View Single Post
Old 04-06-2012, 12:25 PM   #19 (permalink)
California98Civic
Cyborg ECU
 
California98Civic's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Coastal Southern California
Posts: 6,299

Black and Green - '98 Honda Civic DX Coupe
Team Honda
90 day: 66.42 mpg (US)

Black and Red - '00 Nashbar Custom built eBike
90 day: 3671.43 mpg (US)
Thanks: 2,373
Thanked 2,172 Times in 1,469 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by drmiller100 View Post
there are two wires which cause the alternator to charge, just like every other modern car. the great big wire which goes to the battery and carries the juice, and a "trigger" wire, yellow/black which excites the field and kicks it off.
I basically agree, but remember that I have disabled only two of the signal wires, not the large gauge charging wire to the battery, and I can still completely cut-off the alternator. I put my switch in the off position and when I restart the engine with a "bump" or "roll" start, the alt is not on anymore. And it has never come back on in 7 months since unplugging the alt and the two or three months since completing the kill switch project that starts this thread.

I learned, using a process of elimination method you recommended, that if I disabled only the blk/yel and left the wht/blu connected (for the "battery" light on the dash) the alt would come back on. When I studied the wiring diagram it seemed the battery light was able to give just enough power to the alt to fire it up on its own. I'm not fully confident I am correct about that because it is not what seems logical in terms of design, but it is what experiment showed me, so I have followed it.
__________________
See my car's mod & maintenance thread and my electric bicycle's thread for ongoing projects. I will rebuild Black and Green over decades as parts die, until it becomes a different car of roughly the same shape and color. My minimum fuel economy goal is 55 mpg while averaging posted speed limits. I generally top 60 mpg. See also my Honda manual transmission specs thread.



  Reply With Quote