tucker8235

Hey all,
I got in my 1990 Accord EX at 3:00pm and drove across the street to our other office and when I came out 5 minutes later to go back the battery was dead. I popped the clutch and got it started but it didn't have enough juice to even idle, had to keep rpm at 2,000 so it wouldn't stall. Then I sat through 45min of 285 traffice with my foot on the gas but was able to get to my mechanic. Praise the Lord! The mechanic said the Diehard battery was from 99 so it wasn't strange that it went out. It did not give me any warning at all though. No weak starts or anything. Is that normal for a battery to give out like that with no warning?

accordvtec77

while you do need a battery, it looks like your alternator has also gone out. Once the engine is started, it's up to the alternator to keep it running. If the car won't idle, there's something wrong with the alternator. I don't think there is a "normal" way for a battery to give out...

tucker8235

You really think I need an alternator? Crap! The mechanic tested it with a device that checked everything and said it was okay. It really should idle without a battery?

Emmett03

Of course it should, all the battery does is start the car, after its running the alternator supplies all the power to the car. It appears as though its the battery because it hadn't been recharged due to the bad alternator. On the other hand, the alternator should have failed the voltage test. Something is not adding up, though you will find out soon when you put in the new battery, 5 years is all you can expect out of a battery.

Mr Hyde

5 yrs of service from a battery is good. Id say that Die Hard performed like it was suposed to

wing_zero

yah dood. actually 5 years was about average. well i guess you can say it depends on where you live and how you use and drain it. i've had cars with batteries lasting about 8 or 9 years with out ever a problem. may be your battery is still good but just not charged.

wedley2

i jump started the accord this week and it idled fine, old ass battery also, so it might be ur alternator like the previous posts said.

B16Drag

i second the alternator.

IamNemo

Yeah, I'd get a second opinion on your alternator. Take it to somewhere like AutoZone or Advance Auto and get them to test it. It kinda sounds like that's the problem to me.

H22accordR

another quick way to check the alternator is start it and remove the positive battery cable while its running, it it kills or start running bad it was running off of the battery and the alternator isnt working correctly