battery light is coming on?

1991 Honda Accord Automatic

I just recently put in a new battery and starter in my car. It's been running fine for the past week,but last night the battery light came on. This morning it was still on and after driving it for a minute it went off,but then it came right back on. What could be the problem? Could it be the alternator? I took it to a mechanic and it said it tested poorly,but then we took the alternator out and had it tested at Kragens and it tested almost perfectly.

It might be an alternator power cable issue then.

However, those bench tests aren't always 100% accurate. Sometimes alternators fail at certain temperatures. You only tested it at room temperature, so it still may be bad.

Battery Indicator Light keeps On when swich is off, and light goes off when swich is turned on without engine being started, I wonder how to find the Alternator performance? wether it is bad wiring or own failure, recently I changed Head Gasket of my car, Can it be caused from mal function of the mechanic? Pls. guide me what is the cause?

Accord EXi 1992
Appreciated your guides.
Parsapour,
[email protected]

Check the ground circuit connections. Seems some are not secure, especially th eones between engine and body, thermostat housing and front fender.

Check alternator connections.

Dear KHLow 2008,
Thanks for your kind reply, will check and revert, by the way may I ask you to be more specific on Ground connections? as I am familier enough on Tstat connect location but the rest I am not very sure. thanks again for your valuable guide.
Best regards, Parsapour.

There is a ground strap at engine mount.
One on either side of fenders, behind the head lights.

1991 Honda Accord

had a new stereo put in and after a week the battery light has come on and wont go off.

Hi saroct,

That should not be related to the stereo.

Get the charging system checked. Your alternator might have run out of carbon brushes.

I am having a problem with my 91 Honda Accord LX that I hope someone can help me with. It starts with the battery light
flickering, then flashing, and I start to notice that my brake petal starts to go all the way down to the floor. I can
stop the car by pumping them, but they will eventually go all the way down to the floor. It doesn't happen all the time,
but it seem to be occurring more often. I have a new battery and the fluid level in the reservoir is good. Any ideas?

Hi ecov,

The alternator carbon brushes are running out, you need to replace them or the alternator assy.

The brake master cylinder piston seals are worn and needs to be replaced. If you hold the brake pedal, it would go down.

I have a '90 Accord EX, and after it warms up it's hard to start. If I let it sit for a few minutes, it'll crank up. EFI relay? Also, my battery light intermitently comes on and flickers, had battery tested - bad, same problems with new battery. Could it be shorting somewhere to ground? Any way of tracing it down if thaat is the problem? It's a pain in the butt when it happens. Thanks for any advice!

I would opt for the EFI relay and I would check every ground and make sure they are clean. What is the voltage at the battery when it is running? I ask to make sure that your voltage regulator has not bailed on you. You need to ensure that the charging system is functioning correctly.

My girl's car, 1990 Accord EX w/about 155,000 miles, keeps having the battery light come on. Some times it will stay on after the vehicle is started, or it will come on as we are driving down the road. Some times it will just flash on and off, or it will stay on for a while and then go off. She took it to 2 different auto part stores to get the Alternator and Battery checked and both times they told her they were fine. The Owner's Manual saids to check the belt tension, I try but couldn't get my hands down in there. This problem has been going on for over a week, maybe 2 weeks. Finally we took it to the Honda dealer to get it checked out, as I suspected they said the alternator was bad and needed to be replaced. Is the alternator bad or no? If yes, why didn't the 2 other auto part stores see it, even I know how to check both...I was in a different state & no Voltmeter! If yes still, why hasn't the battery gone bad yet? The dealer said she has a Big strong battery, how big of a battery can a little Accord hold. It starts just fine and all electrical works Fine! If yes after all, why does the light come on so randomly? Why not just stay on at all times? I like to feel safe and trust her local auto shops, but it sounds way to fishy!! Thank you very much for ur help!!

Hi there,

I would be suspecting the alternator has a sticky brush or a faulty regulator, with this o/Hauled i would not expect you to have anymore problems, as for the batter, the standard recommended amperage will be ample for your needs.

Mark (mhpautos)

My Battery light is intermittently on. Sometimes the whole time I drive it, sometimes not at all, sometimes for a few minutes. It has a new battery and new connecters from the battery cable to the terminals. I have removed the alternator but Schucks tested it and said it was good. I have checked as many ground wires as I could find and they all look good. the only ground wire under the hood that I couldn't find was one that should be on the right rear of the engine, I couldn't see it from the top of the engine so I wasn't able to check it.
Is there anything else I can check? Is it possible that my alternator is bad but the test at the parts store doesn't recognize it? I believe it is the original alternator. Thanks for any help you can give me.

