Alternators have a long life of approximately eight years, but your alternator will eventually start to show signs of wear. When this happens, the alternator is on borrowed time. As your Honda dealer, we can easily fix any alternator problem. These are a few signs that you may need an alternator repair soon.
Need an Alternator Repair? See Your Honda Dealer Today
Bad Battery
A bad battery can lead to a dead battery. This is because your alternator is responsible for recharging your battery. The alternator begins recharging your battery as soon as your engine starts. The alternator doesn’t recharge your battery at full strength, as this can damage the alternator. Instead, it charges at full power for a few minutes and then changes to charging at 10% of your battery capacity.
After the first five minutes, your battery should send a confirmation to the alternator that the charge has been received. A bad battery won’t send this confirmation, and your alternator will continue to charge at full strength. This causes your alternator to overwork and can damage it. We may need to repair your alternator, or we may have to replace it depending on how much damage it’s suffered.
Broken Rectifier
Your alternator is driven by the crankshaft. As the crankshaft turns, the alternator belt moves across the alternator pulley and causes it to spin. This spinning movement causes a bundle of magnets inside the alternator to spin and create magnetic energy. The stator in the alternator turns this magnetic energy into AC. Your car’s systems, however, require DC.
The rectifier is a small component in the alternator that converts AC to DC. If the rectifier fails, this power conversion won’t happen. Your car’s electrical systems will shut down, and your car won’t move. Our technicians can easily test the rectifier and replace it if it’s damaged. This will fix the problem, and your car’s systems will return to normal.
Damaged Alternator Belt
As we saw above, the alternator belt powers your alternator. It also runs across additional pulleys that power the AC compressor, pump, and other critical systems. These belts are made from strong, reinforced rubber but they can still become worn or damaged. They can also be damaged by other engine problems. A jammed pulley, for example, can damage the belt.
If a pulley is jammed, the component it’s connected to won’t work. As the belt runs over the damaged pulley, it will start to wear. If this continues, the belt can eventually fray and even snap. An alternator belt that snaps will cut off all your car’s electrical systems until it’s replaced.
If you’re worried about your alternator, call our service department today at Tony Honda. Our Honda-trained technicians will test the alternator for you.
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