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Hows it going everyone? So I have an 03 Civic EX and my lights flicker a lot I was wondering if I need a new alternator? Also, the driver side headlight when I bought it has like another wire coming out of the headlight attaching to the fender for the ground, would this be the problem? I would like to fix this as it is annoying to have the lights kind of flicker when driving at night and I don't want the alternator to die on me and leave me on the side of the road. Thanks for all your help and hello everyone from California!

 
Rep Power: 244

Welcome to the forum.

Sounds like you have a grounding issue. I would be curious why a ground was run to the fender, unless it was an attempt to fix the issue. Check all grounds and positives for anything loose. You can have the alternator tested or do a quick test with a volt meter.

 
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Okay perfect, I will check them. The ground running from the cylinder head to the front of the car is a little frayed would this cause all this flickering? And yeah I am not too sure, I believe they did that to make the headlight work because if I disconnect it the headlight does not work. I believe there was a recall for this? I am sure this is not the correct way to fix it though. Where are the other grounds on the car? All I have seen is the battery, the cylinder head one (I mentioned), and the jerry rigged ground for the headlight. Anybody have all the locations? Also, is there a correct way to fix the headlight? Thanks in advance for your help!

 
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Also, I have had the alternator checked at Autozone and they said it was good but when I look at the volts when it is running typically higher than idle the volts jump all over the place, everything in between 13.0-14.5. I also, replaced the ground that runs from the battery to the transmission so that is good. I am stumped. Maybe should I loosen the alternator cable and tighten it up again? I just want to do all I can before I throw another alternator in

 
Rep Power: 134

The alternator is grounded by the alternator bracket and bolts. Many have had electrical problems (myself included) with a stripped bolt to this bracket or the adjusting bolt. I would check on this in your troubleshooting. Still could be the alternator causing your issues. Also wouldn't hurt to replace that frayed ground strap as it is cheap and easy to replace.

 
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Okay so just tighten up the bolts if they are loose and this should solve the problem? And okay I will get that replaced. I think it might be the alternator though because the car has had flickering lights for a while but now I just am getting motivated to looking deeper into the issue and getting it resolved.