I had gotten my Optima Yellowtop tested while installed and they said it wasnt charging right. So I replaced it yesterday with a Diehard Platinum...this morning, same problem...bat light flickers on and off. It seems to do it when I brake hard too. The car is an 03 accord V6 with 6-spd tranny. I got a 200 amp Excessive Amperage alternator in it as well. I had issues with the first one squeaking, so this is my second,..it still squeaks. I put this new one in in like December of 08 so its not old. Big 3 (chassis/block grounds + alt-->bat positive) is done in 0awg wire. Any ideas?

 

I'm not familiar with that alternator, but I gotta ask whether it can properly deal with the Honda scheme of alternator control. The ECU can switch-off the alternator when it wants to, based on voltage and the signal from the ELD.

Are your high-power stereo things powered through the ELD, so the ECU can measure their current draw?

 

im not exactly sure what you mean. ill try to explain how everythings hooke dup in detail...

I have 2 aftermarket amplifiers. theyre capable of pushing 2500-2800W continuous, however the way theyre hooked up now theyre only pushing about 1800-2000W. theyre grounded in the trunk and share a run of 0awg wire up to the engine bay. that run is ANL fused about a foot from the battery. so this run goes straight to the bat. the alternator is designed for my car, i had it custom built. whether the builder knows of this ECU issue you speak of or not, its not something i have any clue about. i have the stock alt wires hooked up PLUS another run of 0awg straight from the alt to the battery (not fused...i know it probably should be :/ ). then i have a run of 0awg from the bat to the chassis, and then another from the chassis to the block. these are all direct connections, they dont run to/through any other mechanisms in the vehicle. i hope this helps clarify how it's all setup.

on a good note, i regrounded the bat-->chassis ground and it appears to have stopped the light coming on. my Optima IS def bad, i rechecked it today out of the car. and my bat-->chassis looked and felt fine, but i guess you can never be too sure if you dont rip out and retry. ill be back if i have more issues.

but please explain to me more about this ECU issue, im very interested now...