Gents -


New to the site because I need help!


Wife's 1990 Accord has had many issues over the years, so I've gained some mechanic skills! But I've finally hit a point where scouring the internet for solutions hasn't given me the answer I need.


Wife's alternator does not always charge the battery. What I have found is that if I press on the plug going into the alternator it'll sometimes get it to charge. I figured there was a bad connection in the plug so I took a small flathead screwdriver and stuck it into the plug to make the connectors tighter - and this kinda helps sometimes. But the last time I had to do this I noticed the battery was making a bubbling sound, and as it's only 4 months old I figure I'll need to replace it (bought a bigger one than it had before at the suggestion of a friend that there was too much drain from accessories.).


Alternator is just over a year old, and when we started having problems months ago I took it in to an alternator shop and it all checked out. Guy even took it apart and checked the brushes and didn't see anything wrong. Upon reinstall I made sure the belt was properly tensioned as well.


So my questions -


Should I replace the plug? I bought one months ago in case I needed to replace it, it's a match but the position of the colored cables are different - if I replace do I go by cable position, or match the colors (have very little knowledge with the electrical stuff).


Would the alternator not charging be the reason for the battery to fail prematurely? Should I go with a same battery the car had before?


Started DIY repairs a few years back, really don't want to pay a shop to fix something I could do myself and learn from in the process, so thanks for any advice you can give!

 

Also, as the car idles it changes sound and when that happens the battery sometimes either starts or stops charging. Finally noticed today that the line going out from the PCV valve collapses when the car is running - could that be affecting the idle and charge? Super easy to change out so that's first on the list tomorrow - just wondering for the sake of knowledge if that could be playing into this charging issue.

 

If alternator light comes on at times, the plug may be defective. Match wires to position on the plug not colors. Make sure plug mates to alternator before cutting old plug off. Use high quality crimp/shrink fittings to mate wiring to new connector.

You should also inspect the crankshaft pulley/harmonic balancer. Strange alternator charging conditions can occur due to slippage of rubber bushing between outer pulleys and inner hub preventing drive of alternator at all times. Look for cracks or slippage of pulleys relative to inner hub. A radial line (white paint marker) across pulleys, bushing, and hub will ID any slippage that is ongoing.

Replace PCV hose w/ OEM PCV hose. I ran into this problem using heater hose that is too soft when warm to support suction pressure inside PCV hose.

good luck

 

Appreciate your advice, I got the new plug installed and it seems to be working.


Swapping hose was painless - there is a definite difference with the reinforced hose.

 

And a no go - swapping the plug didn't work still not getting the alternator to charge properly. Time to check out your line test!

 

The battery bubbling ? That sounds like it's to hot from over charging. Check your output voltage.

 

Suggest getting a Equus Innova 3721 Battery Voltage and Charging System monitor ($15) to plug into cigarette lighter. This will tell you what alternator is doing.

good luck

 

If you're still having an issue, get yourself a multimeter or voltmeter and do some testing.

1. At the alternator's green connector plug, disconnect the plug. Then test if there is voltage (battery power ~ 12 volts) at the Blk/Yel wire with the ignition switch in RUN or START.

The Blk/Yel wire supplies the ignition input that turns on the alternator/regulator assembly. If there is no, low, or intermittent voltage coming through the Blk/Yel wire to the alternator, the alternator will not charge or have problems charging.

2. If there is ~ 12 volt at the Blk/Yel wire from the first test, then test the voltage at the alternator output cable (Wht/Red cable) at the under-hood fuse box (T101). This alternator cable supplies current to the battery. (Wht/Red is a cable with white colored insulation and a red stripe running through it.)

You can also check the connector (T102) at the alternator, to see if it is the same reading as at T101.

Check the voltage with it idling, then raise the engine speed to 2,000 rpm and hold it there, and see if the voltage increases.

 

Thanks for all the great input! Yes, the battery does bubble at times. Wife noticed an odd humming sound while driving months ago, I finally realized it was the battery a few weeks back when I was running the multimeter on the battery with the car charging to see if the alternator would stop charging after a prolonged amount of time. Battery is new as of September.


Red - I'll definitely give checking the different wires out a shot. That's not something I knew how to do before so thanks for the new hammer in my toolbox! Electrical is not at all a strong suit for me, so do I connect the positive probe to the different wires and ground to the body of the car?


That cigarette lighter device shore woulda been nice to have known about back in August when the problems with charging began! At least the wife would have known when imminent shut-down was approaching instead of having the thing die wherever she was. Least I was wise enough to pay the extra few bucks for the tow package from our insurance company - 2 free (or at least substantially discounted) tows within 9 months)


The sad news is that the wife went out and bought a car this week, so the satisfaction of working on the car won't be to get her back on the road - it'll only be getting it running well enough to sell it with a clear conscience to a stranger letting them know the issues that it's had.


Tex - if that bearing is bad is that something an alternator shop can fix, or a part I can replace myself instead of buying a reman alternator? Looking to sell the girl, so I just wanna get her running proper an get a few bucks offa her.


Different question - car's been leaking coolant, been topping it off just about every week or so. When I last had the alternator off in September I noticed what seemed to be coolant weeping from an area where the water pump would be (collected some drops on a paper towel to verify that it was indeed green). I don't want to sell the car and screw somebody over, but I've also looked into the process of changing the water pump and I don't wanna. Is it worth the sweat equity and cost in parts in your minds to do this before resale, or should I try to sell it as a parts car? Body isn't in the best shape, but the windows are nicely tinted, speakers are good aftermarket and things and stuff. KBB won't let me check value for a 1990 like we have, earliest is a 1992 and it's saying private sale could get us around $1100 which is way more than I thought and I'd love to get that. Lot's of these cars around town though, and I'm sure we would be happy to fix the electrical and eat the extra money for not fixing the water pump (if that's the source of the coolant leak) for 700 or so.


I really appreciate all the help you guys have given. Done a lot of learn as I go and it's been a long go! Whatever repairs I end up doing next I'll take pics to try and pay it forward.

 

Yes, voltmeter's red lead to the wires I mentioned, and black lead to body ground. Be extra careful of moving parts when checking the alternator with the car running.