1995 Honda Civic Battery Drains

BASIC FREAK

MEMBER
1995 HONDA CIVIC
4 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
162,326 MILES

Well, just 3 days ago me and my dad changed my altornator, 2 days later we changed the battery (thinking the old factory battery was just worne out)

Now I have a new altornator that I am thinking is bad, but I dont know how to check it and its a sob to remove, From the altornator wire to the ground wire (disconnected from the battery) I get 11.5K oams, my stero system is a nice infinante oams and the rest of my car system is 1.5M (cant tell you whats what, I have no fuse diagram but my bet is the altornator)

Before the replacement of the altornator I could let my car sit for months without starting and now I cant leave it for a day.

is there any way to test this, or fix it?
should I just replace the altonator or do you think it is something else?

1 Reply

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,814 POSTS

Hi BASIC Freak,

If leaving the vehicle for a day and the battery gets drained, it could be some component malfunctioning draining the battery.

To check for parasitic draws, an ammeter would be required. Disconnect battery negative terminal and connect ammeter across it. Monitor the amperage, anything more than 0.08 amp means there is a parasitic drain.

To test the alternator charging rate a voltmeter is required. Start engine and test across the battery terminals. If you have 13.5 to 15 volts, the alternator is good. If you do not have the voltage, test across the alternator main terminal with engine ground. If voltage is similar what you get at battery, the alternator is bad. If voltage is between 13.5 to 15 volts, the connection from alternator to battery is bad. Check for blown fuse.