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Question: Is it the alternator?? Details: Mechanic 3 days ago. Said it was a corroded terminal. Friend helped me clean cables and terminal. Battery is still at 80% charge after test at AutoZone. Drove it for an hour last night after jump. Today, no start. Lights come on, clicking when trying to ignite, but nothing. Why am I needing a jump JUST to drive this vehicle now? And ironically, this issue came up with the vehicle five months ago. Corroded terminal. Fixed. Drove all right until four days ago. What is going on now? Cleaned the terminal and everything, but this is the third time in four days it failed to start.
What makes this problem better or worse?
No idea. I'm just frustrated. I paid ONE HUNDRED dollars to the mechanic for a diagnostic fee, and now I feel I wasted my time and money.
How long has your 2016 Honda Pilot had this problem?
A few days
1 Reply
Hello, I’m Pete from the Car Genius team at RepairPal. I’m sorry you’re dealing with this concern on your Honda Pilot. Based on the information provided the need for a jump start as you described and knowing that you have a good battery in your vehicle can indicate that the alternator itself is failing, a fault with a loose, corroded, or damaged battery cable or connection, or even something like a parasitic battery drain due to one of the electronics in your vehicle either failing, stuck on, or shorted out causing the battery to drain as the vehicle sits in the off position. I recommend having all of these checked into to help identify which is the cause so it can then be repaired properly from there. In many cases, usually if it is the alternator you would normally see a battery or a charge light on the dash with the engine running, that is usually a good tell tale that the alternator itself is failing. If you’d like to find a trusted, certified repair shop in your area, you can check here: https://repairpal.com/certified. If you need more advice, or have any further questions about your vehicle, we’re here to help. Just give us a call at 877-913-1554 where we will be happy to assist!