Ok, my problem is, when I am idling with the engine on, still, my lights will pulsate (ALL lights). I believe this is a bad voltage regulator, many people say it is. Therefore, my question is, do I have to replace the alternator, or is the voltage control seperate?

My car is a 1992 Maxima GXE.

 

see if you can't take your car to a parts store that sells and installs batteries for free...usually they will test your starter, battery, and alternator for free....
if your lights pulsate and you only have the lights on...no stereo or a/c or anything.....then you got a weak charge...bad alternator or your belts aren't tight enough....or a bad battery....

 

I could test the voltage on my battery, but I'm not sure what good that would do. It does NOT pulsate when the car is off.

The alternator testing idea is good...

What brands of alternator should I look at? It seems my choices are Bosch or Autolite.

The main thing is, our alternator crapped out and we had it replaced a year or two ago (before the car was mine). I have no idea who did it, and whether or not it was a decent job.

-Ivan

 

how tight is the belt on the alternator....try to pull and push on the belt...see how much play it has...if you can push and pull it 1 inch or more, it needs to be tighter