Headlights turn off, interior lights dim, speedo stops working, alternator good

Before asking, yes I have searched everywhere and I can't find a problem identical to mine. I posted here because it seems like an electrical issue. My vehicle is a 1996 Acura Integra LS. OBD2.. Some information about the car that may be useful.. HIDs, custom push start ignition, kill switch, tucked engine bay, relocated battery, 1500 watt amp with 2 subs. New alternator and older battery?

So the other day my girlfriend stalled my car at a stop sign, and then when she went to turn it back on the car would not start.. I rolled it around the corner and let it sit for a few minutes, went to start it and it turned on just fine. On my way home I noticed my stereo would turn off then turn back on. And my speedo and tach were not working correctly either. But I went home, kept the car running and left and drove 15 minutes. During that time I had the same issues with the stereo turning off, clock dimming, gauges acting funny, and one headlight was extremely dim. I do have aftermarket HIDs installed. After I was done driving I shut the car off and left it off for about 8 hours. Went back outside and the car started up just fine but had the same issues. That night I went to drive home from work and my headlights completely stopped working along with my other problems. The car also seemed to struggle at higher RPMs and speeds. I also notice that at idle the RPMs would jump from 1400-1900 every few seconds.

Of course my first instinct was to blame the alternator. I did my own little test of the battery and alternator voltage. The battery alone was only from 11.5-12.1, which from what I read is unhealthy. But when the car is turned on the battery voltage does not change like it should if the alternator was charging it. So I ripped out the alternator and brought it to be tested. Turns out the alternator is just fine.

My question is, could this just be needing a new battery? The battery light only turned on twice while I was doing some troubleshooting at home. So do I just need a new battery or is it something more? The previous owner told me not to leave the accessories on very long because the battery was small?

Thanks for the help.

I'm not sure what it could be, but i recommend getting a new battery. 1st reason is because its old and not good, 2nd reason, you might have more than what your battery can handle

start the car and remove the negative on the battery. if the car dies, you have a bad alternator.

id start with that. from what you described, it sounds like alternator problems.


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I had this exact same issue.. I fixed it by replacing my battery then I checked my fuses and my alternator fuse had blown, so once that had been fixed I didn't have that problem anymore.

Amiguel6 said:

I'm not sure what it could be, but i recommend getting a new battery. 1st reason is because its old and not good, 2nd reason, you might have more than what your battery can handle

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Thanks for the replies from everyone. But I had the alternator tested and they said everything was good. If something was not right I'm sure they'd be happy to take my money. I also heard that test is not recommended anyways.

Should have mentioned. All my fuses are good from the panel under the steering wheel and the fuse box.

EDIT: Only reason I don't go get a battery is because I don't want to spend $100 on a battery I don't need. The car is being traded within a week.

Also, I have to jump my car most of the time in order to start it. But then the problems continue to occur.

New issue. My push start button stays lit up even when the kill switch is down. It's only supposed to light up when pushed while starting. Previous owner told me to check the 80amp fuse on the positive battery terminal.. Why would it be doing this? The car will not start either now even when jumped.