i have a cel for high power draw, and with all accessories on the lights surge and the idle surges and i have next to no power. after a while it kills the battery, my first thought was the alternator. but im unsure. wondering if anyone has had a problem like this.

car is a 97 civic

 

I had the surging problem. I did not drive my car for a week; he IAC valve built dirt, so it couldn't rotate ( oscilate I should say). I just cleaned it, and it works fine now. But don't rely on this comment completely because I neither had the CEL on nor the battery killed.

 

y dont you go to autozone and have them test your alt and bat?

 

it's the regulator 100 %

 

what regulator?

 

voltage regulator in your alternator

 

i was wondering about that

 

thats what mine was so i bet it is bad on yours too. what year is yours

 

97

 

alright i guess that voltage regulator in a 96 (what i have) is nortorious of going bad after a while.

 

its the same as a 96. i have noticed the battery light never comes on when you turn the key to on position. and the more accessories on the more the power seems to fluxuate so it may be the alternator.