Hello civic lovers! I just bought a 95 Civic EX Sedan on ebay. It has 122,000 miles on it and I paid just $2,500 for it. I dont know a whole lot about what goes on under the hood, so my problem is probably going to be really easy to answer.

The thing is, I picked the car up and drove it home, and I stopped the car and started to check and make sure every electronic was working, like the power windows, mirrors, sunroof, windshield wipers, etc. I was in the car probably 5 minutes with it turned off, and I realized i also had the headlights on for these 5 minutes.

I turned it off and came back the next day to find that it didnt even turn on. I had it jumped and it ran fine, until i turned it off again. It seems like it just dies every time i turn it off and runs great as soon as its jumped.

I'm a broke student in downtown Chicago, and I took my last car (an 86 fiero) to Midas to have the battery and alternator replaced and walked away with a bill of $550, so I am hesitant to take the car there right away, especially if it is just a battery that needs to be replaced. Thats one thing I think I could handle doing on my own.

So my question is this... can anybody tell by my description if this is probably on of the following:
A) Just my battery
B) Just my alternator
C) Probably both
D) Could be something else


Thanks for your help

 

If it's the alternator, the battery warning light should stay on. Check the manufacturer's shipping code on the battery, since the life you'll get from the battery is dependent on when it was made, not necessarily when it was put into service. The code is usually on a sticker on the battery or a stamp burned into the battery case itself. You're looking for a letter and a number. The letter is the month -- 'A' for January through 'L' for December (some mfc omit the 'I,' so 'M' is December). The number is the year -- 2 is 2002, 3 is 2003, etc. If the battery is over 5 years old, I would replace it.

 

Number one stupid thing people do, and I have heard it said time and time again, is to start replacing stuff that they don't know if they even need to.

Auto-zone, Advanced Auto, probably Pep-Boys can test both your battery and alternator output, for FREE... Then if they reveal a problem, you can buy your parts from them as a way of saying, thanks for the help.

I would say if you want to save money, you do it that way, and get a for sure answer, instead of wondering.

 

I think it's the battery, if you can jump start the car and its stays running, that means the alternator ischarging and keeping the vehicle running. As for the battery light comming on, it will only come on if the alternator fails and its not charging the battery.

 

I'm with Stu, get the stuff checked out by Autozone/Pep Boys/VIP or the like for FREE. Don't just go replacing parts, it gets expensive real quick!

 

Battery. If it was the alternator your car would die while driving. Since it is running great until you turn off the engine, that means the battery is gone. $70 for a remanned battery at Retarded Auto.

 

i go with stu ... another easy way to figure out is ...put another cars battery in urs .. if it starts its the batt... if u still got problems its the alternator .. no biggie ...