Hello all!
I am new here, my wife has had a 1994 N/A 5SP sitting at my in laws for about 10 years that I'm in the process of slowly fixing up to get back on the road. I've been perusing the forum and already got a lot of great info (most recently to get a gas tank for a Mazda 323!). I am a certified tech (currently a service advisor) so I know my way around a car, but I am not as familiar with older systems and wanted to make sure I'm not missing something.
I recently got the car running again this spring after a battery charge and the tank replacement, and the battery light is on at all times when running/driving. The battery is resting at 12.5, but battery voltage at idle jumps to a out 14.5 then just climbs and climbs as high as 17.4v within a couple minutes of idling (shut it off at this point). When I added some loads (headlights, blower fan, etc) a separate time it seemed to stay under 16v but battery light remained on. From what I've read there is a voltage regulator that is separate from the alternator itself. At this point I'm thinking I need to replace that regulator since it seems to have gone bad. I wanted to check and see if anyone's had a similar problem or has any advice about these cars that I'm missing before I do that since it's a $170 part and I haven't yet found a used one. Thanks for any help in advance, and you'll probably see me around here occasionally!