BIG battery problem. I will pay $5 for the correct answer.

[iamamp3pimp 5,000+ posts]

that **** doesnt even make sense

 

[schackel 10+ year member]

uhh, ********

this was happing to his car not mine.

 

[schackel 10+ year member]

You need to check for parasytic electrical drains with an ammeter or you can also use a bulb to check. Could be something stuck on (heater fan, any amount of relays, etc.) that you cant notice. Possible when you got hit it jammed something in the on position, and its slowly draining the batt overnight.
A quick fix would be to put a batt disconnect switch in it when letting it sit for a while, but to find the real problem youll need to put the meter on the batt and pull fuses from the fuse boxes until the drain stops, then you know whats causing the problem and can further trace it.

Edit: One thing i forgot to mention, there could be a shorted diode in the alt, which will cause a drain. You can check this by hooking your meter up and checking for ac voltage while the car is running.

cheacking for AC on the POS. and NEG> of the alt?

and the second question is:

I got hit in my drivers front fender and door. is there much to mash in there?

 

[schackel 10+ year member]

Could still have a short //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif Also, it could be a drain somewhere, but a short would be a drain. You said it was worse or better or the same with the new alt?

it seems to be about the same i think but i am not certain.

 

[I Like Waffle]

Have you also checked the voltage with the car running? The thing you said that went on the old alt but not on the new one, could be a sensor telling the alt to charge. That would cause the battery light to come on. Either that or thats the voltage sensor wire for the dash.

 

[I Like Waffle]

cheacking for AC on the POS. and NEG> of the alt?
and the second question is:

I got hit in my drivers front fender and door. is there much to mash in there?

In the little plastic cars like that honda electrical crap is crammed in everywhere. Isnt the fusebox on that side of the car? Couldve messed up a relay.

 

[schackel 10+ year member]

Have you also checked the voltage with the car running? The thing you said that went on the old alt but not on the new one, could be a sensor telling the alt to charge. That would cause the battery light to come on. Either that or thats the voltage sensor wire for the dash.

the volts were 14.5-6 when the car was on so it seems to be normal

 

[plugitin 5,000+ posts]

it does not.

this really makes me think the alt is not charging the battery...

 

[schackel 10+ year member]

In the little plastic cars like that honda electrical crap is crammed in everywhere. Isnt the fusebox on that side of the car? Couldve messed up a relay.

yeah the fuse box is right under the dash on the drivers side.

where should i start?

 

[schackel 10+ year member]

this really makes me think the alt is not charging the battery...

well idk how to test it. the volts goes up when the car is running

 

[I Like Waffle]

Well, youll need a meter to check current draw, do you have one? I would start by pulling the relays. You sure your car doesnt have 2 fuse boxes? Almost every 4 cylinder ive worked on has a big one under the hood and a small one under the dash, might wanna double check.

First thing i would do is fire the car up and check for ac voltage coming from the alt on the post, if you have any, you have found your problem. Bad diode in the alt

About the wire you said you disconnected, do you mean that wire plugged into the factory alt and then connected to the batt post on the alt, or is it actually a part of the cars wiring harness?

 

[schackel 10+ year member]

Well, youll need a meter to check current draw, do you have one? I would start by pulling the relays. You sure your car doesnt have 2 fuse boxes? Almost every 4 cylinder ive worked on has a big one under the hood and a small one under the dash, might wanna double check.
First thing i would do is fire the car up and check for ac voltage coming from the alt on the post, if you have any, you have found your problem. Bad diode in the alt

About the wire you said you disconnected, do you mean that wire plugged into the factory alt and then connected to the batt post on the alt, or is it actually a part of the cars wiring harness?

#1

yes there are two fuse boxes the other is on the passenger side under the hood.

#2

so there is the plug coming from the new alt and it connects the the one in the car. the harness in the car also had this little plastic slider thing(not the plug) that sides over this metal bracket on the old alt. I can send you a picture message via email or phone.

 

[schackel 10+ year member]

nm i am going to up load pics now

my finger is pointing at the metal piece that the harness slides on to.

 

[dennit469 10+ year member]

test the battery in another car for a few days and do the same method you did with yours, it very well could just be a bad battery

 

[schackel 10+ year member]

pics are up