2014 Honda Civic charging issue!

hi!
(This is my first post on this site, Excuse my English! Not my first language )
I'm working on a 2014 Honda Civic Ex. 1.8L that has a charging issue sometimes is charging 14.2V and it can be like that for days and stops charging and the battery light does not lid or check engine.
i checked the codes but i didn't find any, the owner told me that he replaced the alternator and battery with no luck so he put the original back
today i swapped with the one he bought and i noticed that that one is not charging at all and the battery light it's on and i got a P0562 charging system low voltage code.
i called the tech support from the alternator's company and they told me that it needs a software update that fix that particular issue.
they also told me that this car has a TSB 12-041 but i don't find any information on the internet that says that this model is affected due a software issue..
do you guys have any idea what it could be?

CHEERS!

1. How do you know there is (was) a problem with an alternator?
2. Wiring diagram

i'm not 100% sure it has a problem with the alternator, it just stop charging sometimes! i tested it this morning and is charging 14.3 V ..with the old alternator and i let it sit for 2 hours and now is not charging

the TSB 12-041 i found says this

PROBABLE CAUSE
The vehicle's battery sensor monitors battery condition and the PCM determines charging mode. Based on the sulfation of the battery and customer driving habits the PCM may not select the correct charge mode.

but its for a 2012 honda civic

Some Hondas have an electrical load detector in the fuse box. It is the size of a relay and wraps around the main bus bar strip in the fuse box. It acts as an amp clamp and outputs a voltage signal to to the PCM.

A quick search shows the Honda ELD does some over aggresive fuel and emissions strategies on cutting back the charging voltage and can go belly up without throwing a code.

How do I test the eld?

Quick update!! I went to the dealer and ran the vin to see if it has any related TSB and they said that has none.

I had the same issue. its normal for the voltage output of the alternator to be low with no loads. its called smart charging sytem. here is a good article I found awhile back. www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&...l2XMhxmnXXy4jZh8rJng

Hey jaivs26, welcome to the forums!

Just for my info, how did this problem start? Engine wouldn't crank, battery went dead? Cheryl is right about the smart charge system, and how it'll stop charging at specific times, which can make it tough to diagnose at times

thanks for the link! i read it and it's very informative! unfortunately is not charging even if i turn lights, a/c, defrost or at high RPM

hey tyler!

this problem started 3 months ago and is was not all the times i'm going to only happened 6 or 7 times in those 3 months.
the owner told me that last monday the car started ok in the morning he drove for 20 minutes and then he stopped to the post office, 10 minutes later the engine didn't want to start , at that time he had to use the jump starter to make it home which was 2 block away
he installed and refurbished alternator and that alternator is not charging at any RPM or load
i installed the old (the original ) back and that alternator sometime is charging under load and sometimes is not
today i went to the autoparts and i got a another refurbished alternator as a warranty i installed and it seems to be working ok now
i'm going to let them drive it for a few days to see what happens..
i'll post any update

here are some pics of my last test drive

I would guess the original problem could have been the battery, but the smart charge control threw a curved ball at the diagnosis and the first replacement alternator was defective.

When I took the alternator to get an exchange they tried to test it but they couldn't test it they said it's to new for their machine!!

Does it have the alternator as shown above in the link? The same wiring?

jaivs26 wrote: hey tyler!

this problem started 3 months ago and is was not all the times i'm going to only happened 6 or 7 times in those 3 months.
the owner told me that last monday the car started ok in the morning he drove for 20 minutes and then he stopped to the post office, 10 minutes later the engine didn't want to start , at that time he had to use the jump starter to make it home which was 2 block away
he installed and refurbished alternator and that alternator is not charging at any RPM or load
i installed the old (the original ) back and that alternator sometime is charging under load and sometimes is not
today i went to the autoparts and i got a another refurbished alternator as a warranty i installed and it seems to be working ok now
i'm going to let them drive it for a few days to see what happens..
i'll post any update

Nice scan data shots, thanks sir! Looks like it's got the good ol' ELD and a battery current sensor... Both look to be producing rational readings :huh:

For anyone else interested, I looked up the diagram for this one. I'm used to the four wire control system that Honda used for years, so I was surprised to see this:



The grey and red wires going to the PCM are CAN network lines. The yellow wire, I'm not really sure. For your own diagnostic purposes (and my curiosity ), it might be good to get a voltage reading on that wire with the system charging. That way, you have a known good basis if you catch it not charging again

i'll try to get some voltage measurements next time i have an opportunity!

i have just a quick question non related to this topic could i upload a video directly to the post?

jaivs26 wrote: i'll try to get some voltage measurements next time i have an opportunity!

i have just a quick question non related to this topic could i upload a video directly to the post?

If you post your video on YouTube first, you can right click the video in the you tube player and choose copy video url.
Paste it in the body of your post over here and it will be embedded

Noah wrote: If you post your video on YouTube first, you can right click the video in the you tube player and choose copy video url.
Paste it in the body of your post over here and it will be embedded

This. I've also been using Google Drive, works halfway well.

So, I did some more digging on this one, curious about the control circuit. Ended up finding a different diagram for this Civic - the first one didn't include a Battery Current Sensor, but we know that your Civic has one based on the scan data. This new diagram does include the sensor, check it out:



The yellow wire that goes to C014 goes up to the signal wire from the Battery Current Sensor (which has three wires total, power - ground - signal). So, the PCM provides 12V to the sensor AND the alternator, but can also ground the signal at times?

Now I'm really interested to see what you find