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I installed an alternator and new belts into my car and it seems all was fine after I started the car the belts moved smoothly, no grinding, no parts flying out the engine. But about 15-20 seconds after starting it the car started to smoke right in between the alternator and exhaust manifold. Specifically, it was on the far right side of the exhaust manifold. Could be mistaken but I think it was coming from the exhaust manifold but it could have just as well been coming from the alternator, not positive but it was around that area. Any ideas what could be causing this. It's a 2003 honda civic with 150k+ on it.

Also, after I installed the alternator I went ahead and installed a new battery. And then after that started her up and then smoke. I waited a day and went to start it back up and I turned the key to the electrical position? and the dash lights came on then went I go to start it up fully, then it all goes black and won't start. And when I go to turn the key again no lights come on in the dash. Had to jump start it, then it started and the same problem with the smoke.

 
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Also, want to add that I had this alternator tested at advanced auto parts the thing spun and was stated on their computer to be "good". It didn't look like it was smoking there. I keep reading online about smoking alternators being a result of a bad diode or rectifier? Wouldn't this have turned up in their tests and started smoking there if this was the case?

Thank you

 
Rep Power: 517

Bad connection(s) between battery and car. Probably between a battery post and a cable.

Loose cable end? Corrosion?

Try to crank the car and let it go dark, then jump out open the hood and FEEL the battery cable ends and connections for one that is warmer than the others. Resistance causes heat, if you find a hot spot you found a bad connection.

Resistance causes heat, that may be why you saw smoke?
Did you get the big cable end tight on the alternator?

 
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Yeah maybe a bad connection because I just installed the battery. Cleaned off everything with 50/50 water and baking soda, as many exposed copper wires as I could find were scrubbed with the stuff. When I put the clamps on the negative wasn't as clamped on as the positive. The positive clamps touch each other at the ends but the negative one does not, I will clamp it tighter tonight.

Not sure about this smoke though, seems like it could be something deeper like the diode or rectifier, at least that's what I found while googling the symptoms that and some possible liquids stiff upon the alternator. This is a pickle.

 
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Is the big cable the sensor type cable with green on it? That was sort of cumbersome to get on, I think I have it on there good but possibly not sort of just wiggled it on. And the positive cable? with the nut I got that on there super tight so much so that it wouldn't tighten no more, could that be a problem?

Thank you

 
Rep Power: 517

The gap between the ends of the clamp isn't what's important, tightness and good clean contact is.
If you can twist the cable end loose from the battery post with your hand, that's not tight enough.

If the clamp ends meet and bottom out before the clamp becomes tight upon the battery post, that's also bad.
The thin metal in the stock clamps is easy to deform and bend, causing poor clamping and poor contact.


None of us can see it.

Brand new fresh alternator, machining oils baking off during the initial run in?

Spilled (or leaking) oil baking off of the exhaust manifold?

When you run the engine.....maybe 30 seconds, does the alternator get screaming hot, hot enough to cause smoke? (It WILL get hot during high load charging, but it shouldn't be 400*F hot that quick)


I meant the positive cable in my previous reply. It needed to be tight, sounds like you got that ok.

The green connector with 3 or 4 wires in it just needs pushed on far enough that it latches in place and can't be pulled off without pressing on the latch.

 
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THANK YOU!
Going to make sure that the connection on there is good. I put some Vaseline + baking soda 50/50 mix on the terminals before I put the clamps on, could that be causing problem? maybe I put too much on the terminals?

Also, I installed new clamps on there like the ones they sell on the AutoZone shelves. The traditional kind.

This is a used alternator I got from a 02' civic. Was pretty greasy when I got it, it was tested and came out "good" on their computer, no smoke either. It's white/grey smoke. Maybe I'll take a small video of it and post it here.

And the resistance causes heat right, so if that alternator is cooking up that quickly I'll know that's the culprit, could it be cooking up due to a bad diode or rectifier?

When I popped off the two 12mm screwed holding on the exhaust manifold plate, I didn't see any oil looked dry as a bone.

 
Rep Power: 517

Everything should have been clean and dry before assembly. No residues.

Those really can be garbage. What was wrong with the originals?

