a couple days ago i noticed if i drove it hard past vtec, the battery light would randomly flicker... so i thought my alternator was going bad. i get a new one, put it in, and i thought everything was running fine... except now, the battery light didnt work at all. even when i would turn the key to the "on" position and all the dash lights would come on, the battery still didnt.

i was hoping everything was ok, and maybe the bulb for the light blew out, so i didnt worry about it. a couple days later i was driving at night. i notice my dash and headlights starting to dim. then my tach/speedo start twitchin out and then drop to zero... but the car is still driving. i keep driving for another minute or so and then the engine just shuts off. so i stick the car in neutral and coast to a stop.

thing is, while i was coasting i tried to signal over, but they wouldnt work... i tried turning my hazzards on, they woudnt work either. when i come to a stop on the side of the road, i turn the key off, pull the ebrake... and now my hazzards work. i turn the headlights on and they work too... as well as my dome light. but when i tried to start the car, it wouldnt even turn over slowly. it was acting as if there wasnt a drop of juice left in the battery, yet there was still power to run all the lights.


i took the alternator out and had it benchtested at kragens, and it came back fine. but when i put it in my car and had it idling, the system was only putting out 12v.

what could the issue be? everyone is saying the alternator is bad... but my car is acting the same way with two different alts that both test good when benchtested.

 

Ive seen this before. check for the Fuse. It controls indicators and also alternator. Replace fuse and get back to us.

 

whats the actual label? and is it under the dash or the hood?


btw, i have a 91 accord with a h. not sure if the fuses will be labeled differently.
thanx

 

bump...

i had my battery tested today and it was bad, so i bought a new one and put it in... but i didnt have time to get the entire system tested. the car starts right now since the battery is full... but im still not getting a battery light when i turn the key on.


could it be something more serious or just a blown bulb in the dash?

 

could be the fuse, the bulb, or the wiring (for the bulb). check all fuses (under hood and in dash)

 

check:

the battery terminal connectors, get rid of all battery acid....make sure the ground to the tranny is sound....make sure the positive is connected soundly and cleanly to the fusebox under the hood....and check the volts there and make sure you are getting 12+....

its not a fuse, that would be all or nothing, you have some, so something is going between touching and not randomly for you....

 

Bringing back a old thread..... Did you ever end up fixing this.. my car is doing the same thing now.........and would LOVE to hear what the deal is/ was...

 

Please help I am having the same problem with my car. I have a 97 Honda Civic. I replace the battery, replace the alternator and also change the fuse but my car is still acting the same. All lights would dim and then the car would die. The only thing is if I shut of the heater, the lights and the radio the car will drive. Can someone shed some light on my car problem? PLEASE HELP!

 

First off, make sure the wire harness connector going to the alternator is plugged in all the way. Mine slowly backed its way out one time. The car died.

 

that's exactly what happened to my car a couple of years back. One of the tabs on the alternator plug apparently broke off and the plug kept on slipping off without me even knowing. To make sure that the alternator is working, just check the voltage at the battery terminals with a multimeter while the car is running. Should read about 14.4 volts if the alternator is good.

 

This all seems like the same problem that I'm having. I noticed a couple of weeks ago that my battery seemed to be getting weak when I would try to start it. And then one night my Tach and Speedometers just started dropping off when the lights (which were dim) and stereo (started cutting on and off) were on and then after I cut the car off when I got home, it wouldn't start again. Ran fine with a jump start from a friend. Managed to get it home after 2 hours of driving the day before Christmas eve, and with the lights on. My dad has worked as a mechaninc for years. We charged and tested the battery, cleaned and tightened the terminals, looked to be fine (Dad's friend also drives the AC Delco truck, and with his machine the battery tested fine). We also tested the alternator with the multimeter. But I get back up to school, and start driving with all my lights on and everything. Same problem, again. Can't figure out what it is. Don't know what step to take next since I don't want to pay anyone to just look around for hours for the problem. And I just want to see how people have resolved this issue.

Any ideas on where to start looking?

 

 

I got THE SAME PROB....i got a new battery, alternator and i continued.....went away for like two weeks and it came back....prob comes and go's