Did you ever had this trouble trying to start your car in the morning and it doesn’t work ? If it never happened to you , perhaps you’ve already had that fear. So when you hear an alternator noise on Bmw Serie 1 F20, you can already imagine yourself breaking down, stuck waiting for the tow truck. That’s why our team has decided to produce this content to help you locate the origins of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first discover the role and operation of the alternator in your Bmw Serie 1 F20 and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Bmw Serie 1 F20 may be.
Role and alternator operation Bmw Serie 1 F20
Alternator role
Your alternator is an important part of your Bmw Serie 1 F20. Indeed, its task is to give power to your entire electrical system: headlights, interior lighting, signalling, computer… It will have the task of charging the battery once the vehicle is in motion, to provide power to the vehicle in motion and to let you to always have a enough energy source to be able to restart the next time.
Alternator functioning
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The alternator functions on an electrical principle that has been used for decades, the concept of copper coil wound around a magnet . This coil while rotating generates electricity. It is the engine itself that will provide the energy required by the alternator to create the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Bmw Serie 1 F20 engine stops, the battery takes over to provide the vehicle with energy.
What are the different alternator noises or sounds on my Bmw Serie 1 F20 and what are the causes?
I listen to a knocking noise originating from the alternator of my Bmw Serie 1 F20
One of the typical noises of a tired alternator on Bmw Serie 1 F20 is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Bmw Serie 1 F20 will most of the time happen when your engine is idling, it can be linked to voltage drops that could disrupt the normal operation of electrical parts such as headlights for example. Most often, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is faulty, to examine it, use a multimeter on the terminals of your vehicle with the engine running and you must get a value between 12 and 14.7 volts, which means that your alternator is charging your battery well. If the value is lower, the alternator of your Bmw Serie 1 F20 is tired and you should think about changing the bearing if it is the only cause otherwise the whole part.
I hear a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Bmw Serie 1 F20
If you are in the situation where the alternator of your Bmw Serie 1 F20 generates grinding sounds, in this case you will have to check it more seriously. This warning sign can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, however , generally, we often realize by looking more carefully that it is the accessory belt that is loosened or worn and is therefore the cause of it. In this case, we suggest that you read this document to find all the necessary information to solve an accessory belt noise on Bmw Serie 1 F20.
I hear a loud noise from the alternator of my Bmw Serie 1 F20
Finding out a loud noise from the alternator of your Bmw Serie 1 F20 is quite normal, in fact, it emits an audible sound when creating the electrical pulses it generates. It is up to you to examine that the battery indicator light on your dashboard does not appear, and that you do not have a voltage drop when your engine is running (headlight or dashboard light that jumps for example. If this noise is too loud, we suggest that you look into this document to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Bmw Serie 1 F20.