Rep Power: 0

Hello,

I have a 2001 Honda Civic DX sedan. It has been a great car, but since 2004 or so, it seems the electrical system is going haywire. Here are the problems I have noticed:

- Dash lights alternate between brighter and dimmer every 30 seconds to a minute.
- At the same time, if I am operating the interior fan on A/C I can actually hear the speed of the fan drop and rise. In fact, in one of it's "weaker" cycles, I can change the fan selector speed between the highest and second-highest speed, and there is no audible difference. Then 30 seconds later, I can hear a difference as I switch settings.
- If I run the A/C or rear defogger, the speed of the wipers slows down considerably.
- I have had a high rate of failure of interior dash lights, and I am sure this is rare. In the past two years, my odometer light, "A/C" backlight and "circulation" backlight have all failed, as has my dome light. I know the dome light may need replacing periodically, but I have owned many other cars with over 100K, and I have never needed to replace dash lights.


Also, I had to replace the alternator and battery simultaneously in the car twice! Once in 2009 and once in 2012. The car just would not turn over at all. I was able to get a jump from a friend, but even after I drove the car for 300 miles and shut it off, it would not start again. The alternator failed to charge the battery.

As these same symptoms are happening after two batteries and alternators, I am frustrated beyond belief!. Are there any other components in the electrical system that may have been overlooked and could be causing trouble?

Thank you all for your help,
Dan

 
Rep Power: 519

For 10 years you have put up with it unfixed?

Not necessarily, not all that rare for a 13 year old car to need incandescent light bulbs replaced.

I'd want to know what the system operating voltage is during the bright-dim events. Just how much does the voltage fluctuate, and how low/high does it go?




This one just sounds like a simple bad battery. Alt HAD to be good or else you wouldn't have gotten around the block, let alone 300 miles.



So....
Where'd your alternators come from? A parts store that is open on Sundays?