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2019 Honda CRV 2.4 liter alternator appear to be charging sometimes
With this vehicle, I've experienced a dead battery already. When I installed the new battery and I'm looking for charging voltage of 14 volts +, I don't see it unless I put a load on the alternator by putting the a/c on or putting the headlights on. Is this normal for honda? I've never experienced the alternator not showing that it's charging the battery unless a load is place on the alternator. I'm afraid of another bad battery. Is my assessment wrong? By the way, I haven't looked for any battery drains. yet.
forgot to mention, the alternator has only ONE wire. yellow in color
The Honda 1-wire alternators are using a LIN bus for communication between the ECM, the alternator and the battery current sensor. Those systems will use a low charge rate until the current demand goes high enough, just like you saw.
The older four-wire systems that Monde mentioned also have a low charge rate mode, but the newer 1-wire systems are much more aggressive about using the low charge rate whenever possible.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Mechanic 350, Monde, Lupe
But the battery takes a hit then. Meaning is not being charged until there’s a demand. The battery lasted 3 years only. Thanks for your insight Monde and Tyler. That puts my mind at ease.
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