Electrical Problem... Help
 

Hey everyone,

Long time lurker. I've had a problem develop with my 07 fit and I've searched and searched your website hoping for a solution. I have not found one. So maybe you can help.

I drive quite a distance to commute to work. When I was just about to get into work today the electrical systems of the car blinked out for a fraction of a second. I wouldn't have noticed except that the radio went out and had to power back on. This happened about 3 more times in 5 or 10 minutes until I parked my car. The car never stalled, and only once did I even notice anything other than the radio going off.

I recently replaced my battery but I doubt that is the culprit. Any thoughts on what the problem could be?

Thanks.

I'd check the battery terminal connections to make certain that they are tight. Unless you changed the battery size, the posts should be the same size, but you may need to insert a copper shim if the terminal connection won't tighten. I'm assuming you didn't remove the wire going from the battery positive post to the fuse box.

Do you have any aftermarket accessories on the car, specifically an amplifier wired directly to the battery?

There is nothing aftermarket about my car. It's just my daily drive so nothing special about it.

Thanks for the reply though. I'll make sure to double check the battery connections when I'm done with work.

Sounds like the ol' Ignition Switch Failure to me.

This was a common problem on Hondas and Acuras about 10 years ago. Some models were recalled, but the replacement switches are starting to fail now.


Looked the switch up on Bernardi Honda just now, not too expensive at around $40 USD. #11

35130-SAA-J51

Plug that number ^^^ into your favorite internet seller to make sure that's the one.

http://estore.honda.com/honda/images...SLN4B1100A.png

Thanks so much. Does anyone know if the fit had a recall on the ignition switch?

Was just the radio going out or did you notice all the lights inside the car turning off then on? Is the car doing anything else funny?

if it was the ignition switch, he should have felt a burp in the car's running as he was on the highway.

I vote no on ignition switch replacement, until you do further testing to confirm it.

Its expensive to replace parts that may not be the source of the issue

Sounds like a loose terminal connection, or something with wiring if the battery was recently replaced. Electrical issues can be a real pain sometimes.

Not necessarily, the switch contains multiple contacts (different circuits) so unless the main ignition circuit is failed, the engine would continue to run.

Remember the glitch was only noticeable because the radio needed to be re-powered.

The OP needs to evaluate if he wants to gamble on the $40 switch. Heck... it could be a loose main fuse, too?

:popc:

@MNfix I noticed the instrument panel blink off and then back on only once. But it was happening so fast that by the time I noticed and looked down it would always be back on. I was driving and the roads weren't great so I was trying not to get into an accident.

Speaking of roads...

@13fit I was off the highway. I was just pulling into the parking garage at work. And the roads were not well maintained (I got in super early that day). So I was spinning tire a bit. I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't notice a burp in the cars performance.

@thefit09 I did tighten the connections to the battery before I left work that evening. I haven't had that issue since. So maybe that is what it was.

The next morning I did have an issue with my passenger door speaker. It sounded like it was blown but only with the low end of the sound. So I turned down the bass and everything was fine. Half way to work I turned the bass back up and the distortion went away on it's own. I couldn't help but wonder if the two issues were related.

Either way, thank you all for the help. It is much appreciated.

You are right, it does contain multiple circuits, but I believe the ecu would not have been able to avoid doing something if it was a burp in power.

I'll gladly pay 40 dollars for a switch. If it doesn't fix the problem then I can move on to other possible causes.

What would be the best way to test the switch?

If you have a multimeter with Peak Hold you could test for voltage drops at the radio power feed when you vibrate (slap) the steering column.

If someone has a wiring diagram (I don't) you could look for a common voltage source for both instrument lamps and radio. bUt AFAIK these are two different sources...radio from the acc power feed and instrument lights through the light switches. (<--- unless you mean, the lights that are always on with ignition, in the Fit cluster)

I don't know what to say about the speaker. Unless you have a separate amp on those speakers the power usually comes from the radio on stock systems.

I had an awkward problem where the cruise control wouldn't engage and sometimes the dash lights would stay on even when everything was turned off.

Surprisingly the problem was a burnt out reverse-bulb. Replacing it fixed my problem.

