Hey TSX community, this place has been pretty quiet. Just wondering if any high mileage gen 1 TSXs had any problems with their alternator.

I just replaced a battery with a brand new one I got from Kragen about 2 days ago. This morning, my car started fine, and I drove it a little over a mile downhill to drop my daughter off at school.

Parked, shut the engine off, walked my daughter to school. Came back after less than a minute, and the car wouldn't start. After a couple of minutes, I tried starting the car over again, and it turned on like nothing ever went wrong. Had to re-enter the radio code, but the Nav didn't need the code.

It could either be a crappy battery, an alternator, or something else. Watned to get your thoughts or the old-timers thoughts before I went and traded the battery in for a Optima gel battery. I couldn't find anything thus far on the TSX having a crappy alternator.

Thanks for your help....

 

You have a voltmeter? Give it a check on the battery while running, then the alternator. I'm at 119K miles and so far haven't had my alternator go out. My OEM batt went out 3yrs ago, replaced with a Duralast batt.

 

^^thanks pacman, I have yet to do that. I too don't think its the alternator, cuz I haven't heard of any recurring problems for TSXs, or for that matter, Accords of this year.

I had a duralast in there after the OEM, and now I've got a Kragen one, whatever brand that is. I'll give the voltmeter a shot.

 

It costs like 20 bucks at most places to check your electrical system

 

If you have a trickle charger, use it overnight on the new battery. It could be that the battery you bought was older stock and lost its charge and was just enough to get you through a few days before finally calling it quits. The alternator needs a fair amount of time to charge a dying/dead battery -- a few miles doesn't cut it.

However, the fact it started a few minutes later could also mean a slightly 'dead' spot on the starter brushes, or potentially an electrical or main relay problem (hopefully this is the only time!).

 

First thing I'd check is the battery terminal connections. Clean and tight?

 

Clean and tight...he he he

Thanks poltergeist, checked and good to go.

I'm beginning to think it might be option 1. the sales lady told me that its the last one they had in stock, so that could mean it was sitting there for awhile.

I personally haven't seen anyone have trouble with the alternator....not for our K24, or the accord and CRVs.

I might see if I can return this and upgrade it to the optima battery before I get the alternator repaired.

 

If the alternator is weak (no electrical problems w/ my 05 w/ 113K miles by the way), you should have an idiot light illuminated tripped by the low voltage (a "charge" light I think and that's what it's for for). But it may just be that the battery needs charging. This may not bode well for your "new" battery, but I agree that putting it on a charger for a while might be all it needs.

 

CarbonGray Earl:

When the car didn't start that one time, how did it sound? Did it crank and crank and crank strongly and just didnt start or did it crank slowly and weak and did not start?

I also have not heard of alternator problems in the time I have been reading these forums. A voltmeter test should not hurt though.

I have never heard of those Kragen batteries. I always use Interstate batteries. I have managed to get 4+ years out of them in the past. I have had a fantastic experience with them. And that is 4+ years in the stiffling Florida heat. Even though the batteries say they are maintenance free, I always top them off with water when I do an oil change. I believe Optima batteries are made by the same company.

How many miles does your TSX have now?

Good luck.

 

OEM batteries (Panasonic) on these cars don't tend to last very well and were underpowered. I switched to a DuraLast also.

 

optima red top 35 fitment code! 700CCA+ had it for a year and its still going strong.

 

sorry, didn't check this over the weekend.

FWIW, my car has 97k on it. This is the 3rd battery that's been on it (OEM, then duralast, then Kragen).

Its ran fine over the weekend. Short trips, long trips, etc. I think it probably had lost its charge while sitting on the shelf. I think it'll be fine.

 

while getting my car inspected today they replaced the battery under warranty saying it tested low.

 

i'm having a very similar issue maybe you guys can help me with. last night my car engine would not turn over. it tried by 2 very slow turn over attempts, then to nothing. i waited about 20 secconds and tried again and it turned over.

to give a background, about a week ago the car started to sound slightly slower when starting the car. just not as strong as it usually is. but it always turns over, it hasnt stranded me yet. but its just weaker in the last week or so.

so i just had the battery checked today at the shop. battery seems to be fine at 13.7V with the engine off. so they said i do not need a new battery. i asked if it could be the alternator and they seemed to be sure that its not the alternator. but i'm not so sure. what could be the problem?

i've gone thru a few batteris since the stock one died years ago. my current battery i think is a little over a year old. actually it might be closer to 2 years old.

 

CarbonGray Earl,

No alternator issues here but did replace the battery on my '04 a few months back at about 105k

If the battery was so dead that the radio lost its memory, it shouldn't be able to start your car after a couple minutes. I'm thinking a loose connection somewhere.

 

I just had my battery and alternator tested at auto zone. While running the alternator was putting out 14.2 volts so it looks good. But the guy said the battery tested at near end of its life so i guess i can at least only have to worry about needing a new battery rather than a new alternator.

 

RogerPodacter:

What kind of battery do you have right now?

Get an Interstate Battery. I have gotten more than 4 years service from those. Also remember, even though batteries say maintenance free, you should periodically add water to top them off.

I think Optima batteries are also made by Interstate.

Dont get a cheap battery. It will cost you in the long run.

 

I had a battery start to go (if I didnt' turn the car on for a few days it wouldn't turn over)...ended up going to pep boys...$95 for a Bosch Battery with, get this, 1000 COLD CRANKING AMPS. The battery is a beast. I have an 04TL.

In older cars, you could turn the car on, then disconnect the battery and if it died then it was the alternator. With our newer cars I'm sure there are more obvious failsafes...or at least other warning signs.

