Honda3133

So i noticed that all my lights have a small flicker to them when at a stand still, when i get moving it all goes back to normal(no flickering) what could this be? Thank you

Honda3133

Also is it normal that when i apply the brakes on neutral the revs go up a bit then come back down?

Honda3133

bump

tonyhatchetman

One of the fuses could be bad I think its #15 that can cause this or the alt may be bad and a loose ground some where ....I'd start with the fuse first

4dohs4mohoes

Ok... Is it a constant flicker or does it just happen one time? And yes it is normal for the rpms to increase as the brake booster is drawing vacuum from the engine.

Honda3133

Its a constant flicker with car isnt moving
Ill check fuse first

4dohs4mohoes

Does or did the car have an alarm on it? Do yo hear any relays clicking? or are there any noises associated with the flickering?

Honda3133

nope no alarm on it, never did and theres no noise

fleabag

OP, when you're not moving, try revving the engine very slightly and see if it changes. Does the car stereo have a whine or interference noise to it? Does turning off the headlights while at idle change the pitch or have an effect on things? Yes/no? Regardless, I would start cleaning/fixing all the electrical grounds in your engine bay asap just to make sure you're not doing any damage to your alternator.

Honda3133

ok thx, and no theres no whine noise, at idle with lights off theres still flickering on radio interface

tonyhatchetman

If the fuse is good then more likely the alternators going bad I've had that happen 3 times already and every time it was the alt ....did u check the voltage ?

fleabag

now try to raise the idle rpm and bring it up to like 2500rpm and see as you're increasing the engine speed, what happens with the flickering and or lights. One more thing I suggest is checking the battery voltage right before you start up the engine tomorrow. If it's less than 12v, then put a battery charger on it and then conduct the test. It's possible you have a discharged battery and you burned out the alternator from it trying to charge the battery.

Honda3133

ok ill check tomorow afternoon! thx for youre help btw

4dohs4mohoes

Some one please fill me in on how a flicker is being caused by a bad alternator or battery.

If the lights dimmed and brightened with engine RPM, that would be an alternaor.

Check all your grounds. Seems like a vibration at idle may be causing the flicker. Possible loose conection somewhere.

Note: Pull the radio and disconnect it. See what happens.

tonyhatchetman

When the alt gets damaged due to whatever reason, the internal regulater gets stressed and will allow the voltage to leak and cause plusating spikes in the voltage being produced causing the lights to get brighter and then back to normal over n over.

Its usually a couple of volts like 13.8 up to 15.6 I've seen worse in worse cases .

Jimster480

Sounds like a grouding issue, check your grounds

4dohs4mohoes

Ugh... never seen it. Sorry. And I believe that would effect more then the lights. Just sayin.

tonyhatchetman

It would if the voltage spikes where higher than that but you won't tell any difference unless it gets worse and if the volts go up more than 16 it will effect most every thing electrical , I've seen this happen quite a few times and its not like the lights go off what's happening is they are getting brighter and then going back to normal

If this is not what is happening I stand corrected, but from what I've read I'm pretty sure I understand what he's talking about.

Honda3133

Here is some specific info on problem , Headlights and dash lights flicker. When I turn the car on all is good the a good 20 sec after it starts when idling. Then i tried reving it and the flicker doesnt change. ONLY goes away when I start rolling and fully engaged in first gear. It will only stop flickering once i completly let off the clutch and rolling. Hope this helps identify the problem better

4dohs4mohoes

I dont know why I am thinking this, but.... It may possible be the combination switch. It's a long shot, but try jiggling it to see if anything changes.

Max McNasty

i had this problem and it ended up being a fuse because my o2 sensor grounded out on the cat sheild. i think it was the fuse for the ecm or overload or something not too sure the of the fuse name anymore but its the same issue i had with flickering lights and radio.

92ehatch

check alternator. dont guess, get a cheap multimeter at sears, they are like 12 bucks.

@ idle no load you want around 14v dc @ the battery. @ idle full load (lights, blower etc) no lower than 13.5 or 13. hopefully the higher.

if that checks good you need to start checking wiring, loose connections, grounds etc.

it could be the Electronic load detector. ELD. its built into the under hood fuse box, probably not the problem, but replacing it requires a fuse box change

possible i missed something but those are some starting points

Former User

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Honda3133

Been away for a bit back to trying to fix this issue, I changed all fuse 15 on car, wires seem ok, theres a little hissing sound comming from battery when car is off and if u put your ear beside battery u can hear it. All lights are good when only battery is on but once you start the car 10 sec after all lights start flickering lightly its not major flicker tho. Could it be a bad battery?