This one should be fun to figure out....

[DarkVision]

Ok a few days ago my cluster was acting if it was going bad (drop to 0 then go back to right rpm/speed) every few seconds. sometimes independently but most times together. i checked grounds and connections everything seemed to be fine so i thought the cluster itself was going(note distributer/icm 6 months old or less). well today it proved that this is not the issue..it started fluctuating again then just straight droped to 0 (both tachs) and would not come back up. battery light came on and did not go off and my headlights got dim. then the car started backfiring like a wile hog strong enough to really shake the entire car, so ofc i pulled off the road and cut it off. waited a few minutes(about 3) tried to recrank, nothing(no juice). waited about 10 min and it cranked right up.

battery is 6-8 months old terminals are clean and very well connected
alternater is rebuilt and about the same age(im actually guessing that this part is going out)
distributer cap is not warn and rebuilt ICM is new. 6-8 months old
new CPU/tranny computer about 8-10 months old
fuel relay switch is also about 8 months old(and i get clicking)
thoughts or ideas?

[DarkVision]

ok so just tested it with hood up, no smoke coming out where it shouldnt be it idled fine at 1k rpms let it run for 3-4 minutes that way. as soon as i reved the engine RPMs droped to 0 and backfiring started

[deevergote]

Is your check engine light on? I assume that since you've already checked just about everything people would suggest already (I assume you've searched pretty extensively), that you'd have mentioned it... but I'll ask just in case.

If the alternator was going bad, the battery would be completely drained, as the car would be running on battery power alone. I suppose it's possible, but it wouldn't be my first thought.

It has to be electrical, though. That, or it's two separate issues... The cluster itself MAY still be bad, and you may have an engine problem on top of it.

First thing, see if the check engine light is on. If it is, it will give you an error code to point you in the right direction.

Next, are you SURE all grounds are secure? I had a fender ground that was snapped, but the stiff wire held it in place. I didn't realize it had broken until I pulled on it. It made my car run funny, but nowhere near as bad as yours is...

[DarkVision]

sorry forgot to add that my check engine light is on 4l 1s but this is a old old code that ive had since ive had the car(over a year) and i know exactly what is causing it(i bought the car off a friend who had cut the cadalidic converter off the exaust, so we grabbed another exaust and slapped it on but that exaust has the sensor in a different spot so it wont connect correctly. nto a major issue it causes sputtering occasionaly but nothing else. as ive been super tight on funds for a long time now its been a minor worry. no other codes present. and yeah i had a similar problem with a loose ground before where my tach was just dancing all over the place without a change in rpms/car would die not restart etc. drove me and my friends nuts. we replaced half the crap in the car trying to figure out what was causing it. finaly found the loose ground by accident. wanted to kill myself on that one. so yeah soon as this happened i figured that ground might have worked itself loose...no such luck i tuged at all my grounds that i know of and they were all super tight. Maybe ive missed one though do you know where all of them are or a diagram with a list?

also things known wrong with car that i have no money to fix(till i get my paycheck yay new job making good money)
front windshield is cracked
tires
breaks/roters
spark plugs/wires/battery cabels

also to add to other stuff recently replaced
coil, chip that has a huge heat sink on it(forget wtf its called atm) and coil wire to distributer. all parts are oem.


edit: yes i relize the battery would be completly drained, but a good new strong battery will rebuild a charge given time to sit. when it warms up some im going to go out and reclean the wires/nodes to battery see if that gets rid of that light at least.

[deevergote]

Pull the code on the CEL just to be sure nothing new has been added.

If you're having issues while running, I was initially thinking oxygen sensor... and your exhaust story definitely supports that idea. Replace that oxygen sensor with one that fits properly, with either Denso or NGK/NTK. Do not use a Bosch sensor.
The oxygen sensor provides air/fuel ratio feeback to the ECU, so it can determine how much fuel to send. If it is faulty, or not hooked up properly (which has probably caused it to fail), then the ECU will get incorrect information, and incorrectly fuel your engine.

Also, if your plugs, wires, and battery cables need to be replaced... do that! The battery cables could be causing your problem as well.

I've never known batteries to recharge themselves...

[DarkVision]

yes actually they do they wont fully charge on their own but you can run this test with basicly any battery or may have noticed it yourself. take like the old gameboys, your batteries die on you, leave it alone for 15 minutes and u should be able to play again for a few minutes before they die again. Anyway yes i know those things need to be replaced but one has to have funds for it. just tested the alternater(started car took positive cable off) and died instantly. so looks like the alternater is the culprit for at least one of my issues. though i still wonder can a bad ground cause this same symptom? because ive never heard of an alternater causing all sorts of other crazy side issues.

oh and that was a fresh pull of my codes. like i said i know the sensor isnt hooked up and what it does for fuel economy but ive ran it for a year like that and only gotten occasional sputtering. the condition has not gotten worse or better, the back firing was completly new and i dont belive its related to that sensor, otherwise it would have backfired before now. its not like the sensor was partialy working or working and failed its never been hooked up so how could it suddenly get worse?

[deevergote]

A bad ground could still be the issue. Also, that method of testing the alternator can result in serious damage. It is not recommended.

[DarkVision]

well considering i dont have an induction voltmeter handy or volt meter handy period it was that or nothing but ty for the info didnt know it was bad to do it that way. wish i had my honda manual with me so i could find all my grounds. dumb me for taking it out of the car :/

[gcvphoto]

Have you checked for a blown fuse?

[Fatmike]

my car backfires like that on the highway and when i hit the gas more it got worse and it was the o2 so you should get the rite pipe so u can connect the o2 as far as the dash idk sorry

[supremacycc]

its ur alternator i had that problem but my hids started flickering i took it to auto zone and they told me it was my alternator !so check ur alternator!

[eazyduzit509]

I beleive if you hold a screw driver up next to the alternator while running it will have a slight magnetic draw, farly faint, but worth a test shot.

[Shadow1]

alternator. if its from auto zone or advanced auto and its a reman, then its DEFINITELY your alternator. they seem to use quality parts when they rebuild stuff for our cars(or other Hondas for that matter) so they tend to be cruddy or give out early.

i had this same EXACT problem tho. it right after i was taking off my alternator. found out it was something else so i put it back on. got down the road and the gauges starting fluctuating, car started to bog and back fire. found out it was the wire that plugs into the Alternator. it wasnt in all the way and when i hit a bump, it fell out. plugged it back up(all the way) and never had a problem again.

got to a JY and get an alternator off a junked CB. that one may run better than the reman one you have.

[eazyduzit509]

I have had my tach go crazy and 0 out due to a bad igniter, along with it missing and having no power. but kina sounds like the alty. when my alternator died, obviously the lights began to dim, but first thing was the battery light coming on, lights dimmer, stereo shutoff, clock, gauges, then i had no power, driving around in the dark and the car would kick, miss and die. Amazing what a bad alternator can cause... especially at 3in the morning, over an hour from home...