I think I blew something when ...

550Doug · Jun 9, 2023

I did a battery load test with the battery still hooked up in my 2000 Honda CRV. I have power for all accessories but starter will not turn over. I do recall when I did the load test that the needle went over to the "Charging System" label instead of registering as 12v. Can this affect the alternator?
What else could be blown?

Janicholson · Jun 9, 2023

If the test clamps were clamped on the terminal and test current went through connections that are not designed for it, that could cause issues. why were you load testing the battery? there are fuse links that could be blown as well. Jim

used red MN · Jun 9, 2023

I will just simply the direction I think Jim is partly going
towards. Why were you testing the battery to begin
with was it to diagnose a problem? What is the voltage
in the battery as you are trying to start it?

JMOR · Jun 9, 2023

(quoted from post at 16:44:20 06/09/23) I did a battery load test with the battery still hooked up in my 2000 Honda CRV. I have power for all accessories but starter will not turn over. I do recall when I did the load test that the needle went over to the "Charging System" label instead of registering as 12v. Can this affect the alternator?
What else could be blown?

hat was the test load current?

Ericp351 · Jun 9, 2023

Regarding your wife's little Honda- Did you try a load test whilst running? Assuming an average home-owners load tester- when running look for 13.4-15 V. An
analog meter may be marked charging sys at that level, as in Charge system OK- Putting a temp load on a running system not advised, past a simple turn on
headlights-confirm alt. keeps volts up- IE, use your tool as a simple volt meter- don't trust the Jap one.

used red MN · Jun 9, 2023

JMOR, I am going to assume that the OP was using a
run of the mill home mechanic type of load tester. It is
probably similar to the one in the link. That one says it
is a 100 amp load but not adjustable as far as the load.
I assume you are used to a more commercial mechanic
shop type of load tester that has a variable load up to
400 plus amps and registers the load you are applying.
Sometimes I can be a bit dull, never considered the
fact that the OP may have load tested the battery while
the vehicle was running. So by that I see why JAN
suggested the possibility of a fuseible link has been
burned out.
Example load tester

rustred · Jun 9, 2023

so what is the battery's condition. i check battery's all the time like that. its no different than a starter pulling power out of the
battery. dont see how the needle can go to the charging side when it goes to the left when checking a battery.i have been using that tester
for years and years. was the engine stopped when checking???

MarkB_MI · Jun 10, 2023

There's no reason to think the alternator is bad, since it's not part of the starting circuit. But you'll find out for sure once you fix the starting issue.

My guess is there's a fusible link or fuse blown somewhere. Or it might be a ground strap between the chassis and engine. But you could have damaged something else. I know nothing about Hondas and their starter circuits, but my guess is there's a relay somewhere on or near the starter that gets power from the battery and the starter switch. So that's the first place to look: Probe the terminals on the starter relay with your multimeter (on volts) while a helper turns the key. Use the starter or engine as your ground. If you don't get any voltage there, retry using the negative battery terminal as ground. What you find at the starter relay terminals should give you an idea where to look.

550Doug · Jun 10, 2023

(quoted from post at 20:46:41 06/09/23) JMOR, I am going to assume that the OP was using a
run of the mill home mechanic type of load tester. It is
probably similar to the one in the link. That one says it
is a 100 amp load but not adjustable as far as the load.
I assume you are used to a more commercial mechanic
shop type of load tester that has a variable load up to
400 plus amps and registers the load you are applying.
Sometimes I can be a bit dull, never considered the
fact that the OP may have load tested the battery while
the vehicle was running. So by that I see why JAN
suggested the possibility of a fuseible link has been
burned out.
Example load tester

Yes, that is the load tester I was using. The bottom right corner on the tester's window is where the needle went. It says "Charging System" in the white box.
The car was not running. When I initially tried to start the car I just got a click, so I suspected a battery problem as it is an old battery that did show 12.7 volts. That's when I decided to check with a load tester, but in a senior moment I thought testing it when hooked up would be no problem. So after the load test I do not get a clicking sound and quite possibly the battery may be ok and it is simply a bad starter. It's a pain to remove that starter.

teddy52food · Jun 10, 2023

Clean both ends of both cables & try again.

jimg.allentown · Jun 10, 2023

Where did you connect to do the load test?
If you connected directly to the battery terminals, you didn't do any damage. All of the power comes from the
battery - not the vehicle's circuitry or accessories. Alternator not operating will not be damaged by a load
test, as it is just an inert piece of metal if the engine is not turning it.
If you tested at a jumper connection, there is a possibility that you may have damaged something there.

My educated GUESS is that you either have a bad battery or a bad starter. Verify that by charging and testing the
battery out of the car. If the battery passes the test, then the problem is most likely with the starting
circuit, which should include the starter, solenoid, and any associated fuses or relays.

Start with checking out the ''cheap'' stuff, and then move on to the more expensive stuff.

used red MN · Jun 10, 2023

I replaced the starter on my neighbors CRV but I think
his was a 2007. First video I watched looked like a
legitimate mechanic shop tech doing it and he
removed the intake manifold or maybe just the throttle
body to get to it from above. Another one I watched
showed going at it from below. That looked like an
easier route to me so that is what I did. Had to pull off
a fairly large section of body flaring that covered
bottom of the radiator. After that was off it was tricky
but I got it done. I had to pull out a sensor of some
type to get to the top bolt which was kind of an odd
set up. The bolt had a real long shank on it so the head
was sort of even with the end of the starter and it had
a shoulder down lower that tightened down against the
starter, see long bolt in link. I also had to take the wires
loose after I had the bolts out so I could turn it to get
to them. And obviously reconnect them before putting
the bolts back in. I realize there could be a lot of
difference between a 2000 and a 2007.
Honda CRV starter bolts

Hobo,NC · Jun 10, 2023

No skill, investing in luck, pull the cables off the battery clean them and the post. Worst case it will be ready for testing.

Yer wanna be load tester its what we have and what we will use.

Hook up yer wanna be tester what's the voltage.

Hit the load test after a few seconds what's the voltage.

Without the voltage readings noting can be assumed.

BarnyardEngineering · Jun 10, 2023

The part where it says "Charging System" is for testing the charging system. It's DESIGNED to be connected to the battery of a running vehicle to test the charging system.

If you connected the + clamp to the + post on the battery and the - clamp to the - post on the battery, you could not possibly damage anything.

Put a new battery in and I bet it will start.

550Doug · Jun 15, 2023

Update:
Nothing is blown, dead starter was the problem. I swapped in another good starter and BINGO. Working good now. Thanks for all comments.

I think I blew something when ...

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