xkwzt21

Okay, I just did a B series swap in my '96 civic and whenever I use my headlights they seem to dim in and out, mainly when im giving it some gas. When ever i let off of the gas pedal the headlights seem to come back to full strength. The alternator is working strong cranking out 14 amps. There doesnt seem to be any issues with the battery either. Anyone know what might be wrong?

nocturnaldragon

Sounds to me like a short somewhere. Other then that i cant help you

Redline96LX

Most likely a bad connection, maybe the bulb is loose.

huntarrr

get some ground wires

xkwzt21

Okay, here is what someone else from another forum wrote:

Yep, I have the EXACT same problem. Not trying to jack, but here's what I've done to try to fix it.
Regrounded the motor.
Removed any old wireing.
Replaced battery.
Changed light bulbs.
Rounded the battery better.
Thought about the problem some.
Drove it some.
And posted here.
Any help would be great.
Only dims when gas is pushed. Gets bright when let off.
??????????????????

Luserkid

Sounds like the guy that wrote back to you didnt check the alt.

How are all your other lights, and all other electrical? Do they dim too or just the headlights? If only the headlights then just try replacing the headlight wire with a thicker wire. HTH

xkwzt21

The lights in the cluster also dim

EK22snatch

if you notice alot of your electrical stuff is dimming, it could POSSIBLY be the alternator. i would check all grounds first like many have said becuase you can buy some wire fiarly cheap at like farm and fleet or something and grounds can oxidize fairly quick.

Luserkid

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by xkwzt21 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The lights in the cluster also dim</TD></TR></TABLE>

Thats alt. Try swaping it out with a friends that you know is good and see if that works.

xkwzt21

its cranking out 14.1-14.3 amps, isnt that whats it supposed to be at? there is only 1000 miles on the alternator

xkwzt21

please help, the grounds seem to be all good, what else could be wrong

Luserkid

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by xkwzt21 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">its cranking out 14.1-14.3 amps, isnt that whats it supposed to be at? there is only 1000 miles on the alternator</TD></TR></TABLE>

How much is it cranking out when you have your lights on, and when you have high beams on?

Was it a rebuilt Alt.? Where did you get it from?

xkwzt21

the alt. was the orig one that came from the swap, its a 2001, it goes down to 13.9 with the lights on

Luserkid

How are you testing it?

xkwzt21

with the car on, A/C on, Fog lights and headlights on, cd player on, and revving it in neutral

webink_EK9

Why did you cut the alt-c wire? Isn't that wire kinda important? Also, it may be a good idea to let him know what ECU you're talking about. The alt-c wire on my car is the Starting/Charging Systems control as where on other cars, it could be something, such as a transmission control. What ECU and/or car are you talking about?


Modified by webink_EK9 at 9:23 PM 9/9/2004

JDM Like Whoa

I have the same exact problem. Headlights dim... alternator was just replaced with a brand new OEM one and still continues... Maybe a grounding kit?

webink_EK9

Nope, it won't help. I've already done it. Its an ECU problem most likely. There are quite a few people going through this right now. I'll post here soon and let you know what we come up with. That alt-c wire may work, but who knows...I'll give it a shot soon as I get my car back. Should be back tomorrow or monday.

webink_EK9

***** it! i'll cut mine too. some of the alt-c wires control the tranny, so watch it before you give that advice to everyone, but it should work for me! I'm spreading the word to CUT CUT CUT!

Luserkid

I meant, how do you know the Alt. is giving out a strong 14 amps? Volt meter, turbo timer, etc?

Team 4R

i had the same problem with my d16y8, then with my b16a2 motor, and now with my b18c motor..... three different alternators, one problem. so, if you asked me, i'd say the alternator was not the issue..... i'm going to try cutting the alt-c wire, though. sounds like that might work.

xkwzt21

Luserkid, Im using a volt meter to test the alternator. Does anyone know if there are any drawbacks to cutting the ALT-C wire?

Luserkid

If you cut the wire i highly suggest cutting it to where if it doesnt work and something goes wrong youll be able to solder it back together. Let us know if it works.

ej0513

any word on the effectiveness of cutting the wire? i have the exact same problem...

IDriveHonda

I had to cut the Alt-C wire when I swithced from OBD2 to OBD1 and that solved my problem. What ecu are you using?