Cars electrical shuts off completely

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Old Feb 11, 2012 | 11:13 PM
  #1  
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Cars electrical shuts off completely

So over the last few days when I get in my car after it has been sitting for at least 2 hours I start it up fine and drive to my destination and once I switch the car off into standby the headlights would both cut out then back on....


Now tonight I got home from work and was checking to see if the lights would do it once again, but to my surprise the car basically shut of as if it was a transformer that lost its Spark.....

I sat there like wtf just happened, after about 10 seconds the car came back to life.


Anyone have a clue on what this might be?

Bad battery(1 year old)

Bad alternator

Other worse electrical problems
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Old Feb 12, 2012 | 09:06 AM
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You have a short buddy. Any aftermarket wiring or anything custom i would start looking in there
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Old Feb 12, 2012 | 01:49 PM
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To my knowledge there is no custom wiring...

My friend who used to work at Acura said the dealer will kill me in labor since its electric
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Old Feb 12, 2012 | 02:02 PM
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try look for battery drain do you have aftermarket hid kit ?

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Old Feb 12, 2012 | 04:09 PM
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Nothing is aftermarket on the car to my knowledge...
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Old Feb 12, 2012 | 10:38 PM
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Sounds like a ground issue to me.
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Old Feb 14, 2012 | 02:30 AM
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So when I got home today the car went dead again twice, but once I manually unlocked the door and opened it power came back on seconds later
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Old Feb 14, 2012 | 03:13 PM
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check the terminal connections and voltage on the battery too
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Old Feb 15, 2012 | 09:01 PM
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Well my dad called Allstate and they told me to bring back to the shop that did my work after my accident in October, but I doubt work that was done nearly 5 months ago would be the cause of the problem

But i'm taking it in on Friday
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Old Feb 17, 2012 | 12:31 PM
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So the shop that did the work after the accident said they found nothing wrong with the work they did (as if they would) and said they heard a knocking in the engine and said they think the car is losing oil pressure

Now would the car losing oil pressure result in the car shutting down electricity, if any thing that's just an added problem to me
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Old Feb 17, 2012 | 04:04 PM
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No it wouldnt cause any electrical issues. What was damaged in the accident?
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Old Feb 17, 2012 | 04:21 PM
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The accident minor to mid level front end damage like the hood passenger side light housing and front bumper...

Now when I just picked the car up they say it sounds like the engine has a bad valves or cylinders
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Old Feb 17, 2012 | 04:44 PM
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Also when i'm driving and come to a stop it feels as though the car is sometimes having trouble responding like it is on the verge of shutting down, would that mean it could be a tranny problem

I checked the tranny fluid a few mins a go and it was reddish with no odor
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Old Feb 17, 2012 | 04:58 PM
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Sounds like a possible IACV issue regarding the shutting down issue.

What tests did they run to determine a bad cylinder or valves?
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Old Feb 17, 2012 | 05:07 PM
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Is that an expensive fix (more than $1000)

I can't even really take their word for it because they are solely a body shop that doesn't do mechanic work

But I do hear a knocking sound in the engine while it runs
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Old Feb 17, 2012 | 05:54 PM
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Looked it up seems to range from$350-$500 depending on where you go
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Old Feb 18, 2012 | 08:50 AM
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The part itself is $100, but you can get away with just cleaning it. Replacing it takes at most an hour, its mounted to the bottom of the throttle body with two screws.
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Old Feb 24, 2012 | 01:51 PM
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As of now my car is costing me $2,800+

Now they're checking a sound in the engine, i hate this car
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Old Feb 24, 2012 | 02:59 PM
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Old Mar 17, 2012 | 05:24 PM
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So now my car is back on the road but now my speakers emit a humming sound when the volume is up at halfway

Does this mean my speakers are blown or the possibility that to much power might be going to them?
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Old Mar 18, 2012 | 02:08 PM
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OEM radio or aftermarket? Sounds like you might have a ground loop. Does the noise fluctuate with engine speed?
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Old Mar 18, 2012 | 09:11 PM
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To my knowledge it's a complete stock system, but at some points when I accelerate the speakers sound like they are squealing or a very high pitch sound at first I thought it was my tranny and I said you have to be kidding me....

But for some reason I thought to turn off the speakers and the sound stopped, I was going to replace the speakers but didn't want to if when I plugged them in they would blow and $300 would be gone.

How would I check for this loop
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Old Mar 19, 2012 | 03:53 AM
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Originally Posted by civicdrivr
Sounds like a ground issue to me.
Originally Posted by aznboi2424
check the terminal connections and voltage on the battery too
This. It is not any of the other issues discussed so far. It is definitely just a problem with the wiring. My car did the exact same thing every now and then. Replace your ground cables.

If there's a mechanical problem with the engine, it wouldn't kill the entire power to the car. This is an electrical problem.

It's not the alternator, and it's most likely not the battery. If it was one of these two, it wouldn't just come back to life 10 seconds later.

Your speaker problem is pretty weird, so it might be a deeper problem with the electrical system. Still, I'd be willing to bet the fix is the $20 ground cables. Replace them, clean your positive terminals, and tighten both terminals down pat. This is a cheap fix, but just hard to find the exact problem.
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Old Mar 19, 2012 | 12:10 PM
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Originally Posted by Seymore Cake
To my knowledge it's a complete stock system, but at some points when I accelerate the speakers sound like they are squealing or a very high pitch sound at first I thought it was my tranny and I said you have to be kidding me....

But for some reason I thought to turn off the speakers and the sound stopped, I was going to replace the speakers but didn't want to if when I plugged them in they would blow and $300 would be gone.

How would I check for this loop
The ground loop usually rears its head when amps are involved. If its really annoying, locate the factory amp and trace the ground wire from it. Make sure the ground is secure and clean.

A ground loop sounds exactly as you described. Its a high pitched whine thats dependent on the engine speed and doesnt occur when the radio is off (no power to the amp/speakers).

Mine started to do it recently, and Im running the stock speakers, only an aftermarket headunit, line output convertor, and a sub. Ive not yet gotten around to swapping out the speakers.
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Old Mar 19, 2012 | 12:50 PM
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I have same problem and i will check those grounds asap.
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Old Mar 20, 2012 | 10:57 PM
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So the amplifier is in the trunk under all the carpet behind the backseats?

As in this photo


https://www.acuraoemparts.com/delray...3s3m01_b16.png


Also do I have to replace the amp as well, because that's about another $350 FML



And thanks for all the help guys I really appreciate it

Last edited by Seymore Cake; Mar 20, 2012 at 11:01 PM.
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Old Mar 20, 2012 | 11:06 PM
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I think its mounted to the decklid.
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Old Mar 21, 2012 | 10:27 PM
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Deck lid? Lol
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Old Mar 22, 2012 | 08:02 PM
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Derp. I meant rear deck
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Old Mar 22, 2012 | 08:13 PM
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Originally Posted by civicdrivr
Derp. I meant rear deck
red neck ?
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Old Mar 22, 2012 | 10:05 PM
  #31  
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Well now after the car sits off then I get into it after about 2 hours or so the speakers works about 80% correctly with the bass hitting and all speakers going
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