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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
Can an alternator charge a car battery?
That is the purpose of an alternator. The keep the battery charged and to run all the electrics on the vehicle. However it is never a good idea to allow the alternator to charge a dead battery. This will put a strain on the alternator and may damage it.
How do you replace the alternator on a 1994 Nissan Altima?
** Take your car to a parts store and have them check the alternator to make sure it's malfunctioning. They should do this for free. If they will not or don't have the equipment - find a new parts store. Also have them check the "new" alternator before you purchase it. Just because it's new does not mean it works or that someone didn't short it out and then return it.
Replacement instructions:1. Disconnect the negative battery cable. This is for your safety and the safety of your car's electrical system.2. Most people recommend taking off the upper radiator hose. However, it is possible to fit the alternator out under the hose past the front of the engine if you take the oil dipstick out. This is your choice.
3. Unplug large electrical connector on alternator
4. Remove nuts and single wires from alternator
5. Remove the three bolts that hold the alternator in place, one on the right side and two on the left.
6. Remove the belt from the front of the alternator - check for wear as it will be easier to replace this now than later.
7. Remove the alternator and place your new alternator.
8. Replace the belt.
9. Replace bolts - the bolt on the lower left adjusts the tension on the belt. Make sure this is tight.
10. Connect large and then single wires to alternator
11. Connect the upper radiator hose.
12. Connect the negative battery cable.
13. Check for proper operation.
14. If the belt squeals you need to turn the car off and tighten it by adjusting the bottom passenger side screw.
How do you replace the alternator belt on a Mercury Sable?
Most cars and trucks today have what is called a serpentine belt which runs most accessories.They are very dependable and usually easy to replace. To decide if your belt needs replacing, simply look at the grooved side of the belt to see if it is cracking badly. A couple of cracks every 3 inches is normal, but if you see cracks every 1-2 inches I would recommend that you replace it. On most cars and trucks the procedure is basically the same. First off, get the correct belt by bringing your cars VIN number to the parts store(located on your cars dashboard) the parts store may need it. If there are two choices, get them both so you can complete the repair. Once you have the correct belt, take a minute to review how the belt runs across the pulleys and also check to see if your car/ truck has a underhood diagram of belt routing in case you need it. In most cases you will need a socket wrench or breaker bar with either a 3/8" and /or 1/2" head on it and possibly a short extension. Some models may require a wrench of these similar sizes.Now that you are ready to go to work, you will need to find the spring loaded tensioner which is generally located near the top of the belt path; it usually has a shinny pulley on it. Look at the tensioner and insert the tool into it and apply opposing pressure to release the belt.Now, simply install the new belt making sure it fits into the grooves on all the pulleys. Start the car to check it and you are done and you saved yourelf some money!
Sounds like you have something that is on all the time and drawing power from the battery. Check, dome, courtesy, trunk, hood, glove box, and brake lights.
I meant to say "even after" replacing those parts.
How much would it cost to replace an alternator including the labor charge for a volkswagon passat?
give or take 2-4 hundred dollars. alternators are not cheap with newer cars. check the web part stores for the best price on the part and ask the mechanic shop to meet the price, or if they will put it in, if you bring the part. It is not a difficult fix if you want to do it yourself. send an e-mail if you want the specific information on the how to. ish4031eagle@aol.com. hope it helps. duboff
Where is the alternator on a 1986 Nissan truck?
look by passenger front tire toward motor and u will see.
How do you bypass an external voltage regulator when installing a new alternator?
Changing over from one type of generator OR alternator to another (implied by your question that the old regulator is not alternator compatible or compatible with the new(er) alternator otherwise it would be a simple remove and replace operation) be very careful.
The internal regulator alternators are pretty simple. You need 1) 12 volt feed to feed the fields the alternator will generate off of 2) a connection to feed the produced current to the battery and the 3) activation current from the key switch.
Without #3 through the switch to turn the alternator off when the car is turned off, the alternator will remain on even when the motor is not running and the current feeding the generating fields will drain the battery.
When in doubt, spend the money for a qualified mechanic.
Additional Tips: If your shade tree is hard to start or runs rough, go to a shade tree mechanic. If you are betting your life and that of your family on your vechicle - go to a vehicle mechanic.
Also, check the condition of your brakes at least once every six months. Getting the car to go is a matter of convenience. Getting it to stop is a matter of survival.
