battery warning light

Check the power wire running from the alternator to the battery. Perform a voltage drop test on it. Anything more than 0.3V is unacceptable.

Hi, i had a problem starting the car yesterday it would crank but not start. Today its been running fine almost all day long and starting fine. The battery light came on prolly 5 times today when i start the car then i give it a little gas and the light goes off. I had the alternator and battery checked and there both fine. The guy said the alternator is pushing out like 14 volts i think. Battery terminals are tight too. What could be happening?

You are dealing with two different issues. As far as the battery light, that is to indicate the alt isn't charging. That alt may be in the process of going bad or the voltage regulator. The 14+ volts is normal with the engine running.

As far as the no start, if it happens again, check to see if there is spark and fuel to the engine. One will most likely be missing. At that point, we will know what circuit to focus on.

If you need directions, go to our homepage under the DIY section for detailed directions and a video.

why does the battery light come on random though? Also the battery is staying charged. Should i buy another alternator. If so which reman should i buy bosch or denso?

The alt or regulator may be working most of the time, but my fail on and off. As far as brand, I'm not permitted to recommend any. But, both that you mentioned are fine. You may want to wait until it gets worse to confirm the alternator is the problem. Also, if the light is on and off, it most likely isn't having an affect on things because the battery is fully charged, the charging stops, then restarts. It never allows the battery to get low enough to be an issue.

well what else can it be other then the alternator? The battery is brand new a week old. I had the charging system checked at advanceauto and everything was good.

That is what the light is indicating.

Hi, This happens once in a while. Seems to only come on at a cold start after car has been sitting a while. The battery light comes on when i start the car sometimes but ill give it a little gas and it goes right off. Brand new battery as of yesterday. Battery cables are fully tight. Any suggestions?

Do you have a multimeter?If so hook the meter up start it when cold and see what the voltage is reading when the battery light is on.My guess is your alternator is starying to fail also do you get any belt sqeaul when the light is on.

i dont wanna wait too long and break down somewhere. my next door neigbor said that if the diode isnt workin then AC current is being pushed in the system and can blow my ecu. Is this true?

I dont have a multimeter and its really random when it comes on. No belt sqeaul but my belts are old and need to be replaced. Can i have it checked when the car is hot? Also if I do need an alternator would a worldwide alternator from advanceauto be fine? comes with lifetime warrenty

Can i do it when the car is warmed up? I dont have a multimeter id have to drive to a friends house and the light comes on once in a while its random. No belt sqeaul but all the 3 belts need to be replaced thdere old and crackly. If i need an alternator what brand can i go with i see advanceauto has once for like 100 with lifetime warrenty called worldwide alternators?

There are only a few actual companies that manufacture or remanufacture alternators. Advance is just as good as any other.

1990 Honda Civic 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic 154000 miles

Battery light come on -- replaced battery. Battery light is still on only when it's in park. Put it in drive or nutural and rev it up it goes out.

Hi there,

this will normally indicate a faulty alternator, this is the unit the charges the battery, the charge rate can be tested quickly by your mechanic, have this test done first.

Mark (mhpautos)

The only reason i said check it when it was cold is because you said that is when the battery light comes so borrow the meter from your buddy.Also take it to the auto parts store and have them test the alternator in your car.If you do get a alternator from them make sure you have it tested before leaving the store.

Hi, I have a Honda Civic 93 ~230 000 kms..

On the 3/4 way on the highway to home, I noticed that my acceleration isn't as good as what it used to be (might be because I drove at 150km/h up hill and the car overheated?).. well after that hill, my acceration was going very slow even if I floored the pedal...

and once I enter the town to a stop light, the battery light was flashing and caused the motor to stall (and the car was shaking really bad)... so I decided to park somewhere and to let it rest for half an hour.. afterward, I started my car, the car was shaking a lot and the battery light flashes on low rev (like under 1500 rpm when you brake)... and the sound of the engine isn't smooth at all, like a puttt puttt puttt...

Any idea what it's causing that? I've tried to changed the spark plugs but it isn't working..

thx


EDIT : Btw.. it's a manual transmission

You have a typical problem with Honda and other cars. Find the leak in the coolant. Could be the radiator, hose, etc. Engine overheating is a major problem, it causes the computer to perform badly and the loss of power is associated with that.

Electrical problem
1987 Honda Civic 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Manual 147300 miles
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about 4 months ago my battery light came on and the the drove for a while but the light would turn off when i reved it past 3k rpms but finally it died and i replaced the alternator and it was fine. then about a week ago the battery light came on again off and on randomly and i couldn't get it to go off like before if a reved the engine and for the last 3 days the light was always on until the car died. so today i put a brand new battery in cause the one i had was old and i put in a new alternator so i thought id give it a try, but with the new battery in the light is still on. Im not sure what it could be if you have any ideas they would be much appriciated!!!! Thanks

[quote:5080c98b9a="stukface"]Electrical problem
1987 Honda Civic 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Manual 147300 miles
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about 4 months ago my battery light came on and the the drove for a while but the light would turn off when i reved it past 3k rpms but finally it died and i replaced the alternator and it was fine. then about a week ago the battery light came on again off and on randomly and i couldn't get it to go off like before if a reved the engine and for the last 3 days the light was always on until the car died. so today i put a brand new battery in cause the one i had was old and i put in a new alternator so i thought id give it a try, but with the new battery in the light is still on. Im not sure what it could be if you have any ideas they would be much appriciated!!!! Thanks[/quote:5080c98b9a]

Electrical problem
1992 Honda Civic 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic

i was driving home and my battery light came on so when i got home i added some water to the battery (ive seen my father do this) and then took it for a ride around the block and i lost my lights and my guages can you tell me if its the battery or altenator or something worse?

