i think my alt took a shit, gimme a deffinate answer before i blow $100
 

well on my way home tonight i think my alty took a ----.. just before i hit the halfway point my temp gauge started going down, my lights started dimming, and then not long before it died my tach started bounceing then quit working all together

i had a family member come out, i traded batterys with em to charge mine while we drove and was just going to swap the battery again when it died (i was still about 100 miles away from home) but it never died again, my interior lights never even dimmed any when i turned on my heat or anything

when i got home i took the neg battery terminal off to test if it was my alt and the car flatlined right away

so im thinking of three possabilitys, my alt being number one on the list.. second is the battery took a ----, third is a bad ground... whats it sound like to you guys? i really wanna avoid spending the $ for a brand new alt but dont have the time to wait for one to get shipped from online

Re: i think my alt took a shit, gimme a deffinate answer before i blow $100
 

btw this is in the new hatch with the B16 if that matters

if i need a new alt what year and model do i ask for? i'll look it up tomorrow before i leave if no one wants to be generous, its just 4AM and im a lazy bitch whos goin to bed

Re: i think my alt took a shit, gimme a deffinate answer before i blow $100
 

Re: i think my alt took a shit, gimme a deffinate answer before i blow $100
 

take your alt off and go to autozone to test it. taking the ground cable off the battery will always kill the car, you cant test the alt on the car unless you have something to measure the voltage.

Re: i think my alt took a shit, gimme a deffinate answer before i blow $100
 

go out and try it, i've done it on several cars and they've stayed running fine

Re: i think my alt took a shit, gimme a deffinate answer before i blow $100
 

i was gunna say take a meter to it ?? if u dont have a meter u can get a shitty one at a hardware store for like 5 bucks im sure itll give u ONE acurate reading.. look for about 14v i believe

or liek the other guy alota auto places test em for free

Re: i think my alt took a shit, gimme a deffinate answer before i blow $100
 

the nah sayer, a.k.a. dumbass, has been proved wrong

bought a new alt, stuck the bitch in, started the car, pulled the neg battery cable, and she stayed running

problem solved

smellysohc thanks for your advice at least, on 3/4 of cars pulling the cable will tell you weither the alt is weak or not

on diesels it doesnt work, i dont remember why... and one other kind of car..

Re: i think my alt took a shit, gimme a deffinate answer before i blow $100
 

good to hear u fixed er.. i heard of some place that rebuilds them for cheap... but im sure its easier to go get one asap and ----.. what did it run u after the core and everything????

Re: i think my alt took a shit, gimme a deffinate answer before i blow $100
 

it ran me entirely too much, over $100, but i have a lifetime warrenty which is always a good thing

B-series ---- is entirely too expensive, wish my D was running >:(

Re: i think my alt took a shit, gimme a deffinate answer before i blow $100
 

"You can harm delicate electronics by pulling battery cables while the key is on, and engine running" but for a lower end Civic/Integra without all the digital hoo-haa you can get away with it. It will ---- up some cars though, so beware.

Next time you suspect grounds:

Run your hands up and down the ground straps - all but one will have to be dead-ish for it to do anything other than ---- with you when cranking because there isn't that much current flowing even with high beams and fans running, but if you are down to one ground strap and it is failling it will get pretty warm/hot right where the stranded wire is corroded or cracking. If it's reached that point, for ED chassis the coolant temp needle will start registering high and fuel needle will register low, and they will fluctuate as engine revs/lights dim or brighten. Kinda ------- wierd. EH (and maybe other) chassis will melt throttle cables upon cranking as that will be the only good ground in those chassis and it gets hella hot and burns up.