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Old 11-09-2018, 02:49 AM   #1 (permalink)
Xist
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Show Low, AZ
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Chorizo - '00 Honda Civic HX, baby! :D
90 day: 35.35 mpg (US)

Mid-Life Crisis Fighter - '99 Honda Accord LX
90 day: 34.2 mpg (US)

Gramps - '04 Toyota Camry LE
90 day: 35.39 mpg (US)

Don't hit me bro - '05 Toyota Camry LE
90 day: 35.79 mpg (US)
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P0730 Incorrect Gear Ratio. Related? My alternator belt came completely loose in 24 miles!

My alternator belt started chirping on startup, but it would go away. I replaced the belt 3,000 miles ago when I changed the timing belt, along with many other components. The belt started chirping again. I tightened it last week, and on Tuesday, when I pulled onto a dirt road, it squealed for a couple of miles until I pulled onto their street. However, it squealed on and off the entire time home. ChrisFix has a video about troubleshooting fan belts and he says the first thing to do is spray the inside of the belt with water and see if it stops squealing.

It did and the belt also spun very slowly, so this morning, once it was cool, I tightened it. It squealed briefly on startup, so I tightened it a bit more, and drove twelve miles to see my client. On my way, it quickly chirped once, but squealed much of the way back, and I think the alternator started cutting out. I am not sure what that has to do with this, though:


Maybe if I try to capture something like this again in the future I will make sure that I hold my phone as close as possible. I should have pulled over and seen if this still happened while parked.

I wish the GIF were zoomed in more and did not have the logo, but whatever.

I let it cool for three hours. I was surprised how warm the engine compartment was. I believe that I tightened the nut twelve or thirteen full rotations! I could have easily walked to my one appointment tonight, although I would have hated carrying my duffel bag since the shoulder strap broke. I pulled my Civic battery off the charger and the Accord battery has been going for at least five hours. I know that they do not charge very quickly:

Quote:
Q: How long does it take to charge a 12V car battery from flat?
A: Charging time depends on the battery and the charger. For a battery being charged by the car's alternator it can take an hour of driving to get it fully charged. Car batteries range from 40AH to 110AH, and alternators range from 45 amps to 200 amps. If you are using a battery charger, a 10 amp charger will take 4 to 11 hours to fully charge the battery, a 2 amp charger will take 2-4 days.
https://www.powerstream.com/car-battery-faq.htm

I do not know what the math here is. Is this not linear? Point of diminishing return? If you quintuple the amperage, it charges 9 - 12 times as fast?

Based on my calculations, this can take... longer than 2 - 4 days.

I do not know why my belt keeps coming loose. I wondered if rough roads could vibrate the nut, but the belt started squealing as soon as I hit gravel. However, today it came completely loose as I drove on pavement. I cannot find anything useful on-line, but right now I am planning on loosening the nut, putting Loctite on the threads, tightening the nut, and reinstalling my battery when it is charged, and seeing whether Honda says to flush or just change the ATF.

I have read stories of transmissions going out after replacing the ATF. People say that metal fragments somehow hold everything together until you change the fluid, but it then runs out of borrowed time. ChrisFix has a video showing the components of a transmission and said that when your fluid is past due the sludge blocks up narrow channels and the gearbox dies.

Well, my fluid looks like the "Needs to be changed" example that he showed. Not too bad.

The good news is that after 3,000 miles my oil is still at the full mark. I used to check that before every road trip and topped off every 500 - 1,000 miles. I needed to check multiple times by now, but I am pleased that it does not seem to have burned any oil. Hopefully that means my new cat will last longer!

I am just curious why the car stopped burning oil. I forget how I decided that it was, aside from losing oil, and never having any drips. That, combined with the dead cat seemed pretty clear, but I replaced external seals...

Anyway, should I be good to go as long as I fully charge my battery and put Loctite on the tensioner bolt?

I was supposed to log my notes and go to bed a while ago, but if I cannot drive my car a couple of hours tomorrow, I cannot see up to four clients!

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