By krummenp (12.145.208.12) on Wednesday, August 15, 2001 - 01:28 pm:

trying to get to the bottom of my hot fuses and wiring melting problem, I tested the output from my alternator (Hitachi 55amp, externally regulated) and it says the output off the back of the alternator is reading 15.9v. Isn't that about 2 volts too high?
I've got spare alternators and voltage regulators, so I can swap things out, but I'd really like to know what SHOULD I be looking for in terms of proper output voltage. I really want to get to the bottom of the hot fuse (temp hot) problem, plus I don't want to dry out my fancy new Optima battery.

any advice?

Paul

(sorry if this got posted twice, I never saw the first posting)

By 2low2go (207.107.254.249) on Wednesday, August 15, 2001 - 02:32 pm:

Paul, sounds like your voltage regulator is blown, it should read between 13.5 and 14.7 when running, i once had my regulator blow and it ran the voltage up to 17.4volts!! Should have seen the headlights blow!

Justin

By ddechon (12.78.177.16) on Thursday, August 16, 2001 - 01:14 pm:

Hey Paul.

The back of your alternator should be a bit higher than your regulator output. Your regulator should knock it down to 13.5 to 14.7 like Justin said. Try taking a measurement directly from your battery while the car is running. That way you'll know you're measuring in the right spot. All of your accesories should see the same voltage that your battery sees. If your battery voltage is high then you should consider replacing your regulator.

The regulator is easy repair. It's not built with solid state componets. I think its made from an old-fashioned relay, some coils and a few contacts. Make sure the relay contacts aren't
dirty.

ddechon

By ddechon (12.78.117.207) on Thursday, August 16, 2001 - 02:20 pm:

I wanted to add something. Your wires should handle as much current as you fuse is rated for. So check to see if your fuses are the correct rating.

Have fun
ddechon

By Paul Krummenacker (12.145.208.12) on Thursday, August 16, 2001 - 04:19 pm:

yep, got the right fuses in the fuse block.

I've had to remake the wire that leads from the Positive Voltage lug on the back of the alternator that goes up into the car with a T coming off toward the Battery.

For what ever reason, when I'm running the headlights (or just the parking lights) the 3 fuses in the lower left hand part of the fuse box (all of them come off the same main wire) get hot, I mean HOT, so hot that it melted the little plastic cover that goes over to tell you what fuse handles what. I can't understand why it would get hot except for resistance in the wire, so... I guess I get to rip the wiring out and see if I can find where the wires are corroded or having other problems.

My wife had an '80 Accord hatchback and she said she used to have problems with it blowing fuses frequently. I've looked at a few other Accord alternator wiring harnesses and they all seem to have the same problem with the wires that run from the positive lug on the back of the alternator, they all seem to cook the wires and cause them to corrode.

Anybody else have this problem?

Paul

By 2low2go (207.107.254.187) on Thursday, August 16, 2001 - 05:53 pm:

Yes i did...i ran into the problem after i went with aftermarket headlights, it always melted the fuse box where the headlight fuse went. I relayed the headlights and ran the power directly from the battery and now the factory wire only triggers the relays.. When i re-wired it i ran a 4ga. wire directly from the Alt. to the battery thru a Wafer fuse holder..The biggest problem with the factory honda wiring is that the wires coming from Alt. are only 2-10ga wires and they route thru the driver's side to the under-dash connection(white plug)and then the dash harness runs across to the passenger side and again another white plug runs the wires back thru the firewall to the battery and main fuse..I've found that the connections at these white plugs can actually melt and fuse the plastic together(ever smelt burning plastic in your car?)Check these connections for melting. If you can, just run a new power wire directly from the battery to a new Main fuse(Wafer style, found at most car audio shops)the factory white wires can be cut at both the alt. and the original main fuse, and then all that you have to do is hook your original main fuse output wire to your new wafer fuse. If you run aftermarket H4 headlights, i suggest you relay them, it will stop the fuse box melting!!

any more problems you can email me if you like

Justin

By ddechon (12.78.117.176) on Friday, August 17, 2001 - 07:05 pm:

That's pretty strange.

Because a lot of cars have the same problem, it makes me think the car has a defect from the factory.

Spend a few minutes to clean the contacts in your fuse block. Maybe your fuse block is corroded or dirty. The dirty/rusty connections can cause resistance and heat. Don't forget to clean the fuse too. Try to take rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs to clean it. Also pencil erasers work GREAT when cleaning contacts. If contacts don't shine, they're too dirty.

That's the only thing I can think of. There's a slim chance that the wires and fuse block could be under-rated, but it really sounds like dirty or rusty contacts.

good luck
ddechon

By ddechon (12.78.117.176) on Friday, August 17, 2001 - 07:09 pm:

One more thing.

I wouldn't hurt to add some "corrosion cream" to the connections during assembly. A tube of it can be bought at most electronic stores.

ddechon