Hi folks,
Today I helped my roommate replace his alternator and now we're stuck. It's a 2003 Accord with the 2.4L 4-cyl engine. I used to change oil and do low-level repairs (brakes, etc.) for a shop, but I'm not a master tech by any stretch of the imagination.
Problem: Car doesn't get electricity to power dash lights or start the engine.
Relevant info:

1. We replaced the alternator today due to problems with the car dying while driving. The car's owner had a charging systems test done at Advance and apparently they told him to replace the alternator (owner also said that they got a "no voltage" reading during the test, I'm not sure what this implies but it may be relevant here). This is the obvious answer and I went back and double checked my work. All of the electrical connections seem solid. The only uncertainty I had was the routing of the drive belt but I looked up a diagram and it seems that we put it back on the correct way. It was a pretty straightforward replacement so I think that there is a deeper problem.
2. We tried jumping his car off of mine. When the jumper cables were connected his car got power to the lights and got response on key turn. The engine gave a weak attempt at turning over but then died again. We left the cables connected while my car ran for a few minutes with the hope that it would charge up his battery. We then tried again with the same result (power to lights and weak attempt but no start).
3. We tested his battery and it seems fine. I have the same model car (different year) so we swapped batteries with my car. His battery cranked my car.
4. When I put my good battery into his car it produced the same results (no power to lights, no motor turn).
5. His negative battery terminal is unable to be tightened all the way, and I will be replacing it tomorrow unless you folks advise me otherwise. It seems like it's tight enough to make a connection with the post, but I can still wiggle it around with my hand a little.

Possible solutions(?):

1. Battery terminal
2. Improperly-routed drive belt?
3. Bad alternator? I don't think we'd be having these symptoms if this were the case though.
4. Corrosion in the battery cables themselves? I haven't looked yet but will when replacing battery terminals.
5. Electrical short or blown fuse?
6. Other??

I don't have any electrical tools so I can't test any fuses or the battery or anything. I'm stuck and don't know where to go from here. My roommate is trying to save money by not taking it to a shop but if he has to there's no way around it. I was trying to help him out by replacing the alternator for/with him but now am discouraged. I'm also in a bit of a moral dilemma: If he ends up having to get it towed to a shop, am I obligated to pay for the tow? Supposedly the car ran yesterday when he went to have the test done at Advance. I don't know if I did anything that made the situation worse.
Thank you for reading, and even more so for any advice. If I think of any potentially useful information I'll add an edit.

 

Use your jumper cable to jump the negative battery post to where the negative battery cable bolts to the frame. You can even try jumping from the negative battery post to the negative battery cable to see if it is the connection to the post.

Another thought. If you used a wrench to tighten down the negative battery cable clamp, use a 10mm deep socket or a regular 10mm socket. I've tried with a boxed wrench and didn't get it tight enough, and I did a ton of car work by that point in my life.

 

Double check your electrical connections, and in particular the grounds. I only say that as it sounds like you're missing a body ground (motor mount??).
I only say that as a friend of mine had a similar issue with his Jetta. He replaced the battery in it, and it wouldn't start. I looked it over and found that the body ground wasn't attached. Hooked it up, and the car started right up.

 

Thanks for the replies folks. I'm working now so will have to wait until later on today to check the ground connection. I'll investigate further and keep you updated on here.

 

I'm with PA/"Toe" on this one:

"His negative battery terminal is unable to be tightened all the way, and I will be replacing it tomorrow unless you folks advise me otherwise. It seems like it's tight enough to make a connection with the post, but I can still wiggle it around with my hand a little."

If any ends of both cable have an issue.....resolve that first. It is NOT tight if it is still able to be moved by hand.


Do you still have the old alt......I'll guess it is fine and the cable is/was the issue all along.

 

Just to give you folks a heads up, you were correct in your diagnosis of the ground connection. Thanks for the help!