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 , at minimum you’ve already had that fear. So when you discover an alternator noise on Ford Focus, 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 functions of the alternator in your Ford Focus and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Ford Focus may be.alternator-noise-ford-focus

Role and alternator operation Ford Focus

Alternator role

Your alternator is an vital part of your Ford Focus. In fact, its task is to provide 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 let you to always have a enough 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 creates electricity. It is the engine itself that will provide the energy requested by the alternator to create the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Ford Focus engine stops, the battery takes over to provide the car with energy.

What are the several alternator noises or sounds on my Ford Focus and what are the causes?

I listen to a knocking noise coming from the alternator of my Ford Focus

One of the characteristic noises of a tired alternator on Ford Focus is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Ford Focus will generally occur when your engine is idling, it can be connected to voltage drops that could disrupt the normal operation of electrical parts such as headlights for example. In many cases, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is malfunctioning, 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 recharging your battery well. If the value is lower, the alternator of your Ford Focus is tired and you should think about swapping the bearing if it is the only reason otherwise the entire part.

I discover a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Ford Focus

If you are in the case where the alternator of your Ford Focus causes grinding sounds, in this circumstance you will have to look into it more seriously. This sign can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, however , generally, we generally realise by looking more strongly that it is the accessory belt that is loosened or worn and is therefore the reason of it. In this circumstance, we encourage that you read this content to find all the necessary details to solve an accessory belt noise on Ford Focus.

I discover a loud noise from the alternator of my Ford Focus

Finding out a loud noise from the alternator of your Ford Focus 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 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 read this content to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Ford Focus.