PRELIMINARY INSPECTION Check alternator wiring harness connections and drive belt tension. Ensure battery is fully charged and connections at battery cables, alternator and main fuses are good. Check dash fuse box fuse No. 2 (15A). Replace fuse(s) as necessary. NOTE:If any fuse is blown, charge warning light will come on even if the charging system is working properly. ALTERNATOR OUTPUT TEST With engine at normal operating temperature, remove alternator harness connector. Turn ignition switch to ON position. Ensure battery voltage is present between Black/Yellow wire terminal of harness connector and ground. If battery voltage is present, go to step 4). If battery voltage is not present, check dash fuse No. 2 (15A). Check for open circuit in Black/Yellow wire between dash fuse box and alternator. Turn ignition off. Reconnect alternator harness connector. Connect alternator tester with integral carbon pile to apply electrical load to system. Start engine. Ensure all accessories are off. Operate engine at 2000 RPM and apply a load with carbon pile so voltage reading drops to no less than 12 volts. Cooling fan must not come on while testing. Check maximum amperage and compare with appropriate alternator specification chart. NOTE:Due to engine operation, subtract 5-10 amperes from the maximum reading. If amperage reading is within specification, charging system is okay. If amperage is not within specification, perform full field test. Recheck amperage. If amperage is still not within specification, replace alternator. If amperage is within specification, internal voltage regulator is defective and must be replaced.

you told me how to check the alternator...thats been done and it was good. is the test you explained any more reliable than what is done at the parts store? is there anything else I can do? the only thing NEW that you told me was to check the fuse. could you answer my original questions.

This test done on the car the way it should be
to verify wiring and fuses and or alternator failure
If the test was done and all pass you should have no problem
I AM only trying to help

good luck

Hello, recently replaced he water pump and timing belt on my 90 honda accord, now the battery light comes on, my battery does not get charged. I removed the alternater and had it checked out by auto zone and was told it was good. The battery is fully charged and good. The oher problem after replacing the water pump is that my car now stalls when I come to a stop and then turns off? Any Idea what is happening here? I really need to get my car fixed and don't have a lot of money so am trying to figure out best way to fix it.

Did you line up the timing marks correctly? Also did you make sure the key is in the crank for the crank pulley? they tend to fall out which lets them spin and can cause what you describe.

Jack,

I did not do this job myself, I was done by a friend of a friend so suppose to know hondas really well. I am beginning to doubt this as the car was working fine before the water pump went out.

What steps can I take now to insure if this was done correctly - what options do I have? Also can you give me more details as to the why it would have these effects on the car. Really appreciate your help and would like my car running again.

Be sure the belt is tight first.Then start the carand watch thecrank pulley to be sure itis spinning.If ok you will need to get a meter to test continuity from the big charge wire on the alt to the battery.As far as checking thecam timing (since it dies) you will need to line up the mark on the crank pulley then remove the valve cover to be sure the marks on the top gear (cam) are lined up

Ok, I see how it goes this weekend, will post back later.

thanks.

I have a new alternator installed, now the battery light stays on. The voltage is 14.4 with the engine on and 12.3 with the engine off.

I installed it myself, I have some mechanical skill, everything was reconnected correctly.

The new alternator was a reconditioned unit that matched the original. How can I fix this?

Thanks in advance,

Tom

Youre absolutly sure ALL wires on the back of the alternator are reconnected?

Let me know what you find

I will test the plug-in connector for voltage, so if there's a constant line in as well as an ignition line, could one be at fault and the unit still operate?

Is that why the battery light stays on?

Electrical is somewhat puzzling to me. But I'm learning.
I'll get a diagram of the plug-in to refer to.

Thanks again for the input.

Be aware Honda manual states "If any fuses are blown, charge light will stay on, even if charging system is working properly! ", so check ALL fuses, even the ones under the hood!

I have a 1989 Honda Accord that I just replaced the Alternator on. When the alternator failed the BAttery Light also came on. The voltage across the battery was reading 11.3 Volts with the engine running or not. After replacing the Alternator the voltage is 12.3 across the battery (Not Running) and 14.5 with the car running. Help........

I metered the plug-in connector for voltage, the terminal (S) was zero, checked the fuse- bingo. The #8,ACG(S) 10 amp fuse was blown. I replaced the fuse and checked the voltage at the terminal (S) and now there is voltage.

I puts humpty dumpty back together again, starts up, voltage is at 14.4.

The battery light is out.

Thanks
Tom, the T Shirt Guy

After replacing the Alternator the voltage is 12.3 across the battery (Not Running) and 14.5 with the car running. Help........

12.3 is low for an open voltage reading-14.5 volts running the alternator is putting-could be the battery is not taking the charge.

Load test the battery-

Good deal...

Electrical problem
1985 Honda Accord 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic

battery lamp stays on, new alternator and is charging at 14.5 volts at idle.

Check alternator wire harness connections check drive belt tension. Battery must be fully charged prior to beginning test. Alternator Output Test With engine off, disconnect White wire from alternator battery terminal. Connect ammeter positive lead to alternator battery terminal, and negative lead to wire just removed. Connect voltmeter to battery. Start engine. Turn on headlights (high beam), rear window defroster, and turn heater fan switch to highest setting. Run engine at 3000 RPM. Ammeter should show about 60 amps for Accord and Prelude, 50 amps on Civic. Check alternator if not to specification.