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Thread: shaking? dimming lights?

  1. #1
    LX User
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    shaking? dimming lights?

    my car shakes like a bastard when im at red lights. sometimes the idle drops then levels out and then drops again....or it jumps up then levels out and jumps. Also when..i turn on the ac..the dash lights go dim, when i hit the breaks..the dash goes dim and the ac or heat slows down. pretty much, one electrical component drains energy from everything else....any ideas?????



  2. #2
    LX User 89LXiCoupe's Avatar
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    Yeah, mine's like that too. Well, since I drive a real "Type R," I have no AC. But about the braking and idling thing, I do have those problems. The braking only happens when I turn on my headlights and stuff. Whenever I brake, all the lights kind of dim a little. The idling when stopping at a red light only happens once in a while and I have just been experiencing that lately.
    "Please don't hesitate to use full throttle."

  3. #3
    SEi User
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    Go to Autozone or some other shops that can test your battery and alternator for free.

  4. #4
    3Geez Veteran ACCORD EX's Avatar
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    alternator out put should be 14.5 V at idle !

    MIKE
    3geez member since October 4th 2001

  5. #5
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    Yes, but is that 14.5 volts constant with all accessories on?
    I can't check amperage on my car as I don't have an inductive pickup adaptor for my Multimeter.

    Any info is appreciated , as my car, with 23,700 miles on it is exhibiting the same problems. I find it hard to believe an alternator with that many miles on it is already bad.

    Maybe a better battery is what I need.

    -Joe-
    '02 SE-R Spec V
    '89 Accord LXi

  6. #6
    3Geez Veteran ACCORD EX's Avatar
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    i said chcek voltage not amperage !
    anyway to check the battery , it should give 12 V when the car is off !

    MIKE
    3geez member since October 4th 2001

  7. #7
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    Originally posted by ACCORD EX
    i said chcek voltage not amperage !
    anyway to check the battery , it should give 12 V when the car is off !

    MIKE
    Damn, you yell alot.

    I know you said voltage, but you really should check the aperage output under load to determine if the alternator is bad.

    Could you like answer the question I asked?

    -Joe-
    '02 SE-R Spec V
    '89 Accord LXi

  8. #8
    3Geez Veteran AccordEpicenter's Avatar
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    Even if all that stuff checks out, make sure your battery cables arent dirty, it can make a big difference
    429whp 362wtq A20 TURBO. A20T>*

  9. #9
    3Geez Veteran ACCORD EX's Avatar
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    Originally posted by WhiteSpecV
    Damn, you yell alot.


    -Joe-

    did it sound like yelling ! ? sorry man i didn't mean that !

    anyway i don't understand what's your question is !?

    if you want to check the battery just measure it while the car is off 12 V

    alternator 14.5 V > 15 V when the car is running and should increase when you press gas !



    MIKE
    3geez member since October 4th 2001

  10. #10
    Banned cruznz's Avatar
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    Originally posted by WhiteSpecV
    Yes, but is that 14.5 volts constant with all accessories on?
    I can't check amperage on my car as I don't have an inductive pickup adaptor for my Multimeter.

    Any info is appreciated , as my car, with 23,700 miles on it is exhibiting the same problems. I find it hard to believe an alternator with that many miles on it is already bad.

    Maybe a better battery is what I need.

    -Joe-
    measure battery voltage ,key off,engine not going,....this is the VM base reading....with meter still connected to battery.....have someone turn the engine over,and run at about 1500 rpm...note the voltage .....it should be more than the base reading....but no more than 2.0v ...if more than 2.0v over,...could be possible regulator fault...if it rmains the same as base reading,possible alt,reg or wiring fault.
    Increase engine speed to about 2000rpm turn everything on except wiper's...if charging sys working...VM reading should be 0.5v higher than base reading

    Baes reading is normally around 12.5v for a good battery

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