Who hasn’t found himself in the situation where his car doesn’t start one morning on the way to work? If it never happened to you , perhaps you’ve already had that apprehension. So when you discover an alternator noise on Citroen C5, you can already see yourself breaking down, stuck awaiting the tow truck. That’s why our team has decided to produce this post to support you locate the origins of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first learn the role and operation of the alternator in your Citroen C5 and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Citroen C5 may be.
Role and alternator operation Citroen C5
Alternator role
Your alternator is an important component of your Citroen C5. In fact, its goal is to provide power to your entire electrical system: headlights, interior lighting, signalling, computer… It will have the goal 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 reserve to be able to restart the next time.
Alternator functioning
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The alternator works on an electrical principle that has been used for decades, the principle of copper coil wound around a magnet . This coil while spinning produces electricity. It is the engine itself that will provide the energy required by the alternator to produce the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Citroen C5 engine stops, the battery takes over to provide the vehicle with energy.
What are the distinctive alternator noises or sounds on my Citroen C5 and what are the causes?
I listen to a knocking noise from the alternator of my Citroen C5
One of the characteristic noises of a tired alternator on Citroen C5 is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Citroen C5 will most of the time occur when your engine is idling, it can be associated with voltage drops that could disturb the normal operation of electrical components 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 look for 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 Citroen C5 is tired and you should consider swapping the bearing if it is the only cause otherwise the entire part.
I discover a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Citroen C5
If you are in the case where the alternator of your Citroen C5 produces grinding sounds, in this circumstance you will have to look at it more seriously. This indicator can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, however , generally, we generally see by looking more carefully that it is the accessory belt that is loosened or worn and is therefore the cause of it. In this circumstance, we recommend that you consult this article to find all the necessary details to solve an accessory belt noise on Citroen C5.
I discover a loud noise from the alternator of my Citroen C5
Finding out a loud noise from the alternator of your Citroen C5 is quite typical, in fact, it produces 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 recommend that you take a look at this article to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Citroen C5.
