# 1997 Acura RL CRAZY electrical problem?! help asap! **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** rl, gauges, starters, electrical-wiring, acura\ **Created:** [May 24, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-acura-rl-crazy-electrical-problem-help-asap/79499 "2013-05-24T17:50:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jameswise09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb8c5e/32.png) [@jameswise09](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jameswise09)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-acura-rl-crazy-electrical-problem-help-asap/79499/1 "2013-05-24T17:50:49Z")
Alright guys, so here’s the rundown. I got my Alternator replaced last week. Last night, I hit a very small bump, not even large enough to really cause me to slow down, and as soon as I did, my battery and brake lights came on. My RPM gauge also jumped around and eventually went to 0 until I stopped and put the car in park. (The bump might just be a coincidence who knows). So after all this happened, I turned off my car, tried to restart and got nothing. Sometimes I get a click, sometimes 2 clicks up to 4-6 consecutive clicks. Every few times I won’t even get a click, just a slight attempt to start, then the car dies, then 2 seconds later all my lights and radio etc. come back on. My problem here is a few things: 1. I’ve been told it could be the starter. If it’s the start, those dashboard lights shouldn’t have came on right? just the STARTING portion of the car. 2. I’ve been told it could be the battery. Well If i got my alternator tested and Advance said it was working, Why would my battery be dead? And if it WAS dead, wouldn’t my lights have went dim or something else happen to the car? ---
**Author:** ![circuitsmith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/circuitsmith/32/40376_2.png) [@circuitsmith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/circuitsmith)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 6:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-acura-rl-crazy-electrical-problem-help-asap/79499/2 "2013-05-24T18:16:35Z")
I’m pretty sure you just have a loose and/or corroded connection. But where? Are the battery posts clean and tight? Same with the alternator connections. What symptoms lead to changing the alternator? It’s not the starter. ---
**Author:** ![jameswise09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb8c5e/32.png) [@jameswise09](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jameswise09)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 6:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-acura-rl-crazy-electrical-problem-help-asap/79499/3 "2013-05-24T18:19:14Z")
Well the battery posts look pretty tight. I took them off, put them back on. Very, very small amount of corrosion. And what lead to me changing the alternator was the dimming of my lights when turning on my brights and the fact that my electrical seat adjusted extremely slow. I had it tested at Advance and they confirmed the alternator wasn’t giving any output. After replacing, I had it tested again and they confirmed it was working. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-acura-rl-crazy-electrical-problem-help-asap/79499/4 "2013-05-24T19:40:18Z")
What year? How many miles? Is this the original battery? Why would you NOT get the battery tested? Your assumption about the starter is correct. Your problem is not the starter. Your assumption that if the alternator is working the battery must be good is NOT correct. Have it tested. It might turn out that you have a loose connection, but understand that your battery is part of the circuitry and if it has an internal problem or has dead cells that could cause your symptoms. ---
**Author:** ![jameswise09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb8c5e/32.png) [@jameswise09](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jameswise09)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 7:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-acura-rl-crazy-electrical-problem-help-asap/79499/5 "2013-05-24T19:55:23Z")
1. it’s a 1997 2. 270,000 miles with a motor replacement about 100,00 ago 3. not original battery. That is true, when I replaced the alternator before I had the work done I had to recharge my battery twice to get to and from work although it wasn’t a long drive (3 miles, tops) I’m glad to hear that it is not the starter, as in my car the starter isn’t even visible. ---
**Author:** ![jameswise09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb8c5e/32.png) [@jameswise09](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jameswise09)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 7:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-acura-rl-crazy-electrical-problem-help-asap/79499/6 "2013-05-24T19:56:57Z")
I hooked up my home-charger to it. The home charger as a meter that goes through 4 phases. Obviously starting at “not ready” to “ready” i’m guessing indicating if the charge is complete. When I plugged it into my batter it was in the red, i’m thinking that’s stating my battery has no life. I let charge for 20 minutes and got to level 2 of 4, but the car still wouldn’t start. Got the clicking again. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 9:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-acura-rl-crazy-electrical-problem-help-asap/79499/7 "2013-05-24T21:56:06Z")
You’ve certainly made good efforts, but it sounds like the battery has lost its ability to hold a charge. That comes with age. I still suggest getting it tested, or if it’s older than 5 years change it. ---
**Author:** ![jameswise09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb8c5e/32.png) [@jameswise09](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jameswise09)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-acura-rl-crazy-electrical-problem-help-asap/79499/8 "2013-05-24T22:23:48Z")
Will do, I’ll come back to the post once I get it tested after work. Thanks for your input dudes! ---
**Author:** ![jameswise09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb8c5e/32.png) [@jameswise09](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jameswise09)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 11:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-acura-rl-crazy-electrical-problem-help-asap/79499/9 "2013-05-24T23:37:11Z")
What about a Voltage Regulator? ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 2:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-acura-rl-crazy-electrical-problem-help-asap/79499/10 "2013-05-25T02:28:52Z")
Check and clean the ground connection (s)! on the body and or engine! ---
**Author:** ![jwps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cdc98d/32.png) [@jwps](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jwps)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 3:26am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1997-acura-rl-crazy-electrical-problem-help-asap/79499/11 "2013-05-25T03:26:24Z")
One comment that might help. I had a recent, and sudden, battery failure on my 2008 RL, and it played all kinds of havoc with warning light alerts and other electrical things. But the headlights worked, although very dimly. Apparently there is so much electrical demand on this car that battery failure produced more than the usual symptoms. A new battery solved the problem completely! Hope your solution is this simple.