Is it my alternator???

[SmIrNoFF]

My battery went dead a couple weeks ago.. but before this happened my radio kept cutting out when i would turn another accessory on, ie my heater or sometimes even when i put on the indicator... i put in a new battery and it was all good for a while but its started again.. my thoughts are that its drawing too much current from the battery and because the alternator isnt charging it properly thats why something cuts out... its also starting to struggle to start

ill be taking it to mechanic or auto elec tomorrow but some feedback would be great

[destrukshn]

get a mulimeter and measure what volts your car is at when idling.
and with all accesories on as well.

[SmIrNoFF]

what should it be sitting on?

[destrukshn]

14-14.5ish at idle no load.
with all etrics on, 13.5-14ish

[SmIrNoFF]

its sitting on like 12.5 on idle and drops to 11.3 with all accessories on... alternator dead???

[bennjamin]

biggest load on ur alt is the heater + headlights.
At idle should be about 14v+ and should drop to probably 13v range but should pick up alittle again.
Refer to this thread
http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69535

[destrukshn]

also check your earths.
sometimes they can deterioate, so you can change your earths and it may fix the problem.
it could also be your alternator that you need to change the brushes on.

[TheGoodDeal]

its sitting on like 12.5 on idle and drops to 11.3 with all accessories on... alternator dead???

I think the brushes are gone. Here is DIY for Alternator, regulator and brushes replacement http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=68124&highlight=alternator

[Paul1985]

my bets on the alternator...
most possibilities have been mentioned but i thought id throw in something you could check..

You could check for parasidic drain...
these are generally things that drain your battery whilst your cars off. Its usually something like a boot light, or a glove box light that are staying on all the time... just a simple check you can do...

You can get a multimeter and check the battery voltage at the battery with car off.. Then you start pulling fuses and check if the voltage drops.. if it does then whatever the fuse belongs to is draining power, you can go straight to the source from there.

You could also do a basic test on this and check your battery power when your cars off and you have just pulled up, check the power of it an hour or so later without having used the car.. has it dropped much? If it has then the powers being used up somewhere...

[SmIrNoFF]

Just got my car back today... ended up being the alternator.. its all good now

thanks again for the help and input