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Alternators
An alternator is an old term for electric generator that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy producing alternating current. Alternators are mainly used for recharging batteries and to power electrical loads of vehicles.
4,629 Questions
AS LONG AS THERE IS ENOUGH POWER IN BATTERY TO SUPPLY A SPARK TO THE ENGINE
VIA THE DISTRIBUTOR IT WILL RUN FOR A WHILE (DONT DRIVE IT IN THE DARK THOUGH IT USE ALL THE POWER IN THE BATTERY)
All the alternator does is to keep the battery charged up
How much does it cost to replace a 2000 ford escort zx2 alternator?
A repair shop will charge around $300, if you install it yourself, it is $139 plus 35 core.
What drains battery on a 2000 Chevrolet impala with a good alternator?
Dead cell in the battery requiring a replacement battery or some light is on that is draining the battery. Can also be a stuck relay.
It could be the timing chain guides. 240sx engines are notorious for this. The timing chain guides are made of cheap plastic and they wear out and break off after time. When the engine is started, the pieces get kicked up from the bottom of the oil pan and make a racket for a while. I don't think is causes much harm, though.
How do you take out and replace an alternator on the 2003 Kia Sedona?
First, set aside between 5 and 7 hours depending on your mechanical ability and tool selection. Unhook the battery terminals. Loosen the idler, remove the belt. Remove the top radiator support plastic shroud and remove the metal structure underneath. Remove the cooling fan. Loosen the radiator and condenser if a/c equipped. Remove the O2 sensor. You can finally get to the alternator and see that you'll have to slide it out from the front of the engine. Remove the alternator, careful not drop it or brush against the radiator. Reinstall new one as removed. Follow mfgrs directions on alternator hookup so as not to void warranty. (you do NOT want to do this again if it fails) Roadtest the car and celebrate saving $300 in dealership labor costs.
And make sure your buy the right belt, due to smaller pully in alternator, you will need a different belt, which wasn't in stock in my local kragen, so I need to wait couple days, in my time only weekend available, that mean I have to wait another weekend. To remove the bolt for the alternator is very difficult and has to be very carefully not to scratch the body at the side, to install the original length bolt is even more difficult, so find something to cut the bolt about 1/2" will save you several hours to insert it.
How do you put on alternator belt on 90 Honda civic?
You need to line up you belt with the pulley except for the tensioner pulley according to the picture in your engine bay. You will need to put a wrench on your tensioner pulley and twist it to relieve the tension then slip the belt on and let off the wrench to return the tension.
Can the alternator put out to many volts and drain the battery?
It can put out too many volts and destroy the battery but not drain it. The alternator should put out between 13.5 to 16 volts.
How do you replace the alternator on a 1989 Plymouth Sundance?
I own the nxt year's model, but if the '89 is anything like the '90, then this might work for you. The alternator is located underneath the air conditioner compressor. This is on the left hand side of the vehicle if you are looking at the car with the hood up. The compressor has all manner of tubes coming off of it with pressure valves on the tubes, and a belt hooked to it. Directly underneath the compressor is the alternator. The alternator has a drive belt attached to it and a single cable attached to the body that splits off four ways. Detatch the cable. then, at the front of the alternator (towards the front of the car), there is a bolt tyhat needs to come off. loosen the bolt and take it out; the alternator should shift downwards, giving you enough play to take the drive belt off. once you remove the drive belt, there is a bolt that needs to come off of the other side (towards the rear of the vehicle) of the alternator. loosen this bolt, take it off. and be careful to get all of the rubber washers in case they fall off, there are two. your alternator should now be removed from the chassis, and you can take it out of the car. I took my oil filter off of my car to let the alternator off more easily; just do whatever works. Then check what model your alternator is and buy a new one. reverse the steps to put the thing back in.
How do you replace the alternator on 1995 GMC Safari?
how do you get the alternator out of a 1995 safari van.I took off the front bolts but still not coming out must i take off the "doghouse"to get access how do you get the alternator out of a 1995 safari van.I took off the front bolts but still not coming out must i take off the "doghouse"to get access
I suspect that the same thing that caused the "old" battery drain, and/or failure to charge is causing the battery to be discharged after your replacement of the battery and alternator.
Without doing a "hands on" troubleshooting of the charging circuit, and all the circuits of your vehicle, no one can tell you the exact defect or cause. There could be one or more of many causes.
The proper "fix" for this problem is for someone who KNOWS what he/she is doing [a qualified Electronic or Electrical Technician to do a complete troubleshoot of the vehicle's electrical systems.
During that analysis, the defect should be identified and properly repaired. There are many possible causes that make this analysis is an absolute necessity.
Community Answer 1
The alternator houses a rotor that is connected to your engine. The engine will spin this rotor depending on how many RPMs youre producing. The alternator also houses a ring that goes around this rotor. Basically, the rotor creates a magnetic fieid as it spins and the ring acts as the catcher and harnesses that energy in the form of AC power. However, your battery uses DC power so before it sends this power out it converts it to DC.
Your alternator should cause about 14V to flow through your battery even when all the electric components in your car are turned on. Anything under 12 might be cause for concern.
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Community Answer 2
The alternator consists of a spinning set of electrical windings called a rotor, a stationary set of windings called a stator, a rectifier assembly, a set of brushes to maintain electrical contact with the rotor, and a pulley. All of these parts except the pulley are contained in an aluminum housing. Today?s alternators use compact, electronic voltage regulators that may be housed inside the alternator or the voltage regulator function may be handled by the vehicle?s powertrain control module (PCM).
