My girlfriend called this morning and said our 01 Accord LX coupe is acting weird. She was driving around 40 mph and the radio kept shutting itself off ... a few times the SRS indicator on the dash flashed when the radio went off and once the Maintenance required light flashed. Anyone have this problem before or have any ideas?

 

Check the codes

 

Does the car have an aftermarket stereo in it?
It could be as simple as a loose harness... but your other symptoms are clouding the issue.

1) The maintenance required light is just a reminder light for oil changes and preventative maintenance. It is entirely different from the "Check Engine" light, which is a fault indicator.

If you are nearly due for a service (based on mileage), the "maintenance required" light will flash on startup for an increasing length of time. Once you've passed that particular mileage point, the light will go on and stay on until it is reset.

2) The SRS light is supposed to come on at vehicle startup and turn off within a few seconds. Is the SRS light on steadily at any point after startup?

Right now it sounds more like a coincidence than a cause-and-effect relationship. The SRS wiring is housed in a protective sheath and it would take a serious feat of idiocy to nick the insulation in a manner that would produce an intermittent short.

:thinking:

 

Weird lights on the dash are signs of a failing alternator. It's possible that a cable leading from the alternator came loose. It's also possible that it needs a replacement.

Typically, alts are done / finished at 80 to 90K. Head over to autozone and have them test the amp output.

 

Alternator.

 

The stereo is still stock and the alternators' output is good.

The SRS light simply flashed itself on and off when the stereo shut itself off. The last few times it happened the maintenance light flashed instead of the SRS when the stereo shut off.

I've also been having issues trying to reset the maintenance required light recently. I know the procedure for resetting it, but when I do it the indicator turns off for a few seconds and then comes back on again.

The car was in a front end collision a few months ago and I'm wondering if any of these issues might be from that.

 

Just wanted to give some results to the output testing I did on the Accord.

Volt Output: 14.41 volts

Within the 13.5-14.5 volts range, but I got curious and decided to do a load test.

Volt Output under load: 14.25 volts

Unless I'm thinking backwards, the voltage should have increased under a load, so something is wrong somewhere in the electrical system. Wish I had a Vat machine lying around to get to the bottom of this. Any other input is welcomed and thanks to those who already chipped in.

 

Negative, that's why you have a voltage regulator on the alternator. If voltage had increased the alt would have been bad.

 

sounds like a bad or loose ground..

 

nm