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battery light flicker on 1990 civic wagon 1.6L?
my battery light flickers or comes on for a second when the car is running with nothing on...seems to do it when i brake down a hill. but it wont flicker on if i turn on my headlight and heater for some reason....my battery started to die while i drove it the other night so i parked it.came back the next day and it started slowly but it started.drove 20 miles home with nothing on..then when i hooked up the voltmeter to the battery it was at 14 volts and chargin fine while it was runnin...any ideas...i gueess ill try lookin at the ground issue first...autozone tested the alternator 2 days ago and said it wasfine....
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9 Answers
- dodge manLv 71 decade agoFavorite Answer
try cleaning your cables off real good,,and also pay close attention to the ground wire,,this usually will cause one to trip the light once in a while if the ground get loose or corroded,,good luck with it,,have a god x-mas.
Source(s): been a certified mechanic for 36 yrs. - 1 decade ago
Could be a bad battery. Or a bad alternator. Also, if its flickering, make sure your battery terminals/cables arent corroded. Check the small grounf wire coming from the black cable to the body as well.
Source(s): Personal Experience - DebraLv 45 years ago
Test the alternator yourself to be sure. Buy a voltmeter and conect the positive needle to the back of the alternator on the possitve side B+ and the negative needle to the negative battery pole, Should read about 12.3-13.7V. If its less then its your alternator. If alternator is fine and battery light is still on, check your earth wire is tight as well as all other battery leads.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
Buy a new battery if it's more than 4 years old, and especially if it's an original.
Don't want to get stuck in East St. Louis with a car that won't start...
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- 1 decade ago
normal life of a battery is 5 years. if you hear a whining noise then your alt is bad. normal life for that is 6 years. a test does not always prove an alt is good or bad. an alt test may say its fine but if it is still charging 8 volt it will still pass. when an alt gets to 10 volts at my dealership i replace them. an alt is to charge the battery at 14 volts.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
just because the alt is putting out 14 v doesnt mean the battery is holding it.... disconnect battery and check when not running. hook back up and check when starting. Ill bet it goes to 9 or 10 volts.
- 1 decade ago
You might have a short somewhere in your electrical system, you might have a cell going bad in your battery. You might want to check your wiring at the battery and alternator.
- 1 decade ago
A battery can charge but if it has even one dead cell in it, it can cause problems. You most likely need a new one. Check your cables first and make sure all are connected tightly.
- SharkLv 71 decade ago
this could be a loose contact somewhere or the alternator . but since it doesn't do it all the time and usually down hill i am guessing it's a wire loose.
