What's wrong with my car's electric system?

Question

So here are the symptoms (for a 92 Honda Civic):

It began with my horn not working. I figured I blew a fuse, but can't find a fuse that correlates with the horn. No big deal, but then my dash-board lights starting flickering on and off on occassion.

Now, the worst part, my stereo system makes a HORRIBLE piercing screeching noise when I start the car. Sometimes it stops, but it's gotten progressively worse and now it tends to just keep screeching and not work at all. So I have to keep it turned off. The noise in unbearable. When the radio does work, I can hear a subtle high pitch noise that gets louder as I press the gas.

I can handle most of it, but I really like to be able to listen to music. So I'm wondering, if this is some sort of electrical short, how bad is it, if it's affecting so many things?

Since my car isn't worth much, I can't see spending too much to fix this. I just want to be able to listen to my radio. What's the best and cheapest solution?

Answer 1

You have a bad ground connection between the engine and the chassis. It could be a negative battery cable that splits and goes both places, or there could be a big black wire between the engine block and chassis.

Answer 2

Try cleaning up the battery terminals.