1983 honda accord alternator not charging the battery. drains after few minutes

warped cell in battery,,or a short is draining battery

Replace the alternator. That recharges the battery.

I had this problem about 10 years ago on my 1983 Honda Accord so I traced the wiring and found the problem to be with the cable connector that is near the battery. I removed the battery and traced the cable from the alternator to the connector that is located near the bottom of the battery. I unplugged it and checked to see if all the pins were making good contact. Two of them (the main wires from the alternator output) were deteriorated to the point they actually melted part of the plastic plug. Since I wasn't working on a new car, I simply cut the wires from the connectors, stripped about 1/2 inch of the insulation and installed a large wire nut that made a very tight connection when I tightened the wire nut with pliers. I still drive the car every day and haven't had any more trouble with that issue. It would be a good idea to check all the wires in this connector since one of the smaller ones could be broken at the connector itself.

If the battery is continually going flat, first test that the alternator is charging at least 13.5 volts at the battery. If that is ok check the current drain when the car is turned off. It should be less than .050Amp (50 milliamps) If all that is ok get the battery tested. If its more than 3 years old its likely to have a weak cell and will need replacing.

The battery may not be holding charge. If you drained your battery a few times because of a bad alternator, it is possible to destroy the cells in the battery causing one or more of them to no longer hold a charge. Most batteries are manufactured to be cycled or completely drained 8 times. Other factors such as excessive load and age can decrease that number. You may also have a faulty voltage regulator that can result in overcharging and destroying the battery. Charge the battery on portable charger and have it tested. Also, It is possible that since most alternators are rebuilt they can be bad out of the box.

Use Jump Start method if you are able to get a battery temporary connection from other car Alternately, you can seek some one to push your car for a few feet while you release clutch in second gear slowly Car will start Do not turn it off for 10 minutes to enable your battery gets minimum charge

Hi:
Though your car seems fine without using the headlights, you have a charging problem, and need to get a couple things checked out. First make sure your battery connections are clean and tight. Your alternator belt should also be checked to make sure it is serviceable and properly tightened too. Your alternator should be checked under load, and lastly, your battery too. Most auto parts stores, such as auto zone,will check your parts for free,so you should only be spending money on what is broken!

The alternator is dying...
It is not charging your battery. Don't use your headlights (big power drain) until you have the electrical checked.
AutoZone will analyze (free) w/o removing alternator (IN-CAR test)

Hope this helps, soon!

Interesting problem. There are a number of things that can contribute to these symptoms: Battery not holding charge, charging system not working, bad/corroded battery and/or starter cable connections, and of course something draining the battery when the ignition is off.

Before doing these tests, make sure the battery is fully charged by disconnecting it from the car and charging it 24 hours with an external battery charger.

Is the charging system (alternator) working? Accords have an idiot light, not an ammeter/voltmeter, so it could be your car isn’t charging and the indicator light is burned out. Connect a voltmeter to a fully charged battery and observe the voltage (should be about 13.8 volts). Now start the car and observe the voltage again, should be higher than before (around 15 volts). If the voltage doesn’t increase at least slightly either the alternator belt is loose and slipping or the alternator is bad.

Are the battery terminals tight/clean? Any corrosion on the terminals or wires? How about the end that connects to the starter? How about the ground wire to chassis? Any corrosion could produce an intermittent connection problem that acts like a dead battery.

The battery may be new…but is it good? Charge it, connect it and confirm the car starts. Then DISCONNECT the battery, let sit 24 hours, re-connect and try to start. If the battery now acts dead maybe it is bad. Exchange under warranty.

And last, something is discharging the battery. First question, do you have any non-Honda add-ons like an aftermarket audio system with a power amp? Audio power amps have a direct wire to the battery for greater power, if the amp isn’t turning off then you’ll have a drain. Try disconnecting such equipment and see if your problem goes away. If that’s not it connect an ammeter in series with the battery with the ignition OFF and start pulling fuses one by one until you find what’s causing the drain.

Hope this helps!

If your radio is coded, make sure you have the code and know how to re-enter the code in the radio.

• Remove both battery cables and secure them away from the battery terminals.
• Detach the E, F and N plug from the the alternator.
• Slacken the alternator mounting bolts and move the alternator forward towards the engine.
• Remove the drive belt.
• Now undo all the mounting bolts and lift the alternator clear of the vehicle.

Re-fitting is just the reversal of the removal.