Mysterious unplugged cable???

[avalover0816]

My 02 LX has been stalling the past couple days and the battery is not charging. I noticed a plug unplugged just now and plugged it back in but havent had a jump yet to see if that was the culprit not completing the circuit. Can anyone tell me what this wire is and if it being unplugged would cause the charging circuit to not be complete? It's the wire/plug coming from the exaust cover that attached to the engine

 

[98ExAccordwv]

The O2 sensor is what you are describing I think. Definitely needs to be plugged in. That shouldnt cause your battery to not charge though?

 

[Kyleelder]

sounds like a oxygen sensor.which has nothing to do with charging your battery...post pics.or just try jumping it.check your grounds.one of my ground wires was loose once and my car kept dying when i went around corners.

 

[imaricer:)]

lol thats an 02 sensor... u kinda need that for vtec and obviously for your car to run straight. plug it in and you should be good to go... dont know if thta could have damaged anything else... *waits for experts to chime in*

 

[avalover0816]

Thanks. I was unsure if that unplugged would cause the battery to not charge. So with that being said...

My voltmeter in my car started dropping. Then my dash lights are all on (door ajar lights, chk engine, srs, brake) and they stay on. They will go off if im in high rpm though....but the volts still drop. When i have someone jumping me, then it will go to 12.5 but as soon as they take it off, it will dip to 10.5 and then drop drastically until im stalled out 5 min later.

When i test my battery with car off and on, it will read 12.5, even if the voltmeter in my car ready 10 and below. i just exchanged my yellow top like 2 days ago so there is no way it could be the battery.

Is this an alternator issue? How would i isolate the problem with the voltmeter? My car is stuck and i cant take it anywhere to have it tested. Id like to be able to test the alt with voltmeter.

 

[Erik123456789]

For your alternator the easiest way for you to test it is to start the car(whenever you get jumped in this case) and unplug your battery, if your alternator is working properly.. your car will stay on.. If not then it will shut off.. Have you checked if its plugged in there right? Sometimes the plug slightly comes lose and becomes unplugged while its still inside the plug.

 

[ryan s]

dash lit up like a christmas tree = alternator

you can test the output with a DMM, but its not very safe to do (you'll need about 4 hands to accomplish it ). but since you already have a voltmeter, its not really needed. presuming the battery is good enough to start the car, and shows ~12.8v all the time, when the car is running the terminals should read ~14v at like 1500rpm. if it stays around 12.x volts, the alternator isn't charging it.

since it shows good voltage in the upper revs, it could be the voltage regulator or worst case, something with the ECU. off hand, i can't remember if the regulator is built into the alternator or if its run through the ECU...

 

[avalover0816]

Replaced the alt. Good to go. Thanks everyone

 

[blacknight]

For your alternator the easiest way for you to test it is to start the car(whenever you get jumped in this case) and unplug your battery, if your alternator is working properly.. your car will stay on.. If not then it will shut .

Exactly.
If the car stays on while the battery is unplugged, there's a problem with the battery.
If the car shuts off, there's definitely a problem with the altenator and possibly a problem with the battery since it wasnt being charged properly