Many of you have probably noticed a bunch of warning lights on the dash when you start your engine.  They flash on to test the circuits and then off if everything is OK.  One of the warning lights looks like a car battery. It’s job is to tell you if your vehicle battery’s not charging properly.

Most drivers probably know that their battery stores electricity–enough to start the engine and get moving. But that’s about it–you can only go a few miles on battery power alone. You need an alternator to generate enough electricity to run your vehicle engine and power your electrical accessories like the stereo, power seats, heater fan, on-board computers, and so on.  On top of that, the alternator needs to re-charge your battery.  So when your vehicle’s alternator isn’t working, there isn’t enough electricity for all of those things. When your alternator fails, you aren’t going very far.

So why would your vehicle alternator not work?  Usually they’ve simply worn out.  Alternators are driven by your serpentine belt and spin 2 to 3 times faster than the engine–that’s a lot of work.  The bearings wear out, as do the copper wire coils and magnets that generate the electricity.

There’s no sense in hobbling along with an alternator that’s not working properly. It will fail at some point and leave you stranded on the road.  Get a bad alternator replaced as soon as you can.

Give Douglas Automotive Repair a call if your alternator is not working properly!T

his entry was posted in Battery, Warning Light and tagged Alternator, Battery Light, Charging System on April 25, 2016.