J.

 

My current battery is from sears goodyear and its a pretty decent one. I forget which at the moment. But actually i think it should still have a warranty.

 

Damn, 1000 CCA's? That's insane! 550 in my PowrSurge battery was a definite upgrade on the OEM one... I couldn't imagine having almost double (unless the battery was rated at 1000 CCA's at 15*C for example, then its really about 600 CCA's at the freezing point).

As for your "disconnect the battery thing", I do not advise anyone to try this on a car made in the past 20+ years --> the battery acts as a voltage regulator/stabilizer and removing it can cause power spikes that can damage the very sensitive sensors, computer systems, and other electronic parts of the vehicle.

 

Not to kick a dead horse, but the clue to your problems may lie near the bottom of your post: "delivered in 03". That means your car is an 04, which means...... well, need I say more? You should be on probably your second battery (and that's only because the TSX is known for it's weak OE battery). And even though it's probably past time in 6 1/2 years, most people don't replace their battery until they have to. And for most cars, that's well after 6 years (I'll bet you a night out that the majority of 10 year old Camry's running around out there still have the original battery in them). The fact that you've replaced your battery a number of times to me spells trouble with your charging system, and that usually means the alternator (and for a long time, regardless of how well it "tests").

Just as a comparison, my 05 had it's battery replaced under warranty almost 3 years ago now, and that was only because it tested poorly; I hadn't had any problems with it. So.... I'm on my second Acura battery and for almost 3 years. The car has been and is in Mass. or Conn. (meaning New England weather), and though it was garaged until about a year and a half ago, it's stayed outside since then. I've never had any trouble starting it, and there have been plenty of cold mornings and nights. Testing fate? Perhaps, or..... the Acura batteries are not all that bad afterall. So.... I'd guess you have a troublesome alternator, even is a test doesn't show that. And if the way to address that is to keep replacing the battery, then..... whatever works I guess.

 

Yeah...you're right...850 CCA...1000CA...but still, I thought it was a beast!

 

well remember i do an insane amount of driving. 245K miles on my car right now. i've gone thru probably 3 or 4 batteries at this point. i really dont think there is any electrical problem or charging problem with the car, it just gets a lot of use. however this recent battery issue has me puzzled since it seems to be way to early for this particular battery to go dead. yesterday the laternator was putting out 14.2 volts to the battery with the car running. and with the car off, the battery at first read 13.7 volts. but then the second test at autozone read 12.7 volts with the engine off. so the tester read "near end of life" for the battery.

 

I would just swap it out for a newer one. I'm sure it's still under warranty.

 

Don't go by volts to determine a battery's condition. You MUST subject it to a load test to determine if its got the cranking amps to turn over an engine. 12.2v @ 50 amps is a LOT less power than 12.2v @ 500 amps. A voltmeter (multimeter) cannot subject the battery to much of any load, so you'd be best to have the battery tested at a true shop with the equipment to do so.

Maybe they did test it under load, but by your description, I can't be sure.

 

120k miles for me and on my 2nd battery. No starting problems here!

 

Update:

It was the alternator. the battery light came on indicating the battery wasn't getting properly charged. So I had it checked at Kragen, and the battery was fine but the alternator was running at 12.2 volts.

So I went to my mechanic and he offered me 3 options: a Honda-labeled Denso unit, a denso unit without the Honda label, and a remanufactured one. I went for the Denso unit w/o the honda stamp.

Total cost was 350, whereas the dealer was gonna do it for $600. I probably could have done it myself, but I didn't feel like wasting too much time.

So for those who have been following my posts, in the past 6 months its been:

Axles: $600 @ my mechanic
Transmission and motor mount: $1700 @ dealership
Alternator: $350 @ my mechanic

I guess crossing over into 100k miles does have a price....

 

Wow it's rare to hear a Honda alternator go out so early at only 100k miles. Glad to see that everything is back to normal now.

 

Hmmm...you're the 1st I've heard of to have their alternator go and unfortunately under 100K miles.

31100-RAA-A05 ALTERNATOR ASSY. (CSC29) (DENSO) TSX $232.49

 

^^ya that's the one I got.

Its a bit unbelievable that it went, but I'm a pretty lead footed driver, so it might have stressed the alternator. It looks like it was slowly deteriorating, and I wasn't about to get stuck at godknowswhere with a car that's gonna die on me.

Still, for all that's happened, I'm almost done with payments. The engine still runs great and $300 here or there on preventative maintenance is alot easier to swallow than a monthly car payment.

 

What kind of driving conditions stress an alternator?

Sorry you've had some problems come up recently. Hopefully that'll be it for a while.

 

^^thanks luvmytsx.

I honestly don't know what would stress it. but considering my history with this car, it leads me to think I've driven this car through hell and back.

I do live and drive in SoCal traffic, and I do punch it when I have to. But I don't know if that itself would lead to alternator, axle, and tranny problems. There's many of us in this part of california, and it seems like I've had the most problems.

 

God it feels good to be right!............... (kidding, and sorry it's at your expense). I'm inclined to say it's just your bad luck. And I'm quite confident that your driving style had nothing to do with it. I still think that your history of having to replace the battery so often indicates that you've had a problem for along time (like since new). Perhaps you're done with the big money stuff and will be able to just enjoy the car for a while.

 

I think when it comes to alternators...it's simply luck. I doubt there's anything you can do to prolong their life, and there isn't anything you can do (that's not extreme) to cause them to prematurely fail. It's something that just "happens", you know?