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 hear an alternator noise on Citroen C4, 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 see the role and operation of the alternator in your Citroen C4 and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Citroen C4 may be.
Role and alternator operation Citroen C4
Alternator role
Your alternator is an fundamental part of your Citroen C4. In fact, its mission is to give power to your entire electrical system: headlights, interior lighting, signalling, computer… It will have the task of charging 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 concept of copper coil wound around a magnet . This coil while rotating makes electricity. It is the engine itself that will provide the energy required by the alternator to create the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Citroen C4 engine stops, the battery takes over to provide the car with energy.
What are the several alternator noises or sounds on my Citroen C4 and what are the causes?
I hear a knocking noise from the alternator of my Citroen C4
One of the characteristic noises of a tired alternator on Citroen C4 is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Citroen C4 will generally occur when your engine is idling, it can be associated with voltage drops that could affect the normal operation of electrical parts 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 obtain 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 is tired and you should think about swapping the bearing if it is the only cause otherwise the whole part.
I hear a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Citroen C4
If you are in the situation where the alternator of your Citroen C4 causes grinding sounds, in this case you will have to look into it more seriously. This indicator can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, however , generally, we generally 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 case, we recommend that you consult this article to find all the necessary information to solve an accessory belt noise on Citroen C4.
I hear a loud noise from the alternator of my Citroen C4
Finding out a loud noise from the alternator of your Citroen C4 is quite normal, in fact, it emits 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 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 go to this article to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Citroen C4.
