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 , perhaps you’ve already had that apprehension. So when you find out an alternator noise on Citroen Cactus, 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 locate the origins of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first see the role and functions of the alternator in your Citroen Cactus and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Citroen Cactus may be.alternator-noise-citroen-cactus

Role and alternator operation Citroen Cactus

Alternator role

Your alternator is an essential component of your Citroen Cactus. Indeed, its task 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 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 works on an electrical principle that has been used for decades, the concept of copper coil wound around a magnet . This coil while spinning produces electricity. It is the engine itself that will furnish the energy requested by the alternator to produce the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Citroen Cactus engine stops, the battery takes over to furnish the car with energy.

What are the different alternator noises or sounds on my Citroen Cactus and what are the causes?

I perceive a knocking noise originating from the alternator of my Citroen Cactus

One of the typical noises of a tired alternator on Citroen Cactus is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Citroen Cactus will most of the time occur when your engine is idling, it can be associated with voltage drops that could affect the normal operation of electrical components such as headlights for example. Often, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is defective, to examine 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 recharging your battery well. If the value is lower, the alternator of your Citroen Cactus is tired and you should consider replacing the bearing if it is the only cause otherwise the whole part.

I find out a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Citroen Cactus

If you are in the case where the alternator of your Citroen Cactus generates grinding sounds, in this case you will have to look into it more seriously. This symptom can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, but in general, 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 case, we suggest that you look for advice this document to find all the necessary information to solve an accessory belt noise on Citroen Cactus.

I find out a loud noise from the alternator of my Citroen Cactus

Experiencing a loud noise from the alternator of your Citroen Cactus is quite regular, in fact, it emits 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 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 suggest that you take a look at this document to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Citroen Cactus.