Thread: that burning smell

nada. their advice was to "get the electrical system in your car checked by a certified blah blah blah.."

Electrical / Lighting Systems Malfunction When driving When warm

Q: My car battery light continues to come on and off. If the engine is run in a lower gear it will flicker on and off before staying on. If driving at night the headlights dim and the interior lights dim. If I use the turn signal it shorts my curise control and sterio. The car would not start right after being driven but would after sitting for several hours. Now, however, the car is not starting and behaves as though the battery is drained. After a jumpstart the car drives fine unless the lights are on, in which case the car begins to "hickup" and die.



A: Adam , you need to have the battery checked . It may have been damaged , or is to old to properly hold a charge . This is part one of your problem . Part 2 is the alternator . The diodes inside may be bad or the regulator is bad . Either way , replace the alternator . Go to a specialty shop that specializes in batteries and alternators . This is your best bet to get the best service for your money .
In addition to the above , check all of the ground connections in the engine compartment and any others that you can find . These need to be clean and tight . Always keep the battery connectors clean .

did you check grounds?

connectors are alright

new alternator that's what I was trying to avoid..
sigh, I'll go get it checked I suppose. My main problem is this system was actually a (very nice) birthday gift from my dad, and he would be the one picking up the tab on the alternator/ whatever else.. :\ we'll see

hmm off topic? no it has to do with your car
Question: 1991 Honda Accord LX 2.2L mileage: 116,000. I have a same problem as listed in another posting, on cold start the car goes into fast idle mode and after a minute the idle starts to jump between 1,500 rpm and 1,800 rpm. I've been trying to fix this for a year. I've replaced the O2 sensor and PVC valve as you told the other poster to do. I've also replaced the Air Temp sensor (TA), Water Temp sensor (TW). I've stumped the dealership, as they find nothing wrong. I even replaced the fast idle valve and EACV! The engine has been tuned and I have no clue what else to do? After the engine is warm, everything is great and runs really well and car is like new after constantly doing the service on time. Scott

Answer: You have replaced most everything we can think of that could be causing your fast idle problem. At this point, the data stream from the engine to the computer should be read to determine the values of the various sensors on the car. In addition, check to see if the ground wires are properly attached and making good connections.

back to the electrical

I thought I read that you checked the voltages (Alternator and Battery)?

Did you check high RPM also?

Question: 1987 Honda Accord TX. I am having trouble with our work car and I'm not sure what the trouble is... First off, I drive it about 40 miles one-way to work. I noticed the dashboard lights got real dim and the headlights were hardly lit. After I got to work, I turned the lights and everything else off and let it run by itself for ten minutes. I then turned the car off and tried to start it. Well, no start. I had to have it jumped. This was just the beginning. I put a new battery in it and still had the problem. Then I replaced the alternator and had new battery cables installed as well. It still leaves me sitting.... What else could it possibly be?

Answer: With the engine running, check for 14 to 14½ volts at the battery. Check the fuseable links and check the auto shutdown relay.

P.S. Higher RPMs after cold starting are normal as long as the engine returns to normal idle when the engine is "warmed up"

P.S.S. WOOOO WOOOOO

hm, if it continues I'll look further into it. I really wasn't worried so much about that problem in itself, I just thought maybe it was tied to my car melting..

edited my previous post

How old is your battery?? It's not swollen (bulging) is it?

You wired your amp wire directly to the battery and not some alternate location accidentally
drawing too much current thru a relay or some other under-hood component?

I know you said the smell is in your engine compartment, but a thought I had when
reading this was that your ground may be poor and arc'ing and burning carpet or paint?

Just some ideas.... good luck...