I've been having alternator problems for a while now, about two months. I bought a 92 honda civic 2dr si about a year ago and up until two months ago never had a problem with it. Then the alternator went out, so I replaced it. A week after that the positive bolt coming from the alternator was melted off, a peice was gone and the nut was gone too. So I attatched the positive wire to the second bolt on the alternator. A few days after that it melted off as well. Then I replaced the alternator again, along with a new battery and the battery terminals. I thought maybe it had a bad battery giving it to much juice or something. Well today my car was running funny, so I decided to check the positive bolt on my alt. and Its charred.. meaning it looks burnt up.. the bolt/nut/ and wire are still there, but its obvious it got really hot and is only a matter of time before its melted off again.

Does anyone know what could be causeing this? I have the correct alternator for my engine, which is a d16z6 1.6l. The very first time I replaced my alternator was becuase it died, it didnt have any burn marks and no problems other than it being dead. Nobody can explain this to me. Every mechanic I've asked has never heard of this happening before. Please help

 

What is the condition of the positive wire to the alternator? If its getting that hot, I wouldn't trust the integrity of that wire. Usually when terminals melt like what you describe can cause by having loose connections. Loose connections can arc which create a whole bunch of heat.

 

I've posted this problem in maybe four forums, and all of you are saying the same thing.. the positive wire. And the terminal on the positive wire doesnt look bad.. but doesnt look good either. I'll try replacing that wire completely with new wires and terminals and report back.. thank you for your help!