tone.101

So I was driving my car yesterday and all of a sudden my lights go out, just the main ones. High beams and signals functioned just fine. This morning I decided to start her up and my eps light is on and it wont start. Ive checked my fuses and theyre fine. Could it be the alternator??

davidc1

no. EPS light is always on as part ot the startup process.

postwarart

(Take this with a grain of salt, as I probably have nowhere near as much experience as some of these other guys).

Sounds like the exact same problem as I had on my old Accord.
I took mine off and took it to Autozone, where they did a stress test.

Sure enough, the solenoid was out, and had to replace that part of the alternator.
Does the S2000 have a solenoid on the alternator too? It could very well be that, but I don't remember how I came to that conclusion. Also, had to take the whole thing off anyways so that they could test it. Best of luck, and hope I was helpful.

Edit: read a bit more carefully. Did your dash go out as well? Mine were analog, and when it happened the RPM and speed needles dropped. Car was running fine, though. Couldn't get it to start after work.

305AP1

No a faulty altenator won't stop the car from starting . The battery starts the car then the alternator takes over. The car will run off just the battery for maybe 15-20 minutes until the battery can no longer produce enough energy to send current to the spark plugs.. I'm guessing its a relay or a ground check out all your grounds first.

tone.101

thanks a bunch fellas, update when I figure this out.

postwarart

Not to hijack this thread, but, I guess I still have quite a bit of learning to do...

Doesn't the alternator also charge the battery? Meaning, if your alternator begins to fail, then the auxiliaries would drain the battery, causing you to not have enough power to crank the starter the next time? But still have enough power to just operate the lights before start up?

Sorry if I am adding confusion/misinformation here.

tone.101

your car will use the juice from the battery until it produce anymore, then your alt will take over and charge your battery.

305AP1

i stated that in my above post i just didnt get into details..

davidc1

This is not correct. If your car is running, it draws power from the battery, which in turn is charged from the alternator. But, from an electrical standpoint, the car doesn't know where it's drawing its power from, it's essentially drawing it from both at the same time.

Mister Jew

I always check my alternator by removing the positive battery terminal while the car is running. If the car shuts off the alternator is faulty