Who hasn’t found himself in the situation where his car doesn’t start one morning on the way to work? If that didn’t happen to you, certainly you’ve already had that apprehension. So when you find out an alternator noise on Chevrolet Captiva, 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 discover the role and functions of the alternator in your Chevrolet Captiva and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Chevrolet Captiva may be.
Role and alternator operation Chevrolet Captiva
Alternator role
Your alternator is an important component of your Chevrolet Captiva. In fact, its mission is to generate power to your entire electrical system: headlights, interior lighting, signalling, computer… It will have the goal of recharging the battery once the car is in motion, to provide power to the car in motion and to allow you to always have a enough energy source 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 produces electricity. It is the engine motor itself that will provide the energy needed by the alternator to generate the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Chevrolet Captiva engine stops, the battery takes over to provide the car with energy.
What are the distinctive alternator noises or sounds on my Chevrolet Captiva and what are the causes?
I perceive a knocking noise caused by the alternator of my Chevrolet Captiva
One of the typical noises of a tired alternator on Chevrolet Captiva is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Chevrolet Captiva will most of the time appear when your engine is idling, it can be connected to voltage drops that could disrupt the normal operation of electrical elements such as headlights for example. In general, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is faulty, 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 Chevrolet Captiva is tired and you should think about replacing the bearing if it is the only reason otherwise the whole part.
I find out a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Chevrolet Captiva
If you are in the case where the alternator of your Chevrolet Captiva causes grinding sounds, in this case you will have to check it more seriously. This indicator can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, however , usually, we often notice by looking more closely that it is the accessory belt that is loosened or worn and is therefore the reason of it. In this case, we advise that you look for advice this content to find all the necessary information to solve an accessory belt noise on Chevrolet Captiva.
I find out a loud noise from the alternator of my Chevrolet Captiva
Hearing a loud noise from the alternator of your Chevrolet Captiva is quite normal, in fact, it produces an audible sound when producing 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 go to this content to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Chevrolet Captiva.
