1989 Honda CRX Si Wont START! ah

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kimchi

New Member
My crx wont start, So i was thinking it was the battery. So i bought a car battery charger and charged the car for a couple minutes. Then it would start i would leaev it on for a couple minutes then turn it off. Then i would try to start it back up then it wouldn't do anything, nothing electrical would come on so i was thinking it was the alternator. I just want to comfirm it is the alternator??
 
Why dont you try putting a new battery in it? If a battery is DEAD, a couple of minutes wont do anything, using a charger, or running. If you want my opinion, if it does end up being your alternator, buy a new battery anyways. You let a battery dies so many times, and it becomes worthless.
 
Charge the battery, Start the car and pull the negative post off and see if it stays running off the power of the alternator. If it dies or sputters it is your alternator, if it stays running it is your post or battery. ;)
 
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Charge the battery, Start the car and pull the negative post off and see if it stays running off the power of the alternator. If it dies or sputters it is your alternator, if it stays running it is your post or battery. ;)
and hope it dont fry your ecu
 
yeh that def. sounds like a battery issue, nothing to do with the alternator, i work at a honda dealership, and i had a car llike this a couple days ago, i jumped it and let it ran and about 5 min. later it died. so i replaced the battery and it was good to go. so save urself money and the hassle and just get a battery,
 
and hope it dont fry your ecu

Never has before. Pulling the plug is no different than a faulty connection at the post or at some other point. It isn't going to surge the power and fry something.

I did take some automotive in high school, but my true passion was electronic engineering and computer technology which I took in college. Now do you want to go into details of why it will not fry the ecu. The only way it can is if it caused a power surge or increase in power. A normal charger or jumping causes a little surge, allot worse than pulling the plug. But your electronics should handle it perfectly because they were designed to.
 
and hope it dont fry your ecu
werd..... do not disconect your battery while the engine is running. You might be able to get away with it for about 30 seconds before your car shuts down. This is a trick the old carburated guys use, its not a good idea for your efi car. interuptng the power to your ECU is never a good idea. Ive seen it not literally fry an ECU but, erase it . Its almost like pulling the plug on your PC while you have 3 or more programs running.
When it comes to your problem, I cannot stress how important it is to own a volt meter. If you dont have one, $12 will pick you up one from any auto parts store. Charge your battery DISCONNECTED FROM THE CAR COMPLETELY and have the tester on hand. Check the battery to make sure it has about 12.6 volts. If it doesnt, go buy a battery. If it does, walk over to the car and check for continuity of the battery terminals and wires between the fuse box,starter, and alternator.
If they checkout, put your battery back in and start the car. as soon as you start, check the voltage at the battery again. If it reads 13-14 volts your ALT is good. If it still reads 12.6ish volts your ALT isn't charging the battery, which means it may not be powering the ignition/ecu/etc.,but the battery is. And yes a car can run without the alt working, until your battery becomes discharged. Dont believe me, if you ever decide to buy a new battery and your old one is still good, remove the belt from the alt and start the car, Sit there and stare at your car until it turns off, trust me, youll give up watching it and go watch paint dry instead.
 
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