The car is regarded as one of the most magical mechanical inventions of all time. Be it the nearest commute or the farthest end, people tend to commute by their beloved cars all around. A car is comprised of a variety of mechanical, moving parts. These parts work together for the seamless operation of a car. The engine and its surrounding parts are considered to be one of the most essential parts of the functioning of a car.
Alternators and starters are one of them. They are responsible for moderating the start-up procedures for your car. Both of these parts work by offering the necessary drive force to the cars. While they are normal to be put up inside regular cars, their presence inside a hybrid car is crucial.
The main purpose of an alternator inside a car is to produce the necessary amount of power. The processed power is then passed on the car battery for functional and non-functional power delivery. All of this is made possible by the connection of the alternator with the engine by an active drive belt and the engine pulley. It’s the starter that engages with the alternator to deliver power to the car battery.
Alternators and starters have a decent, long-lasting performance, considering they come from a reputed brand. While good alternators and starters often function normally for 4 to 5 years, sometimes they are affected by modifications done in a car. It’s the functioning of these components that greatly affect a car battery’s health. Their malfunctioning can even lead to changing a car battery. Hence, it is essential to take care of these components as well. Here are some of the common signs of a bad alternator and starter to look for:
Signs of a bad alternator:
Dimming lighting system:
The alternator is responsible for passing off the charge to the car battery. When an alternator goes bad, it tends to deliver power at an uneven rate. This leads to a weak power delivery from the car battery to other parts of the car. This is one of the primary reasons as to why the car lighting system has a less bright or dimming lighting system.
If this continues for a longer time, it leads to serious car battery damage. Several side effects of a bad car battery include no indicator light, inactive window motors, sticking wiper blade and such. Under such circumstances, replacing your car alternator and changing a car battery is the only viable solution.
Taking care of every car component is essential for the functioning of your car. If you happen to live in Singapore and face any kind of car battery-related issues, feel free to reach out to Swift Tyre Specialists.
Unusual sound:
One of the most peculiar symptoms to find out the issues of a car is by listening to the noises. Bad alternators can be easily identified by the sounds they make when your car is running. Bad sounds like jammed components or the pulley grinding are some of the common noises to be aware of. Ignoring this sound can be pretty critical for the health of your car in the long run. In some cases, it ends up ruining the car battery and a car battery replacement along with the faulty alternator is the only solution.
Visual check:
Seeing the alternator by opening the car is also regarded to be one of the most common ways to analyze an alternator. If you find an alternator that looks clogged or burnt on opening the car, it’s likely that the alternator has taken damage and needs replacing. Apart from that, a common symptom would be a loose alternator belt. A badly smelling alternator is also a sign of a bad alternator.
Discharging car battery:
A discharging car battery is also one of the symptoms of a reacting alternator. Analyzing the car battery with the help of an avo meter lets you determine if the car battery is affected by a bad alternator or not. Checking the volt count is essential in determining the effects. A normal car battery functions at 12.6V when the engine is on standby and bolts at 14.2V when the engine is started. Offbeat voltage patterns can be a sign of a bad car alternator or battery. Such cases often require car users to go for a car battery replacement service.
Even if you are stuck in the middle of nowhere at midnight but happen to be in Singapore, you can always reach out to the Swift Tyre Specialists. We offer 24hrs support across Singapore.
Signs of a bad starter:
Rapid clicks:
A car starter looks like a solenoid. It collaboratively works together with the alternator and the car battery to get things done. If your car happens to click often, there are chances that your car has a bad starter. This may be because the starter solenoid is being held back by something. This is primarily because it lacks enough amount of electric current to reach the solenoid.
Loose connections or a bad battery are often the major reasons here. Replacing Corroded terminals lead to fix the loose connections while getting car battery replacement fixes the latter. Either of the reasons further leads to the loss of solenoid’s efficiency. The click sounds indicate that solenoid is not getting enough power to make the mechanical movements happen.
Non-stop rotation:
A Car starter solenoid has the design of a bolt. It has been designed in such a way that it has different types of contact points on its surface that let the starter being held on specified locations. With time, the starters get old and start to lose their contact ability. This is likely since the contact points get burnt due to the passage of extra currents over time. This is usually because the current system inside the car is messed up. A bad battery or an overcharged alternator is likely at fault again. All of this leads to a nonstop starter motion. It continues to move, even after the button has been released.
Ignoring this can be a pretty serious mistake. Excessive charges coming from alternator and car battery can entirely damage the starter systems of the car.
Gear block:
This is one of the side effects of a burnt-out starter. This is a situation where the starters stay closed, despite having the control gauged off the buttons. Such a situation may also be because springs fall into an immovable state and lose flexibility due to excessive use.
These are the common alternator and starter symptoms you should know. They help you in analyzing other car defects and take quick action. However, if you happen to run into a major issue and happen to live in Singapore, reach out to Swift Tyre Specialists. We offer car battery replacement services across the Singapore.