Alternator Gone Bad

[wave9984]

I need to replace 2000 accord v6 coupe alternator. I heard the stock alternator was not good from other websites. I was wondering what you guys think i should do. Should i replace with another delphi or get some other brand and if so which one? I was also considering a High Output Alternator. What would you do in my shoes? thanks.

[benjamming]

I had never heard that the stock alternator is not any good.

Do you have a lot of accessories the alternator is providing power for?

[princess]

The stock ones a pricey, but very good. In older stock ones we'd get 150K-250K out of them. On others it was 30K-60K. I don't know about the high yeild kind.

The old Honda ones used to be rebuildable...he could take them off & replace all the "brushes". I doubt if they're still that way.

A few years back we'd planned a trip to DL in my '86. The day before we went the alternator was thinking it wanted to be replaced. We had other things to do, so we opted to just take our '87. One the way home it went out. We went to a Honda dealer, then a Sears (we hadn't brought many tools)....parked under a tree (it was 105) & he took it out, replaced the brushes & we went on our way.

We had 2 sets of Honda "twins" that would do that to us. Two '82's & those above. Both sets were a sedan & a HB. :D

Our cars always seem to develop a personality.....not always a GOOD personality, some like to torment us!:rolleyes:

[wave9984]

No, I don’t have that many power accessories. I have a head unit from jvc but it’s only like 4x40 watts. (Shouldn’t be that draining.) I think i'm going to check the wires again after I get the alternator fixed.

Is the battery light on the dash suppose to turn on if the alternator dies? Because mines never did and I was wondering why it didn't. My car just failed to accelerate after I pushed the gas and that’s how I knew.

(Checked the battery with volt meter while engine was running and the current was 11.3 and kept dropping)

How much would you guys expect to pay for a stock alternator with labor?

And is it easy to install the alternator on a 2000 accord. I read some diy articles and it doesn't look that bad. I have never messed with the engine on a car so the belts scare me but the alternator is right on top and very assessable.

[BenjiBoy650]

Yes it's supposed to come on, because if the battery is low enough that your engine won't accelerate, then the battery is low.

The stock alternator will last a long time. I think what you're hearing is complaints that it doesn't produce enough juice, which is true. Go outside with a new battery and alternator, with the headlights on and the windows up. Then try to roll up both windows at once and see what happens (there should be no movement of the window since it should already be up). Generally in the Accord, you will see the lights dim noticeably for a moment. I know mine does. Just trying this experiment in mine, I not only see the lights dim but also the revs drop. I don't have any power accessories to run either. Up to you, if you're planning to go with some serious audio equipment later, might be a good idea to get a high output alternator.

[according2me]

Most of the alternator failures I've read about on the web were from the Delphi units at ~50K miles. The Denso units on the "J' VIN 4cyl models from Japan seem to be longer lived.

I know all the V6 models are made in the USA for this market and some of the 4cyl models. I'm curious if any "1" ,"2", or "3" VIN models have anything other than the Delphi units?

This is one reason I always shop for a "J" VIN. There are different suppliers for the bolt-on stuff over there.

[BenjiBoy650]

They made Accords in Canada?

[my1staccord]

Benji you amaze me sometimes with what you know :). I was very upset that my lights dimmed when I put up my windows, and I wondered why that happened. I always thought it was the battery. Now I know! Now that I have a couple of amps in my car should I be worried about it being too much for my alternator, also what do you know about dry cell batteries? I was told that if I ever upgraded my battery that I should go with a dry cell. right now with my audio upgrades I just found out that if I run my stereo with my car off the battery is too weak to start the car after 15 minutes!!

I love this board!!

[princess]

In talking to the prince about this he said yes, the Delphis that came in the cars in that year range weren't lasting like the others. Most squealed or went bad at about 50K. The good news is that once it was replaced they seemed to last like a normal Honda one should. This was especially common on the V6's. You were apparently doing very well to get so many miles from yours!:)

Cost? 250? for the part or in that range..... Honda expects it to take .5 hours for a 4 cyl & .7 for V6. If you haven't had your belt replaced in quite a while it maybe a good time to go ahead & do it.

Before replacing the alternator you might also try checking the belt tension. They do need adjustment from time to time & can act like a bad alternator when loose!

[BenjiBoy650]

Yeah so far I think my car has been okay. My dads '86 Accord needed a $400 alternator replacement at around 210K, battery light did come on. I'd say Honda did a really poor job with the electrical on these cars. They know that Accords are popular cars to upgrade with stereos and other junk, so I don't know why they didn't put in a better electrical system. I don't know anything about the dry cell battery, but I think if you want a good battery probably Optima is a trusted brand, used by a lot of people from off-roaders to ear-busting stereo folks.

I do have a noise in the engine that seems to be related to RPM, but it's very soft so you can't hear it from inside. If you stand outside though, you can hear it, not sure how to explain it. Maybe it's the alternator belt, tensioner, or something, not real sure. Also I've done an hour with the stereo on in my car with the engine off. It started up just fine afterwards. However, a cold start in the morning needs about 2 seconds of cranking. I've compared it to other 6th gen Accords, it's much longer. I think my battery is going dead, we'll see how long it takes.

[according2me]

Benji...Is your EX 5spd a "1" . Who is the vendor for your alternator, starter and AC compressor? Just curious.

From what I've read, with the 6th Gen, Honda started using more local vendors for bolt-ons . Chances are good your dad's older Accord had vendors from Japan, even if the car was built here.

[BenjiBoy650]

Mine is a 1. I don't know if the parts have ever been replaced but I doubt it. The car had an extended warranty up to 60k and if there was a replacement the record would need to have been kept.