I have been having problems with my 2000 TL. It all began with my starter going bad about a month ago. No big deal. Pulled the starter out and had it tested to be sure. Bad starter so I replaced with an Acura starter.

Car has been going strong. Just recently my battery went dead. I thought it was strange because I put it on a slow charge and it seemed to work fine for about 2 weeks. It died again, so I just had it replaced free, (Walmart Everstart) because it was still under warranty. Car drove good for about week and then it died again.

2000 TL
210,000 miles

The battery cable are looking kind of shaky. Do think its a good idea to replace the cables? I see some corrosion in the wires, so I am thinking this could be the problem. I hate to think its an alternator. When I was driving home the other night, the car acted like it wanted to die...as if it had nothing to give and it was dying. Then as soon as I got home, I turned the car off and back on....NOTHING. I JUMPED the car ok but then when I turned it off and back on again...NOTHING.

New Battery and Starter. Connections were tight but cables are looking bad. What do you think?. I am going to run test on the charing system with a multimeter soon. Just wanted to get your thoughts

 

walmart didnt run a system test after battery install?

cables are critical- bad ground and it wont charge the battery off the alternator
there are some small braided ground wires from frame to engine- those go bad too
If you have blue crud anywhere- replace the cables

jump starting the car is bad for the alt.
running a minute and shutting off- then expecting it to start ??? not gonna happen
Takes alt about 45 minutes at 1500+ rpm to fully charge a dead battery

a charger machine for home use doesnt get a batt anywhere near full-
just enough to get the car started and have some juice left in the battery so it can take a charge

 

So a home battery charger is not good? It didn't know that. I got a schumacher from walmart, I thought it did well.

I am going to take it up to the parts store and have it tested. I think thats my best bet. I am going to replace cables. Walmart just tested it to see if it would hold a charge. It didn't hold a charge so they replaced it.

 

That depends on the charger a 20 amp charger will charge it quick but you should charge at 20-30 min intervals to avoid over heating the battery, the best charge to do on a battery is a 6 amp or less depending on how dead it is 2-24 hours


One sign of a bad alternator is the battery light is on consistently while driving or the car is running, that mean that you are running off the battery and not the alternator, go to an auto parts store and have them check the alternator, or check it with a voltage meter it really should be under 13


As for cables and terminals they are a huge factor, and as for corrosion, if its the terminals you can change them easily, check to see if the cables are swollen at the ends and if there is a greenish powder on them, if so you can cut back the sleeve and if it goes too far down the line you have to replace em

 

I am going to need to check it with a voltmeter. I do see signs of corrosion on on my cables. I am going to replace the cables. As far as the battery charge, I do a slow charge that may take up to 4-6 hours to charge. Its always worked fine for me.

 

It would be a good idea to replace the battery and ground wires with new ones. I did and I found major corrosion on the old ones I removed. I made custom cables with 0-gauge wire and soldered new ring connectors on them. Sanded and cleaned up the connections to the starter and alternator. You can remove and reuse the 2 L-shaped connectors of the cable connected to the fuse in the fuse box. I just soldered them on my new cables. I installed new custom-made ground wires too, and I added 3 new ground wires....to the alternator case, to the engine block and to the strut tower. You can get really cheap 0-gauge cable at audiosavings.com.

 

fixed

 

with our 10+ year old wires, I would replace -rather than try to put new ends on things
Make a new set or buy them
acura sells a ground wire kit with all the grounds for under 20 bucks

the crud grows inside,,wires are cheap compared to the low voltage problems they cause

 

Did a test to see if the alternator was bad. When I had the car running, I checked the voltage and it was about 13.4. I know thats low and it points at the alternator being bad. But here is my question..


While the car was running, I put the test leads directly on the battery terminals, test results were 13.4. But when I put the leads on the battery ends, it testes 14.5. What is correct?

I even pulled the negative cable off while the car was running, it didn't die. I know thats an old school way of doing it but does it really mean much

 

Battery terminals is in contact with the terminals of the battery. What is battery ends? Where did you touch the test leads for the second test?

 

drive to parts store where they have proper test equipment
and ck it for free!

 

Sorry about that. Battery cable ends. When I touch the ends of the battery cables, it gave me a different reading totally. I am sure its the alternator.

As far as driving it to the parts store, the car tends to die when I driving it. I bet the battery is weak

 

take your alternator off and have it tested. Odds are it is the problem.

 

Yeah. I am going to do just that. Replace the battery cables too.

 

car dies while running,,battery not getting a charge = alternator

the old school testing method doesnt count anymore
got to use the machines to know whats happening for sure

might be able to score an alt from the auto recycling yard (junkyard)

have the battery charged and tested FREE at parts store (take it in with the alt)
they can get it full-full,, not like the average home machine
and test that it holds voltage and recovers from a load

 

When your down to the Junkyard Get a ODYSSEY ALT Instead! A nice Upgrade (130A) it Wont be that much of a Difference ($ Wise) and It bolts right Up

 

What you're describing is a voltage drop test of sorts. Normally, you'd put the positive lead on the battery post, with the negative lead on the cable end. With the circuit loaded, [usually cranking, but charging as you're describing will work too] you measure the voltage. Acceptable MAXIMUMS are 0.2V for a wire or cable, 0.3V for a switch, 0.1V for a ground, and 0.0V for any connection. You are describing a 1.1V drop across your battery cable to battery connections. Try cleaning your battery terminals.

 

thanks Skirm.. I knew someone would have the upgrade alternator info
and Trash,,thanks for the technical measurment

OP states he plans to replace cables-
and will hopefully clean the battery terminals with that job~
(some peeple you gotta bee real specific like with)