92 civic alternator problems

[mist4fun]

I've been having alternator problems for a while now, about two months. I bought a 92 honda civic 2dr si about a year ago and up until two months ago never had a problem with it. Then the alternator went out, so I replaced it. A week after that the positive bolt coming from the alternator was melted off, a peice was gone and the nut was gone too. So I attatched the positive wire to the second bolt on the alternator. A few days after that it melted off as well. Then I replaced the alternator again, along with a new battery and the battery terminals. I thought maybe it had a bad battery giving it to much juice or something. Well today my car was running funny, so I decided to check the positive bolt on my alt. and Its charred.. meaning it looks burnt up.. the bolt/nut/ and wire are still there, but its obvious it got really hot and is only a matter of time before its melted off again.

Does anyone know what could be causeing this? I have the correct alternator for my engine, which is a d16z6 1.6l. The very first time I replaced my alternator was becuase it died, it didnt have any burn marks and no problems other than it being dead. Nobody can explain this to me. Every mechanic I've asked has never heard of this happening before. Please help

[fiberglasscivic]

Sounds like a short in the cable. If you have a multimeter that can check conductivity that will help you check for the problem. You need to remove the battery, then remove the positive cable from the alternator and remove the cable from the fuse box so that it doesn't touch anything but plastic. You can ensure this by rapping the end in a plastic bag. To check for the short, set the multimeter to conductivity, touch the two test leads together and the multimeter should beep continuously until the leads quit touching. This ensures that your test leads are good and that the unit is functioning properly. Touch the red lead to the positive cable of the alternator and the black to the negative. If the unit beeps then you have a short in the positive wire and need to replace it, if not then you have other problems and we'll troubleshoot from there. If you need a multimeter, you can get one from Wal-Mart for somewhere around $10. It's yellow and you can find it in the automotive department. They have a really nice one that's $25 but I only recommend getting it if you plan on using it a lot.

If you can't get a multimeter then you need to physically go over every inch of the alternator cables looking for a cut in the insulator, its best to first look around areas where you were working when you replaced the alternator the first time. If you ran the cable too close to the block you could have melted part of the cable, or you could have moved the cable along a rough edge and cut it open. If the wire hasn't melted then you can fix it by using liquid plastic. You can find this in the auto department at Wal-Mart as well.

Last thing, do you notice that your electronics aren't working as well, like you radio isn't as loud or you headlights are really dim or the car has lots of trouble idling when you have lots of electronics running? Please post anything that's out of the norm after you started having problems with your alternator.

[mist4fun]

Well since I've put this last alternator in, my subs dont work. The stereo works, but not my subs. I didn't think anything of it, thought maybe it was a fuse issue or something. On my second alt. the stereo went out and my lights flickered and dimmed.. But so far on this one everything is fine except for the subs not working.

Ill go to wallmart today and get a multimeter. I got a voltometer from baxters auto parts a few weeks ago and tried testing the battery but it was a $5 meter and there were many gauges. I didn't know what any of it meant. And the bar never rested at 0 so I dont think it was that accurate anyway. Thanks for the advice, I'll post my results tonight

[fiberglasscivic]

You have what's called an analog meter and there no good unless you've used one before, they can be really confusing. A digital meter is right up your alley. If everything is working fine right now then you may not have a problem with a short. How long has it been since you changed the alternator, and do you notice any problems that seem to go away on their own and show back up later? Do you have a power wire that runs from the positive terminal of the battery straight to the amplifier and if you do, does it have an inline fuse? If you do have an inline fuse then check it to see if its blow, if it isn't this may help us find the problem.