alternator not charging the battery or engine

[airmoe]

I have a 1987 honda accord. the problem I am having is that the alternator is not charging the car or the battery but I took it to autozone and advanced auto parts to have it tested and they both said it worked fine but I am not sure why it would not work. Is it possible that there is a poor connection?. or maybe the belt is loose.

[blacknight]

I assume the problem you're having is the battery keeps dying?

If so, There's eithere a problem with the battery not holding a charge (dead cell) or A problem with the alt.

Also, it wouldn't hurt to check all the cables. Especially the ground. I don't think it could be one of the drive belts, unless of course the alt. belt is missing.

[joshua19_21]

I had a similar problem...the alternator wasn't positioned correctly and then the battary died. Anyhow, if the alt. belt is loose you may hear a screeching noise, at least I did. I got a new battary and it still had issues, in the end I had the alt. repositioned and the connections clean up and I haven't had additional problems since!

[ProMan]

Put the alternator back and start the engine, measure the volt at the battery, it should be around 15v. If not, it's your alternator.

The alternator is a ver durable part, unlikely it will go bad. But the carbon brushes in it normally worn out around 140 - 170 k miles. You can just replace the brushes. It cost around $3-6 a pair.

[DannMann99]

it may be a wiring issue. If you've blown a wire there may be no connection to the battery, in that case the battery would not charge up but the alternator would still be working fine. And proman, he just said his battery keeps on dieing, if thats so the batt isnt going to be running at optimal, you know? Check the wires coming off the alt, you should have 1 ground screwed in seperately. then you should have another wire, coming off the alt, make sure everything is in right, follow the wires and see if theres a problem somewhere.