PLEASE help .......*IMPORTANT*

bambam89lx · #1 02-12-2003, 12:02 PM

Hey guys, It's me again. I need ur expertise once again. Ok....here it goes. My battery doesn't seem to be able to hole a charge. This is my third battery and it just wont hold a charge. I just bought this battery like a week ago. I put it in and my car started right up. Then i shut it off. The next day I go to start it and the battery is dead! In my Haynes book for 4th gen civics, it tells you how to check to see if the alternator is bad by removing the wiring harness from the alternator and then checking to see if current is still flowing through my battery with a multimeter. I did this. I also totally disconnected all the wires from my alternator and there was still current running through my battery when the car was off. So that means there must be an electrical short somewhere. But, I pulled every fuse to see where the short was coming from and still, my battery was still being used by my car with the car off. So something keeps draining my battery over night. Does anyone have any ideas? Please help!

BLU CIVIC · #2 02-12-2003, 01:12 PM

I KNOW THAT WHEN I HAD MY NX2000 I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM...CAR WOULD SHUT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD.....CHECKED EVERYTHING INCLUDING BATTERY AND ALT...BROUGHT NEW BATTERY AND STILL SAME PROBLEM...COME TO FIND OUT THE BELT FOR THE ALT WAS SO WORN THAT IT WOULDN'T CHARGE THE BATTERY...:hehehe:

Jmunk · #3 02-12-2003, 03:20 PM

I would lossen the cables on the battery, don't take off but loosen. Turn the car on and pull the cables off and see if the car will run. If it runs than you know for sure that your alt is good, if the car dies than you know that its the alt.

ian16v · #4 02-12-2003, 04:37 PM

if power is being taken from the battery when its off then it aint your alternator.. there is something draining it eg bootlight staying on, glovebox light (if fitted) things like that. it is a process of elimination which is very frustrating, ive been there many times.

I assume when ur checking u disconncet the battery earth and putting the ammeter between earth lead and earth terminal on battery.... do that and pull out fuses 1 at a time and check the reading on the multimeter you'll prob need someone to help u do it

ci5ic · #5 02-12-2003, 04:41 PM

Yeah, sounds like your alternator is crapping out on you... you can run off the battery for a while, but if the alternator isn't charging it back up, you just run out of juice pretty quickly. Do exactly what Jmunk said, except, you only have to pull your negative cable to see if the car will keep running or not.

MyFirst4G · #6 02-12-2003, 09:16 PM

This happen'd to me and its deffinally your alternator!!!!

91EF3ZC · #7 02-12-2003, 09:20 PM

I feel you are discribing a current draw when you turn the car off.
Do you have any aftermarket stereo equipment? If so make sure your amps are turning off, a bad power supply would do this.
If your alt. was starting to fail you can check it by hooking up a multi meter to your cigarette lighter and go for a drive. A bad alt. will usually charge when it is cold and stop charging when it gets hot. Drive around with the multi meter in the lighter socket, your alt. should be charging at 13.5-14.4 volts. when your battery is charged you will see the voltage drop to about 12-13 volts. this usually happens at idle. when you stop at a light or somthing like that. it should always kick back up when you start driving again, and the RPM comes up.

bambam89lx · #8 02-13-2003, 10:13 AM

I did the fuse check just like u said. I pulled one fuse at a time and still....battery is draining when my car is turned off. My alternator works fine. I charged my battery and then I started my car and turned on my headlights. The voltage dropped then it rose to about 14.3. So that means that my alternator works. I can't find where the drain is coming from. I don't have any stereo installed at all, not even any speakers. I never had this problem b4, it just started happening all of a sudden. But, for some reason, I didn't have a problem today. Usually, I charge my battery, then my car starts fine. The next day I go to start it and the battery is drained to hell. But yesterday I charged the battery, and the car started right up. Then today, the car started right up fine and the battery wasn't drained! This is really wierd. I was thinking maybe I left a light on or something. But.....this battery draining thing has happened like 5 times so I don't know.

POST REPLY TO THIS THREAD