2002 Honda CRV Charging System

TOPCOPFH1

MEMBER
2002 HONDA CRV

Electrical problem
2002 Honda CRV 4 cyl All Wheel Drive Automatic 133k miles

Battery lamp is illuminated on dash along with SIR. Battery was dead. Started after recharge. Battery lamp & SIR will intermittently go out when driving. Stopped the car (engine runnng) and the battery lamp re-lit with SIR lamp. Put volt meter on battery. Output when running is 18.4 volts. Acid is bubbling from battery. When car is tuned off, there is a large drain on the battery. Am I correct to assume that the internal voltage regulator in the alternator is bad?
I'm told that the car has an Electronic Load Detector or (ELD) in the under-hood fuse box. Does that also control alternator output? Where can I find a walk-through if I have to change out the alternator?Thanks in advance for any guidance.

5 Replies

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,814 POSTS

Hi topcopfh1,

Yes, with a charging rate of 18.4 volts, the alternater is bad.

The large drain on the battery could be due to a faulty battery or some other components draining it. You would need to perform test to determine the cause.

The ELD does control the alternator output by increasing or decreasing it according to the load requirements.

Replacement of the alternator is rather straight forward so should not be a problem.

Let me know if you require additional help.

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Saturday, February 13th, 2010 AT 7:43 PM

TOPCOPFH1

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Thanks for your response! My previous diagnosis must have been while ther alternator was in the process of failing completely. The following morning I reconnected the battery and tested the output with the engine running and the alternator is now completely dead on output. No drain either when engine is off. Any guidance on replacing same with an Auto Zone reman? I read on this forum somewhere that aftermarket alts are prone to premature failure and that I should go to dealer for a replacement unit. Thanks again for your help.

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Sunday, February 14th, 2010 AT 6:20 AM

KHLOW2008

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41,814 POSTS

After market or remans tends to fail much earlier than OEM so I would advise against non OEM parts if possible. However you might get lucky with a reman which would last you for some time.

Here are the replacement procedures.

ALTERNATOR
Removal
1. Disconnect the negative cable from the battery first. Disconnect the positive cable.
2. Remove the bolt "A" securing the battery clamp. Remove the bulkhead cover "B". See Fig.8.

3. Remove the upper brackets and cushions. See
Fig. 9.

4. Remove the drive belt.
5. Remove the auto-tensioner.
6. Remove the three bolts securing the alternator. See Fig. 10.

7. Disconnect the alternator connector "A" and Black wire "B", and remove the harness clamp from the alternator. See Fig. 11.

8. Remove the alternator. See Fig. 12.

Installation
1. Install the alternator and drive belt in the reverse order of removal.
2.Install the upper brackets and cushions, ensure they are set securely.
3.Connect the positive cable and negative cable to the battery.
4. Enter the anti-theft code for the radio. Enter the customer's radio station presets.
5. Set the clock.
6. Perform the ECM PCM idle learn procedure, and the power window control unit reset procedure.

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Sunday, February 14th, 2010 AT 6:47 AM

TOPCOPFH1

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Thank you for your quick response and the R&R procedure. You are a gentleman and a scholar! It's nice to know that there are people out there who are willing to help others for the sake of being a good human being. The world is a better place thanks to folks like yourself. In this economic climate, your advice will no doubt save me tons of cash better spent on other essentials.

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Sunday, February 14th, 2010 AT 7:31 AM

KHLOW2008

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41,814 POSTS

You are welcomed and thank you for the compliments. Our site is here mainly to help people like you and is nice to be appreciated.

Due to the overhelming questions coming in, we are not able to attend to all questions so we are rather apologetic on that.

Have a nice day and hope you get the problem resolved.