ok i haven been battling with my 90 hatchback DX. i went through 3 main relays before i found one that worked!. not that it works i have electrical problems and its not the alternator cause i checked it with a volts meter. what it does is. it will idle fine, but when i put on the lights it wants to die, and starts boggin down, also at the same time my temp gauge goes up. once i turn the lights off, all back to normal. also when i turn on my fan switch, my radio dies. anyone what hasd an idea please help me...i'm goin nuts and need to get my car running. thanx.

 

When you said you checked the alternator with a voltmeter, what do you mean exactly? What are the voltages at the battery when the engine is at idle, under load, and at a higher RPM?

 

it stays at 14 volts and above. does that help?

 

so your battery does not go down overnight, right ? like some kind of internal short ?

 

First of all, short circuits blow fuses. Second of all, 14v is the normal charging voltage of an alternator. What exactly is the problem with your car? You say that it has doesn't start and you've been through relays but exactly what is wrong? Does the starter not turn the engine over or does the engine turn over but not start? It is possible that there is a parasitic draw (what fglaustin might have meant when he said internal short). A parasitic draw is pretty much when an electrical component is staying on after the key is removed. This draws power from the battery and will kill the battery. Generally a jump start will start the car right up. The way to check for a parasitic draw is to hook up a ammeter up to the battery with the key out. CHeck the current reading. Remove the fuse for the ECU and radio (as these will normally draw a small amount of current all the time). If there is still a current reading, you have a parasitic draw. Next, remove fuses one by one until the current dray goes away. Once teh current draw goes away the fuse that you just pulled is the circuit with the parasitic draw.

 

is that a reliable volt meter. have you tested it with some other voltage source?

think i would take the alternator to a parts house to have them check it out.

 

you know i dont think the meter is good, its from the 70s..haha its my fathers, but i got the car to drive up to the parts store and he says i do need an altenator, so now i just have to figure out if i wasnt to send another 100 for one. thanx to everyone for there help.

 

they are 35 at junk yards here in austin texas - but then, well you know, just might not last a long time.
actually, just thinking, could gamble on just the brushes, and that is 2 dollars for one of the brands, but bout 23 for the other. think they are mitsubi and another one used. i have an extra one and if you have that brand, just take the back cover off and a couple of small screws and can easily replace the brushes. but i have the one where the brushes cost bout 23.

 

My voltmeter is prolly 10+ years old (also my father's) and i use it and it works fine (or so i think).

 

I'm having a very similar problem. My EX sedan is a 2001. Just recently it died on me at a stop light. It started right back up. Before it died, the SRS, etc. panel lights came on. Also, my radio will go off by itself for a split second, then come back on. I took it into the dealership and the only thing they could find was a loose connection at the alternator. After being in the shop, it was ok for a month. Then the radio started to go out again. Just this past Monday as I was accelerating onto the freeway, I reached to turn on my lights. As I did this, the car jerked as if it wanted to die, the panel lights flashed on, and the radio went off. For fear of stalling on the freeway, I quickly turned off the lights and the car was fine. It is in the shop now. They just called and can't find anything wrong!!! What's going on here? Did I buy a lemon?