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, perhaps you’ve already had that apprehension. So when you perceive an alternator noise on Citroen C3 Picasso, 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 support you find the sources of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first discover the role and operation of the alternator in your Citroen C3 Picasso and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Citroen C3 Picasso may be.
Role and alternator operation Citroen C3 Picasso
Alternator role
Your alternator is an vital component of your Citroen C3 Picasso. In fact, its mission is to provide 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 operates on an electrical principle that has been used for decades, the concept of copper coil wound around a magnet . This coil while rotating generates electricity. It is the engine motor itself that will give the energy requested by the alternator to produce the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Citroen C3 Picasso engine stops, the battery takes over to give the vehicle with energy.
What are the different alternator noises or sounds on my Citroen C3 Picasso and what are the causes?
I notice a knocking noise originating from the alternator of my Citroen C3 Picasso
One of the characteristic noises of a tired alternator on Citroen C3 Picasso is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Citroen C3 Picasso will most of the time occur when your engine is idling, it can be linked to voltage drops that could disrupt the normal operation of electrical elements such as headlights for example. Most often, 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 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 Citroen C3 Picasso is tired and you should consider replacing the bearing if it is the only cause otherwise the whole part.
I perceive a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Citroen C3 Picasso
If you are in the situation where the alternator of your Citroen C3 Picasso produces grinding sounds, in this circumstance you will have to check it more seriously. This warning sign can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, however , in most cases, we often realize by looking more carefully that it is the accessory belt that is loosened or worn and is therefore the cause of it. In this circumstance, we encourage that you look for advice this document to find all the necessary information to solve an accessory belt noise on Citroen C3 Picasso.
I perceive a loud noise from the alternator of my Citroen C3 Picasso
Experiencing a loud noise from the alternator of your Citroen C3 Picasso is quite common, in fact, it produces an audible sound when producing the electrical pulses it generates. It is up to you to verify 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 encourage that you have a look this document to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Citroen C3 Picasso.
