beefisforbadbwo

Hey everyone, first time owning a civic and I haven't had any complaints until these problems started happening recently.

When I bought the car the owner said he installed the HID headlights and aftermarket stereo himself but said something along the lines of not wiring the stereo correctly so it doesn't save favourite radio stations etc. I didn't think much of it I don't really listen to the radio. Headlights looked fine except the fact that they're not angled down so I'm blinding everyone I drive past.

But recently I started to notice that my headlights have been flickering and sometimes completely turning off and back on suddenly. I noticed it happens mostly when I turn the heat fan on or off. I thought maybe the alternator wasn't powerful enough for all the aftermarket crap that was installed but I doubted that was the issue.

All of my interior dashboard lights + illuminated lettering etc. for the panels have a slight pulse/flickering I've noticed and just tonight my check engine light came on.

I'm not sure what to make of all this.

In addition to that, when I first got the car it sounded nice and smooth no weird engine idling noises or anything. I've only had the car for 3-4 months now and the idling sounds really squealy/crappy/loud. I've done my oil changes etc with the appropriate oil and everything.

And the last thing is that the car sounds like it's straining itself or something. I thought it might have been the engine/transmission sounding like it was 'rurring' or 'grring' and it increases with the speed of the vehicle but not the speed of the engine. When I throw the car in neutral the sound doesn't change but changes as the car slows down. I was thinking maybe wheel bearings but I'm not sure what exactly those sound like when they're going.

Any help or insight would be super appreciated!

beefisforbadbwo

Alright, well I ended up taking it to a mechanic who did a free check for me. He said my battery connectors were needing replacement, showed me how corroded they were and one was relatively loose. The positive terminal had a good 2cm of caked on blue/green corrosion on it.

Also my alternator/serpentine belt? needed to be replaced.

skalleluia909

I had the same thing, even had a ticking sound much like a relay. I ended up changing put positive and negative and ground to the battery and everything ended up working. No issues two years later.

Serpentine belt is pretty easy and cheap to replace. Loud as hell if it gets really worn. You never want to be that guy who starts his car at 4 am and squeals like a pig for 5 minutes.

youtube the serpentine belt of 01-05 civic if you need help

beefisforbadbwo

Well I have two belts, one skinny one going around the alternator and a thicker one I guess the power steering? I bought two replacements and I"m going to do it myself when it ground gets dry again. The car sounds like crap. I can tell especially when I'm in a drive-thru or something where I Can hear the sound better. Sounds like chirping/slight grinding or slipping sound.

I also have to replace my o2 sensors (both of them) since that's what the check engine light is. My car just today cut out really quick on the way to buying the new belts which kind of shocked me. I heard that's a pretty easy job to do yourself as well.

Thanks for your response. I"m trying to find youtube videos right now to help me.

beefisforbadbwo

I've been trying to find videos or step by step instructions on how to change the two belts but all I keep finding is timing belts or replacing the whole alternator.

I'm not too familiar with honda's and I'm no mechanic by any means but I work on cars whenever I can.

What is the best way to replace the alternator belt and the other one (I think it's a power steering belt?)