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    HenchmanB's Avatar
    HenchmanB Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Aug 9, 2006, 03:37 PM
    Yet another ('91) Civic having trouble starting
    I have a '91 Honda Civic DX and it seems like the battery is being slowly drained of its energy. A few weeks ago I came to this forum and looked at CroCivic91's "FAQ - My Honda Civic Won't Start" thread. I had the classic signs of a bad main relay (16 flashes of the diag light and car dying on hot days). So I replaced the relay and the car worked for about 2 and a half weeks in 100+ weather, when the car would usually die within days after being fully charged (the ECU showed no problems). Now I am having almost the same problem, where before the car would die randomly, now the stereo in my car would go out and the lights would dim if they were on whe I came to a stop even while the engine was running and would come back on once I started to accelerate. When that happens I know I will need a jump the next time I want to start the car without recharging the battery. I have unplugged the stereo from the car but experince the same thing. Also every once in a while when driving at night I hear a clicking noise accompanied with the headlights momentarily dimming. When the car is off the negative terminal produces a spark when touched by grounding cable.

    Some history on the car...

    I've had this problem since last summer. At one point the spark plugs weren't producing sparks and replace the control card in the distributer to fix it. From that point on the car was fine until a warm day during the winter when the car died (batt. Didn't have enough charge to start thecar).

    Replaced the stereo (50w x 4) a couple months ago along with the rear speakers (5.25") no amp. Nothing fancy.

    There is an old cell phone system in the car (from prev owner), I unplugged it and magically fixed the 30-sec delay my windsheild wipers were experiencing.

    Replaced front right axle (bad CV joint) but don't see what that has to do with the electrical sys.

    And yes, I have replaced the battery (sometime last fall).

    So, any suggestions/tests I should perform? Thanks in advance.
    TxGreaseMonkey's Avatar
    TxGreaseMonkey Posts: 16,761, Reputation: 5597
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    #2

    Aug 9, 2006, 05:13 PM
    I would get your alternator checked. Autozone, Advance Auto, and O'Reilly Auto will do it for free. Code 16 is Fuel Injector. Start the engine and listen to each fuel injector for a clicking sound. Problem could be a bad injector or ECM. Honestly, there are so many complicating variables to deal with that I'm afraid I can't be of much help.

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