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 apprehension. So when you notice an alternator noise on Bmw Serie 1, you can already see yourself breaking down, stuck waiting for the tow truck. That’s why our team has decided to produce this content to help you find the origins of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first discover the role and functions of the alternator in your Bmw Serie 1 and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Bmw Serie 1 may be.
Role and alternator operation Bmw Serie 1
Alternator role
Your alternator is an essential part of your Bmw Serie 1. Indeed, its mission is to generate power to your entire electrical system: headlights, interior lighting, signalling, computer… It will have the mission of charging 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 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 creates electricity. It is the engine itself that will furnish the energy requested by the alternator to produce the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Bmw Serie 1 engine stops, the battery takes over to furnish the car with energy.
What are the several alternator noises or sounds on my Bmw Serie 1 and what are the causes?
I notice a knocking noise coming from the alternator of my Bmw Serie 1
One of the typical noises of a tired alternator on Bmw Serie 1 is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Bmw Serie 1 will most of the time show up when your engine is idling, it can be associated with voltage drops that could disrupt the normal operation of electrical parts such as headlights for example. Often, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is malfunctioning, to verify it, use a multimeter on the terminals of your car with the engine running and you must get 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 Serie 1 is tired and you should consider replacing the bearing if it is the only reason otherwise the complete part.
I notice a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Bmw Serie 1
If you are in the situation where the alternator of your Bmw Serie 1 produces grinding sounds, in this circumstance you will have to look into it more seriously. This warning sign can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, but generally, we generally realise by looking more closely 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 article to find all the necessary information to solve an accessory belt noise on Bmw Serie 1.
I notice a loud noise from the alternator of my Bmw Serie 1
Finding out a loud noise from the alternator of your Bmw Serie 1 is quite typical, in fact, it emits 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 advise that you look into this article to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Bmw Serie 1.
