Wierd Electrical Issues - 2005 Civic
 

Hello,

I have a new-to-me (1 month) 2005 honda civic 4-door LX. Since I've gotten it, I've noticed the following issues:

1. Headlights Pulsate (almost always). When going up a hill and accelerating, they dim (yes dimmer, not brighter) the entire time.
2. About every 2nd or third time when I'm getting ready to start the car, if I put my foot on the brake, the hazard lights flash 2-3 times, and the doors unlock.
3. Once it's had an issue where I turned it off and removed the key AND IT KEPT RUNNING. I had to put the key in, turn it to 'on', and take the key out two times to get it to stop.

I don't know if they are related, but any ideas on where to start to troubleshoot this?

I checked the two ground cables and they are slightly corroded but other than that there seems to be a good connection - I can't get them to wiggle with my hands by pulling on them. I was thinking about just replacing them as a starting point...

I ran a multi-meter on the batter when off - around 12.75 volts. I ran it while it was running, and it was 14.52 volts, fluctuating slowly +/- 0.02 volts.

Thanks!

Re: Wierd Electrical Issues - 2005 Civic
 

Dig up under the dash, see if there are any non-factory accessories wired in. Remote keyless, alarm, remote start, automatic locks, etc.

Hard to tell from here. Could be normal, or could be an issue.

The system is able to turn the alternator on high or low according to electric demand, as a fuel saving strategy. Connect the voltmeter and drive around, watch what the meter does as the lights change brightness.

Re: Wierd Electrical Issues - 2005 Civic
 

I'll take a look for accessories.

Re the voltmeter:
So you just get REALLY long probe cables to watch it while driving around?

Are there different places to connect the probes in order to distinguish a ground problem from and alternator problem?

Thanks!

Re: Wierd Electrical Issues - 2005 Civic
 

my guess is somebody at some point in time has made major modifications to the electrical system while installing an aftermarket item, remote starter, alarm system, stereo system, etc etc,

problems like this are normally a nightmare to trace down and correct

Re: Wierd Electrical Issues - 2005 Civic
 

I'd plug in to the lighter socket if it has one.


Of course. Google for how to perform voltage drop testing.