Poor connection between the new clamp(s) and stranded cables?

Were the new clamps colored red and black?
Did you scrape all the red/black paint off so there can be good clean metal on metal contact between post/clamp, and clamp/cable?

 
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Should I clean off all the 50/50 baking soda+Vaseline from the terminals? and the clamps are colored black and red. They've worked fine before for years before this problem. I did have to install a new red one though because I tighten it too tight and it broke off. Maybe I installed it wrong or awkwardly where the connection is bad. So a bad connection on the battery and posts can cause smoke like this? why does that happen?

I am thinking, it would be due to the fact that if there is a weak battery connection then the alternator has to work harder to generate power? And therefore overwork will overheat it and thus smoke. And that's why the battery wouldn't start the second time?

 
Rep Power: 517

Read my previous answers.

 
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Yesterday I went to start the car again and it did the same thing, turn the key and lights on the dash and radio come off, then when I fully turn to ignition everything goes black and when I try again nothing comes on, it's like it gets a boost of energy then nothing.
I cleaned off all the gunk from the posts and scrapped more paint off. Then jump started it again, it started up with a little struggle. Then with jumper cables still on about 20 seconds after starting it, it begins to smoke again. I turn the car off remove the jumper cables. Then go to try and start it and nothing, not even the lights on the dash come on. It has to be something electrical draining the battery, right? like a bad alternator? but then the smoke, I am guessing that is unrelated. There is a confirmed blown head gasket on this car here, had it for some time but it never smoked like this before, the car has been sitting idle for 3-months. The smoke is significant whitish grey smoke, almost positive now that it's from the exhaust manifold area, because during that 20 second interval I could clearly see it was coming with the manifold cover off. And when I went to feel the exhaust manifold piping they were extremely hot, even though the car was on for only 20 seconds. I also felt the alternator, it was cold. What could this be?

Thank you

 
Rep Power: 307

The battery is drained from all the short starts (then starts when boosted)

Smoke: Are both belts turning when this starts ??

You should try to locate the source of the smoke for best clue.

 
Rep Power: 517

Power is not getting through a bad connection, or the battery lost 100% of its power all of a sudden.

 
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Ran it again and pulled down the heat shield, looks like the smoking is coming out in between that middle joint of the exhaust manifold. And the really the battery want hold a charge, I thinking is because of a bad Alternator?

 
Rep Power: 517

So it seems it's unrelated to the alternator questions.
You can't condemn the alternator on this alone.


Charge up the battery, have it tested.



I still think this: Power is not getting through a bad connection, or the battery lost 100% of its power all of a sudden.

 
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Thanks
What are common place for shorts or parasitic drains to the battery on this car?

Here is a video I took of the smoke coming from the exhaust manifold.

https://*******/dllp

The car only seems to run when it's hooked through the jumper cables. I checked both the belts, the power steering and alternator belt are spinning good.

 
Rep Power: 517

WARNING
My antivirus blocked an attack by 'fake browser update 3'

Video helps a lot, your typed description lacks some details.

Slow crank even with the jumper cables on it? Were the cables connected to a running car, or were they connected to a battery of unknown charge state?

Charge your battery up and have it tested.

Simple alternator test: put a voltmeter on the battery posts and see what voltage climbs to after the engine is running.
If voltage does not increase, figure out why the alternator isn't working right.


Smoke is probably just crap stuck in the exhaust manifold/header area. Still unrelated to your battery issues.

 
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I should put a voltmeter while the engine is running? Or after I turn Off the engine?
The Civic was hooked up to another Car, the other is in ok condition. Gonna take Off the entire heat shield and see if there are any cracks, maybe put some jb well on it if so. Possibly a bad gasket? Seems like it was smoking around that joint in between the lower exhaust system. Wondering what the deal is with the battery not being able to hold a charge.

 
Rep Power: 517

I wouldn't worry about the smoke right now.

Charge and test your battery now.

 
Rep Power: 307

Test charging voltage with engine running.

