Bars92

I have a question about alternators in a 2002 Civic LX 1.7L automatic.

My charging light came on and I took my vechicle to Canadian Tire where they replaced my OEM alternator with a 'Champion' alternator.

Although the car seemed fine, the light remained on and I took it back and they put in another brand new Champion. The charging light remained on.

I went to another garage where the mechanic diagnosed that all circuits perform as expected but the alternator has the wrong regulator and is not grounding the control wire.

I am thinking I will have to go to Honda and get them to verify this. And will need an OEM alternator.

Does anyone have experience with non-OEM alternators in their 2002?

I am also wondering if the wrong regulator will cause damage to my car? as I have been driving it like this for some time.

Thanks in advance

lazlong

Not enough voltage to the computer can hurt it.

I've always taken the OEM one to the alternator guy in town here. Same day service and it costs about $50.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Yea getting your OEM rebuilt is the besy way to go if it can be done. If it can't, spend the money on an OEM replacement unfortunatly to avoid problems.

Bars92

Yeah the original OEM is gone for sure. Dunno what they did with it. The idiots at Canadian Tire have no clue...They just rely on their inventory system and the model they stuck in there is the only option for my car.

I'm thinking that i'll have to go to Honda to verify it has the wrong regulator and its not some other electrical problems...

The other mechanic I went to had the Honda specs in front of him and he said the alt was not sending the right voltage to the computer. So this is sounding like what you guys said. Thanks for the input

lowlife9

you gave them your oem alternator there going to have it refurbished and sell it probably back to you dam. you could always get a used one at a salvage yard there fairly common parts try looking here http://www.car-part.com/

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

i have a napa alternator in my 02 and its lasted at least twice as long as the oem did.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Napa is badass though. It's about the only place I trust for aftermarket parts.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

yeah i love napa, they always have stuff i cant find at the other auto stores. and most of their aftermarket parts are the best.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Most of their "Premium" parts are only a few dollars more expensive than their regular stuff too... and almost all of it is made in Japan.

lowlife9

i used to work for napa i still have napa stocks lol.

kbook

I have Napa as well. It's still working very well in my 04. The first time the shop replaced the wrong alternator judging by the shape and the light still blinked sometimes. I bought it back and they replaced it again. This time it looks the same. It's still running great so far.

Bars92

So, I purchased an OEM alternator and took it back to Crappy Tire and got them to install that. They refunded me the money for their crappy Champion. But the charging light remained on with the OEM alternator. Then I went to the Honda dealership and they said that Crappy Tire has messed up the wiring of the alternator. So my car is at Honda right now while they try to troubleshoot what the problem is.