hi everyone,

the acura is a 97 cl 3.0 with about 125,000 miles on it. i bought the vehicle used so i'm not sure if the alternator has been replaced, but it looks like the original one.

The other day i was driving and the battery indicator started to flicker, it would stay on but it only seemed to do this when i pushed on the gas pedal. during idle it would flicker then go off, if the car is in Park the battery indicator light stays on...but it seems it flickers more when the car is in gear and your driving.

I tested the battery with a multi meter, with the car off the voltage is below what it should be, it read around 11.75v, when the car was on the voltage would go to abut 12.3v then drop to around 11.75v.

I think its most likely a bad alternator, if the belt was loose would it cause this to happen?

1) is best to buy a new alternator or have the one i have rebuilt?

2) whats a good price for an alternator for my vehicle, i live in canada so our prices will probably be abit higher than US pricing?

3) would it be ideal to buy a used alternator and if so which model would be compatible with a 97 acura cl 3.0....could an alternator from one of the honda accord models work if they have one at a scrap yard?

**Any advice would be appreciated, thanks.

 

Here's something to try. I know I had something similar with my 2.3, except my battery light never came on. Try turning on your corner lights. The first "click" on the headlight switch. Then check your voltage again. If it still doesn't read in the 14v range, then I'd say the alt is going south.

 

You should be able to bench test your alternator at any auto parts stores.

If your alt is bad after the bench test, i would get a remanufactured one. You will save a lot more and they are just as good.

 

could be your alternator..if belt is slippin(would usually cause a squealing noise) could be possible. belt runs off crank to alternator. therefore when the car revs the alternator spins just as fast cranking out power.. btw a good alternator reads at a minimum of 13.8 V with the car on (idle).

 

hey guys just wanted to give you an update.

the alternator belt is at a good tension, i read that it shouldn't have anything less than 1/3 to 1/4 of an inch in slack, the belt is nice and snug the way it should be.

car turned off voltage reads around 11.75...when the car is turned on and idling it will go from 12.3 then drop to 11.75 and pretty much stays there. the battery indicator now turns on and stays on when you start the car.

i've driven it short distances and this happened on Sunday, i'm pretty sure the battery is gradual losing power...cause today i went to use the wipers and put it on max speed, normally the wipers go fast, but today they appeared to be moving much slower, even on max setting. lights, interior/exterior seem fine.

***should i buy a remanufactured alternator, or have mine rebuilt, and what other model would be compatible. if i can get a second hand alternator for a cheap price that works then i'll save money. Wouldn't any alternator work with the acura cl 3.0, many honda accord parts are compatible so i figured that would be my best choice, anymore advice would help, thanks so far for the replies!

 

Like I said get the remanufactured alternator. As long as it fits and the amperage output is the same as stated in the noob guy. Accord V6 should fit as well.

 

Hi OttaWacK,

thanks for the advice. when you say remanufactured, do you mean having mine rebuilt or do you mean refurbished (which is basically second hand thats been inspected/tested to meet operation standards)?

Thanks for the tip on the accord v6 alternator being compatible, thats good info to know.

**last i have a question, if my alternator is bad, how long would it take for my car to basically not start or stall while driving with a bad alternator.

the battery light came on Sunday, i've been driving the car short distances, lights,radio, seem fine, and i take that back wiper blades seem to be going normal speed. battery indicator comes on and stays on once you start the vehicle and drive it. every once in awhile it will flicker, go off for a few seconds, then come back on and stay on. the battery was reading like 11.75v when the car was idling...if i gave it gas it would go to around 12.3v then drop down to the 11.75v range.

What I'm wondering is if it is the alternator how come my car has not either stalled while driving or just not started at all...I guess i'm surprised if the alt is bad that the battery has enough juice to allow me to drive it the last 4 days, even if i did go short distances, (about 2.5km per day). is it possible i could get those Voltage readings and not have a bad alternator?

 

He means refurbished

 

Do this.

 

I'll try the headlight test. the battery already reads below 12v anyways. it reads around 11.75v during idle, about the same with the car off.