Where can you find a diagram on how to put the alternator back on a 350 small block Chevy?
Go to a junkyard or a car dealership with a digital camera. Take pictures and look carefully at everything, then go put pics on a computer for reference during reassembly.
Good luck.
What number is the alternator fuse on a 2000 Ford Explorer XLT?
I was looking at the 2000 Ford Explorer Owner Guide and it shows :
In the Power Distribution Box ( which is " live " ) located in the engine compartment by the brake fluid reservoir
( mini fuse # 14 is a 30 amp green color fuse for the generator / voltage regulator )
Can an alternator blow if jump starting another car?
SHORT ANSWER:
Normally speaking, with a typical jumpstart, it SHOULD NOT damage an alternator.
LONG ANSWER (not a typical jumpstart):
The only ways I even remotely see jumpstarting a vehicle damaging one's alternator are:
1. If the alternator is already severely or, in rare circumstances, slightly damaged.
2. The amperage required by the other vehicle's starter severely exceeds the maximum output amperage of the alternator AND the maximum (cold [?*]) cranking amperage of the battery together.
Usually, in most typical jumpstarting cases, the battery in your vehicle will supply any excess amperage required above the altornator's output.
3. If one's vehicle is MUCH smaller than the vehicle it is jumpstarting and one's vehicle does not have a battery with a maximum (cold [?*]) cranking amperage required to start a MUCH larger vehicle --- typically a larger vehicle means a larger motor and therefore a larger starter which will require a (significantly) higher amperage to turn the motor over with the (minimum) troche and speed required to start the vehicle's motor. (Such as in my story below.)
(possibly)
4. If the battery in one's vehicle is extremely low in power --- such as a vehicle that was recently jumpstarted and did not have enough running/charging time pass to get a good charge on the battery before attempting to jumpstart another vehicle --- and cannot produce the amperage required by the other vehicle's starter, the alternator may/will be forced to supply almost all the amperage required by the other vehicle's starter; which can easily exceed the maximum output of one's alternator depending on the maximum amperage rating of one's alternator (with a possible output range of a factory alternator of being anywhere from 50 to 150 amps for a typical car or small truck and 125 to 350+ amps for a truck) and the amperage required by the other vehicle's starter.
REFERENCE: self-experience with many bad alternators (Seven in two and a half years to be exact!) and jumpstarting in my first car ('95 Honda Civic LX)
MY STORY:
Only once did my alternator die shortly after jumpstarting a vehicle, a big heavy duty, I cannot even remember the manufacturer anymore, v8 truck (I did not even think to turn off the sound system, but I did turn it down, which was still pulling nearly 20 amps by itself, but thats out of the almost 180 amps it pulled turned up as loud as it would go before the sound started to get distorted) his started required (guessing) around 650 amps (cold start on 40 degrees F night) my alternator rated at 85 amps and my battery being 5 years old and only ratted at 350 amps and 425 max cranking amps. Needless to say that this also melted the insulation of the 2 gage jumper cable I used. (I should have known better than to do that, but I wasn't thinking about it at the time.) Shortly after the cables started smoking I gave up and less than 10 miles down the road my batter light came on, by the time I got home the battery itself was down to 7.14 volts from running the headlights and windshield wipers for the next 25 miles (30-35 minutes.)
After all was said and done I've replaced the alternator and decided to go ahead and replace the battery, just incase it was also damaged. Since then I don't think I ever went more than 7 months without the alternator failing, thankfully Autozone has a 1 year warranty on the alternator and battery so I never had to pay for the part again, all the alternators for the Honda were unfortunately "refurbished" which is probably why they kept failing, the third alternator ruined my battery by pulling 11.5 amps to ground when the motor was off (but when the car was running, it could charge the hell out of the battery.) The forth alternator was producing a crazy 37+ volts when the motor was running. Thankfully; after the second alternator, I put a voltmeter in the 12v auxiliary plug (cigarette lighter); because, that high of voltage could have easily ruined a lot of things like the battery, computer, radio, amplifiers, and many many more items if left unnoticed. All the other alternators just died on me without a (noticed) reason.
New battery and new alternator still charging at 8 amps?
