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 , certainly you’ve already had that fear. So when you hear an alternator noise on Citroen C4 Cactus, you can already imagine yourself breaking down, stuck awaiting the tow truck. That’s why our team has decided to produce this post to help you find the sources of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first learn the role and operation of the alternator in your Citroen C4 Cactus and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Citroen C4 Cactus may be.
Role and alternator operation Citroen C4 Cactus
Alternator role
Your alternator is an vital part of your Citroen C4 Cactus. Indeed, its goal is to provide power to your entire electrical system: headlights, interior lighting, signalling, computer… It will have the goal 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 sufficient energy reserve to be able to restart the next time.
Alternator functioning
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The alternator functions on an electrical principle that has been used for decades, the principle of copper coil wound around a magnet . This coil while rotating produces electricity. It is the engine motor itself that will provide the energy needed by the alternator to produce the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Citroen C4 Cactus engine stops, the battery takes over to provide the car with energy.
What are the distinctive alternator noises or sounds on my Citroen C4 Cactus and what are the causes?
I discover a knocking noise originating from the alternator of my Citroen C4 Cactus
One of the characteristic noises of a tired alternator on Citroen C4 Cactus is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Citroen C4 Cactus will most of the time appear when your engine is idling, it can be linked to voltage drops that could affect the normal operation of electrical elements such as headlights for example. In many cases, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is defective, to verify 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 charging your battery well. If the value is lower, the alternator of your Citroen C4 Cactus is tired and you should consider swapping the bearing if it is the only reason otherwise the entire part.
I hear a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Citroen C4 Cactus
If you are in the situation where the alternator of your Citroen C4 Cactus causes grinding sounds, in this case you will have to look at it more seriously. This symptom can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, however , usually, we generally realize by looking more carefully 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 consult this document to find all the necessary information to solve an accessory belt noise on Citroen C4 Cactus.
I hear a loud noise from the alternator of my Citroen C4 Cactus
Listening a loud noise from the alternator of your Citroen C4 Cactus is quite normal, in fact, it produces 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 recommend that you go to this document to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Citroen C4 Cactus.
