Questions and Answers

Honda Accord Battery Light On Q. Hi Vince, I have a 1988 Honda Accord LXi with a little over 138,000 miles. It is fully equipped with A/C, power windows, power roof, and cruise control. Today I took it to the local Honda dealer to get a seat belt fixed. After about five minutes after pulling out of the dealership, the battery light came on. Immediately, I turned all electrical equipment off.

The light went off, then came back on. I noticed that when I was stopped and the rpm's were 1,000 or below, the light went off. But when I accelerated, the light came back on and remained on until the engine went down to the 1,000 rpm level. I took it to a local parts store to get a battery and alternator check.

Both tests showed that the battery and alternator were working fine. When I left the parking lot, the battery light no longer came on. I figure it will come on again, since nothing fixes itself. What do you think this could be? I am open to any suggestions that you may have.

Thanks a lot for your time and have a good day!
Mike
Wellsburg, WV

A. Now that the light is not going on, it will be tough to find the cause. I do know that a loose and slipping alternator belt will cause this symptom. It will be fine at low speed, but at higher rpm it will slip and not charge.

So I guess the thing to do at this point is to check the alternator belt tension, or replace the alternator belt if it is bad.