Electrical problem

[medboy]

Ok this is really weird and I need help.

So here is the story.

About a month ago my windshield wipers did not work. I brought it to a mechanic place (Speedy to be exact) and they told me that wiper transmission needed to be replaced and they replaced it for me.

After replacing it for me about two weeks later I noticed that everytime when I tap or hit my breaks the dashboard lights and headlights would flicker. Sometimes my speedometer would also drop suddenly while driving. When I decided to bring it back to Speedy the car would not start. I ruled out that it was not the alternator because after waiting for a couple of minutes I was able to start it again with no problem. However, when I shut the car off it wouldn't start at all. When I brought it to Speedy they told me it there was a short in the battery so I got the battery replaced. Later that night after picking it up it did the same bloddy thing!!! I brought it back to Speedy and they said they noticed that there was excessive power being drawn from a source but they could not determine exactly where. After a while they noticed everything seemed normal. I decided to bring my car to my Acura Dealer who did an electrical testing and found nothing.

Now a week later after my car was running fine it is doing the same thing!!!! I brought it back to the Acura Dealer this morning but they said they will not be able to look at it until Monday . . . and of course when I brought it to the dealer this morning the car decides to work fine.

So my question:

[Bob01721]

It sounds like you have a loose ground somewhere. The dealership techs should be able to find it.

[medboy]

thanks, I am gonna have them look at it. It was also suggested to me that I might have a corroded cable or wiring somewhere as well.

[Bob01721]

Sure... a corroded wire could cause it. I'd still suspect it's a ground wire. Whenever the symptoms seem to defy logic, the problem usually ends up being a shared ground.

BTW, this is a time I'd suggest you go to a dealership or to someone who knows Honda/Acura cars. Electrical problems like this can be difficult to trace unless you're familiar with the car and have the right documentation. This is NOT like a brake problem or a "no start" problem that most anyone can fix.

[medboy]

Ok my car decided to die on me again the eve before our snow storm that hit us on Wednesday. It would not start at all and I got fed up and decided to have it towed to this place that my friend recommend me.

Bob you were right!! Turns out that it was a grounding issue. Apparently the grounding cable from the battery was not connected properly with with car itself. The mechanic said that it was somehow yanked or moved (probably when they changed the battery and when they were changing the windshield wiper transmisson. ) My car now runs fine (so far.)

Now the only thing that I have to is get the bloody code for my car stereo.