How to Tell When Your Chevy Needs an Alternator Repair

Your car’s battery gets all the attention for providing the power to start your engine. The alternator, however, provides the power that your battery needs to function. It also powers all of your car’s electrical devices. In time, your alternator will suffer damage, and you’ll need an alternator repair. As your Chevy dealer, we’d like you to know the signs that you may have an alternator problem.

Your Alternator Is Old

Like any other component, your alternator will eventually wear out. An alternator has a relatively long lifespan of approximately eight years before you need to think about replacement. When an alternator gets older, it starts to lose its ability to generate power. The reduced power generation isn’t noticeable for a while, as your alternator has surplus power.

Eventually, your alternator will not be able to produce enough power to satisfy the demands of all your car’s systems. When this happens, you’ll experience temporary electrical failures, as the limited power is shifted between the various systems. Your car windows, for example, will fail to open, or your radio will shut down. These glitches will become more frequent at your alternator runs down.

Burning Smells

As your alternator struggles to generate power, it will work harder and faster. The alternator is powered by the movement of the crankshaft which turns as you drive. The crankshaft movement causes the alternator belt to run across a series of pulleys. Each pulley is attached to one of your engine’s components. The movement of the belt across the pulleys causes them to spin, and this powers a specific component.

In an attempt to generate more power, the alternator will spin faster than it should. Your alternator isn’t designed to do this, and the faster movement will cause the alternator to heat up. You’ll start to smell hot metal as the alternator overheats. Our technicians can test your alternator, and replace it if it’s damaged.

Failing Battery

If your car battery starts to wear out, this can place unexpected demands on your alternator. Your battery is recharged by the alternator, but a worn battery won’t be able to charge correctly. When your engine starts, the alternator begins recharging your battery at full power for five minutes. After this, it switches to a lower charging rate to prevent overexerting the alternator.

A healthy battery will send a signal that it received the first charge. One this signal is received, the alternator reduces its charging rate. A damaged battery won’t send this signal, and the alternator will continue to charge at full power. This power is wasted as the battery isn’t absorbing it. The high rate of charging, however, puts the alternator under strain and can cause it to fail.

If you experience any strange behavior with the electrical system, it’s advisable to get it checked ASAP. Call our service department at Levalley Chevrolet Buick GMC. Our Chevy-trained technicians will find the cause of the problem and repair it.

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