headlights...

ok... my g/fs car, 98 civic ex 4 door... when her car is running... her lights flicker alot... they dont go out, but get brighter and dimmer... what could be the cause of this... i was thinking maybe the alt. but not sure yet? any suggestions

do they get brighter when you press on the gas pedal and dim when you let off? If so, then it probably is the alt...

yes my g/f's lx sedan does this same thing been doing it for a while..when u drive with gas down lights sorta stay bright but sometime will flicker at same time but alot of times they dim at a stop..

My 97 civic ex just started doing that when i got it and i changed the alternator and havent had a problem since then....Watch your interior lights also...Get a volt meter and check what battery is at should be around 12.5 or so when car is off...Then when car is running should jump up to about 14 or something...

If not take it to autozone have them do a alternator test on it dont cost anything...

Its easy job to change dont listen to manuals or ppls write ups on how to change they will tell you to pull the axle or pull it from bottom..Easiest thing i found out is to move some wires out of the way and the top alt, bracket and pull it straight up top a lil tight but it comes out and new one goes back in easier..Goodluck

Later

it's probably the battery, i know the civic battery is not very powerful, and i know whenever i put in a stereo (worked at a stereo shop for almost 2 years) we always had to change the battery to a more powerful battery. when do the lights dim? when do they get bright? do you have the radio on when they dim? everytime bass hits do the lights dim? i know we always had that problem...

it's probably the battery, i know the civic battery is not very powerful, and i know whenever i put in a stereo (worked at a stereo shop for almost 2 years) we always had to change the battery to a more powerful battery. when do the lights dim? when do they get bright? do you have the radio on when they dim? everytime bass hits do the lights dim? i know we always had that problem...
the battery has absolutely nothing to do with things when the car is started, that's when the alternator kicks in and replaces the job of the battery. The battery is just to get the car started and to run things while the car isn't running. So her problem can't be the battery.

yeah... im pretty sure its the altenator, she said its now getting worse, the flickering... and when she uses the break, they dim... because the engine is slowing and also the alt obviously... so ill probably just get it checked and change it for her... iv changed many before, none on a civic, but cant be that hard.. lol

yeah... im pretty sure its the altenator, she said its now getting worse, the flickering... and when she uses the break, they dim...
definately the alternator then. When she pushes on the brakes, it takes more power from the alt. and since the alt is going out it doesn't have the extra power to give out so it takes it from the headlights, which causes them to dim.

ok, so we had the alt tested, honda said it was the alt, and another place told us the alt. was fine. do you guys think it could be a wire, like a ground somewhere? i dont want to pay for her alt and put it in and that not be the problem!

How many miles on the alt. ? I dont think it would be a ground. Even if it was, a new alt. would pretty much overpower the negative effects of a bad ground.(no pun intended) You could always upgrade the grounding kit with a thicker gauge wire.

ok, so we had the alt tested, honda said it was the alt, and another place told us the alt. was fine. do you guys think it could be a wire, like a ground somewhere? i dont want to pay for her alt and put it in and that not be the problem!
so who are you going to believe, the people who built the alternator or some other place? And with everything you have described, I'm 99% sure that the alternator is going out, and it's not just a bad connection somewhere. The best thing to do is replace it now so it doesn't go out for good and leave her stranded somewhere. (been there, it's no fun)

My EX was doing the same thing. change the alternator and if you can go with a higher voltage alternator. or if you don't have that option get a capacitor. I had to get a capacitor b/c of my system in the car. If she has a decent sound system (10's or 12's) with a decent amp pushing them than it can put a lot of unneccesary wear on the alternator and cause it to need replaced sooner.

My EX was doing the same thing. change the alternator and if you can go with a higher voltage alternator. or if you don't have that option get a capacitor. I had to get a capacitor b/c of my system in the car. If she has a decent sound system (10's or 12's) with a decent amp pushing them than it can put a lot of unneccesary wear on the alternator and cause it to need replaced sooner.
A capacitor isn't the fix for it, if you need the extra power upgrade your alternator instead of getting a cap. Getting a cap is basically like having a second battery, the cap stores power, which makes the alternator actually work harder since it has one more thing to charge.