Possibly a bad connection between the alternator and battrie. use a volt meter. put one lead on the possitive post of the battrie and one lead on the alternator b+ terminal. run the engine, put the fan on and lights on. the meter should not read above .02v roughly. if it does theres a problem with the cable or connections. do the same on the ground circuit. or use jupper cables between the alternator and battrie.
What size wrench do you use to change an alternator for a 2000 Chevy blazer?
It is metric. Probably a 13mm and a 15 mm.
How do you replace the alternator on a 1999 Ford Contour?
1. Put the front of the car on jackstands and dis-connect the negative battery cable.
2. Remove passenger side wheel and lower splash guards. Using low profile 3/8" socket wrench or breaker bar, remove the serpentine belt from the alternator pulley.
3. Dis-connect the passenger side tie rod from the knuckle.
4. remove the driver side wheel.
5. Get 3 or 4 feet of extensions for your 3/8 socket wrench and feed them through the driver side wheel well to the upper bolt of the alternator. Yo may need to secure the socket & extensions on the bolt from up top then get back down to the driver wheel well, but it's worth the few seconds. Remove the upper bolt.
6. From below the car, loosen the lower bolt, but do not remove.
7. There is a small bracket on the alternator between mounting bolts. Remove the 10mm bolt that secures the bracket to the block.
8. From above, pry the upper tab from the mounting bracket.
9. Below the car, hold the alternator while removing the lower bolt.
10. Dis-connect the electrical to the Alternator.
11. Maneuver the alternator out through the passenger side wheel well. Takes a little thinking, but it'll come out.
12. Transfer the small bracket to the new alternator.
13. Feed the alternator in through the passenger side and make electrical connections.
14. Secure the lower alternator tab and hand tighten the lower bolt.
15. Pivot the alternator up. The upper tab may not easily fit into place. Tighten the 10mm bolt in the center bracket to the block. This will press the upper tab into place.
16. Install the upper bolt and hand tighten. Fully tighten the lower bolt now.
17. Use extensions from the driver wheel well to tighten the upper bolt.
Remainder of this project is simple re-assembly. An experienced shade tree mechanic can do this alternator R&R in under an hour after his tools are set out.
Answer- 4 cylinder engineIf you have one of the 4 cylinder models like I do, its a major PITA. You can get the Haynes manual for the car and that helps somewhat. You really just have to remove the air intake assembly (big black thing on top of engine) to get at the alternator from the top and remove the wires going to it, then you have to drain the oil and remove the oil filter to get at the drivebelt from the side (through the wheel well) and loosen it to the point you can get the alternator out. Hope this helps, otherwise get a Haynes repair manual.
How much work is it to replace the alternator in a 1995 Saturn SL1?
It actually isn't that hard. Remove the front right wheel and fender liner. Use a 9/16" wrench to loosen the serpentine belt by turning the wrench clockwise. Slip the belt off the alternator. Then remove the wires and the bolts that hold the alternator to the engine. Installation is the reverse of removal.
How do you get the AC compressor belt off to get the alternator belt on?
This was hard to do on my 1986 2.5L 4-cylinder because in order to put the new alternator belt on... you have to get the AC belt off... to replace either belt you have to remove both. first what you have to do is loosen up the 2 pivot bolts on the AC compressor from underneath the car.. mine were pretty stubborn but i eventually got em to budge... once you can move the AC, remove the crank/water pump/AC belt. then loosen up the alternator pivot bolt located on the underside of the alternator...(this can be done from either top or bottom) once you can move the alternator.. slip the belt onto the alternator pulley and around the water pump and crank. then tighten the alternator pivot bolts while putting as much possible tension onto the belt and re-tighten alternator into place. then put or replace crank/water pump/AC belt and re-tighten the AC while putting as much possible tension on the belt by pushing the AC forward with a pry bar or screwdriver. then tension up the belts so they give no more than 1/2" when you pull them at the midpoints of their spans.
There could be several causes for the simultaneous use of headlights, air conditioning, and radio resulting in the engine "sputtering." The following description of my findings in my case certainly is not the only cause.
I had this happen some 47 years ago near the end of my nighttime return home from a long trip, and I determined the cause turned out that my generator [this was before alternators were common] had failed.
After a few hours of using a lot of current [headlights, tail lights lights, and radio] out of the battery, the battery voltage dropped so low that the high voltage from the distributor/coil was too low to create a "hot" enough spark to guarantee ignition of the fuel/air mixture in all the cylinders all the time.
