Tak - The <3 of my 9th Gen Civic FB2

I was thinking about putting an ivtec badge and call it done. But it looks ghetto and cheap.
If I do so, is the heat in engine bay gonna melt the 3m tape?
 
Not in that area. Go drive for a while and then pop the hood. You should be able to put your hand on the cover without pain. Most engines tend to run at under 200 degrees. And thats the temp in the block, yes with coolant running through, but even so, the entire under hood temp should be well below 200. IIRC, we feel "pain" from touching something at around 140 degrees. That should give you some idea of how hot the plastic cover gets.

Real 3M brand tape should be able to hold up to those temps with no problem. That cover might get to 100-120 I would bet. If you can get your hands on a digital laser temp gauge it might be worth driving around vigorously and then popping the hood and temping the cover just for fun to see.
 
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Just home luckily with an ongoing issue. And I need you guys help to diagnose the issue.

What happened tonight was that I almost could not turn on the engine again.
When I parked my car outside the grocery, I turned off the engine, then turned on the emergency light, and all interior light for about 10-15 minutes.
I turned on all interior light in order for me to do some clean up while waiting for a guy in grocery store.
After about 10 - 15 minutes, I turned on the engine again. My car was hesitated and couldn't start. I was like, oh crap, again. Second try, same thing.
I immediately turned off all interior light and emergency light, and waited for about 15 seconds to try it again. Then I was able to turn on the engine.
Something is not right and I think the issue is a weak battery, but this is a new replacement about 1& 1/2 year ago.
Can leaving the interior lights for 10-15 minutes drain the car's battery? I don't think so in my opinion but want you guys professional advice.
Thank you
 
Another member here had like 4 batteries replaced under warranty within like 2yrs from honda directly. It wouldn't shock me if your battery ended up testing bad.
 
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Start with getting the battery tested.

How long did you drive before you stopped?

Do the interior lights dim and flicker when trying to start?

Is the terminal connector on your battery loose?

Does it only happen when parked with lights on?

My personal opinion is that Honda undersized the battery. Yeah it's big enough but only just. I would upgrade to something larger. Once I put in the optima yellow top those hesitation issues stopped.

If the battery tests good then you can focus on other possibilities.
 
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Thanks @Twitch

Start with getting the battery tested.- Yes it was tested fine by a local dealer. 1& 1/2 year ago, when I encountered something similar like this that I had to call the road side assistance for a few time , I asked the local dealer to test the original battery, they claimed it's fine. But I insisted and replaced it anyway, with my own money. I didn't have any kind of issue until now.

How long did you drive before you stopped? - Last night it was less than 30 minutes (20+) highway and local drive before I parked my car.

Do the interior lights dim and flicker when trying to start? - Yes, It was sort of dim and flicker. I noticed the emergency light was dimmed from the car outside first though.

Is the terminal connector on your battery loose? - I checked and it does not seem to be loose.

Does it only happen when parked with lights on? - Well, when I compared the previous incident about a week ago and last night's incident, I believe I could say I both had the emergency light on.

I am thinking about going to autozone to test it. Perhaps I may ask them for the price of the optima yellow top at the same time :)
 
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It sounds like your battery is going. Have them test it again and see how it looks.

Do you normally drive small trips (under 15 min) or long trips? If you drive short trips the alternator cannot properly top off the battery. It is possible your alternator is going but it is unlikely for the age of the car.
 
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Did you leave the key at position 1? Namely the radio was still on for all those 15 minutes?
How often do you drive at night? I have word from a Honda mechanic that our cars don't charge the battery at 12V but at 10V unless the headlights are on so if you always leave your car's radio on your battery might not be getting charged enough between cycles.
 
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Twitch said:
It sounds like your battery is going. Have them test it again and see how it looks.

Do you normally drive small trips (under 15 min) or long trips? If you drive short trips the alternator cannot properly top off the battery. It is possible your alternator is going but it is unlikely for the age of the car.
Click to expand...
Hi @Twitch
Yes. I drive short trip daily, like 7-10 miles per trip daily (morning and evening).
I will ask another dealer to test the battery again.
Last night the trip was a bit more than 15-20 minutes before I parked my car.
 
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wondermalt said:
Did you leave the key at position 1? Namely the radio was still on for all those 15 minutes?
How often do you drive at night? I have word from a Honda mechanic that our cars don't charge the battery at 12V but at 10V unless the headlights are on so if you always leave your car's radio on your battery might not be getting charged enough between cycles.
Click to expand...
Hi @wondermalt

I completely turned off the engine and removed the key. Then left the interior lights and emergency light on for 15 minutes. And I didn't use radio. I used the radio when I was driving (a few miles highway and local) to the grocery store and before I turned off the engine.

How could the battery be drained in 10-15 minutes?
 
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My first thought is your battery.

If the battery tests good - you might want to consider getting a larger one if you plan to do this often.

Batteries are designed to get the car started until the alternator can take over and run the car. It's completely possible you are lowering the power level of the battery just below the point that it can start the car. There is plenty of power to run lights and components but not to crank. That's why the lights flicker when you try to start the car.
 
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Tak said:
I was thinking about putting an ivtec badge and call it done. But it looks ghetto and cheap.
If I do so, is the heat in engine bay gonna melt the 3m tape?
Click to expand...

It will hold just fine, my friend put an vtec badge he bought on ebay for his r18 and it has held up just fine.

2011-06-09_14-16-18_331.jpg
 
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wondermalt said:
@Tak perhaps @Twitch was on the right track. Your battery is faulty.
Click to expand...
Twitch said:
My first thought is your battery.

If the battery tests good - you might want to consider getting a larger one if you plan to do this often.

Batteries are designed to get the car started until the alternator can take over and run the car. It's completely possible you are lowering the power level of the battery just below the point that it can start the car. There is plenty of power to run lights and components but not to crank. That's why the lights flicker when you try to start the car.
Click to expand...

Thanks @wondermalt @Twitch
I will try testing the battery again with different dealer. I also suspect the battery is at fault as this didn't happen after the 1st battery replacement until now.
 
My civic got the same crap happened again. This morning, when I parked my car, I forgot to turn off the radio while shutting down the engine. So I immediately turned it back on. And it's dead.

I invested and purchased a jump starter from home depot during my lunch hour. When I finished my work, I jump started my car myself. All good.

I scheduled a new appointment with another Honda local dealer. I will see what's going on soon.

Thanks
 
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webby said:
keep us posted man
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Went to a local Honda dealer that I never went to for the battery diagnostic but they said it is working fine. Then went to two auto zone but both said the battery is under charged which means it is going bad and should be replaced asap. Auto zone said their battery works better with their warranty and its life lasts longer.

Living in NYC means you deal with some a hole. Just got a few battle scars....scratch x removed 80%..... Thinking about doing touch up paint myself ....
WP_20161017_002.jpg
 
That sucks man. Im always nervous when I have to commute into the city for work. I had my share of nicks and dings. Part of why I like the dark gray car. It hides those better.

Did you get a new battery? Autozone might just be trying to sell you a new battery. Hard to say honestly. Given the problems you've had I would go for it.
 
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