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Blinking Battery light - stops when headlights are on

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Old 09-06-2012
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Blinking Battery light - stops when headlights are on

Hey all,

1998 Honda Civic LX.

About 4 months ago the ALTERNATOR failed on me. Got a refurbished one from Autozone along with a brand new battery.

Yes, I have the blinking battery problem.

I DO NOT THINK IT IS THE ALTERNATOR.


The battery light only blinks when I am driving in 2nd or 3rd gear @ ~2500 RPMS and let go of the gas. At this point the battery light will blink.

HOWEVER, when i have the headlights on, the car does not blink.

When the car is running, the battery voltage does come out @ 14 Volts.


Is the problem the ALTERNATOR VOLTAGE REGULATOR?


or should I take the alt out and get the AMPERAGE tested? (I have heard the voltage may be good but amperage not)

The problem has not gotten worse, and the car has not left me stranded.
Old 09-10-2012
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Re: Blinking Battery light - stops when headlights are on

Have you tried cleaning the battery terminals/post's, ground at battery, and ground at coolant thermostat? Make sure all those are tight to
Old 09-10-2012
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Re: Blinking Battery light - stops when headlights are on

funny you run and say the alternator is not the problem, when autozone sells garbage parts for just about anything. my bet is the alternator. battery light is not designed to blink, so when it flickers on and off the alternator is not producing enough amps or is not working properly with the car ELD (electric load detector). at night with headlights on, the ELD does not function to limit power output and instead lets the alt make 14v all the time. the ELD kicks off the alt to minimal charge mode when you are cruising in gear without pressing the gas. there are a bunch of other conditions but basically it will only happen during the day when you are not using much electrical accessories. so yeah, time for a better alt. try napa or just get an oem honda.
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