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Originally Posted by daveid
I have an 86 honda accord and about 2 months ago i replaced the alternator and the battery light is coming on again. The alternator is good and the battery is brand new and pushing 13 volts too. I changed one of the wires from the side screw to the top screw on the battery terminal connector, but i dont think that makes a differance. The battery doesnt come on until i hit about 2500 rpms and if i dont hit 2500 rpms then it flickers on and off but i dont get any power loss, so im really stumped. Any help?
Thanx
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It's not a real sophistocated circuit. The "battery" lamp is simply wired in series with the field coil of the alternator. The alternator is excited and regulated by this field current. If the lamp is coming on, it indicates that the alternator is requiring excessive field current to provide the normal output voltage.
An open diode(s) in the alternator can do this, a battery with shorted cells or some form of short circuit.
Using a good volt meter turn everything off in the car and measure the battery voltage. It should be 12.6 -12.7 volts. Now start the car and turn the headlghts, a/c, etc on. Measure the battery voltage. It should be 13.2 or more volts depending up on temperature. etc. If it is still 12.7 or below you have a defective alternator. You MIGHT have to race the engine slightly above idle to get the 13+ volts, but if you have to race it more than 1000 RPM to get it there, it's bad.
Try the above, but it sure sounds like you got a bad alternator based upon symptoms.
Jim
SR Racing