Because I was on a back country highway, out in the middle of nowhere, with no help for miles, I was forced to turn off ALL electricity using devices, except the ignition. Fortunately there was a full moon and I was able to limp into my home town and home. I was lucky and had cut it very close as the engine was barely running when I got home.
It is important to note that a defective alternator/generator is not always the cause of the battery not being adequately charged. Other causes could include [but is not limited to]:
- The drive belt maladjusted allowing slippage on the alternator pulley.
- Maladjusted or defective voltage regulator.
- Any conductor [wire] in the charging system either cut, broken, or grounded.
There are probably other causes which don't come to my mind at the moment. Good luck.
What does a stator do on an alternator?
The stator on an alternator is used to generate a magnetic field. This is a large factor in the production of electricity.
Can a car run with a dead alternator?
Yes, but as you will be running "on the battery" only until the charge in the battery is depleted. Keeping all power consumers turned off (like heater/AC fan and lights) and avoiding shutting engine off (cranking with the starter motor consumes more battery power than anything else) will get you further down the road, as will carrying a fully charged battery to swap in when the one in use gets too low to run the ignition.
You may have something drawing the battery down while the vehicle is not running such as a glove compartment light or trunk light staying on. Take the car to your local auto parts store and they can test the charging system and battery.
How do you replace the alternator on a 2001 Hyundai XG300?
I beg you, take it to a mechanic. Me and me friends tryed this, we took off the radiator, horn, hood latch, oil cooler, fans, and A/C compressor, and discovered there is no detentioner, I finally gave up and took it to the mechanic. It took a week, and I wished i just had a mechanic do it in the first place. -- no need to remove the radiator, horn, hood latch, oil cooler, fans, and A/C compressor. What is causing most of the confusion is the lack of a quality service manual for this car. to remove the altenator. You remove the front pass. tire, and the plastic cover that protects the main pulley. (10mm bolts) put the front tire under the car to protect yourself.** I didn't remove the tire, I just turned the wheel outward so I could fit in there. If I had to do over, I would've removed the tire.
Right behind and above the oil filter is the tensioner pulley and bolt (14 mm). loosen that bolt quite a bit. (about an inch) and rotate the tensioner hub and it'll loosen right up. ** this bolt is well hidden. You need to find the tensioner hub, then slide your hand under and a little behind it and you'll find the tensioner bolt. Or use a mirror to find it. It is literally right behind that tensioner hub with the head of the bolt pointed towards the ground. Once you loosen this you'll be in great shape. (Note: this is only accessible through the wheel well, not from above.
remove the engine cover. 6 10mm bolts. (replace the oil fill cap) pull the left side fan. (two 10mm bolts) and a plug. unplug the alternator, and undo the main cable. (10mm nut) remove the bolt that connects the bracket to the engine, just loosen the other bolt so it'll swing up. (I think these are 12mm bolts).
loosen the nuts on the alternator. remove the bolts (have fun trying to get the rear bolt, you can just tap it and it'll fly out. 12m. ** reinstallation of this part was the most time consuming and irritating. Fitting your hand behind the alternator and lining everything up is terrible. Just have patience, you'll get it done. Afterall, you got it apart, right?
remove the alternator ,pry gentle back and forth and up and down until it separates from the front mount. remove the front bracket (two 12mm bolts) Then gentle coax the alternator up and out. you'll have to rotate and twist it, it'll scrap against the radiator a little. It was not my first time working on this car, and I'd say it was challenging. took me about 2 hours total. some of that was finding the right socket or wrench-rachet and determining if I should be on my back or over the hood. Second contributor on 5/8/09: Instructions were very good. I would say that putting on the bottom bolt is a 2 person job. Also, new alternator paperwork said it had a different pulley diameter and to get a 47" belt. However, a new 48" belt did work.
Don't depend on "new". A new part can also fail and they can be faulty right out of the box.
Find a voltmeter and test the battery. It should be around 12 Volts, maybe a little above. Then start the engine (using a jumpstart if necessary).
With YOUR car only running on the battery, use the voltmeter again to test the voltage. If the alternator is working you should have about 13.5 Volts. If it's much below that the alternator isn't working. If that's the case, make sure it's connected properly before you try to replace it.
