Who hasn’t found himself in the situation where his car doesn’t start one morning on the way to work? If that didn’t happen to you, at least you’ve already had that fear. So when you hear an alternator noise on Lexus ES, you can already imagine yourself breaking down, stuck waiting for the tow truck. That’s why our team has decided to write this content to help you find the origins of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first discover the role and functions of the alternator in your Lexus ES and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Lexus ES may be.
Role and alternator operation Lexus ES
Alternator role
Your alternator is an essential component of your Lexus ES. Indeed, its objective is to generate power to your entire electrical system: headlights, interior lighting, signalling, computer… It will have the task of recharging the battery once the car is in motion, to provide power to the car 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 operates on an electrical principle that has been used for decades, the concept of copper coil wound around a magnet . This coil while rotating produces electricity. It is the engine motor itself that will furnish the energy needed by the alternator to generate the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Lexus ES engine stops, the battery takes over to furnish the car with energy.
What are the several alternator noises or sounds on my Lexus ES and what are the causes?
I perceive a knocking noise coming from the alternator of my Lexus ES
One of the typical noises of a tired alternator on Lexus ES is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Lexus ES will generally appear when your engine is idling, it can be associated with voltage drops that could affect the normal operation of electrical elements such as headlights for example. Most often, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is malfunctioning, to examine it, use a multimeter on the terminals of your car with the engine running and you must look for a value between 12 and 14.7 volts, which means that your alternator is recharging your battery well. If the value is lower, the alternator of your Lexus ES is tired and you should think about swapping the bearing if it is the only reason otherwise the whole part.
I hear a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Lexus ES
If you are in the case where the alternator of your Lexus ES produces grinding sounds, in this case you will have to look into it more seriously. This sign can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, but usually, we often see by looking more meticulously that it is the accessory belt that is loosened or worn and is therefore the reason of it. In this case, we recommend that you look for advice this content to find all the necessary information to solve an accessory belt noise on Lexus ES.
I hear a loud noise from the alternator of my Lexus ES
Finding out a loud noise from the alternator of your Lexus ES is quite typical, in fact, it produces an audible sound when producing 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 content to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Lexus ES.