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 , at minimum you’ve already had that fear. So when you perceive an alternator noise on BMW 5 Series, you can already see yourself breaking down, stuck waiting for the tow truck. That’s why our team has decided to write this article to support you locate the origins of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first discover the role and operation of the alternator in your BMW 5 Series and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on BMW 5 Series may be.
Role and alternator operation BMW 5 Series
Alternator role
Your alternator is an essential part of your BMW 5 Series. In fact, its goal is to generate 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 allow 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 concept of copper coil wound around a magnet . This coil while spinning creates electricity. It is the engine itself that will give the energy needed by the alternator to create the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your BMW 5 Series engine stops, the battery takes over to give the vehicle with energy.
What are the different alternator noises or sounds on my BMW 5 Series and what are the causes?
I listen to a knocking noise originating from the alternator of my BMW 5 Series
One of the characteristic noises of a tired alternator on BMW 5 Series is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on BMW 5 Series will generally show up when your engine is idling, it can be linked to voltage drops that could disturb the normal operation of electrical parts such as headlights for example. In many cases, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is malfunctioning, to check 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 BMW 5 Series is tired and you should consider changing the bearing if it is the only reason otherwise the entire part.
I perceive a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my BMW 5 Series
If you are in the situation where the alternator of your BMW 5 Series 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, but generally, we generally realise by looking more carefully that it is the accessory belt that is loosened or worn and is therefore the reason of it. In this circumstance, we recommend that you read this document to find all the necessary details to solve an accessory belt noise on BMW 5 Series.
I perceive a loud noise from the alternator of my BMW 5 Series
Experiencing a loud noise from the alternator of your BMW 5 Series is quite normal, in fact, it emits an audible sound when creating the electrical pulses it generates. It is up to you to check 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 check out this document to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on BMW 5 Series.
