Hi,

I've got a 94 Honda Accord LX. In the beginning of the problems the battery light came on so I thought I had a bad battery or bad connection to the battery. I fixed the connection but the battery light would still come on sporadically. After driving for awhile it would go off. Then the problems started getting worse. I would be driving down the highway and i'd notice my interior lights dimming, then my radio would go out, and then my speedometer would go to zero. During this electrical failure my engine would also bog down and lose power, if I tried to accelerate it would seem to backfire or hiccup. The first time this happened I pulled over and let the car idle for few minutes. After about 2-3 min the engine shuddered and then everything went back to normal. The engine was fine, and the electrical stuff started working again. This happened a couple times until I finally garaged the car. I took out the alternator once the car stopped working and took it to autozone where they tested it, and it passed. I've checked the alternator, looked for any loose ground wires, got a newer battery. All the threads i've read it seems like its either engine or electrical...never both, or never the same symptoms as mine....any advice?

 

You need to do some testing of the battery while the car is idling both at a cold start and after the car is fully warmed up. It really sounds like the alternator is bad though.

First, test the battery for voltage on a cold start with no accessories or lights on. Then put the lights and rear defrogger on and test volts. Then have someone rev the motor to 2000 rpms and retest both again.

Then warm the car up. Test volts with no accessories or lights on. Then put the lights and rear defrogger on and test volts. Then, again, have someone rev the motor to 2000 rpms and restest both again.

Report back your readings.

 

Currently my alternator is out of the vehicle so I can't do this testing. I was initially told the alternator was bad so I didn't even think to run testing on the battery first. I do know a new battery was put into the vehicle in the very beginning because we thought that was the issue. But the issue continued occurring.

I have a new alternator sitting in my garage that I bought....should I just replace the alternator or are most tests from AutoZone fairly accurate? They said it passed....

 

Autozone should be able to test your alternator and verify performance.

From your description a failing battery or bad connection seems likely. An inexpensive Exuus Battery Monitor (< $20) will confirm battery voltage and indicate bad battery or bad alternator.

good luck

 

New update. Once I got everything back together I put a trickle charger on the battery to see if it would charge up and start. As soon as I connected the battery, a buzzing noise was coming from under the driver seat. I'm not sure what that component is, but it buzzed until it drained whatever charge I had given the battery. the lights inside the car were on but very dim.

 

So the component that is buzzing is the Belt Warning Control module. Would this create all of these issues?

 

Charge battery and try again. Low voltage can cause problems. If battery is discharged, a trickle charger will take many hrs to charge.

good luck

 

the battery charges up in about 20 min on the trickle charger. but since I unplugged the belt warning control none of the electronics work. so apparently everything routes through it. Is there a way to fix those or will it require a replacement?

 

Only device under the driver's seat is usually a security module. The Safety Restrataint System (SRS) is under the dash.

good luck