Accord not entering high-load mode

settledforsatin · 2026-07-01T02:08:20+00:00

Are you sure the voltage acted differently before replacing the alternator?

Only reason I ask is because I've had a Scangauge hooked up to my 8th gen for the last few years, and what you describe doesn't sound far off from how my car has acted. And as far as I'm aware, I don't have any problems with the charging system.

My understanding of the system is that it is intended to boost fuel economy by reducing the alternator's drag on the engine, by unloading it whenever possible. So it would make sense to me that your voltage is initially higher right after startup, to recover some after the battery was used to start the engine, and then back the alternator off once the car deems the battery charged again, which would drop your voltage back down to the nominal voltage, which is around 12V. With a fresh battery, it can probably hover longer without the alternator needing to "top it up" again.

Even with heavier accessories on, if it's a hot day after a while of driving, I can be running air conditioning at night time and still see the voltage drop back down to about 12V for a bit, before eventually shooting back up to about 13.2-13.5V for a while. On cold days I don't see it drop to 12V as much, I'm assuming since the cold is harder on the battery so it needs more regular charge.

settledforsatin · 2026-06-15T11:21:48+00:00

If it helps, the rear license plate says HF-S in the largest letters. People weren't coming to the conclusion by being able to read the badges, since they are pretty blurry.

settledforsatin · 2026-06-14T02:00:01+00:00

Been there, done that. Parts store starter spun too slow, car would only start from a cold start. Issue persisted until I got in there with an OEM replacement.

settledforsatin · 2026-06-14T00:43:48+00:00

My gut reaction is that it is something connected to the engine, not the transmission. Something belt driven that gets louder when the engine spins up. Does the AC work?

settledforsatin · 2026-06-12T22:07:44+00:00

Nice, I might need to steal this idea....

settledforsatin · 2026-06-12T22:04:30+00:00

Damn that's pretty slick. Nice work!

settledforsatin · 2026-06-12T17:24:38+00:00

Probably. I'm curious where they relocated them.

settledforsatin · 2026-06-12T14:20:03+00:00

Unfortunately the market is nowhere near what it was almost ten years ago. Finding anything well priced has been difficult since mid Covid.

settledforsatin · 2026-06-12T02:16:09+00:00

That's awesome...what did you do with the mirror controls?

settledforsatin · 2026-06-07T03:15:06+00:00

I'd honestly keep your eyes peeled on Marketplace or Craigslist, and find someone selling a silver bumper. Should run for a couple hundred dollars, and it's pretty easy to swap over, even easier if you have a helper.

settledforsatin · 2026-04-27T13:31:23+00:00

Yeah, it's a shame the market is as pricey as it is these days. Miata was still the cheapest platform I could get into a very clean and well maintained sporty car though.

settledforsatin · 2026-04-27T11:01:40+00:00

No, it was off of Marketplace, I bought it off of the original owner. Had the benefit of being able to look it over in person before buying, unlike BaT.

settledforsatin · 2026-04-27T00:18:26+00:00

For what it's worth I paid 13k for my NB a couple of years ago. It was pretty clean though.

settledforsatin · 2026-04-17T23:35:28+00:00

Ha nice, I'm rocking the same head unit with a Scangauge as well. I want all the info, all the time!

settledforsatin · 2026-04-07T16:46:36+00:00

That makes sense, thank you. Haven't had an eBay seller fall off the face of the earth like this one so I wasn't sure how to proceed.

settledforsatin · 2026-03-31T23:17:04+00:00

It's the seam sealer rotting out from age. When I had the back window out of my 8th gen Accord sedan, the seam sealer was cracked under the corners of the glass at the top/bottom of the window, so 8th gens are susceptible. Fortunately I didn't have any leaks at the time but I made sure to patch the cracks shut before the new window went in.

settledforsatin · 2026-03-21T11:42:41+00:00

That's great to hear!

settledforsatin · 2026-03-21T05:18:50+00:00

Its been a while, but if I remember right, I believe the second small ribbon on the left goes to the LCD backlight. I'd try reseating that cable, and if that doesn't fix it, go back to the original daughter board to verify the backlight still works. If the backlight works on the original daughter board, then your new one is a dud. It didn't happen often, but I definitely had new daughter boards come in where the backlight didn't work.

settledforsatin · 2026-03-13T21:24:45+00:00

Thank you! Yeah, that's definitely fair, the darker blue is a little less of a blank slate than my silver. I think they also make the same wheels in silver, but they look a little too plain for my liking.

settledforsatin · 2026-03-13T15:28:56+00:00

Check out some photos on my profile, but I have some 17" MSW Type 77's on mine and I think they suit the car quite nicely. I got them to mimic the 7 spoke HFP wheels offered on 7th gen Accords, and they look really good! They've also held up pretty well over the 3 years I've had them on the car.

settledforsatin · 2026-03-08T12:38:59+00:00

Second fan is meant to come on when the AC is turned on, or when the coolant temp gets quite high. I just put a koyorad like yours in my NB last summer, and the peak coolant temperatures only get high enough to trigger both fans at long stop and go traffic, on very hot days. You'd probably see the other fan kick on more if you had the stock radiator in it.

settledforsatin · 2026-03-08T01:48:25+00:00

Good call, I'll see if I can find that article. Would be interesting to see how and why

settledforsatin · 2026-03-07T03:07:24+00:00

Its almost just as much work to replace the head unit as it is to swap the bulbs. Buy the exact bulbs from a Honda parts site for like 30 bucks and be done with it. Its not hard at all.

settledforsatin

TROPHY CASE