My daughter has a 2004 Honda Civic LX. I've repaced the alternator and battery multiple times, even replaced the ELD in the fuse box. This morning she told me the battery light came on. This drama has been going on for 3 weeks now, and at 66 I'm a little old to be outside for hours at a time trying to resolve the problem. Has anyone else had this persistent charging issue with their civic? The first few alternators were all from Advance Auto, but the current one is a DENSO, which the Honda service department near me said that they have good luck with usually. I've checked grounds, connections, fuses, you name it, and STILL we have problems. I understand it's old, but when you replace virtually all of the parts in the charging system, the age of the car shouldn't matter. I hope it's not the computer........Please help

 

The battery cables can get internal resistance which throws off the system voltage.

 

Reply to all. My daughter was confused by the lights on her dashboard. In reality, she has a check engine light on, not a charging system (battery) light, so she threw a code for something else. I still would like to hear everyone's ideas about this subject, because it took so long and so much effort to overcome. Thank you all!

 

I wondered about that, and considered replacing them at one point. I uncovered the location of the starter to check for loose connections there (since I was checking everywhere else anyway). I did wonder about age and corrosion inside the wires, since I couldn't see inside the wire insulation. However, as I just posted, I'd still like to hear everyone's thoughts on this subject. It was terrible that rebuilt alternators from Advance Auto just would not work in this vehicle. When I called the parts department at the local dealership, they quoted me a price of $608 for an alternator. I was able to get a rebuilt DENSO alternator for much less, and it seems to be doing it's job. I was very concened that my daughter was driving this car to work everyday, with this potential problem. She has to regularly cross the Delaware Memorial Bridge to get to locations in DE for her work, and I couldn't imagine her being stuck on the bridge in this weather.
I'll tell you though, I e-mailed Honda about this problem, and in my research learned just how the charging system works on this car. It is unbelieveable to me that the alternator has to first communicate with the car's computer, so that the computer can decide whether or not to charge the battery. And then, they install a part in the circuit, (the ELD) that has a defect according to the TSB on it. What a disaster in my opinion. They say they did it to minimize emissions and improve fuel economy. OMG. Anyway, thank you for replying.

 

There are many manufacturers making the charging system that way. Charge only when needed. 66? I am almost 65. Getting so many letters from Medicare Insurance companies.
Back to topic, yeah, can not get away from this type of system cause when it works, it does a good job of lower emissions and improve gas mileage.
And, this problem with the battery light is not unusual. Many aftermarket remans do not live up to standards.
Not knowing emissions light and check engine light ... okay. That only requires to look at the dash and not hours working on the car.
What do mechanics say, verify the customer complaint.

 

Thanks for answering my question. Yeah, I get it. Another engineering marvel. In retrospect, older cars without this "feature" ran much better, and were much simpler to diagnose. I fail to understand why aftermarket parts simply will not work at all. What electronic magic exists in an OEM alternator that allows it to work properly in a Honda? That sounds to me like "Planned Obsolescence"; just another way to get you into the service bay so they can charge you exorbitant amounts for parts and labor.
If you have a chance, maybe Google earth will let you see the service area in Newark DE. I've never seen anything like it. It must have cost millions to build, and is bigger than any two dealerships I've ever seen put together. They didn't go through all that trouble just for fun; they had to know it would be needed to handle a large influx of Honda vehicles with problems. They have to be making millions every year on that, with the knowledge that their vehicles would fail. Anyway, I digress.....
Nowadays, vehicles count on a steady supply of electricity to run properly. Electric ignition, fuel injection, electric cooling fans, SENSORS, etc. Poor electrical output can degrade the performance
much more quickly than anything else. When that happens, any supposed gains in fuel economy and emission control will be depleted. Especially when a crucial part (the ELD) is installed with cracked and broken solder joints, rendering it useless. Having a car quit on you due to all of this technology when you are driving in a crowded urban roadway can be dangerous for the driver. Pulling out into traffic at the moment of failure can cause injury to the driver and the vehicle due to a collision. I can't accept that. The miniscule gains made by shutting off the alternator periodically are more than offset by the inconvenience and danger of possibly shutting off your vital systems at the wrong moment.
If you want to see more examples of "engineering" that makes no sense, look into "swirl flaps" on modern vehicles. I had them on my Ford Focus. It is akin to trying to run the 100 yard dash with your hand over your mouth. Purposely putting parts that block the flow of air into the engine, and when they fail, the plastic (or metal) parts of the flaps can be sucked into the engine intake and beat the crap out of the piston walls. And you can't disable the system without throwing codes. Suffice it to say I am not impressed with these revolutionary ideas thought up by these new generation of designers and engineers. They increase costs and cannot possibly be good for ensuring reliability.

 

That is a slight over reaction to a system that works most of the time. You just happen to be the unlucky person with a broken down car. Happens. Just statically probable no matter what. Things break down. At some point there is so much new electronical stuff that cost more to repair than the car itself. But, that is what people want. Rear view cameras, blind side monitoring, adaptive cruise control, collision alert, lane keeping assist, etc. And the law passed to keep the environment safe for us to breathe the air. What would you have done? Reverse all the advances and go back to polluting the air. Put lead back into gasoline?

Why does aftermarket not work? It does sometimes. Nothing is perfect. And more so when it comes to aftermarket stuff. Why? Because someone else designed it and manufactured it. Aftermarket comes after and is not always up to spec. That is the nature of trying to keep up with new tech.

But, I am not here to argue with you. You got the wrong end of the stick. (A reference back to Roman times when using the bathroom). Sorry about that and hope things get better for you.

 

Thank you. I went through the medicare mail in deluge. Now my wife is having to deal with it. It's amazing. I also am not looking for an argument from anyone. So called technology isn't always welcome, and is a double edged sword. On the one hand, you mentioned adaptive cruise, lane keeping assist, etc. To relate an experience from my step daughter, she was driving her SUV one day (I don't remember the make) and came upon someone bicycling in the shoulder of the road. She tried to swerve slightly to the left to give him room. However, when she crossed the center line, the car jerked back to keep it inside the lane. If the bicyclist fell, she would have run him over. And also don't forget human nature. The more "technology" that is put in these vehicles, the more people come to rely on them. Then, when they fail, they at the very least get an unpleasant surprise.
Some other electrically operated marvels of technology I forgot to mention, ABS brakes that are operated electrically, and, to my surprise, some vehicles out there now have electric emergency brakes! Can you imagine? Emergency brakes are to protect all drivers from brake failure, that can cause injury or death. They should ALWAYS be mechanical in nature, not run off of some set of relays that draw on the battery to work. That's asking for major problems, or worse.
The technological marvel that gets me the most is catalytic converters. Platinum metal, rhodium (which I believe is radioactive), are just some of the components. The hugely advertised claim at their inception is how the only emissions would be water vapor and CO2. So now what's the big rallying cry? OMG we have to save the world from CO2!!! LOLOL I can't stand it.
You are right, nothing is perfect. There are possibilities of failure in any automobile system. Back in the day, most cars had single brake master cylinders. Now most have double cylinders so that at least the front or rear brakes will still operate. And yes, you can get electric brake master cylinders too.
Things did get better for me. The DENSO alternator I installed seems to be working just fine as of this writing. I knock on wood every day. Bottom line is, not all tech is ready for prime time, and makes vehicle operation much more of a hit or miss proposition. I wish someday I could hit the lottery. First thing I would do is go to the Mecum auction and purchase a real automobile, with original equipment that can be maintained safely, and will not just quit at the wrong moment.