Rep Power: 0

hi guys!

yesterday, i got this problem with civic...

my battery indicator light on the dash start blinking....however, after driving a while, it stopped blinking.

today, when i start my car, the indicator blinks again....sometimes, when the car stopped, it stays on.....then blink again...

first thing first, i cleaned the battery terminal from grease and all that, however, it still blinks....

another funny thing is that: after cleaning the battery terminal, the TRIP A suddenly goes back to 0!

anybody know whats going on? any same experience? i know that couple of member got the same problem....one member even explained how he keep driving for a year even though the indicator is blinking all the time....

any idea?

thanx!

 
Rep Power: 812

it shouldnt blink. if it stays on, your alternator is bad. cleaning battery, you prolly disconnected it and it reset the radio and trip meter (and ecu). check the charging system

 
Rep Power: 308

How many miles ??

Possible the brushes in the alternator could be worn.

 
Rep Power: 314

new altenator???

 
Rep Power: 0

pheeeww...thanx guys for the ideas BUT..

it seems like my battery shot at 56K miles.

i brought my car to advance auto parts and got the battery checked. their machine analyzed my battery and determined that it needs to be replaced. i even double checked the test.

funny yet tragic, when i put my battery back, it wouldn't start my car up!

so.......im "forced" to buy their battery...and luckily, it started up normally and no more blinking battery indicator.

HOPEFULLY, tomorrow onwards....that blinking indicator won't turn on again...cos' im afraid that there's a short or something on the system.... (oh God please, NOT this problem again...)

thanx again guys!

 
Rep Power: 812

well if it comes back on, that means the alternator isnt working. and the battery will just die again. so did you have them check the alternator to see if its charging?

 
Rep Power: 0

damn, i actually forgot to do so......i should've let them check the alternator when i finished putting the new battery.... *doh*

well, hopefully it won't blink again tomorrow....

 
Rep Power: 0

it's proven....its NOT the alternator that causing this problem!

it's simply that my car is draining my battery! where though??

basically, if i leave my car about 30 minutes+, the indicator will start blinking again when i start my car..... HOWEVER, after about 10~20 minutes driving, the blink will be slower and finally it'll stop blinking afteward!

for testing purpose, i took out the fuse for my headunit, exterior lighting, interior lighting, wipers, etc....but it's still draining the battery

in this case, right now i simply took out the negative terminal of the battery, therefore, it can't drain the battery anymore! if i do this then it won't blink when i start the car.......

any help? anybody know what area might be shorted and cause this problem to arise?

 
Rep Power: 812

well start with any aftermarket stuff, amps, neons, alarm, etc.

 
Rep Power: 0

none, gear. none on this car...lmao

only that pioneer HU. even that one, when i took off the fuse, something still draining my battery... oh snap!

 
Rep Power: 0

I thought the blinking battery means that it's out of the acceptable voltage range or low. Since the alternator runs the car and charges the battery, wouldnt' that explain why it stops or slows blinking?

 
Rep Power: 0

hmm....

i believe the car runs using the battery while the alternator is charging it.

if you take out your battery while the car is running, your car will most likely dies.

i believe that my alternator is working properly, that's why i can still drive for 1 hour without a problem. however, when i turned my car off, the car is draining the battery really fast....im not sure what's draining though

therefore, if i start my car again and drive for 15~30 minutes, the blinking indicator will stop blinking....meaning that battery is fully charged again, perhaps...

 
Rep Power: 0

I agree with everyone here it is definitly the alt.I had the same problem and if I were u I would fix it as sone as possible because as ur driving the headlights and cluster lights will begin flashing and a big loss of power almost enough to stall the engine may accure.My cause was my sound system.Listen to this,wiper motor 15amp, a/c 20amp, headlights 15amp, radio 10amp min,so add just those up you get a total of 60 amps.Chances are you can be in a situation where u have to us all of those things running at the same time for example, a hot night time rainfall. Lucky us we have an alt which can preduce a wopping 70amps(bullshit). I bought a new one at the dealer for $390 canadian cause I cuoldn't find any after market one,to rewind one of ours cost $400 canadian to produce 90 amps.Reason for that low amount is because it is too small to produce more.

 
Rep Power: 0

but............

i drove from Buffalo to Rochester, thats about 50 miles one way.....so two way it's 100 miles or so....

i start driving with the light blinking...but then, after 15 minutes, it stopped.....so i continue driving for about 1 to 2 hours without having any problem....

i also turned on my AC, radio (pioneer player), operated the windows, used the 12v outlet for my GPS too...

 
Rep Power: 0

Is the alternator...I got the same problem.
I drove my car for almost 1 week with that problem.New alternator and no more light blinking.
Do this test : When the light start blinking disconnect the negative of the battery(with the engine running) .If the car dies.... is tha alternator.

 
Rep Power: 0

j.lu,I read somewhere that doing so can harm ur computer module,u can do this with older cars but not with recent ones.

Zen_Master,wait for it it will happen soon i asure you that.If it does good luck and if you can't start ur car thats because ur alt can't produce enough amps so it takes the reserve from ur battery.If ur stuck ask someone for a boost, but keep the jumpers on until the battery is charged,if it is a stock u should see the green light on the battery bubble window if not then it is low.

 
Rep Power: 0

Problem solved!

thank you for everybody who replied with their ideas. Apparently, those who said that my alternator is the problem........are right.

somehow, the alternator is not charging the battery properly.....maybe that's why it keeps draining when i turn the car off without unplugging the terminals......

LUCKILY, my extended warranty (transferred from previous owner) was working like a charm! all expenses, including labor, are covered without any deductible.

the dealer replaced the alternator and i walked out of the service without paying a cent.

thank God for that warranty. lol.