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 , at minimum you’ve already had that fear. So when you perceive an alternator noise on Mazda 6, you can already see yourself breaking down, stuck waiting for the tow truck. That’s why our team has decided to produce this post to support you find the origins of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first see the role and operation of the alternator in your Mazda 6 and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Mazda 6 may be.
Role and alternator operation Mazda 6
Alternator role
Your alternator is an essential component of your Mazda 6. In fact, 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 vehicle is in motion, to provide power to the vehicle in motion and to allow you to always have a sufficient 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 makes electricity. It is the engine itself that will provide the energy requested by the alternator to generate the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Mazda 6 engine stops, the battery takes over to provide the vehicle with energy.
What are the distinctive alternator noises or sounds on my Mazda 6 and what are the causes?
I notice a knocking noise from the alternator of my Mazda 6
One of the typical noises of a tired alternator on Mazda 6 is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Mazda 6 will most of the time occur when your engine is idling, it can be connected to voltage drops that could disturb the normal operation of electrical elements such as headlights for example. Most often, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is defective, 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 recharging your battery well. If the value is lower, the alternator of your Mazda 6 is tired and you should think about swapping the bearing if it is the only cause otherwise the entire part.
I perceive a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Mazda 6
If you are in the case where the alternator of your Mazda 6 causes grinding sounds, in this circumstance you will have to look into it more seriously. This symptom can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, but generally, we often notice by looking more strongly 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 read this article to find all the necessary information to solve an accessory belt noise on Mazda 6.
I perceive a loud noise from the alternator of my Mazda 6
Experiencing a loud noise from the alternator of your Mazda 6 is quite regular, 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 have a look this article to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Mazda 6.