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 least you’ve already had that apprehension. So when you discover an alternator noise on Subaru Legacy, you can already imagine yourself breaking down, stuck waiting for the tow truck. That’s why our team has decided to write this post to help you locate the sources of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first see the role and operation of the alternator in your Subaru Legacy and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Subaru Legacy may be.alternator-noise-subaru-legacy

Role and alternator operation Subaru Legacy

Alternator role

Your alternator is an essential component of your Subaru Legacy. Indeed, its objective is to provide power to your entire electrical system: headlights, interior lighting, signalling, computer… It will have the mission of recharging the battery once the automobile is in motion, to provide power to the automobile 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 spinning generates electricity. It is the engine itself that will provide the energy required by the alternator to generate the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Subaru Legacy engine stops, the battery takes over to provide the automobile with energy.

What are the several alternator noises or sounds on my Subaru Legacy and what are the causes?

I find out a knocking noise coming from the alternator of my Subaru Legacy

One of the characteristic noises of a tired alternator on Subaru Legacy is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Subaru Legacy will most of the time appear 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. In many cases, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is malfunctioning, to verify it, use a multimeter on the terminals of your automobile 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 Subaru Legacy is tired and you should consider changing the bearing if it is the only reason otherwise the whole part.

I discover a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Subaru Legacy

If you are in the situation where the alternator of your Subaru Legacy generates grinding sounds, in this circumstance you will have to look at it more seriously. This sign can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, however , in general, we often notice 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 advise that you look for advice this document to find all the necessary information to solve an accessory belt noise on Subaru Legacy.

I discover a loud noise from the alternator of my Subaru Legacy

Listening a loud noise from the alternator of your Subaru Legacy is quite normal, in fact, it emits an audible sound when producing the electrical pulses it generates. It is up to you to verify 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 advise that you check out this document to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Subaru Legacy.