A) if the batter reads 11.75 and i turn the lights on, if the voltage drops then my alternator is bad?

B) Or what if voltage stays the same, and reads 11.75 during the headlight test?

**symptoms i noticed since the problem occurred***

1) the batter light started to flicker on Sunday night while driving home, prior to that car was fine.

2) battery light indicator seemed to flicker more during acceleration, would even go away at a complete stop but did this random.

3) next day started the car, battery light stayed on during start up and while driving.

4) been driving the car all week, starts fine, interior lights don't seem dim, though my rpm needle while the car is in park seems always off, it reads around 2500rpms yet the engine is reving at its normal rpm range. the needle will adjust itself to the normal rpm's when you put the car in drive, but thats another thing i noticed since this all started to happen.

5) Voltage reads 11.75 during idle and the car off, if you rev the car, it'll shoot to about 12.3ish then eventually go back down to around 11.75.

6) How is it possible that my car is able to still have juice in it, i've driven the car everyday since Sunday...just wondering if my battery is bad and the alternator is fine and whats keeping the car going?

 

It should up the voltage. When I drive around town with a warmed up car, the voltage will read 12.5v. If I turn on the corner lights, it'll up the voltage to 14.3v... That's what you're looking for...

 

def sounds like the alt is bad and you're just milking your battery, the flickering of the battery light and such happened to me before my alt died

 

K guys,

I did the test with my multi meter and these are the results. before i did it i disconnected teh batttery, cleaned the terminals, cleaned any wires connected to the alt, as well the plug that goes in. i even washed the engine incase any debris got inside the alt and affected it....unfortunately that did nothing for me.

Car off = 11.37v

Car off + headlights = 11.18v

Car during idle = 11.05v

Car during idle + headlights = 10.94v


**after I was done, i started the car 3 times, now the battery is dead and car wont' start. theres a sticker on the alt that says "pro amp", not sure if its the factory alt or not. would it be cheaper to get it rebuilt, i could try the scrap yard but which model years of the honda accord are compatible??

 

I think I have a problem with either my battery or alternator. I own a 2005 RL with 42k miles on it.

Last weekend I stopped at a gas station to check my tire pressures (car wanted to veer to the right), and I left the ignition switch in position 1 so I could listen to the radio while messing around with the tire pressures. I also had been using the airco w/fan setting at 4 because it was very hot that day, so the ventilation fan was also running.

After about 15 minutes I was done, got in the car to leave, and it wouldn't crank! I've had this problem before when listening to the car radio when working outside, so I knew that after waiting 5-10 minutes the battery would freshen up and I'd be able to start the car, and that worked.

Yesterday I got around to investigating the potential problem(s), the voltage with the ignition off was 11.72 V, 14.12 V with car running. I looked at the "battery indicator light" and couldn't see anything, so I pulled it out, cleaned it, added some distilled water, and put it back in. Now I could clearly see the red dot that indicates "battery needs charging". So I hooked up my battery charger, and in less than 10 minutes it's gauge said the battery was fully charged, but the battery charge red indicator was still visible!

I thought about trying to check the alternator current, but there were 3 cables connected to the positive terminal, two large (and inacessable) ones and one rather small one. I decided that the smaller wire was way too thin to carry the amps coming from the alternator, so I couldn't check it's performance.

Anyone have previous problems like I described above, or have a clue as to what might be wrong with the electrical system?

 

Does your car idle rough?

 

Nope, idles fine. I bought a cheap hygrometer, checked the battery fluid, only one ball floated, meaning battery is bad. But I rechecked the no load 24 hour voltage, now it's up to 12.1 V (I added some water a few weeks ago).

The battery is a "no maintainance" type, shouldn't ever need to add water, and I'm not sure the hygrometer reading is even close to accurate since I can't measure the individual cells.

 

Your alternator is bad. Replace with refurbished one or have a local alternator shop rebuild yours. It cost about $90 to rebuild. You may want to replace you battery too if it is over 48 months old.

I had this problem twice. My CL 3.0 has 220K, I'm on my 3rd alternator.

 

No, not the alternator, voltage reading was above 14 V with the engine running.