I have a 96 Honda Civic LX 5 speed with about 140,000 miles on it. I have been experiencing a recurring problem with the car not wanting to idle. I was at Farm and Fleet this past week and the car would not start when I went to leave. I had them test the battery and they said it failed the test. I purchased a new battery and installed it in the car.

Then on the drive home(15 minutes or so), at first the car ran fine, but after driving for a bit the car did not want to idle when coming to a stop. The RPM's would show 500 and the battery light would appear on the dash. The battery light only shows up when the car is at idle and trying to die.

At home, I put a battery charger on the car and the battery took a charge. I charged it up and went for another drive. At first the car ran fine but after driving for a bit it did not want to idle and would die. Once I got back home, the battery took a charge again.

I pulled the alternator and took it to two autoparts stores and the alternator passed the tests at both stores.

Now I am not sure what the problem is. Has anyone ever had an experience where the alternator test was incorrect? Does anyone have any idea what the problem could be if it is not the alternator? Thanks for the help!

 

Here's how to troubleshoot: