My 95 civic has a weird problem. Only while driving and at night with my headlights on the dash lights will flicker and when happens the blower motor doesn't blow at 100%. It feels like the engine loses power too. After I drive the car for 45 min. and it's all warmed up its fine. But if I stop somewhere and turn the car off then start it back up the flickering and power surges start up again. I know it's not the alt. I've put 3 different ones on and it didn't change the problem. Any help would be great.

 

sounds like wiring

if your not the original owner, check to see if wiring looks like OEM or is it a mess.
if its a mess, then start looking

 

Well no ****! I think I'm just going to have to pull every single piece of wire out of these freakin car cuz I just don't know where to start.

 

Easy man, were just trying to help you out.

 

Make sure all your grounds are tight and clean.

 

Agreed - start with this since you've eliminated your battery and alt. There are a bunch of grounds in the engine bay (at least 3 if not more) and cause no end of problems if they become excessively dirty or the wires are frayed.

 

I got on All Data and printed off the schematics for the grounds and went through all of them and grinded down to metal and reattached and still have the same problem. So now that I know all the grounds on the car are good now what??????

 

Does the 5thgens have the ELD or is that a 6thGen thing?

 

What is ELD?

 

Electrical load detector. Same for 5th gen. Just under everything
http://www.civicforums.com/forums/21...-detector.html

 

I don't think I have that and even if I did I don't think that's the problem. Next....

 

Knows what the problem is NOT. Doesn't know what the problem IS. Can't explain that.

Test battery? Never saw that mentioned. Recent occurrence? Running any amplifiers for a sound system? Crappy HIDs installed?

 

Does the charging system light in the cluster turn on when the problem happens?

 

Battery tests 12.8 and 473/500 cca
Have tried 3 alternators. Yes I have a small amp and some xyntec hids and depo fogs. No battery lights come on.

 

Unplug HIDs during the DAYTIME, drive it around with the headlight switch ON. Deactivate them completely -- as in, make sure the ballast is not getting any power either (and if there's anything else that gets power that goes along with having HIDs ... don't know much about them other than they often suck). Still have the problem? (Trying here to eliminate HIDs as the mystery power drain.)

Also, when did this problem start? Was it after a specific event (eg., giant pothole, epic rainstorm) or mod?

 

When you turn the key from off to ON(II), does the charging system light come on and stay on?

 

Is the alternator belt tension within spec?

 

So I started to unplug the hids and found the drivers side factory headlight bulb socket was so corroded it crumbed to a black gooy substance so off to the junkyard in the morning. Even with the hids unplugged the car still has the problem.

 

To answer the other questions yes my charging light stays on after keying the car on 2 clicks. Yes the belt it to spec. Went to best buy today to have look at my alarm and one of the harness's is damaged. The wires are frayed and one is not even connected anymore so ill have to get another harness and see if that's the problem.

 

Installed a new antenna harness and I still have the problem.

 

Kinda sounds like an ELD problem- So like all the lights flicker??? Headlights, dashlights, even dome light?? The eld changes alt output for loads.

 

Lights flickering usually means a diode going bad in the alternator. You said you tried 3 different alternators, were they new or used? If used, have the current alternator tested.

 

Where did you get your alternator from? Pep boys/napa/auto zone have crap alternators. The shop next to mine used to go through a lot of those.

 

Does my car even have a ELD? As for the alternators: the original one burned up so I got a Napa one and used it then thought it was bad it tested good but I made Napa give a brand new one. Hooked it up and still had the problem so I took it off and put a used Honda one on and tested it and it tested fine but still have the problem. I'm keeping the Honda one there cuz I trust it more than any aftermarket one.

 

Yeh you have an eld its in underhood fuse box. It a brown squared shaped piece inside. Before you test the eld or replace it if you have a multimeter just connect it to battery and watch the voltage when the problem Is happening. If voltage is fluctuating alot when problem occurs then id test eld. Id kinda doubt you had 3 bad alt.