I own a 96 Civic HB DX 5 spd. 147,000 mi.
I Love it, but i have an issue.
About 2 days ago after a few hrs of driving, in the midst of a ride, every light inside and outside the car started going from dim to bright,along with a mild whistling "wheeeoooowheeeeeeoooow...." sound in a steady waving kind of rhythm coming from the car (alternator?).
The sound/dimming is going on simutaneously in this steady rhythm. does this sound familiar to anyone?
The sound of the radio wasnt really affected.
I drive delivery with this car and want it to last. I hope its nothing serious.

Also at this time the check engine light went on, and the speedometer needle started just freaking out. It just jumps all over the place. I dont understand.

I looked for a group along the lines of "odd problems that even your mechanic cant figure out", but decided to drop it here.
thanks for any thoughts

 

this hasn't happen to me but i can use some general diagnostic experience.

do you have a problem with your battery (needing to frequently use the charger)?
do you have a problem starting your car (due to faulty battery)?

i ask these questions because it sounds like your alternator because that is the key component in your charging system. there is a tool (a type of meter) that your mechanic should have that he can hook up to the battery and check the voltage of battery and/or alternator.

where are you located?

 

Thanks Sugarbear.
The battery is fine, and the Alternator is charging, but the voltage was varying of course when he tested it.
I guess im finding out that this is a rare occurrence in civics, so here are the possible issues:

ground from chassis to block could be faulty
Ground problem somewhere else
voltage regulator
Ignition switch
ECU problem


if all these are fine, ill just replace the alternator and see if that fixes it.

 

oh and Staten Island is where i am

 

i'm from queens

good luck on the car let me know what it is when u find out

 

The voltage should not be varying, this is the job of the "voltage regulator" to keep it at a steady state.

You should take it to an "Autozone" or equivalent and they can check out the voltage regulator which is internal to the alternator.

 

Thanks.
Those are pretty much my exact plans.
I took it for a drive tonight and the electricity is definitely weaker and is still varying, and the car just isnt sounding right.
Ill call the mech in the morning and bring this up, but it just boggles me that they couldnt figure it out.
best
-=sw

 

well for some reason, i dont think its the alternator, because i have the same problem with the speedometor like the jumping and stuff, after a while, the speedometer will just quit working completely, does the engine light come on and then not gome back on when you start the car so you cannot diagnos it?
if so you might have to read it manually and count the blinks of the light..... mine read O2 sensor, knock sensor, speed sensor, and vtec selinoid (sp)...so you might wanna check it that way and search for the specific code... if thats not clear ill try to explain it again, its sort of all jumbled together sorry

 

ok,, well i would check the alternator to, it could just be a loose wire, my boyfriend had that problem with the dimming, does it ever die on you?

 

IM having a similar problem with my 99 civic. i just bought it a few days ago, the check engine and srs lights are on. my interior/exterior/dash lights all seem to do the flickering (fading from dimm to bright). i checked the grounds from the top of engine and the battery and cleaned connections down to bare metal and still have the same problem. i have either a loose belt or bad pully somewhere because a belt squeels when i start or downshift. i figured it would be the alternator but the only thing is that i have NO PROBLEMS AT ALL STARTING or SITTING FOR A FEW MINUTES WITH MY ROCKFORD P3'S AND 2000 WATT AMP PLAYING. this is what puzzles me if it was the alternator there should be no way after sitting for a few minutes with my radio playing that the car should start right back up. ALSO here is the really screwy part, I installed my subs with a 4 gauge rockford kit plenty of cable for the power, had it going all the time in my 89 civic no probs. but now in this car the subs only work if the car is at idle or the engine isnt running. if i rev the engine they cut out, then usually come back on when i hit a red light. im very frustrated with this and would appreciate any help that i could get.





................THANKS~DoNoVaN