my 95 Civic has been sitting for a few months and I just started it again today. I put a new battery in and it took awhile to start. When it finally did there was some smoke for the first few seconds, I figured I flooded the engine alittle on a previous attempt. The battery light stayed on and I let it run for about 20 minutes to warm up. I figure its the alternator but am not sure if I should check anything else first.

Is replacing an alternator on the '95 a pain in the ass?

 

Sounds like the alt to me.
Check the volts on your alt though.

And yes it's a pain in the ass. If you don't have power steering it's easier.

 

also when changing your alt, be careful taking out the bolts, they may get stuck then you'll have to drill holes and all this other shit. huge pain in the arse

 

its not that bad dont let em scare ya, just be careful and try not to strip out the bolts, couple shots of pb blaster and let em sit for a moment then give it a try

 

Yea, I never had a problem with the bolts.

Oh, remember to disconnect the battery too. I forgot to at first, surprised my buddy when he put the socket on the alt terimanal. LOL!

 

If your unsure and all else fails.
Suck it up and have someone who knows what the yare doing,do it for ya.

 

Check your battery terminal cables all the way to the alternator. They could be corroded and making poor contact. If the alternator worked when you parked the car last, it's unlikely that it's failed from sitting still.

Don't forget you can go to most auto parts stores and have your whole charging system diagnosed for free.