I have a 1996 2 door EX. Last fall my alternator overcharged my battery and caused my car to have an electrical problem. Before this all happened my cruise control had stopped working and then started to work again after the problem started. Also after the problem, my power locks and moon roof stopped working. The associated fuse under the hood blows every time one is put in. The speedometer stopped working and a radiator fan will constantly run unless disconnected. Is there an easy solution to this other than replacing wiring harnesses? I am a college student and don't have a lot of money to spend and would like to try to fix this my self. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks.

 

What specific hood fuse blows?



Is 7.5A fuse #15 in the dash fuse box also blown? If so, click the fuse 15 TSB link in my signature.

 

Argh, I hate electrical problems.

Has the alternator been replaced? If so, it's possible you have damage to the wiring harness. It's also possible that there's just a short somewhere and it could be an easy fix.

Start by going to www.hondatech.info and look for the service manual for your Civic. It'll say 96-00. There are tons of wiring diagrams that will be useful in troubleshooting these problems. I'm sure other members will check in soon as well.

^See? RonJ beats me all the time. And his posts are generally more useful.

 

@ RonJ...under the hood fuse box it is number 51 (20A) that blows.
@wellfedhobo...the alternator has been replaced. When I got the problem, there was smoke that came from behind my instrument cluster that I think probably caused wires to fuse together and cause a short. The mechanic at the time looked for several hours but couldn't find the short. I'll have to look at the Honda tech site and maybe that will give me some insight on how to find the short.
Thanks for the posts

 

Go after these problems one at a time.

Speedometer not working is often fuse 15 related. The CEL will usually come on in that case.

Does the radiator fan run all the time or only when the key is on (even though the engine is cold)? If all the time even with key off, the relay could be stuck. Try replacing it with one of the other relays of the same type in the underhood fuse box. If it starts and stops with the key try unplugging the thermal sensor on the thermostat housing.

When you plug the lock fuse in, do you hear a clunk from the doors before it blows? If the control module is bad and energizing the solenoids for more than the usual fraction of a second, I think the fuse will blow.

Generally an overvolt wouldn't burn up wiring, it is murder on bulbs and modules but the wiring should be protected by the fuses. Unless there is improperly modified wiring or use of fuses that are too large.

 

@mk378...I checked into these problems one at a time like you suggested, what I found was....Fuse 15 was not blown and the CEL does not come on. The radiator fan is from a bad relay. When I replaced it with a same type relay, it did not stay on. When I plugged the lock fuse in, the there was a spark immediately and I was not able to hear any sound for the power locks.

Also in general, when I press the switch for my sunroof/moonroof, the switch makes a clicking noise, but does not open it. Any ideas on that?