Alif

Story: never had any battery or alternator problems before.
Honda Civic Lx (canadian) 1.7L. 157,000 miles. Got car last april at 135,000. 2 oil changes since then.its a sedan.

Previous problems: my lower ball bearings were shot,replaced those at mechanic shop. Replaced all tires,all new. Airbag light has been on since 150,000. Maintainnence required light turned on recently,maybe at 156,000.

So last night after a long night at the buffet i go to drop off my cuZin at his house,left car on for maybe 10-15 min. Start driving for maybe 5 min,see a cop and check my speed. All my gauges are at 0. WTF...slow down and pull over, lights dimming , i turn car off and then i cant turn it back on. check Engine light goes off,****. First i thought it was battery so this dude uses jumper cables, car turns back on,after changing to reverse,car ignition stops again,lights dimming, Fuel and temp gauge goin up amd down slowly. Try jumping it with another car,still nothing.

My cuZin says my alternator is bad and that i need a new one. This is my first car so im new to all these problems. Im also a student so i dont wanna spend tok much but this is also an opportunity to upgrade the alternator. I jus wanna confirm with you guys ,does it sound like my alternator is bad and what should i replace it with? Should i do it myself and what tools do i need? I have a ratchet set but thats about it. I change my own oil every 4k. Last one was at 154,000. I use new oil filter every time. Fram sadly.

Soo you guys think i could do it? What are the essential tools,not optional ones,jus the ones i really need. I need to do this in 2 days also haha. I also need advice in buying am alternator. Thanx

drhawkinz

Here's a link to all the DIY jobs. You can find how to replace your alternator here.

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...diy-index.html

I would take the battery and get it tested but most likely it's the alternator. From my experience when the alternator dies you're just driving off the battery; so once you start draining the battery the radio cuts off, gauges go nuts, etc. Sometimes when the alternator goes and you drain the battery it kills the battery. So you may need to replace the battery too but take it with you to auto zone or where ever and have them check it. You may have to get a trickle charger to put on it before they can test it if it's too dead.

Also the "maintenance required light" isn't tied to any form of the diagnostic system. It's just there to get you to take your car to the dealer. I think if you press the mileage reset button and hold it in, turn the car to the "on" position and wait 20 seconds (keeping the mileage reset button pressed in) and then crank the car. It should reset the light. I just had to do it to mine last week.

Alif

thanx for the input man. I just tried to start it and it worked but then i tried the electrical stuff like radio,windows and windshield wipers and my wipers were super slow, my radio went off and then i guess it just drained.

Yeah i think it basically resets everytime i do an oil change or something, ill reset after that,but yeah im gonna need to get an alternator in the next 2 days and install it myself. it looks pretty easy,i can see the alternator clearly. I guess ill look around the DIY stuff.

Btw anybody have a 2004 service manuel? i saw a thread here where you can download it but the links didnt work.

ezone

If it did not lose the alternator belt, then it sounds like you need to replace the alternator
and charge the battery back up before running the car.


I see no reason to "upgrade" the alternator. ("Upgrades" are "yeah, not so much" when you are sold junk parts by discount stores.)
Just fix it back to stock so it works right again.

ezone

Nope. A human must reset it every time.

Alif

Yeah i checked the belts and they look fine. Yeah i was wondering if upgrading an alternator would give any performance but looks like it basically useless, do you think an alternator from autozone or advanced autoparts would be sufficient?

ezone

Do you REALLY want more of my opinion?



















EDIT: That was personal opinion. Their parts work good enough for some people.

Alif

well where would you buy your part from? i need my car by monday though lol

CraigW

iTrader: (1)

Simply despise auto part store reman,rebuilt whatever.

Try to find a rebuilder local.

My mechanic suggest factory re-done units.

Alif

what if i buy a brand new one from autozone/advancedautoparts? its like $130

ezone

Seriously doubt you will find factory quality before Monday 6AM.



Check here


But like I said, "Their parts work good enough for some people."
Are you one of those people?

And click here

And I totally agree with CraigW.

We used to have a local rebuilder that used the best parts in all of their builds. They retired and closed.
The only rebuilder left here now uses the cheapest parts, I don't even consider that as an option now.
I'd have to travel to the next big town to get high quality parts in a rebuild now.

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

If you buy Duralast from Autozone, they have a lifetime warranty.
Though it's not as good as OEM, only buy into if you have the mindset that it can and probably will fail.
If you don't mind having to replace it again, then by all means go for what you can afford.

The Duralast alternator I bought to replace mine hasn't failed me in the 1 year since I've replaced it, but YMMV.

Here's the DIY to do it:
https://www.civicforums.com/forums/2...placement.html

Alif

yeah i dont mind, its not like i have the money right now to buy a really grreat part ,but if it keeps my baby goin then im satisfied...for now. thanx!

mikey1

i would suggest going this route also,

there are certain parts that i swear by going OEM, but an alternator is not one of them, i would go aftermarket with lifetime warranty,

Alif

Hey guys,i just wanted to say thank you to all of you who replied. Went to advanded autoparts and got a ToughOne alternator, installed it myself with help from my cousin ,ran into a lil problem but besides that everything went well. Its running perfectly, thanx bros!