Troubleshooting alternator problems can holding a while.
Car alternators are especial dependable and hardly longing maintainance. On the other hand, they are an influential chip of an Car, and whether they don't ride genuine, it can consummation in your battery going dead and your electrical Accoutrement not working. Whether you pride yourself getting these problems, then you demand to troubleshoot the difficulty. Go next washed-up on a sporadic fairly accessible checks and tests, and you can bonanza absent the disputed point and move it rectified.
Instructions
Check Alternator Belt Tension
1. Analysis the tension of the alternator zone. Provided an alternator region is besides loose, the alternator pulley doesn't spin effectively, impression it doesn't cause Sufficiently electricity to charge the battery and authority the electronics.
2. Catch the longest constituent of the alternator cestuses. This is normally between the alternator and the flood pump.
3. City a 6-inch ruler in the centre of the longest effects of the alternator cummerbund. Cause a location on the ruler where the band is using a pen.
4. Amass the ruler in the identical area using one labourer then using your other help push and pull the alternator zone so it moves across the ruler.
5. Degree the complete distance you can change the girth. Whether your alternator belt is prerrogative tensioned, you can matchless deed it approximately one-half to One inch Everyone plan: complete movement shouldn't exceed Two inches. Provided it moves and than Two inches, the belt is too loose and the tension needs tightening, or at worst you need a new belt. Get it checked out by your auto garage if you're not confident about doing it yourself.
Check Alternator Wiring Connections
6. Check the wires that connect to the terminals of the alternator. The number of wires varies, depending on auto type.
7. Use your fingers to try and move each wire. If you can move the wires, it's likely you have a bad electrical connection.
Turn on energy consuming electrical equipment in your car such as wipers, heater fan and lights. Repeat the test to check the amperes using the same process. Read the display, and make a note of it.
Test Alternator Voltage Output
9. Check you don't have any loose clothing. Start the engine.
10. Set your multimeter To gauge voltage. Place the prong on the end of the red wire that's attached to the multimeter onto the positive terminal of the battery. The terminal is labeled "+" or "Pos." Place the prong on the end of the black wire from the multimeter onto the negative battery terminal. It's labeled "-" or "Neg."
11. Read the multimeter display. It will read between 13.4 and 14.5 volts if the alternator is working correctly. If it's less than Thirteen volts get it checked out by a professional. The reason the output voltage is greater than the battery voltage (12 volts) is because the volts travel through thick cables before they reach the battery, causing electrical resistance. The extra voltage compensates for the resistance.
Test Alternator Ampere Output
12. Check the ampere output your alternator should produce if it's working properly. Find the specifications section in your owner's manual. This is usually at the back. Find the alternator information, and note the ampere range. Repeat the process you completed To gauge voltage by placing the prongs on the battery terminals as before. Read the multimeter display. Make a note of the reading.14.
As a guide, most car alternators produce between Fifty and One hundred amperes, depending on the electrical requirements of the car.13. Set the multimeter To gauge amperes.
8. Tighten the wires onto the terminals. Use a wrench or screwdriver, depending on how they connect. If you find broken or exposed wire, then get it checked out professionally.
15. Turn off the electrical equipment in the car, and turn off the engine. Close the hood.
16. Compare the two ampere readings you made a note of to the ampere range you noted in the owner's manual. The first reading you noted is lower than the second reading as you turned on the electrical equipment in the car. Your readings will be the same, or within Ten percent, as the readings from the owner's manual if your alternator is working properly. For instance, if the range in the manual is Fifty to Seventy five amperes, then your lower reading should not be less than Forty five amperes and the higher reading should not be less than about Sixty five amperes. If they are, get the alternator checked out professionally.
