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 least you’ve already had that apprehension. So when you hear an alternator noise on Chevrolet Volt, 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 find the origins of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first learn the role and functions of the alternator in your Chevrolet Volt and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Chevrolet Volt may be.alternator-noise-chevrolet-volt

Role and alternator operation Chevrolet Volt

Alternator role

Your alternator is an vital component of your Chevrolet Volt. 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 vehicle is in motion, to provide power to the vehicle 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 principle of copper coil wound around a magnet . This coil while rotating generates electricity. It is the engine itself that will give the energy needed by the alternator to produce the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Chevrolet Volt engine stops, the battery takes over to give the vehicle with energy.

What are the distinctive alternator noises or sounds on my Chevrolet Volt and what are the causes?

I listen to a knocking noise originating from the alternator of my Chevrolet Volt

One of the typical noises of a tired alternator on Chevrolet Volt is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Chevrolet Volt will generally happen when your engine is idling, it can be connected to voltage drops that could affect the normal operation of electrical components such as headlights for example. In most cases, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is defective, to examine it, use a multimeter on the terminals of your vehicle 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 Chevrolet Volt is tired and you should think about swapping the bearing if it is the only reason otherwise the complete part.

I hear a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Chevrolet Volt

If you are in the situation where the alternator of your Chevrolet Volt generates grinding sounds, in this circumstance you will have to look at it more seriously. This warning sign can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, but in most cases, we generally realize 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 recommend that you look for advice this content to find all the necessary information to solve an accessory belt noise on Chevrolet Volt.

I hear a loud noise from the alternator of my Chevrolet Volt

Finding out a loud noise from the alternator of your Chevrolet Volt is quite common, in fact, it produces an audible sound when creating the electrical pulses it generates. It is up to you to examine that the battery indicator light on your dashboard does not appear, 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 look into this content to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Chevrolet Volt.