• Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and Register for our forum. Even if you don't want to post, you can still 'Like' and react to posts.

Daily Down!


DankTank

New Member
Joined
May 26, 2017
Messages
33
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Oklahoma
Vehicle Year
1986
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
2.9L
Transmission
Manual
My credo
If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...
I'm in a bad mood and need to rant right now.

So, my daily driver, my 2008 Acura TL stopped cranking. I walked over to it mashing the unlock button like I tend to do, and got a bad feeling when the car didn't blink at me. all the lights are dim and only 4 diagnostic lights are coming on. And, of course I don't even get a crank. Not even a click, the car's just dead. Brand new battery and terminal cables. I see a failing alternator.

I've had the car less than a year, 98,000 miles on the clock of which only 13k are mine, and I've already had 3 electrical issues that have left the car beached. This is my first Honda and I have to say, not impressed. And frankly, I want my Xterra back. It was a jumpy, misaligned POS that was rear-ended twice, but at least it always started.

I'm not going to beat around the bush here, I HATE this car! The dash rattles constantly, the navigation only works half the time, the slushbox automatic is bipolar, and it's so low that I scrape on speed humps!

And to top it all off, the car was in a wreck before my ownership. When I finally got the stealership to spill the beans he said it was 'just a tap.' Yeah, a tap that at least warranted the replacement of the bumper, fender, and rocker panel, and likely the oh-so-important joints and bearings in between (I seem to remember a mysterious power steering leak). I really should've looked for something else when I learned that.

I'm not going to downright blame Honda for all this. I WILL blame the stealership though. Funny how I can trust my projects more than my daily driver...

...RANT OVER!

That said, I need to see if it will jump start tomorrow so I can take it somewhere to test the alternator. At least both my projects run and drive so I can still go to work and make money to fix this.
 


Mark_88

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2007
Messages
18,554
Reaction score
240
Points
63
Age
68
Location
Ontario, Canada
Vehicle Year
2007
Make / Model
Dordge
Engine Size
3.3 Fuel Injected
Transmission
Automatic
My credo
Love Thy Neighbor
Sounds more like it may be a battery drain than an alternator. On most cars the battery light will come on if the voltage drops while driving (Fords do that) but that can be a loose wire or belt also.

If the battery drains overnight then you have a drain somewhere that needs to be corrected and you can test that with a Digital Multimeter and a bit of patience and methodical troubleshooting.

If the car starts and runs with a boost then drive it for about an hour to charge the battery or put a charger on it over night. You can get a good charger for less than the price of a battery if you don't have one...they plug into a lighter or power outlet in the car and save you the open hood look that neighbors hate.

If the car starts and runs but you find overnight it is drained then you can go through the steps to find the drain on the battery.

There are actually some good videos available that show how this works and are easier than typing a mess of steps...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF1gijj03_0

That one is from Eric the car guy and I've seen a few of his that were good...there are others that may be shorter or more informative but just so you know it's out there...once you understand the concept it's easy to test and find the problem(s),.
 

Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Staff online

Today's birthdays

Member & Vendor Upgrades

For a small yearly donation, you can support this forum and receive a 'Supporting Member' banner, or become a 'Supporting Vendor' and promote your products here. Click the banner to find out how.

Truck of The Month


Kirby N.
March Truck of The Month

Recently Featured

Want to see your truck here? Share your photos and details in the forum.

Follow TRS On Instagram

TRS Events

25th Anniversary Sponsors

Check Out The TRS Store


Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad


Amazon Deals

Top