The battery could be sulfated or the alternator not putting out-get it load tested-

The car was running fine, all of a sudden when you stop......the battery light flickers on/off and it idles wierd like the car is going to die. Yesterday it happened and the car did die, when the wife tried starting it all it did was click. By the time I showed up the car started fine. About two months ago I did change the ignition switch.....can this have something to do with it? This current problem just started a few days ago. Sme people suggested it was a bad alternator, I checked the battery while the car was off and the voltage was 12.3....when the car was running it was 14. If I'm not mistaken this is not the sign of a bad alternator. Thanks for any help!!

Alternators can still be bad. For instance, maybe a bearing is going out on it. There is such a thing as the voltage regulator being bad and causing the battery to overcharge. Another idea is the idle being too low. What is the idle speed?

Electrical problem
1997 Honda Civic 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Manual 171000 miles

alternater test good replaced battery dash battery light still on?

Could be fuses, the ELD and the computer refer to charging system electrical diagram below

my 98 civic sat for a week, after a week i started it, and it started putting out white smoke. there was a loud sqealing sound for 5-10 seconds, and so i stopped the car. after the smoke cleared i tried again, and it started this time, no squeal, but now the battery light is on???

Check the serpentine belts. It could have broken off.

Earlier I was driving my Honda Civic today and I reved my engine high in reverse and then sped up and reved and my battery light just stays on when I drive and I think I broke something is my alternator is broke or I blew a head gasket or broke. A electrical component

Get the charging system checked

Electrical problem
1995 Honda Civic 4 cyl Four Wheel Drive Manual

MY QUESTION IS, AS I'M RIDING DOWN THE ROAD ABOUT 20 MINUTES INTO MY DRIVE TO WORK WHICH IS 45 MINUTES AT THE MOST, MY HEADLIGHTS, AND SPEEDOMETER LIGHT STARTS DIMMING AND THE BATTERY LIGHT COMES ON FOR A MINUTE AND GOES OFF. NOW I HAVE HAD THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR TESTED TWICE SINCE THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING, AND THEY BOTH TESTED GOOD. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN OCCURING FOR ABOUT A WEEK NOW. THE CAR STARTS FINE WITH NO HESITATION, ITS JUST AS I'M DRIVING ALONG OR IN THE MIST OF CHANGING GEARS, THE BATTERY LIGHT COMES ON AND LIGHTS DIMM DOWN REAL LOW. SINCE THIS IS AN OLDER MODEL CAR I ALWAYS TAKE TIME TO LET IT WARM UP, IN THE MORNINGS, AND SOMETIMES I HAVE TO KEEP FLICKING THE DIMMER SWITCH FOR THE DIMM LIGHTS TO COME ON. DO YOU THINK IT IS THE DIMMER SWITCH OR THE ALTERNATOR MAY HAVE BAD WIRES, BECAUSE THIS ONLY HAPPENS AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR A WHILE. EVEN THOUGH THET CAR STARTS FINE, IS IT SAFE ENOUGH TO KEEP DRIVING FOR THIS AMOUNT OF TIME PER WEEK? LAST QUESTION, WHAT'S THE BEST SOULTION?

Due to the age of your vehicle I would check the ground and power wires and there connections. Specifically the alternator power wire to the battery. Make sure it's not shorted out. Also ensure the ground wires are all clean and corrosion free.

I've got a 91 civic si HB with a 5 speed, FI and almost 140k miles. While driving it the other day, the engine just shut itself off. I was going along with the car in gear, about 40 mph with my foot just into the throttle to maintain speed when the tach dropped to zero and the engine light came on. The exhaust sounded like the car was on (its aftermarket), but hitting the gas did nothing. The speedo was still showing the (dropping) speed, and everything else stayed on (radio, clock, which didn't reset btw). After I put the car into neutral, the oil light, then the battery light came on, not to mention the sound from the exhaust quit. I pulled to the side of the road and tried to restart. It turned over but wouldn't fire up. I turned the key all the way off without removing it, then tried it again. It lit like there was nothing wrong. What the heck? It's been doing this randomly for a week now. Doesn't matter how fast, what gear, or if it's even IN a gear.

The motor also burns oil. After being on the freeway for a while, when I lift off the throttle and put it in neutral, it blows some white smoke. The faster I go on the freeway, the more it burns, too. If I get to over 75 mph, I can smell the oil burning. I've heard this is most likely a ring issue, so my question is this: I've seen from other posts that replacing the rings in some Honda/Acura engines is impossible due to their color coding and how tightly they're put together. Is this true in the d16a6? The sticker under the hood says it's from Honda of Canada, so I doubt that's the case. ;) Thanks in advance.

I've got to add one more comment, something new that happened today getting on the freeway. The car bucked once as I was accelerating in 4th gear, like there was a hiccup in the fuel or something. Could it possibly be the fuel pump? Or do they not die slowly?

I'd certainly be doing the work myself, and as a head gasket and ring set is about $50 combined, how could it not be worth it?

I would check the EFI relay. The Electronic Fuel Injection relay. The noise of the engine exhaust is because the engine is still turning over as the car slows down. If you would have pushed in the clutch the sound of the exhaust would have stopped immediately.

White smoke from the engine is not oil. You may have a very weak engine. The head gasket I would venture is leaking and your rings worn.

Rebuilding the engine is up to you. I would say that when all is said and done you will have more in the car than it is worth. Especially if you do not do the work yourself.

turn key and hear one click.charged battery.lights work and radio works.

**No crank at all/nothing/nada when key is engage to starting position

Could be the starter, starter relay, clutch switch and ignition switch assuming the battery condition and connections are good. Note:If it doesn't apply disregard.