, i went through a bunch of them until I got one, I ended up selling it to someone on here years later still good, I switched to a civic alternator so I could put the alternator where the AC compressor was, or I would still have it

That would be me I guess.... and the alternator with the purple paint band still working good (I did not remove the paint... quite lazy). I replaced the battery ground though.

MY alternator went up in smoke literally: started the car, smell something strange, turned it off. Pop hood open, look at the thing... smelled but nothing looked strange. Started again, and there we go the alt. smoking (it was a Honda reman.).

that was a good alternator I think I paid around 130 or so for it, it never let me down. the purple can never be removed,if removed it grows back

This alternator sounds like a GREAT idea guys, so does the Legend alternator project. If I fry this one, I have decided that I will do this, or get the Napa one as suggested. I have heard they have great parts, you get what you pay for, and they aren't cheap. Which one do you guys recommend?

[hondaaccorddrew]

I know my blower fan pulls 12.5 amps full speed warmed up. It's original so I would guess its on the high side.

I guess good luck. I hope it works out for you.

Ill try and check the full load and start amp draw as well but without you being able to test yours it won't help much.



wp

I should pick up a meter that tests current up to at least 30 amps. It'd be helpful. I took my fan motor to the local parts store and they couldn't find anything. The guy had a bright idea to spray the holes up with electronics cleaner, shake it around, and dump it out. We did it in the parking lot, and you wouldn't believe how much shit came out of it. It was black like a horrible oil change. Took it home, hooked it up to a 12v power supply, and it worked! I am sure it's not as good as a new one, but I hope it gets me by so I can save up to replace it.

[lostforawhile]

This alternator sounds like a GREAT idea guys, so does the Legend alternator project. If I fry this one, I have decided that I will do this, or get the Napa one as suggested. I have heard they have great parts, you get what you pay for, and they aren't cheap. Which one do you guys recommend?

you have several options you can do the upgrade with a new alternator or a honda one from the yard, do you have any automotive electrical places near you? they can often rebuild an alternator to a much better standard then most big box stores sell

[hondaaccorddrew]

you have several options you can do the upgrade with a new alternator or a honda one from the yard, do you have any automotive electrical places near you? they can often rebuild an alternator to a much better standard then most big box stores sell

About a dozen or so yeah, will be worth looking into. They can also rebuild the legend alt if I can find a junk one and it doesn't work.

[ecogabriel]

you have several options you can do the upgrade with a new alternator or a honda one from the yard, do you have any automotive electrical places near you? they can often rebuild an alternator to a much better standard then most big box stores sell

x2.

At least they would tell you what went wrong with it, which may be a clue if a problem in the wiring exists.

[Oldblueaccord]

I know my blower fan pulls 12.5 amps full speed warmed up. It's original so I would guess its on the high side.

I guess good luck. I hope it works out for you.

Ill try and check the full load and start amp draw as well but without you being able to test yours it won't help much.



wp

OK heres what I have.

Battery at rest 12.78 volts this is after I drove home from work 28 miles.

Started up and got 12.76V with a -3 amp draw at just under 1000 rpms on the stock tach.. Not real happy with this.

Turned on everything I could lights (high) AC both fans,blower fan on full, rear defrost (it works) and got 12.26 V plus charging read 21 amps. Revving it up didnt seem to help.

After I shut off it went to 10 amps charge and 13.7 volts. This is a reman oreillys alt about 6 months old.



Turned off ignition off your looking at 45 amps full load old stuff old car old wires.


wp

[hondaaccorddrew]

OK heres what I have.

Battery at rest 12.78 volts this is after I drove home from work 28 miles.

Started up and got 12.76V with a -3 amp draw at just under 1000 rpms on the stock tach.. Not real happy with this.

Turned on everything I could lights (high) AC both fans,blower fan on full, rear defrost (it works) and got 12.26 V plus charging read 21 amps. Revving it up didnt seem to help.

After I shut off it went to 10 amps charge and 13.7 volts. This is a reman oreillys alt about 6 months old.



