rycrisp

Hello everyone. I am looking for some help with my 98 Honda Civic Cx. I had been having some trouble with the battery running low and having to jumpstart it. I ended up replacing the battery. The next day after replacing the battery the check engine light comes on while I am driving it and the headlights and dash lights start to go up and down in intensity and the speedometer stops working. I checked the codes and they were the eld code, vss code, and the two o2 sensor codes. The alternator fuse was blown. Found info online about the common issue of the wires behind the manifold. Checked those wires and they seemed to be all ok. I didn't see any that looked stripped or bare. I wrapped them pretty good with electrical tape. I also have checked the o2 sensor wires and they are good. The battery light is not on. I have checked the voltage at the post on the alternator and its about 13 volts at idle.

After wrapping the wires with tape I am not getting the vss code, but the others remain. The alternator fuse blows immediately if i put a new one in.
I am trying to avoid throwing parts at this issue. I already replaced the battery and it probably didn't need to be. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Former User

You obviously need to locate the short in the fuse 15 circuit. The diagrams below may help. The short finder looks nifty. Here's an example at .

Former User

Here are diagrams for the fuse 15 circuit:

rycrisp

Thanks RonJ. I ordered the short finder from amazon. I will report back if I find the problem.

rycrisp

I tried using the short finder without any success. The #15 fuse doesn't seem to be blowing anymore, but I still have the check engine light on with the eld code and the o2 sensor code. The speedometer does not work at all, though it isn't triggering a code. The alternator is now putting out about 14.3 volts at idle. I tested the eld wires and the voltage drops when a load is present. I am not really sure what to do now other than take it to a shop, because I don't think the problem will go away. Could this be an alternator problem?

Former User

The short finder can only locate the short when the circuit is shorting to ground (fuse blows). Don't give up on locating the short yourself.