Bad Alternator Symptoms
An alternator is a very important part of the electrical power system of a car. Here is a listing of bad alternator symptoms, which will give you an advance warning of alternator failure or alternator problems.
Alternators are the devices that serve the electrical energy needs of your car. If the alternator fails, all the accessories like headlights, air conditioning and most importantly the car ignition system will eventually fail. So, it’s very important that you know and learn to read bad alternator symptoms, as they will ensure that you are not stranded and left high and dry as your alternator stops working!
How does an Alternator Work?
Have you ever wondered, where does the electrical power for driving the car radio, the driving lights and other accessories come from? Yes, it comes from the car battery, but you do not charge the car battery daily! How does the car manage to keep the battery charged and keep all the electrical devices operational day in and day out? The way it achieves this, is through a device called the alternator, which charges the battery when the car is moving! An ‘Alternator’ is the short form for ‘Alternating Current Generator’. An alternator is basically a dynamo, that converts the mechanical energy of the crankshaft into electrical energy, which is stored in the car battery. All the vital systems of the car, like the ignition systems are totally dependent on the power output from the car battery, which in turn is dependent on the alternator. So, you should watch out for bad alternator symptoms which I list here.
Symptoms of Bad Alternator All car problems
are best solved by a qualified mechanic, but you should also know the warning signs of impending device malfunctions in the car. Any malfunctioning car part or device gives you indirect indications of its problems. Some devices have indicators which show their condition, while the only way to check the condition of some car devices is to check out for yourself. There are various bad alternator symptoms which will give you an advance notice of impending problems. Here is a listing of common bad alternator symptoms.
Bad Alternator Symptoms #1: Watch the Dashboard Indicator/Service Light
There is a dashboard indicator or service light, which indicates the condition of the alternator. If it flickers or is switched off, it could mean two things. Either the service light LED is gone or the alternator is not working! Check both cases as soon as possible with a mechanic or do it your self with a dc voltmeter.
Bad Alternator Symptoms #2: Battery Voltage Output Drop
The best and sure fire way, in which you can know the condition of your alternator is to arm yourself with a digital multimeter or dc voltmeter and check the voltage output of the battery. If it is consistently low (less than 13 V) and diminishing, then chances are, that either alternator is partially or fully failing or there is a problem with the car battery itself. Either way, its best to get it checked from a car mechanic.
Bad Alternator Symptoms #3: Noise
Many experienced car mechanics can tell what is wrong with a car, by just listening to it! Years of experience have trained them to know what is wrong just by identifying peculiar sounds made by malfunctioning parts! We mortals cannot be expected to understand that yet, but noise is an indicator of something going wrong. A clanging or rattling sound might be an indicator of something gone wrong with the alternator belt or its other parts.
Bad Alternator Symptoms #4: Diminished Accessory Performance
One of the indirect bad alternator symptoms is diminished performance of various electrical accessories in the car. This indicates, low charging level of the battery, which could be a result of the alternator not performing well. In this case, an immediate check up from a mechanic is recommended or else, you will observe the gradual shutdown of all electrically operated accessories of the car.
Read more on:
- Car Alternator Problems
- Guide to Replace a Car Alternator Every component of a car is crucial in its overall working. The alternator being the core power generator
system, is especially more important. Hope these bad alternator symptoms have sufficiently warned you about the alternator malfunction signs, that you should look out for!
Car repair
is a costly endeavor and being alert and seeing early signs of car device malfunction is the only way of saving you that expense.
