There will be one wire bolted to the Alternator that is a larger gauge wire than all the other. It is the main power wire that goes to the positive battery post, thats where you will touch the Red lead of the multimeter to, set the meter on DC volts and touch the Black meter lead to Battery negative. Now on Hondas you will need to turn the head lights on (high beam) and any other electrical loads you can, such as the HVAC blower motor on high and the rear defrost button, this will load the Alternator for the voltage test, Honda is one of the rare ones that lowers charging system voltage at idle or when there are no excessive electrical loads. It can drop down below 13volts, (such as 12.8v) and it can appear as though the charging system is not working.
But with I would check the battery voltage first, do this in the morning before the vehicle has been started for the day, if the battery voltage is below 12.6volts, the battery may not being holding a charge. Then monitor battery voltage when cranking the vehicle for the first time in the morning, I think you'll find it drops below 10volts when cranking. Thats no good. Autozone or advance auto can load test the battery and Alternator if you take them off the vehicle and bring them in. They have a machine to do that type of testing. But you shouldnt have to charge the battery unless the vehicle has been sitting longer than a week or more.
May 21, 2024 at 5:47 AM