 
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Today I bought a mulimeter. I scrubbed a lot of the wires down with baking soda and then sand paper. Went to the battery with the dvc setting and tested it. It read: 12.4v then jumped the civic, and took the cables Off right After and tested it again, it read: 14.5v. At this point it began to smoking again from the exhaust manifold, I Let it idle, it subsided and want a way just like you said, must have been gunk. Soon After that exhaust stopped smoking all the sudden the civic started to Rev on its own, I looked at the tachometer and it was going back and forth between 1 and 2 and almost hitting 2.5. I Also took Off the radiator cap and there was a whirlpool in there, the coolant began to fly out. I Let it idle there revving and slinging Coolant out for about 5 to 8 minutes it Never stopped revving up and down like that. When I turned and tried to restart it just did this rapid clicking. Then I checked the battery again and it was at 12.83v I then turned on the Radio, lights, and ac and checked the battery again and it dropped to 12.06v.

 
Rep Power: 517

Alternator is working.
This car sat for a long time? IAC valve may be stuck.

You probably should not pull the cap off like that, there will be violent movement in the radiator at times.
Refill the radiator and burp the air out, refill reservoir.
Get someone else to crank if while you test.

Put meter leads directly on battery POSTS (not the cable clamps) and see what voltage is during cranking..

Then move meter leads---pos lead to fusebox large cables and neg lead to engine starter or anything cast that is bare metal. Have someone crank it and see what voltage is during cranking..

 
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Thank you
Am going to burp the system and then afterwards refill it.

When you saying get someone to crank it is that to say while I have the two leads on the post someone else is pressing up and down on the accelerator?

And After I have the voltage results from that then I should take the positive lead and put that on the fusebox, where should that be put on the fusebox? And the negative lead, all I need is a metal ground for that, right?

 
Rep Power: 517

Wait wait wait. Forget it.

It's gonna be simpler if you just take out the battery, carry it to autozone and have it tested.

 
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I just put this battery in a week ago, it's brand new. When the car is off and I go to test it with the multi-meter I get 12.4v, doesn't that mean that the battery is good?

Thanks

 
Rep Power: 517

No. You can run a battery weak or dead in a short time if it isn't recharged. That doesn't necessarily mean it's bad, but it needs recharged and tested to find out.

12.4v without any load is not all there is to it.
What is the battery voltage during cranking?
Cranking means operating the electric starter with the ignition key.
Operating the electric starter creates a significant load (a good starter with a strong battery will use approx. 120 Amps), measuring battery voltage while under load tells just a little more about the battery condition.

The battery has to be fully charged though. The slow cranking speed and dim dash lighting in the video says it probably is not fully charged.

 
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Just took it to autozone and they told me that the battery is at 71%, being charged now. Wondering what's causing such a drain or why it isn't being recharged. Would not this be an indication that the alternator isn't doing its job? Also was thinking, could it be a bad starter? Because that rapid clicking, I know that's the starter trying to kick the car into ignition but the battery isn't giving enough juice, could that be a faulty starter there?

Also, I went to clean the IACV, found some good tutorials on here. Took the air box off and looked into the hole, looked like someone torn up a carpet and stuffed it inside of there, so I am thinking that's where the rough idle was coming from. Wanted to still clean the throttle body and IACV but am having trouble getting the throttle cable off, I read that it's like a bike cable where that metal cylinder at the end of the cable is suppose to slip off, but for some reason the bracket won't go all the way back, that one bracket used to rev the engine from under the hood. For some reason it seems stuck and unable to move very much.

 
Rep Power: 517

It takes TIME to charge a battery. The alternator may be just fine but if you start the engine over and over and over but don't ever let it run long enough to recharge the battery, it's gonna get run down.
All of these can be tested and figured out.... (but you must have a good battery first).


Mouse nest? That's bad.

I do that with everything assembled on the engine. No need to remove anything but the air filter box lid.


The IAC valve might be a different story depending on what its issues are.

 
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Indeed, I started it over and over again but everytime I saw that smoke I just turned it off didn't give it long enough. But even at 71% wouldn't it still be enough to start the car up?

Don't I have to take the whole throttle body off the car in order to clean the IACV? I don't know why I can't seem to get the throttle body cable off, the bracket won't go all the way back in order to take off the cord off.

 
Rep Power: 517

Can't you just remove the screws holding the IAC on?

Can it be cleaned without removal?