Rep Power: 0

Hello. I am looking to solve a flickering brake dashboard light issue. 2004 Civic DX manual. This happens intermittently, usually at least a little bit on each drive, sometimes the entire drive. Then in late winter/early spring I had starter issues, and I'm wondering if they are connected.


-bought the car in August 2021 from a trustworthy friend. at the end of the test drive this flickering began. she said this has been going on for years and never caused an issue.
-pulling the hand brake activates the solid brake dash light. the flickering is overridden.
-headlights and gauge cluster lights less commonly flicker too, not in synch with brake dash light
-never any loss of power to the degree that things fail
-as seen in the video the seatbelt light will also flicker to its own rhythm, and the BEEP BEEP when you first put in the key will also sometimes sonically "flicker", I'm pretty sure in synch with the seatbelt light flicker. I just realized I have not checked for the seatbelt light flicker mid-drive, but I will assume it would occur.
-often the startup will be completely uneventful

Then in January I went to start it at 7am and it wouldn't start, just rapid clicking. After a few tries, it started. For the next couple of weeks it would often take a second or two of rapid clicks before always starting. I only drove it on days that were warmer than -15 C. Finally in March, on a warmer winter afternoon, there was no response at all when I went to start. For a few days/weeks either it would rapid click or have no response, until it started working again. I started it successfully about 10 times before deciding to resume driving it and it has had absolutely no starting issues since, not even needing a few rapid clicks before starting. I am wondering if the flickering and starting issues are connected. It has also been mostly warm weather since the starting issues disappeared.

Since flickering lights and starting issues together suggest to test the alternator, I did some basic tests.

-new battery Aug 2021
-multimeter shows 12.58V on battery at rest, 14.6V while running, 13.2V with all accessories including A/C running, 0-0.02V battery ground post to alternator case while running. this seems to suggest alternator and battery are good?
-have not done any real tests on the starter assembly other than visual inspection. the car starting successfully 40-50 times in a row now has shifted my focus away from the starter, since other electrical things are going on. hopefully this is correct
-previous owner says she replaced the starter, but not sure when. she owned it from 2015-2021

I would like to determine if these two issues are connected, ultimately to know how to avoid starting issues from returning. If the flickering helps point us in the right direction then I would love to solve both. Thank you for any help.

 
Rep Power: 133

Check for the proper level of brake fluid in the reservoir first.
After that it must be an electrical issue. Such as poor/loose connection or check the 3 mounting bolts for the alternator are not loose as these act as grounding points for the alternator - this is a fairly common issue.

 
Rep Power: 222

Check the brake fluid as stated above.
check the belt tension, it's manually adjusted.

 
Rep Power: 0

Thank you for the suggestions. The brake fluid has been perfect throughout; it's the first thing I checked when this started, I think I checked it after the test drive. I lost my last Civic to rusted brake lines, and a (solid) brake warning light was the first symptom due to a slow leak. I also did a caliper/pad/bleed/fill job last weekend and the fluid level remains perfect.

I will check the tightness of the alternator bolts and look into checking the belt tension.