civicnation

I was driving the car liek regular and the battery light flikered so i looked and it went away. Then it came back and just flashed every so often in no random pattern. Then it stayed solid for a bit and now it flashes here and there. It happens when accessories are on or off (i.e. heater, radio, etc).

What could this be? Battery, alternator? I have no idea because if the battery was gonna die, i doubt the battery light would come on, any input?

imported_cet_civic

depending on how old the battery is - if its a few years old...it should be fine...chances are the alternator is probably going...sounds like the car is running off the battery power.

...if left untreated, you'll find yourself on the side of the road calling for a tow; and boosting the car will only get you about 5mins down the road.

Id get the alternator checked out asap!

civicnation

well the battery is as old as the car i'm assuming cuz i haven't changed it. Battery is approx 6 yrs old now. I will get the alternator checked out, but is there a possiblity it could be n e thing else?

civicnation

another thing is, ever since this has been happening, there has no no noticable difference in starting. Starts up like normal. Just seems odd that the light is not consistant and just flikers on and off sometimes and stays solid at other times.

imported_cet_civic

when my alternator went, these are exact symptoms that my car had a year and a half ago.

but by the sounds of it, you should change the battery as well.
~ $85.99 @ Honda

bbarbulo

iTrader: (2)

my bet is the alternator... batteries just die w/o any warning. alternators can put out lower voltage for a bit, causing the batt light to come on, but still maintaining partial charge. chage it before you're left stranded.

wait... this is for your 99 Civic??? seems too new for the alternator to go... rather than guessing, have it diagnosed at a honda dealership, cuz they can load test the alternator and so on...

is your idle really low? do you have underdrive pulleys?

spazio10

well a good way to see if your alternator is pooched is to turn everything on then rev your engine and see if the lights get brighter. but like it was said earlier, if the altenator is on its way out, it still slightly charges before it completely dies. have it tested cause if you change it now you might be able to salvage your battery and get another year or two out of it. testing the altenator is fu(k all for a mechanic. I couldn't see it being anything else. IMO i would change both the altenator and battery.

civicnation

yes it is for the 99 civic. Idle is normal until the battery light comes on where the idle drops slightly and the lights dim (only in neutral). No mods to engine at all.

The problem that i am experiencing now is that the battery light doesn't come on all the time. It didn't come on today at all. So how can i take it to honda when i can't show them that the light came on.

My car always does this, when there is a problem, honda can never duplicate it. Only happens when i get it home, lol.

so the verdict is load test even if the light is no longer on (just on once in a while).

spazio10

yeah i would test it regardless

civicnation

would buying an optima battery be better to power my audio system as opposed to a new stock battery?

blk93si

go do an avr test, like $50 , and u will know what is wrong with the battery/alternator loading

easiest way

civicnation

what does AVR stand for just in case the garage asks

blk93si

Complete electrical system test
(AVR)
Recharge and test battery
Remove and replace battery, clean terminals and clamps.
complete battery service


automatic voltage regulation (AVR)

civicnation

does honda do it at that price? cus that seems just a bit cheap to be any service they would do

blk93si

yes it around $50 to do it at honda, call and ask

imported_Cablerat

Could be the alternator belt is slipping..

V82Slo

Check and clean your terminals first and check ground wire off battery. Hate for you to spend big bucks swapping out battery or alternator to find out you had corrosion.

civicnation

i've already sanded both batery terminals and sanded even the part where the battery grounds to the chassis. That was the first thing i did. I'll try some belt dressing on the alternator belt as well. Then i will do the avr test.

blk93si

dressing on the alternator belt >

that wrecks the belt and shortens the belts life

if it squeaks , u adjust it or tighten it , don't spray it , the noise will come back

civicnation

that is very good to know, guess i wont do that. There is no noise though, someone just suggested the alternator belt was slipping which may have caused the battery indicator to trip out. I have no idea of how ot tighten it. But for the last 2 days the light has not been on and has not been flashing at all. This is very odd. I wonder why it would just happen the one day and stop now.