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Community Answer 3
The alternator develops electrical power by converting rotational energy into electrical energy through constantly varying magnetic lines of force that intersect wires. The rotor receives excitation voltage from the battery. There are two slip rings supplying the rotor with power. One is typically grounded, and the other is fed from a regulator that varys the pulse width, and thus the voltage, to the rotor. The rotor spins and induces a rotating magnetic field into the stator. The stator is wound in a three phase delta configuration, and generates alternating current, with frequency dependent on speed. The stator is connected to a full wave bridge rectifier (six diodes) that converts the AC into DC. This output is connected to the battery through a heavy cable. Since the rotor and stator have multiple poles, the AC frequency is relatively high. Since the alternator is three phase, the ripple on the DC output is relatively small.
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Community Answer 4
Winding a coil of wire around an iron core can make a magnet. If a magnet is passed near a wire, an induced current will flow in that wire. If many magnets are rapidly passed over a coil of wire, much more induced current will be produced. If many magnets are passed over several coils of wire, even more current will be produced. Although Alternators vary by manufacturer, there are two elements common to all alternators; the stationary stator and the rotating rotor. The stator consists of three sets of individual windings wound around a laminated circular iron stator frame. Each individual winding is made up of seven coils, which in turn are made up of several individual loops all connected in series. Each coil and each loop are connected so as to increase the total voltage output. Each group of windings has only two leads, one for current to flow in, and the other for current to flow out.
a moving magnetic current cuts through wires producing a current in the coil turning rotor driving belt
Procedures replacing the alternator on a 2000 Ford Expedition 5.4L?
Do yourself a favor. When buying a New Alternator have them check it before taking it home? I had a bad incident that I ended up with, 3 bad alternators in one day, 3 different stores. Last store check it before I took it home and everything was good. I ended up changing it 3 times. Make sure they also change the pulley. Alternator Removal & Installation 1. Disconnect the negative battery cable. 2. Rotate the drive belt tensioner away from the drive belt and remove the drive belt from the alternator pulley. 3. Detach the electrical harness connectors at the alternator assembly. 4. Disconnect the positive battery cable and remove the nut and washer. 5. Remove 2 front alternator bolts. 6. Remove the rear alternator support bracket retaining bolts and the support bracket. 7. Remove the alternator from the vehicle. To install: 8. Place the alternator in position and loosely install 2 front alternator retaining bolts. 9. Install the alternator bracket and 3 alternator bracket bolts. Tighten to 84 inch lbs. (10 Nm) 10. Tighten 2 front alternator retaining bolts to 19 ft. lbs. (26 Nm). 11. Connect 2 electrical hardness connectors to the alternator assembly. 12. Connect the positive battery cable and install the nut and washer. Tighten the nut to 72 inch lbs. (8 Nm). 13. Rotate the drive belt tensioner away from the drive belt and install the drive belt on the alternator pulley. 14. Connect the negative battery cable. 15. Start the engine and check for proper charging system operation.
How do you find out which alternator is in a 1999 Chevy Tahoe LT?
The amp rating for the alternator is printed or stamped on the exterior of the alternator case. It is the numerical ampere rating followed by the letter 'A', ie, '100A' would represent a 100 ampere rated alternator.
Replacing an alternator on a Honda forman four wheeler?
wher is alternator on honda foreman four track
How do you install an alternator on a 1990 Chevy Cavalier?
carefully with tools and the battery disconnected
That seems very odd, I wouldn't think the alt or bat change would have anything to do with loss of your low beams, Are you low beams actually burnt out or are they not getting power?? check this. could be a fuse or likely in the Dimmer switch in your steering colum.
Why does your battery keep losing charge in my Chrysler 300m?
Check you battery cables. The clamp on that connects to the battery is a know issue. Not a big deal the part is about $12 and you do not have to purchase the entire cable. Just the clamp.
What is draining new battery and alternator on BMW 525i?
If the battery is brand-new and I would suspect either the alternator is defective or you have a lightbulb somewhere on the vehicle that is pulling power from the battery. It can also be a relay that is stuck.
You should have a heavy red wire going to the back of the alternator, it should have 12 volts, it will excite the alternator, thus allowing it to charge your battery. If the doesn't have 12 volt, trace the wire, I believe that it will end at the starter.
If you have 12 volts at this wire, most likely you have a fusable link that's shorted out at the starter. Look for a wire at the starter that appears burnt, or wiggle the wires one at a time, you'll find on that feels like a plain rubberband, with no resistance while wiggling.
How do you replace an alternator for a 2002 Mitsubishi galant?
First you get offline then you go outside and taske a look at the car
How many volts is a 90 amp stock alternator?
Most likely 12 volts if it is on a car. Some boats use 24 volts, or in the case of my boat 32 volts.
How do you change an alternator on a Dodge Grand Caravan?
For my 1995 Dodge Grand Caravan with a 3.3L
The most important point here is that on a 3.3L engine it has to come out underneath. The main secret the store manuals don't tell you is that you have to remove the one bolt that holds the flexible rubber exhaust clamp to the middle of the body underneath; you can now push on the exhaust in the middle and this will allow it to flex over enough to barely be able to remove the alternator between the body and the exhaust. As an additional measure for removal room, i removed the three metal nuts that hold the catalytic converter heat shield in place under the passenger floor pan. Everything else is pretty standard; remove battery cable, take off wire connectors, use breaker bar with socket to unload tension on serpentine belt pulley & belt comes right off, two bolts from underneath for metal guard, lastly two bolts for the alternator. Just a final tip, make sure to use the new nuts that come with the rebuilt alternator & be very careful not to over tighten the wire connections; unfortunately, I've found the replacement metals they use are softer than the original and it takes nothing to twist off a connector, especially an old dirty nut reused.
