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I have a 96 civic dx hatchback. I had the charging system checked and was told that the internal regulator was flaky. It would work sometimes. I changed the alternator. Had it rechecked was told it was good. Charging at 14.3. Drove it for a day no light on. Got up next day to go to work and the light is on but by dim. Has to be dark out to notice it. Check belt tightness that is good. Checked grounds, found battery cable a bit loose so I tightened it up, checked plug and checked wire going to alternator. Checked fuse 15. Everything seems to check out ok but light is very dim but on. Battery voltage after sitting overnight is 12.3. No issues with it running and driving. Looked at wiring don’t see nothing there but did not do a through inspection. When alternator away diagnosed as bad it was charging at 13.2 and no light on dash. This is new since alternator changed. Thought bad battery but voltage does seem to drop. Any ideas of what else to check. Read online still could be bad diodes in alternator even though it’s new. It came from autozone. Only one that had one in stock when I needed it.
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The problem is that the ‘new’ alternators you get from Autozone, Advance, O’Rielleys, etc. are all junk. They have the cheapest voltage regulators and build quality. They might look pretty, but they are truly junk. If you can find a local quality alternator rebuilder who uses good regulators and bearings, go that route. Or, do what I ended up doing, go to Alterstart on eBay and buy one from there. They are more money but much better built. Good news is that you can get your money back from Autozone .
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