low voltage blues

[sfes786]

I have a 92 accord. I replaced the battery alternator and the battery cables, battery grounds are clean and tight, YET, the low voltage problem stays. All is good till I switch on my Head lights. They dont even have to be on, even turning the knob once to get the parking lights on and the voltage dips real low and all the panel lights become dim. Turn on other things like the AC etc etc and there comes the low battery sign. So I drive it during the day without any problem and in nights on long trips have to periodically turn off the head lights completlely for 5 minutes to gain some energy to get back on the road with the lights on . by the way, when ppl say "check your ground wires" how many ground wires are they talking about??
some body........ please help!!!!!!!!!!

[WhyteAccord]

I think you can take it to an autoshop and they do voltage checks. They can also tell you what is exactly eating away at your battery. I say take it to them or you might just short circuit something you'll regret later on.

[mpumas]

Every light and accesssory has a ground wire. But the main 2 goes from the battery to the car frame and from the engine to the car frame or battery. You need to buy a small volt meter from Radio Shack and start checking voltage and resistences You could have a bad battery. Voltage across the terminals should not drop when turning on the lights. Even when cranking the engine it should not fall below 10 volts. By the way, what happens when you crank the engine?

[WhyteAccord]

If this shows up twice, it's not my fault.

You can take it to an autoshop and they can pinpoint what exactly it is that is eating up your battery. I don't know what the cost is though. I say you do that before you mess something up that you'll regret later on. Good luck!!

[sfes786]

the car starts up fine every time, there seems to be full power till I turn the head light knob to either parking or all the way to head lights. this is my third brand new battery in a year's time and the alternator is new also from bosch. something is seriously draining the battery and having the alternator and the battery work over time shortening their lives.....also, is there any place where they will check this problem for free?? someone mentioned autoZone earlier, is that true..I guess i can call them and ask directly!!

[mpumas]

You say the voltage goes low when you turn on the parking lights. Where are you measurning lmebol

[mpumas]

this low voltage. Or are you assuming the voltage is low because the panel lights are dim. And what panel lights are you referring?

[AccordCodger]

What mpumas is getting at here is that certain panel displays (most notably the clock) are dimmed INTENTIONALLY when you turn on your headlights.

Bottom line -- are you REALLY measuring the voltage, or just guessing?

[sfes786]

well, when i said panel lights i meant the instrument panel speed o meter rpm etc infront of the steering. That is only the beginning, when i continue to drive at night with the headlights on about 15-20 minutes of driving the lights are hardly visible and then the rpm needle drops first then after a minute or so the speedometer needle drops "stops working." .................obviously, this is not normal

[AccordCodger]

True - not normal. If you have replaced your alternator, I would strongly advise a visit to your local Autozone or similar, and have them do an electrical diagnostic test. It's usually free. Obviously, tell them what you've already replaced (and don't rule out the possibility of a bad REPLACEMENT alternator -- I had a shop replace one for me, on a Pontiac, some years ago and the NEW one ended up bad in a few days!)

[mpumas]

But the headlights, tail lights and all other lights powered from light switch except the dash lights work normally? Hmmmm

[sfes786]

I DIDN'T THINK THE ALTERNATOR WAS A BAD ONE CAUSE IT SURE IS CHARGING THE BATTERY, OTHERWISE i WOULD SURELY HAVE TO START JUMPING MY BATTERY KNOWING HOW MUCH I DRIVE. I DID SOME TIME AGO HAD THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST FOR THIS CAR, THIS IS WHAT THEY SAID "OO....YOU HAVE SOME ELECTRICAL PROBLEM, LOL, YEAA!!AND ASKED ME TO LEAVE THE CAR FOR A FEW DAYS TILL THE ELECTRICIAN CHECKS EVERY WIRE. THAT SOUNDED SCARY CAUSE THE EXPENSE MAY BE MORE THEN THE CAR'S ACTUALL WORTH. ALL'S WELL TILL THE LIGHTS COME ON AND THEN SLOWLY A DRAIN OF POWER TO A POINT WHERE THINGS STOP WORKING IN THE CAR. HOW TO REGAIN THE LOST POWER, WELL, TURN THE HEAD LIGHTS OFF, GIVE IT ABOUT 15 SECONDS OR SO AND THINGS LIKE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLES AND SUCH START TO WORK AGAIN.

[AccordCodger]

This still indicates that the alternator is not putting out all the current it's supposed to (or, at least, it's not getting where it's supposed to go). An alternator malfunction doesn't have to mean it doesn't have ANY output - it might just not be performing as it should.

Has anyone suggested checking to make sure that the belt isn't slipping?

[sfes786]

someone did mention about the improper belt related problem. When I had the alternator changed it did make some squeky noise from the belt after a week or so and i went back to get it tight. After the mechanic tightened it it didn't make any more noise . Does that mean the belts are tight?? If the belts are not tight enough would they go without making any squeky noise? Would the alternator still charge and run the car but not to it's full potential? In other words would it improve my car's performance and electrical output if the belts are Super Tight. If this is really the case then I guess I can go to a different mechanic and get them supertight, to a point where it absolutely cannot be any more tight. would doing that hurt my car in any way?? sorry too many questions but I'm confused.

[mpumas]

You need a voltmeter/amp meter (Radioshack $35.00) to check the output of the alternator. Battery voltage is about 12.65-13.00 volts. If the alternator is charging the battery, you should see about 14.5 volts across the battery with the engine at 2000 rpm. If the problem is when the headlight/parking light is switched to on, then you need to do some troublehooting. When you turn on the parking light switch, how much current are you drawing. Then start removing all bulbs that come on when the parking lights are turned on. Current should decrease to a minimual amount. If you are still drawing more then an amp or so, check the dashboard light control unit. The dashboard dimming pot is hooked up to it. Other items powered by the dashboard light control unit are: guage lights, shift position console light, hazzard switch light, rear defroster switch light, sunroof switch light, cruise control switch light, heater control panel lights and cigar lighter light. It is got to be something that is powered only when the parking light switch is on. Did you change from any standard bulbs to high wattage bulbs or have you replaced dash lights with LEDs? Troubleshooting this is not rocket science, but you need some basic test equipment.