I have an automatic 2001 v6 honda accord, which I paid about $2500 for with 88k miles on it that's having electrical problems now or has been. The previous owner put in their own big sound system, and I think this may have messed with the car. The car starts up fine, but has a couple of dash lights come up (the battery and e break light). When I step on the gas the lights go off but come back on when I let off the gas. The car will eventually die if I drive it long enough. I've changed the alternator twice, so I doubt that's the problem. Thought the battery was going out, so bought a new one and still does the same thing. Thinking it's the voltage regular but not sure, what do you think ?
Thank you for any answers, much appreciated
previous owner put in their own big sound system,
unhook it
Grounding problems, maybe?
I think most voltage regulators are built into alternators, so replacing alternator should have fixed that if that was the issue. Also, I recommend having the charging system load tested prior to buying parts.
That first part sounds like a grounding issue, but what do you mean it'll die if driven too long, like does the voltage slowly creep down & eventually die, so you need to have it jumped?
Yes if I drive it long enough the voltage slowly goes down until my car eventually dies. Happened once and needed to get jumped like three times because the car couldn't sustain the power from the jumps very long.
Have the charging system load tested. It sounds like an alternator issue, but if one goes bad it could damage the other too. Make sure youre using quality parts also.
By 2001 a lot of alternators were controlled by the PCM rather than having a dedicated onboard voltage regulator. (My 1999 Jeep Cherokee is that way.) Also who knows what kind of damage was done to the electrical system by installing a crazy sound system. Have you tried disconnecting it? The stupid thing may be drawing too much current for a stock alternator to handle or causing other problems.
Also check that the ground strap between the engine and the chassis is intact and connections are clean. It may have deteriorated over the last couple of decades.
If disconnecting the stereo doesn't help and grounding is intact it would be best to have the charging system checked out by a pro - an independent mechanic, not a dealer and not a chain like Firestone or Pep Boys.
