1998 Honda Civic Battery/Alternator.

KEA_LAE

MEMBER
1998 HONDA CIVIC

Engine Performance problem
1998 Honda Civic 4 cyl Automatic noidea miles

Yeah, as you can tell I am chick who doesn't know her car too well.

But I digress.

Alright, so a while back, my friend offered to drive my car home from College for me, unfortunately, when she got out the door caught on the seat belt and the light was on for 12 hours.

Now, when I turn her on, she doesn't start.

Full Epic(post light-thing):
When I first thought her battery died, my friend jumped it for me.I drove around for ~15 mins, then turned it off and on again (like he suggested) and it died. So he jumped it again. And I drove it for 30 mins to home depot. Then it wouldn't start back up, I had to have these really cool mob guys jump it for me.
Then I drove home and left it there. A week later I decided to try my luck again, I turned it on and began to drive it down my street, then the battery started going on me so I pulled in to a random parking lot and let it die. My friend and her Boy came and jumped it for me, I drove it around for an hour, then went back home. A few weeks later, my roommate asked if she could use it for Black Friday, I agreed. When she went to start it up, it wouldn't even turn over. I tried and I got the same thing.

I am really distraught, I need this car for work and college. My car-savvy friend thinks its the alternator or the alternator belt, and not the battery at all.

Please HELP me! I need my baby back. Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope!

1 Reply

ZACKMAN

MECHANIC
4,202 POSTS

Have someone jump the vehicle. Take it down to an auto parts of your choice (Autozone, O'Reilly, whatever you have in your town) and ask them to test your electrical system. They will come out with their handy little machine to test your battery, starter, and alternator.

Based on your story, I suspect the battery was completely dead from the seat belt problem. Once the battery is jumped, it will run for a while (now that it has some juice) until it completely drained again. Now your alternator DOES NOT charge your battery (unlike what most people understand). It only replenish what the battery has.

Here is an analogy. You have a charge card with a limit of $100. You already spend $60, so you only have $40 left on that card. Similarly your battery started with 100% charged. After the seat belt fiasco, it has lost 60% of its charge (only has 40%). Now the alternator can only replenish up to 40%, not 100%. What do you do if you want the full amount of your credit? You pay the $60 then you'll get the $100. So what do you do to get the battery back to 100%? You will have to physically attach the battery to a battery charger until all the power cells are completely charged up. Keep in mind though, sometimes, if a battery is drained too much, it may not go back up 100%, then you will have to replace the battery (especially if it more than 4 years old).

Let me what you find out.