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 , certainly you’ve already had that apprehension. So when you listen to an alternator noise on Chevrolet Cruze, you can already imagine yourself breaking down, stuck awaiting the tow truck. That’s why our team has decided to write this content to support you find the sources of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first see the role and functions of the alternator in your Chevrolet Cruze and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Chevrolet Cruze may be.
Role and alternator operation Chevrolet Cruze
Alternator role
Your alternator is an essential component of your Chevrolet Cruze. In fact, its goal 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 sufficient 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 principle of copper coil wound around a magnet . This coil while spinning produces electricity. It is the engine itself that will provide the energy required by the alternator to generate the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Chevrolet Cruze engine stops, the battery takes over to provide the car with energy.
What are the several alternator noises or sounds on my Chevrolet Cruze and what are the causes?
I discover a knocking noise coming from the alternator of my Chevrolet Cruze
One of the typical noises of a tired alternator on Chevrolet Cruze is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Chevrolet Cruze will most of the time happen when your engine is idling, it can be connected to voltage drops that could disrupt the normal operation of electrical parts such as headlights for example. In general, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is malfunctioning, to examine it, use a multimeter on the terminals of your car with the engine running and you must obtain 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 Cruze is tired and you should think about swapping the bearing if it is the only reason otherwise the entire part.
I listen to a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Chevrolet Cruze
If you are in the situation where the alternator of your Chevrolet Cruze generates grinding sounds, in this case you will have to check it more seriously. This symptom can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, however , in most cases, we often 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 recommend that you look for advice this article to find all the necessary details to solve an accessory belt noise on Chevrolet Cruze.
I listen to a loud noise from the alternator of my Chevrolet Cruze
Finding out a loud noise from the alternator of your Chevrolet Cruze is quite typical, 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 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 recommend that you go to this article to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Chevrolet Cruze.
