crr243

Hi all,

I have an 04 Civic SE with ~120,000 miles on it.

This weekend, while my wife was driving, the radio shut off and the gauges all went to 0. She pulled to the side of the road and the car wouldn't start. After about 15 minutes, she tried again and was able to start it. Then, a few minutes later, it happened again. Note that the lights have been pulsing a bit at night for the last year or two. It certainly sounds to me like the alternator.

I called for a tow truck and had it brought to a mechanic. When the tow truck driver dropped it off, he said he was able to start the car to re-position in the mechanic's lot.

I just got a call from the mechanic. He was able to start the car and it's been running for a while. He's tested the alternator and says voltage levels are fine. He's seeing nothing wrong with the electrical.

Any thoughts?

P.S. He also says he found metal shavings the oil and the thing seems to be leaking quite a bit of oil. There's been what seemed like a small leak for the last ~5k miles, but he's indicated that it's worse now. I doubt it's related to the electrical problems, but we're certainly shopping for a car now...

crr243

The voltage on the alternator is 14.3 V, according to the mechanic.

My colleagues and I have had good experiences with this mechanic in the past. He always been very honest.

bbarbulo

well, honest doesn't always mean honda-knowledgeable. also, the fact you and your friends have had 'good experiences'... based on what exactly? That's like having a great meal at a restaurant, but not knowing that you had roasted rat meat. I mean it tasted good, how would you know? Same with mechanics, if you don't know any better, it all seems great. Everyone always claims their mechanic is awesome, but how many people actually dig in and inspect the work afterward? Based on many cars I've owned, the ratio of good mechanics to bad ones is very very low. not knocking this mechanic, it IS hard to troubleshoot something so intermittent. have him keep the car and use it as his own for a few days, maybe the issue will resurface. But the fact he checked the alternator given those symptoms tells me he doesn't know a whole lot about cars (or perhaps he was just being polite and followed your lead)

it sounds basically like a loose battery terminal.

the alternator charges the battery, sure, but if the alternator went out completely the car would continue to operate normally, except the battery light on the dash would illuminate. that's it. I can take out the alternator from the car and go cruising around for about 1/2 hour or so. so, not the alternator. what I would need to know is did the dash lights (the ones that come on when you first turn the key in the car) come on when the car stalled? when you say it wouldn't start, what does that mean? It cranked like normal but failed to start? Or all lights came on like normal but the car wouldn't crank? Or no dash lights came on at all, car was totally dead? C'mon throw us a bone here, can't read minds... yet.

the fact the radio went out kinda sounds like the car lost all electrical power, which basically just means a loose battery terminal, nothing more.

shopping for a new car?? just because someone didn't clean the battery terminals or didn't fully seat the terminals on the tapered posts? I've seen so many of these poor terminals ruined because people can't grasp the concept of a 'taper'.

the oil leak is probably a $4 dollar rear cam seal. barely a 15 minute fix using a 14mm socket to remove the EGR valve and a flat blade screwdriver to pry out the old seal.

as for metal shavings in the oil... i'd have to see it. or send the oil in for analysis. did your mechanic recommend a 'full motor flush'? LOL

crr243

My wife was driving at the time so o just quizzed her for more info.

When she couldn't start it after the electrical shut off and she pulled over, it wouldn't turn over. She turn the key and hear a clicking. The lights would flicker a bit like they were trying to turn on but the car wouldn't start.

I may bring it in to someone else.

NDNV

A common issue with these Civics are a loose alternator ground bolt on the alternator bracket. The ground for the alternator is the bracket and bolt. Mine was stripped after over-tightening and would stall the vehicle. New bolt and all's well (along with a new alternator before this happened which is another common issue).
Also check other grounds, battery and connections. Lights pulsing at night is a symptom - check alternator again, it may be failing.
Any codes with a CEL?

crr243

I brought it to a different mechanic I've used in the past. An hour later...

The voltage regulator is gone on the alternator. I'm sure I could have diagnosed that myself with a multimeter.

The cam plug gasket is worn out.

So two easy things to diagnose and fix. I guess the mechanic I was using is no longer my trusted mechanic.

bbarbulo

the voltage reg is in line with lights pulsing, but the stalling w complete loss of power had to be a loose battery terminal or ground. like I said, a failed alt will not cause the car to stall until it drains the battery completely.

so how much for the rear cam seal? $4 part and 15 min fix - how much did your mechanic charge you? let's see if this mech really is to be trusted.

bandit67

My daughters Ford Taurus did the same thing.......work , run fine.....then knock off. Would go for several days then quit. There was nothing systematic about.....very random in its problem. After I done all I could do , took it in to the dealership and payed them to fix it. A week later did the same thing , left her stranded on the side of the road. I got there , the car fired up and ran as normal. Took it back as a very irate customer. After a serious discussion with the Tech, she assured me they could fix it, and would drive the car daily for a week to verify problem fixed. I , this time had a chat with the mech, who had driven it to work and home for almost two weeks. The mech said he had seen this problem several times. Some PO had installed an aftermarket radio and had used the under-dash wiring harness grounding screw to secure the ground....and it had gotten loose. Super secured that, and we never had that problem again. Said the gauges quit working was the tip off. With so many folks adding electronic equipment......it is imperative to get those grounds tight. He said he had even found were folks would cut the grounds off and stuff the ends back into the plastic wiring looms.