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 , perhaps you’ve already had that fear. So when you discover an alternator noise on Kia Optima, you can already imagine yourself breaking down, stuck waiting for the tow truck. That’s why our team has decided to produce this post to help you find the origins of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first see the role and operation of the alternator in your Kia Optima and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Kia Optima may be.
Role and alternator operation Kia Optima
Alternator role
Your alternator is an vital component of your Kia Optima. In fact, its task 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 source 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 itself that will furnish the energy needed by the alternator to generate the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Kia Optima engine stops, the battery takes over to furnish the car with energy.
What are the distinctive alternator noises or sounds on my Kia Optima and what are the causes?
I find out a knocking noise from the alternator of my Kia Optima
One of the characteristic noises of a tired alternator on Kia Optima is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Kia Optima will generally appear when your engine is idling, it can be linked to voltage drops that could disturb the normal operation of electrical elements such as headlights for example. In general, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is malfunctioning, to check 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 Kia Optima is tired and you should think about swapping the bearing if it is the only cause otherwise the entire part.
I discover a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Kia Optima
If you are in the case where the alternator of your Kia Optima causes grinding sounds, in this case you will have to look into it more seriously. This indicator can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, however , in general, we often realise by looking more closely that it is the accessory belt that is loosened or worn and is therefore the cause of it. In this case, we advise that you read this content to find all the necessary information to solve an accessory belt noise on Kia Optima.
I discover a loud noise from the alternator of my Kia Optima
Experiencing a loud noise from the alternator of your Kia Optima 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 show up, 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 read this content to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Kia Optima.
