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This is my first post here. I am new to automotive oscillioscopes, so any input would be helpful. I have a 2002 Honda Civic that is not charging under load. At idle, the alternator maintains that battery at 12.6V, pretty standard for Honda's low output mode. I scoped the alternator field control wire at the alternator and the ECM and noticed that under load, I have these voltage spike on the leading edge of the square wave. I turned off all the loads, and periodically, I see these huge voltage spikes (from 0-12V) on every ground: Coil, block, body, ecm, you name it.
1. Could this cause the no charge issue?
2. Should I be looking for a bad ground?
Image 1: alternator field control at ECM
Image 2: red: coil ground, green: body ground
Image 2: red: alternator field control at ECM, green: frame ground.
Images 2 & 3:
Ignition coil strikes blast a high amount of voltage, up to 40,000 volts, into the engine block. This strike can be seen in most waveforms. You will learn to ignore it. (If it doesn't sync up with a coil strike, then it may be something to investigate.)
Image 1:
I cannot say, for sure, if the voltage spike on the field control is normal, or not. I suspect that, maybe, it is. Maybe, someone more familiar with Honda can answer that.
Do you have a scan tool to observe the ELD pid?
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