jdmztrane

Ok guys I really need help on this one!

My 98 Civic Dx has some sort of electrical problems. My headlights, tail lights, and interior lights all dim repeatedly all the time when im driving. Ive searched in archived content and viewed all the posts related to this. So far I have replaced the following:

1. Alternator
2. Starter
3. Battery

(I had an Optima Yellow top, but when my starter died it must have drained the battery because it wouldnt hold a charge even after i jumped it and got the motor running. I turned the headlights on and the car died. so I got a new battery and it seems to start and run fine with the exception of this damn light problem)

My next thing to replace is the major grounds in the car. But for some reason I have a feeling that those arent gonna fix the problem. Is there anything else I can look for to fix this. Ive also checked all the visible wiring in the the engine bay, under the dash and all connections.

What the hell is going on? I cant stand it and cant afford to sell it and buy another car!!

ev13lf

you should try hooking up a voltmeter to the battery and driving the car. the voltage regulator for the alternator is in the ecu, so you may have a bad ecu. first you need to know whats going on with the charging system voltage though.

clamp wires to the positive and negative posts on the battery, adn then run them inside the car to a voltmeter and drive it. you should have 13.5 to 14.5 volts.

one of my friends had a 97 civic with a similar problem, and his ecu was the problem.

jdmztrane

Thanks. I'll try that as soon as I have time. Hopefully its not my ecu!!!

Bump for anything else!!!

civiccoupe94

try using a grounding kit, my friends car dimmed everytime his system bumped a high bass, but the dimming all went away when he put a grounding kit on

jdmztrane

I dont have a system. So base isnt a cause of my problems, but thanks for the suggestion!

jdmztrane

How will I be able to tell if the voltage regulator is bad in the ECU after I check the voltage coming off the alternator? Wouldnt that just tell me that something is screwed up between the alternator, battery and ECU?


BUMP for more answers.....

jdmztrane

bumpity bump bump for more answers!!!!

jdmztrane

ok so i got the car checked out today and found out that my alternator is only putting out 12 volts when charging the battery. the problem is that the whole light thing has been goin on for a year and with the old alternator. so i dont understand why just the low voltage charging could be causeing this problem.

any one know of anything????