[Mkslow]

Ok my first problem is last night after driving for a few hours my battery light came on while I was accelerating. It would go off under normal driving or coasting. The lights dimmed but would brighten back upas soon as the light went off. It hasn't turned back on today but I only drive 15 minutes to work. I tried testing the alternator as I figured the voltage regulator is going bad but both battery and alternator check out fine even if I rev to 3k for an extended period of time. The car has 303k and I bought it at 290k so I don't know if it's ever been replaced. Also the distributer is making a clicking noise as it's running. I just wanted to see if anyone has had a similar problem before I rip it apart to find the problem. Thanks in advance!

 

[otto888man]

How did you test the alternator & the battery? Did you use a Multimeter. YOu have the classic sign of a bad voltage regualtor. How are the terminals on the battery? The clicking noise inside the distributor could be another set of problem. When the battery light comes on, test the voltage at the battery. See what the voltage is.

 

[Mkslow]

At my work we have a meter that checks the entire charging system. Everything tested fine, even under load and I couldn't get the battery light to come back on. I am thinking that the vr is bad but it's an intermediate problem. Even with the lights, radio, and fan on it wouldn't come back on while revving to 3k rpms. The distributer has always made noise and hasn't caused any problems yet it just bothers me.

 

[otto888man]

Battery light coming on is a classic sign of the vr going bad. I would not wait for the distributor bearing to suddenly sieze up while driving. It could be a catastrophic result. The camshafts might get damaged & it will costs you more in repair. Grab a digital multimeter keep it in the crv, if the light suddenly turns on you can instantly test its integrity.

 

[Mkslow]

Well I have an update. Battery light is pretty much always on and now I have a misfire and high idle.

 

[otto888man]

Have you tested the voltage output? Dont wait long as this might ruin the ECU. I have diagnosed this same problem in an Oldmobile. The alternator output was so high it make the engine misfire & the air bag light comes on. The voltage output was 16 volts & higher. Unplugged the alternator. Problem solved. Changed the alternator, problem solved permanently. Is the brake warning light is on?

 

[Mkslow]

I'm going to replace the alternator. Every time I check it the charging system is at 14.3 but the battery light isn't on. I put a load on it through the tester and it goes from the ok zone to bad. So I'm thinking it is the vr. As I'm replacing it I'll check all grounds and wiring. But so far there's no burn marks on the terminals so I'm hoping I'm still ok.

 

[Mkslow]

And no the only lights that are on are cel and battery

 

[Petros98]

I would also get a code read on your CEL, you could have more than one issue going on.