1996 Honda Civic Sensors and Altenator

170,000 MILES • 4 CYL • FWD • AUTOMATIC
Avatar
DARK7973
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
Hello I have an 96 Civic EX, auto. I have 4 codes, one is p1298, one is my vehicle speed sensor, and the other 2 consists of both my 02 sensors. I also have like a squealing pulsating sound coming from my altenator in which my lights pulsates with the noise. Also I was told my ECM my be bad.

Just tonite my car died on me at idle so I checked the the battery and it was dead so i put it on a charge and rechecked it and it was good so I out it back in the car. I hooked up everything and started it and while using a multimeter i noticed that the battery was draining. I heard no squealing pulsating sound at all so i revved the throttle a litte bit and the squealing came back and the battery began to charge. Eveytime after that I start it and not squealing and pulsating noise and when I step the gas it all comes back and semmigly works with the noise from there on. While running it fluctuates between 13.00 and 13.99. It starts high and then drops.
Jan 30, 2009 at 5:16 PM
Avatar
F4I_GUY
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 3,302 POSTS
It sounds like your alternator is not properly charging the system. To properly test it you will need an AVR test done. This tests both amperage and voltage output of the system under load.
Feb 1, 2009 at 7:31 AM
Add a reply
Join 2CarPros for free, one of the most advanced car repair communities on the internet. From first-time drivers to seasoned mechanics, everyone is welcome to reply, share details, and get better answers. You can add a temporary image or video first; uploads are limited to 20 MB.

Frequently Asked Problems for This Vehicle