Did you ever had this trouble trying to start your car in the morning and it doesn’t work ? If that didn’t happen to you, at least you’ve already had that fear. So when you find out an alternator noise on Citroen Xsara, you can already see yourself breaking down, stuck awaiting the tow truck. That’s why our team has decided to produce this content to help you find the origins of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first learn the role and operation of the alternator in your Citroen Xsara and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Citroen Xsara may be.
Role and alternator operation Citroen Xsara
Alternator role
Your alternator is an essential component of your Citroen Xsara. In fact, its goal is to generate power to your entire electrical system: headlights, interior lighting, signalling, computer… It will have the goal of recharging 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 functions 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 needed by the alternator to create the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Citroen Xsara engine stops, the battery takes over to give the car with energy.
What are the distinctive alternator noises or sounds on my Citroen Xsara and what are the causes?
I discover a knocking noise coming from the alternator of my Citroen Xsara
One of the characteristic noises of a tired alternator on Citroen Xsara is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Citroen Xsara will most of the time appear when your engine is idling, it can be associated with voltage drops that could disrupt the normal operation of electrical elements such as headlights for example. Often, 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 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 Xsara is tired and you should consider changing the bearing if it is the only cause otherwise the complete part.
I find out a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Citroen Xsara
If you are in the situation where the alternator of your Citroen Xsara 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 generally, we often notice by looking more strongly that it is the accessory belt that is loosened or worn and is therefore the cause of it. In this case, we advise that you consult this article to find all the necessary information to solve an accessory belt noise on Citroen Xsara.
I find out a loud noise from the alternator of my Citroen Xsara
Listening a loud noise from the alternator of your Citroen Xsara is quite regular, in fact, it produces an audible sound when creating the electrical pulses it generates. It is up to you to check 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 advise that you read this article to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Citroen Xsara.
