my girlfriend's 97 civic's headlights dim and brighten randomly all the time.
you'll be driving along and you can barely see anything, then the lights brighten up and dim down, there is no rythm to it.
the dash lights and the heater motor also surge too.
is this maybe a regualtor, or alternator issue.
is this common on 97 civic, 4dr, at, vtec, ex.

 

Sounds like an bad alternator. Make sure the belt is tight and not slipping. Does the dash charging light (battery symbol) turn ON?

Take the car to AutoZone where they will test the alternator and battery free of charge.