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 listen to an alternator noise on BMW 7 Series, you can already see yourself breaking down, stuck awaiting the tow truck. That’s why our team has decided to write this post to help you find the origins of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first discover the role and operation of the alternator in your BMW 7 Series and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on BMW 7 Series may be.
Role and alternator operation BMW 7 Series
Alternator role
Your alternator is an essential part of your BMW 7 Series. In fact, its task is to generate 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 principle of copper coil wound around a magnet . This coil while rotating generates electricity. It is the engine itself that will provide the energy required by the alternator to create the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your BMW 7 Series engine stops, the battery takes over to provide the vehicle with energy.
What are the distinctive alternator noises or sounds on my BMW 7 Series and what are the causes?
I discover a knocking noise coming from the alternator of my BMW 7 Series
One of the characteristic noises of a tired alternator on BMW 7 Series is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on BMW 7 Series will most of the time show up when your engine is idling, it can be linked to voltage drops that could disturb the normal operation of electrical components such as headlights for example. In general, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is defective, to verify 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 BMW 7 Series is tired and you should think about replacing the bearing if it is the only reason otherwise the whole part.
I listen to a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my BMW 7 Series
If you are in the situation where the alternator of your BMW 7 Series generates grinding sounds, in this case you will have to look at it more seriously. This symptom can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, but usually, we generally realise 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 suggest that you read this document to find all the necessary details to solve an accessory belt noise on BMW 7 Series.
I listen to a loud noise from the alternator of my BMW 7 Series
Listening a loud noise from the alternator of your BMW 7 Series is quite common, in fact, it produces an audible sound when creating the electrical pulses it generates. It is up to you to verify 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 suggest that you go to this document to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on BMW 7 Series.
