- a) Check the condition of the battery wires where they are connected to the terminals of the latter. Check the reliability of the fastening of the terminal clamps;
- b) Check the battery condition (see Checking the battery status and replacing it). If necessary, recharge the latter or replace it with a new one;
- c) Check the condition of the wiring and electrical connections of the generator and voltage regulator;
- d) Check the condition and tension of the alternator drive belt (see Chapter Routine maintenance). Replace if necessary;
- e) Check the generator mounting bolts for tightness;
- f) Start the engine and evaluate the intensity of the background noise emitted by the generator;
- g) If equipped, check the condition of the fuse links in the fuse box in the engine compartment of the vehicle (see Chapter On-board electrical equipment).If any of the inserts fail, investigate and eliminate the causes of the overload;
- h) Check the proper functioning of the charge indicator lamp in the engine instrument panel. With the ignition on and the engine not running, the lamp should light. Otherwise, disconnect the 4-pin connector from the back of the alternator and ground the terminal of its white and blue wire. If the lamp still does not turn on, check the condition of fuse #15 at 7.5 A and the filament of the lamp itself. Also check for battery voltage at terminal #1. If voltage is present, replace the alternator;
- i) Check the contents of the on-board processor memory unit for the presence of electrical load monitoring (ELD) system fault codes stored in it (see Chapter Engine management systems).
2. Using a voltmeter, measure the voltage produced by the battery with the engine off and all electrical consumers disconnected (heater fan, radio, cigarette lighter, cooling system fan, etc., etc.). The measurement result should be around 12.5 V, or slightly higher if the engine has been running for the last hour.
3. Start the engine and repeat the measurement. At a crankshaft speed of 1500 rpm, the voltage should be 13.8÷14.8 V (see accompanying illustration).
4. Turn on the high beam headlights, run the K/V voltmeter at maximum speed, turn on the rear window heating and radio. If the charging system is functioning normally, the voltage should drop briefly, then return to the normal operating level of about 13.5 V. If the voltage drops below 13 V, then the system is not functioning properly.
5. Reduce engine speed to idle – the charging voltage should not fall below 13 V.
6. Turn off all electrical consumers, increase engine speed to 1600 rpm and read the voltmeter again. Now the voltage should not rise above 15 V (minor deviations are permissible, inversely related to the ambient temperature).
7. The dependence of the charging voltage on the engine speed and the number of switched-on electrical consumers indicates a malfunction of the voltage regulator.
8. If the deviation from the nominal value is unacceptable, the generator should be repaired accordingly or replaced. If the charging voltage is too low and the drive belts and battery are in good condition, replace the generator assembly with the regulator (see Removal and installation the generator).
(Information obtained from this source: «hondabook.ru»)