2001 Honda Civic. First the car was smoking, and when they car got home, the battery looked like it was shot, almost like it was leaking I guess. So, the owner went to Autozone and got a new battery and charged it there. She brought the battery home and put it in the car, and the car wouldn't start. She went back to Autozone, and they said it might be a problem with the alternator. Now I know from experience Autozone isn't the most reliable place, probably one of the worst. But I just can't see how this alternator could be shot. There are no mods to the car, no after market audio, no HID's, nothing that would drain this alternator. My friend's dad has a junkyard, and i might go pick up an alternator there. But I'm trying to figure out if it's worth the trouble or if there's something else i could look at before the alternator. Sooo the main question is, after knowing the problem, what could i look at besides the alternator to see what's not charging the battery.

Thanks again for any help; input is much appreciated.

 

First of all, I take it the battery was the thing that was smoking. You replaced it, but I don't understand what you mean by "it wouldn't start". Does it crank and not turnoever, or does it not even crank at all?

 

The reason that the battery was smoking might be because the alternator voltage regulator has gone bad and the alternator was throwing all the juice it had at the battery. This could cause the battery acid to boil and make smoke. However, this would also fry all the electronics in your car. Regardless of the condition of the alternator, a new battery should start the car if the battery was in fact the only problem. The alternator does not have any effect on the operation of the car until the car starts.