Battery Light + Brake and Door Lights coming on

I have a 1999 Honda Accord. Last week the battery light along with
the brake light and door lights all came on while driving. After
driving a few miles I lost power completly. I had the car towed and
the mechanic ended up replacing the alternator. Now this week while
driving the battery light, brake light and door lights are again
coming on. This time they come on when I take my foot off the gas.
They go off when I give it gas. But then come back on again when I
take it off. Before I take it back to the mechanic can you give me
some idea on what is causing this? Is it the battery? A faulty
alternator? Bad wire? Thanks.

 

This is a wild guess, easy to check and easy to fix. It is possible
that as the engine twists back and forth in its mounts, the plug into
the alternator is losing its connection. Check the plug. Make sure it
is fully seated and "clicks" into place. I had a similar problem on an
older Honda and checking the plug fixed the problem. There are a
couple of tabs that hold the plug in the socket.

Other possibilities: slipping belt (you would hear the squeal) or bad
alternator (unlikely).

Hope this helps


Elliot Richmond
Itinerant astronomy teacher

 

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I suspect you've spent a bunch of money for no reason. Without knowing
your mileage it's hard to guess, but it's more likely something like
your (recalled) ignition switch or a loose ground wire on the BATTERY.

'Curly'