Bizzare Electrical Problem

[vmardian]

2001 Acura EL.

I've had this problem for about a year so I've documented it extremely well....

When I start the car, the battery indicator stays on. In order to get the battery indicator to turn off I must do one of three things:

1. When I rev above 1000rm the indicator begins to flicker. The higher I go, the less it stays on and the more it stays off. If I go above 5000 rpm it stays off completely until the rpm's go back down. If I go above 6000 rpm it stays off for the duration of the trip.

2. If I drive around for a few minutes, the battery indicator will turn off without any unsual reving.

3. If I drive around for a short duration, while using max electricity (ie: wipers on fast, stereo on loud, A/C on full), the indicator will turn off within about 30-45 seconds.

Before the battery indicator turns off, I can tell that I don't have much power. The A/C isn't very strong, the dash lights are dim, my headlights are dim. At the transition point where the battery indicator turns off completely (via 1 2 or 3), electrical momentarily stops (ie: wipers stop, radio turns off, A/C stops), then comes back on at full power and everything is normal for the duration of the trip.

If I turn the engine off before 1, 2, or 3 occurs, the car won't start back up again (ie: I'll need a boost).

I swaped batteries and that didn't help. My current battery is brand new.

So, what's going on?

Thanks!

[RiceBoy]

Welcome to AcuraWorld.

I never heard of such a problem. Since you've swapped batteries, it rules out that you had a dying a battery. Have you had the computer scanned by either an Acura dealer or another mechanic to try diagnosing it?

[vmardian]

Originally Posted by RiceBoy

Welcome to AcuraWorld.

I never heard of such a problem. Since you've swapped batteries, it rules out that you had a dying a battery. Have you had the computer scanned by either an Acura dealer or another mechanic to try diagnosing it?

I haven't. I was hoping to figure this out without spending any money. Do dealers generally do that for free?

[RiceBoy]

Since you're out of warranty by now, most likely no. They will probably charge you for a "diagnostic fee" which is something like $90. And that's just to find out what the problem is. It doesn't cost you any money to at least ask. Or try a reliable third party mechanic who has worked on Hondas and Acuras. They may be more kind to not charge you for a diagnostic.

Or check back here over the next few days. Another AW member might see this and may be able to help. You could also try posting in our Ask the Dealer forum, where someone who works at an Acura delear (albeit a US dealer) takes and answers members' questions.

[04 EL]

There's a guy in the Toronto area (Etobicoke I believe) that has been specializing in Honda's for several years. He has a show on 1010AM in the GTA area, and a weekly column in the newspaper too. Might be worth it to try him as an option....company is called Dr. H Honda. Good luck!

[MikeyC89]

It sounds as if it may be the alternator.