Turned off ignition off your looking at 45 amps full load old stuff old car old wires.


wp

Hmmm. I usually get around 14.2 volts at idle. AC and fans come in, 13.7. Everything including AC, defrost, lights, brake lights, I get 12.3 and I do not seem to have enough current to stop everything from dimming. Battery voltage when off is 13.1 or so. Have you upgraded any wiring before or is this with stock? I am hoping the lather wiring changes something. Oh, btw. Does the fuse box need the alternator input or just the battery? I am thinking of running the 4 gauge wire directly to the battery.

[lostforawhile]

Just connect the alternator to the starter lug

[hondaaccorddrew]

Alright, I got the new alternator installed. And I did new grounds, new posts, and a new transfer cable from the alternator to the battery, AND I kept the old one connected to the fusebox, put the new one on the battery. The old one did not ground out. With that said... the problem is WORSE! Started it up, got 14.20 volts. Turned on EVERYTHING and it was at 11.02. Turned everything off, and realized that there isn't even enough current to power the AC fans without the engine at 2,000 RPM. With just the AC on, everything else off, it sounds like the car is running on battery power. If you kick it up to 1,500, it starts to pick up, at 2,000 it sounds like it should. 15 mins in and you could smell the alternator heating up through the AC vents, since that I have refused to start the car back up. Something is still very wrong, and I would hate to have to junk this car if it rules the whole electrical system is shit.

[Oldblueaccord]

its one of those things drawing to much amps I think. Just going to have to unplug stuff until you figure it out.

EDIT unhook the fans and run the AC see if it still does it since the fans originally seemed bad.


wp

[hondaaccorddrew]

its one of those things drawing to much amps I think. Just going to have to unplug stuff until you figure it out.

EDIT unhook the fans and run the AC see if it still does it since the fans originally seemed bad.


wp

Okay. Will do. Whatever it is, it's doing it without blowing fuses and with the accessories off. What is not fused on the car?

[lostforawhile]

Okay. Will do. Whatever it is, it's doing it without blowing fuses and with the accessories off. What is not fused on the car?

Everything is fused try running a wire from the alternator lug to the battery and disconnect the original, this is very strange age and condition of battery

[Oldblueaccord]

Okay. Will do. Whatever it is, it's doing it without blowing fuses and with the accessories off. What is not fused on the car?

The blower motor is fused for like 80 amps off one of the mains,pretty sure. if its bad it will pull alot and it can melt the plug under the dash mine has. I ran an inline fuse to it for 15 amps but it will pull 12.5 full speed hot.


wp

[hondaaccorddrew]

Everything is fused try running a wire from the alternator lug to the battery and disconnect the original, this is very strange age and condition of battery

Meaning I should try a different battery? This one is quite new but it could be bad.

[hondaaccorddrew]

The blower motor is fused for like 80 amps off one of the mains,pretty sure. if its bad it will pull alot and it can melt the plug under the dash mine has. I ran an inline fuse to it for 15 amps but it will pull 12.5 full speed hot.


wp

My blower motor was replaced before the car was mine. The motor has
2007 stamped on it for the year of manufacture. This 70 amp fuse has the short to ground on it, the one for the blue/black stripe wire shorting to ground. Is it possible for the ignition to short to ground? I would imagine it's hooked to the ignition to allow power when it's in the on position only.

[Oldblueaccord]

at this point anything is possible. there should be a link to the manual at the top of the page look thru the electrical diagram and trace out each circuit.


wp

[hondaaccorddrew]

at this point anything is possible. there should be a link to the manual at the top of the page look thru the electrical diagram and trace out each circuit.


wp

I already have the manual, this is going to be FUN. There are a few hundred circuits to look over, but I guess I have no choice. Time to rip the whole electrical system apart.

[Oldblueaccord]

This 70 amp fuse has the short to ground on it, the one for the blue/black stripe wire shorting to ground


sounds like your on you way.

wp

[hondaaccorddrew]

Any one else have any ideas or suggestions that could help along this journey of discovery?

