1991 Honda Prelude A few different problems

Tiny
BET456
  • MEMBER
  • 1991 HONDA PRELUDE
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 145,000 MILES
Okay, I just got this car two weeks ago. The people that had it said that the alternator went. So we charged the battery, drove it to my house, got the battery and the alternator tested by auto zone, no problems with either. So I got the spark plugs, oil changed, all the regular stuff. Except, I didnt get the radiator flushed right away. A few days back the battery light came on, but the battery was still on green and we asked around, but every said it must be a short in the wiring. So the day before yesterday it was raining at night, so I turned the defroster on. Mind you the fan had been running for a while every time we turned the car off. Well yesterday, I was driving for a while and the defroster was still on, so I believe that it made the car too hot which caused the fan to run constantly which killed the battery. The battery died and we parked. We got the radiator flushed while there thinking it was just the hot engine causing all these problems. But then when we turned the car back on, the battery light was flickering on and off. We went to auto zone thinking maybe the battery had just went from it being drained by the fan. But the tester said the battery was good. They charged it, and we drove again, but the light was still on. And today, it died again. We don't want to buy a new battery if this is not the problem. What could it be? Also, the car shakes anytime the speed is between about 58 and 70 mph. Before or after that though, it does not shake. What's up with that?
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 AT 10:48 AM

3 Replies

Tiny
MERLIN2021
  • MECHANIC
  • 17,250 POSTS
Check the relays under the hood, and the fuses, some Hondas will turn the charge light on if any fuse is blown, check the fan relay and the gnition switch, the fan should not run with the car off.
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Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 AT 12:35 PM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,815 POSTS
Hi bet456,

The fan relay shoud be sticking causing the fan to remain on with ignition switch off. If the engine is hot, the fan might work for a short while after the engine is turned off but should stop within 20 seconds.

The alternator might be intermittently not charging due to a loose terminal or socket. If the power steering pump is leaking, oil would get into the alternator and contaminate the carbons.

As to the shaking, it could be the wheels need some balancing. If the vibration only occurs during slight acceleration, you need to have the driveshafts inner joints checked for wear and lubrication.
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Sunday, June 22nd, 2008 AT 1:56 AM
Tiny
BET456
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Sunday, June 22nd, 2008 AT 4:04 AM

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