First of all this isn't a Lude, but I figured I would ask...
My friend has an 01 Civic that is on it's 5th alternator within the past year...
He has been lucky enough that they have all been covered under warany but he is puzzled as to what could be causing the problem.
Originally he thought it was some cheap amp that he had hooked up to his car, but he replaced it with a name brand amp and has still been loosing alternators.
The last thing his mechanic told him is that it could be his ECM, which isn't really something cheap to replace just on a whim.
Anyone have any thoughts on what could be causing this?
Not sure but you would think that if it is his ECM the warranty would cover it because its faulty.Im no expert but I dont think a ECM would burn out a alternator.Has he had all the wiring checked?
It's not the ECM. What kills alternators is exposure to water and a current draw beyond their capacity. Knowing that it is a Civic, it's probably a 60, 80, or 90 A alternator, certainly less than 100A. That means that's all the amp can put out. If his system that he's running draws more than that, it definitely will eat alternators.
I guess the better question is: how does he know they are going bad? What is the symptom?
He told me yesterday that he got a new OEM one put in. He said that both the battery and alternator tested out fine, but the battery light on his dash won't go out...
if u have access to a VAT load test the battery and also check the alternator output. General rule of thumb is it should put out atleast 60% of its rated capacity or its junk. Generally from what ive seen is they make around what they are rated for. Also if the battery is dirty or corroded clean it, that causes a draw. If all that tests well find a wiring schmatic and go from there.
Does the car have any hard starting, dimming lights etc. ?
Well my friend just called me and told me that the car just died after he was driving down the road. He lost power, the tack was reading 0 and running rough at idle, but the engine was still on for a while. Also, the speedo was reading incorectly.
He knew all the other alternators weren't working well because they weren't putting out what they were rated at when tested.
The battery light has not gone off since he got then new alt put in and now he has a check engine light which he will get checked later today or tommorow at the shop.
I still think he needs to isolate the problem. If the alternators all test out bad at a place like Autozone where they can put it on the tester, then something he is doing is cooking them.
Personally, I would want to know what idle voltage is on startup with a so-called bad alternator and then I'd also want to know what the voltage is with the engine off. I'd also check the battery to make sure it's putting out the right CCAs for it's size.
I'd go ahead and disconnect any aftermarket wiring to isolate that as a possible cause.
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