I didn't have any issues with the radio, but I also don't remember using the radio then.

I know this is an old thread, but I'm having this same problem with my 2012 Honda Fit Sport. I took it to the dealership and they said the power steering control module seemed to be going out, replaced it to the tune of almost $1,500, and the problem seemed to be fixed. About a month later the problem has come back. What I've noticed is that it seems to only happen when I have the A/C on. When the A/C compressor engages it causes the entire electrical system to reset and there is a complete loss of electrical power for a second or two, but the engine stays running without interruption. It's like the compressor clutch is pulling too much current when it engages and it's causing the entire electrical system to reset. Any ideas?

Thanks!

Dustin

So yeah, this thread is way old. That was three cars, two jobs, two kids and a multistate move ago. But let me walk through what I remember and what I don't.

I don't even remember making this thread. So chances are I didn't have the problem after I tightened the battery terminals. At the time I was traveling too far for work to have issues like this consistently. So it was either something SUPER obvious or the battery terminals were the issue.

I think it was the summer of 14 that I had the alternator replaced. So if it's a power issue, that's definitely something I would look at.

I never did (to my memory) replace the ignition switch.

I know this isn't much but I hope it's helpful.

Thanks, that's helpful. My car has 270,000 miles on it, so it's at the point where anything could go out just based on the mileage. I'm really just trying to avoid taking it back to the shop and having another really expensive part replaced that may not be the issue.

Intermittent electrical dropout- ‘08 Honda fit sport
 

I have been looking for threads like this that have solutions, but often times it’s a simple connection tightening, new battery, or new alternator that solves the issue… NONE of these have yet to fix the problem, for me.
Treating symptoms at this point, but can’t find the actual problem.


When purchased used, September 2020, radio would drop out. Later headlights as well. Now 2022, power steering drops out. Suggestion is that this is progressive.

Things that turn off momentarily:
Radio
Power steering
Headlights
dash lights

Engine falters at stops and will stall completely

Battery dead sometimes in morning.

Clue:
Often can trigger radio shutoff by turning on headlights even at speed on the highway. (Owner reports radio turning off when wipers or door locks activated)

Symptoms above consistent through repair attempts as follows:
As the first solution new battery purchased in November 2021. Car unused for four weeks and battery needed charging. Symptoms continue. Mechanic thinks battery is the problem. Tries another battery and nothing changes. Reinstalls original battery and replaces alternator. No better. Removes alternator and replaces with another new alternator November 2022. Cardriven from Michigan to California.

Reads 12.55 volts running at idle, or off. At higher revs it goes up a little but still less than 13 volts.

11-30-2022
Got battery check from Dorsey’s. Ken says battery still good but shows real low cranking amps. Notes lack of normal charging voltage. First suggestion is that it is a faulty alternator but given the history suggests it may be some mysterious short or something and recommends Ben at DFM.

At this point we have established a low voltage situation and the history of three different batteries and three different alternators none of which changed anything.

12-1-22
Did some research on the anomalous dash button. Took a picture and ran it through google image reverse search and it seem to be an aftermarket alarm system. Possibly manufactured by Karr. I unplugged the wires from the button and checked the voltage and it is up into the high thirteens. Test drive and no glitches. The voltage stays the same when the engine is revved so there may still be another voltage drop somewhere. Possibly in the alarm. Horn now honks when starting the car but not very much.

Had alarm removed. Horn no longer honks when starting but symptoms remain as always. Carthen driven from California back to Michigan. Symptoms continue. Plus noticed automatic doorlock can trigger dropout of radio, dash lights, radio.

Note that dropout is momentary. It never lasts more than a second. In at least one case when dropout could be recreated by door lock, repetition caused dropout until around sixth time when dropout ceased.

12/2022
checked relays no obvious issues detected. Replaced die hard 12v battery of 1 year with a high capacity battery. Drove it around for a as few days with less occurrences of the issue, but the radio still cut out 5 or so times over 3 days time (down in count from standard outages maybe 5-10 times per 1/2 hour). Going to test charging voltage to see if the car issue has had an effect on the battery.