[lostforawhile]

The blower motor is fused for like 80 amps off one of the mains,pretty sure. if its bad it will pull alot and it can melt the plug under the dash mine has. I ran an inline fuse to it for 15 amps but it will pull 12.5 full speed hot.


wp

nothing is fused for 80 amps, the entire fuse box has a 70 amp fusible link from the battery itself. if you are talking about the heater blower,its just a regular fuse, if you are talking about the fans under the hood,they run off a 30 amp fuse in the underhood fuse box, the fan relay is also in there. they recieve 12 volt power from the ignition but thats only to switch the relay coil

[Oldblueaccord]

Where is this blower fuse please call it out if you would I could not find it.


wp

[Dr_Snooz]

First, when you have an amp draw problem, the first thing that happens is that a fuse blows. If the fuse doesn't blow for some reason, then you will have melted wires, connectors and a horrible stink. Also, the component itself might smoke and eventually burn up and catch fire. It would be very, very unusual for an alt to burn up because of a component drawing too much amperage. A lot of other stuff would happen first. Also, you'd need an amp draw in excess of 60 amps to burn up the alt and there are only a few wires in the car big enough to support that much current without catching fire. So I think spending a lot of time tip-toeing through all the wiring is going to be fruitless.

Second, you have three problems that I can see from reading the thread. A.) You have alternators that fizzle out on a fairly regular basis. B.) You have some interesting electrical phenomena happening inside the cabin. C.) Right now, you have an alternator that is putting out too little voltage. We've been conflating these throughout the thread, but they might all be separate issues in themselves. More specifically, let's work on the one issue we are sure you have right now (low voltage) and see where that takes us. We'll worry about the other issues later.

There is one circuit in the car that isn't fused and that's the wire that goes to charge the battery. If the battery isn't up to snuff, it can suck up to 40 amps trying to charge itself. If you've deeply discharged it one time, it can be sulfated and need replacement. So I would take a long hard look at the battery. I would probably buy a battery load tester from Harbor Freight to test it also, instead of relying on free tests at the store. I would also buy a proper ammeter so I could see what my amp draws really are under various conditions. A good ammeter will cost you some money, unfortunately. It's great to try to figure this stuff out with the tools you do have, but eventually, if you want to be successful, you have to go out and buy the tools you need.

So there is one circuit that is not fused and also one circuit where the fuse has likely been changed from a stock configuration: the stereo circuit. So I would also take a very close look at the stereo circuit. If it were my car, I would drive with the entire circuit unpowered (pull the fuse) to see if the alternator acts up. If you go for a year with no alternators issues, then you can be fairly confident that your problem is with the stereo wiring.

I know you just installed a new alternator, but are we still working with O'Reilly/Advance/Autozone alternators here? I don't trust those any further than I can throw them. Buy a good alternator and see if you don't get better charging.

Here's some additional reading on the topic that you might want to go through.

http://napaproseries.com/This-the-3rd-one-burn-up-why

http://napaproseries.com/YOUR-ALTERNATOR-WON-T-CHARGE

http://napaproseries.com/Lamp-On-Bad-Alternator

Finally, there are a series of charging system diagnostics in chapter 24 of the Honda manual and I would definitely go through all of them in their entirety before doing anything else. You'll probably need to buy some more tools to do them, however.

Keep us posted on your results.

[hondaaccorddrew]

Where is this blower fuse please call it out if you would I could not find it.


wp

I am with you on this one. It's not labled in the system either. After pulling the 70 amp, it cuts off the blower.

[hondaaccorddrew]

First, when you have an amp draw problem, the first thing that happens is that a fuse blows. If the fuse doesn't blow for some reason, then you will have melted wires, connectors and a horrible stink. Also, the component itself might smoke and eventually burn up and catch fire. It would be very, very unusual for an alt to burn up because of a component drawing too much amperage. A lot of other stuff would happen first. Also, you'd need an amp draw in excess of 60 amps to burn up the alt and there are only a few wires in the car big enough to support that much current without catching fire. So I think spending a lot of time tip-toeing through all the wiring is going to be fruitless.

