The car is an 88 crx si with a d16a6

The car when warm will idle at about 900-1000rpm, but when I need to turn on the headlights (sidemarkers also tap into headlights circuit) the idle will drop to 400 and the engine wants to die

I also have a power wire coming straight off the battery to a switch and then to multiple assecories in the car (4 gauges, wideband, shiftlight)

When this is turned on it will also lower the idle a good 150 or so rpm

The headlights are Ebay projectors but I never had this problem last year. Why would the car idle so dam low and why would the load make such a difference?

I did just put in a new battery

 

The draw is so much it's killing your car.

Your alternator must REALLY suck.

 

Alt puts out 14.5volts

 

bad grounds?

 

Alt is fairly new from a junkyard, pushes 14.5V all day

I lied though, the rpm drops almost 400 with the accesory switch on

I know my valve cover ground isnt perfect as I painted my valve cover and didnt sand it, but it is upgraded to 4gauge as is my battery ground wire which is a clean ground to the tanny and I have 2 extra from the battery to the headlight housing

 

what amps is the alternator spec'd for?

 

Its the stock d15b alternator, I dont know

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PINKS &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Its the stock d15b alternator, I dont know</TD></TR></TABLE>

Isn't that like...90AMP?

 

I believe so

So is the stock crx though

the headlights serioulsy cause a 500 rpm drop

 

why would an alternator cause a 500rpm drop in idle?

Anyone heard of an electrical load detector?
where is it?

 

I feel your pain man.

Some of my EF's have this problem. Some do not. The only thing I can think of doing is replacing all the major grounds and going from there.

It's so bad that my blower motor will barely blow if I'm idling. If I rev it up, it blows nice and hard. The alternator just doesn't pump out enough at a lower idle. Maybe I should look at an upgraded unit.

 

Hey, I actually noticed that today, my blower motor would kind of surge, its an accord climate control though I figured I just wired it wrong.

My alt is just going bad?

I guess I should clean up the grounds

 

 

 

for low idle

 

bump bump

 

 

bumpity bump