Okay guys, electric is not something I will ever understand so I need some help in determining what the heck my car is doing.

Car: 2006 IX MR

Mods that may cause the issue: ETS mini battery kit (odyssey battery), alpine head unit, aem uego afr gauge/stewart warner boost and oil pressure gauges, apexi turbo timer

Problem: Intermittently when I start my car and then turn my headlights on (HIDs) my car does the following things.

-interior lights dim
-stereo cuts out and resets itself and comes right back on
-rpm dip (goes from 1,100 (cold idle) to about 200-300) and then go right back

It has happened about 5 or 6 times in the last year. Does not matter if I drive my car everyday or if it sits for a few days. It has happened as quickly as 30 seconds after starting the car and it's happen after letting the car idle for two minutes. The car has never actually stalled, the cd player starts playing at the exact same spot.

The gauges and turbo timer have been in my car prior to the mini battery install and never gave me an issue. I installed them myself and know all my connections are good. The head unit has been in the car since 9/7/2007.

I would assume the HIDs draw a lot of voltage and it stresses the mini battery from time to time. But, I question that since it doesn't happen a lot. It happened once just turning my parking lights on. The car sits for no more than 2-3 days at a time without moving. On average, I drive 15-20 minutes each way to work.

The battery was installed 7/4/2007 and has never missed a start. The first time this happened was last winter and the car hadn't been started in five days. It happened most recently, last night. I had driven the car 25 miles that day and started it for the third time of the day waited about 45 seconds turned my headlights on and all of the above happened.

I do intend to have a full size battery installed in my trunk in the next couple months. I just want to make sure this isn't a serious issue.

Any input would be appreciated, Thanks.

 

pimp in distress!

any input?

 

yeah I had similar issue with mine, had a 12 month warranty, started to get a bit weak about 13 months after I bought it. I didn't start mine for 2 weeks and it was dead, jumped it and charged it worked for a little bit but was hard to start. I just ended up replacing it.

 

so you tend to think it's the battery I guess correct?

 

yes, I would think it would be.

 

anyone else?

 

Its never happened with out turning on the lights?
It dos sound to be battery related. Itll be hard to diagnose with it only happening 5-6 times so far.

 

nope never once had an issue with just starting the car

the headlights are the only thing that will do it

 

I say you should take the car to DogBox

 

I can only offer 2 bits of advice. It may be the mini battery. I personally had one in my old integra and it gave me nothing but problems.

The idling issue maybe in my opinion a bad blowoff valve connection. That is if you have a BOV. That is not responding well. Thats what happened when I put a greddy RS and I was running the 2 springs in it. Once I did the single spring mod it idled well.

 

I would hook up a meter to the car while its started and see what the battery gets up to after 5 mins then shut teh car off and see what the battery is at after a cpl mins if you see a fairly far drop in that time then its the battery. But dimming lights and such generally would point to an alternator problem. Batteries are more or less a giant capacitor for the car its stores energy. so especially with a small battery check both major players of the charging system-JOEYD

 

the idle thing is electric related has nothing to do with my diverter valve

 

"possible voltage issue?"

Good question, what is the voltage?

 

I don't have a volt meter and I would be constantly testing it without an issue because it doesn't happen a lot

 

dude go buy a cheap $10 meter from sears just to test. If you don't have a meter your gonna be in no luck!-JOEYD