Second, you have three problems that I can see from reading the thread. A.) You have alternators that fizzle out on a fairly regular basis. B.) You have some interesting electrical phenomena happening inside the cabin. C.) Right now, you have an alternator that is putting out too little voltage. We've been conflating these throughout the thread, but they might all be separate issues in themselves. More specifically, let's work on the one issue we are sure you have right now (low voltage) and see where that takes us. We'll worry about the other issues later.

There is one circuit in the car that isn't fused and that's the wire that goes to charge the battery. If the battery isn't up to snuff, it can suck up to 40 amps trying to charge itself. If you've deeply discharged it one time, it can be sulfated and need replacement. So I would take a long hard look at the battery. I would probably buy a battery load tester from Harbor Freight to test it also, instead of relying on free tests at the store. I would also buy a proper ammeter so I could see what my amp draws really are under various conditions. A good ammeter will cost you some money, unfortunately. It's great to try to figure this stuff out with the tools you do have, but eventually, if you want to be successful, you have to go out and buy the tools you need.

So there is one circuit that is not fused and also one circuit where the fuse has likely been changed from a stock configuration: the stereo circuit. So I would also take a very close look at the stereo circuit. If it were my car, I would drive with the entire circuit unpowered (pull the fuse) to see if the alternator acts up. If you go for a year with no alternators issues, then you can be fairly confident that your problem is with the stereo wiring.

I know you just installed a new alternator, but are we still working with O'Reilly/Advance/Autozone alternators here? I don't trust those any further than I can throw them. Buy a good alternator and see if you don't get better charging.

Here's some additional reading on the topic that you might want to go through.

http://napaproseries.com/This-the-3rd-one-burn-up-why

http://napaproseries.com/YOUR-ALTERNATOR-WON-T-CHARGE

http://napaproseries.com/Lamp-On-Bad-Alternator

Finally, there are a series of charging system diagnostics in chapter 24 of the Honda manual and I would definitely go through all of them in their entirety before doing anything else. You'll probably need to buy some more tools to do them, however.

Keep us posted on your results.

Yeah. On the charging circuit there has been only one constant. The battery. Everything else has been changed. I think it's time to point the arrow towards the battery and see where it goes from there.

My stereo circuit is the same as factory (after looking at the electical diagram) there are no more fuses or wires added to it. It's the stock wiring with an aftermarket stereo hooked up with an adapter. The stereo has been unplugged at the main fuse since the last alternator blew. Both the stereo and the circuit in the car have the stock 10 amp fuse. The previous owner kept the factory stock radio. While I love tapes, you cannot find them anymore! I was the first one to install an aftermarket, and it has never blown a fuse on it the entire time I have had it.

Back on the battery subject, I have had a deep cycle battery in it since last summer. It was relatively new. It was up to charge. I have a special deep cycle charger for the batteries, and when it gets low, I take it out and let the charger condition it for a few hours. My first battery that came with the car was silently grounding out because the first alternator went out and I drove the car till it wouldn't start anymore on battery power. The mechanic who replaced the alternator charged it up when he did his work and I assumed this was okay. NOT. It caused my car's system to act weird. So in went the deep cycle. However, I think something was also wrong with it too. I figured since it was a deep cycle, you could charge it up from dead, but maybe not as dead as it was. It was wired in series with 2 others in a motor home that had the alternator kiss off while hauling up to a trip. The generator wouldn't f*ing start, so to survive, we killed the batteries, surprise! Anyway, back at the ranch, I think maybe I can try a new battery. Any brand recommendations? The past two were BOTH Wal-Mart. And a specific amperage to stay above?

Thanks you guys. It's good to have someone to throw some ideas around with me and get some answers. I'll be afraid to move onto a newer Honda, there may not be this good of a forum for them!

[ecogabriel]

I have a Sam's club battery in my civic since set '07. The previous battery (installed by the previous owner) was also a Sam's one and lasted 6 years, and even warned me it was dying by holding enough charge to crank the car.
The 3G has a NAPA battery since '09 (or '10) - I did not see those batteries in Sam's for our car mode years. Another NAPA battery in my wife's Camry lasted about 4 1/2 years